MIAMI (AFP) ― World number ones Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams head the fields in the WTA and ATP Masters Miami hardcourt event that begins on Tuesday, although several big names will be among the missing.Rafael Nadal, who secured the Indian Wells title on Sunday for his third title since his comeback from nagging knee injuries, and Swiss World No. 2 Roger Federer are absent on the men’s side, which features 45 of the world’s 50 top players.Injured World No. 10 Samantha Stosur of Australia i

More SportsMarch 19, 2013

PARIS (AFP) ― David Beckham is out in front as the highest-paid player in world football, according to a report that appears in Tuesday’s edition of France Football magazine.The veteran Englishman, who joined Paris Saint-Germain in January on a short-term deal until the end of the season, is nearing the end of his playing career but still comes in ahead of world player of the year Lionel Messi and prolific Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo.France Football report that Beckham will earn 36 millio

SoccerMarch 19, 2013

TORONTO (AP) ― Back where their winning streak started on Super Bowl Sunday, the Miami Heat kept rolling right into March Madness.Now it’s on to Boston to face the rival Celtics ― the team who ended the last streak this long.The Heat equaled the second-longest winning streak in NBA history, pulling away in the fourth quarter Sunday to beat the Toronto Raptors 108-91 for their 22nd consecutive victory.“It’s a special ride right now that we’re on,” LeBron James said. “The best thing about it is we

More SportsMarch 18, 2013

PITTSBURGH (AP) ― The reigning NHL MVP is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury. The league’s top-scoring defenseman is out, too, apparently because of a lower-body issue.Still, it hardly matters for the streaking Pittsburgh Penguins.Sidney Crosby scored his 13th goal, Joe Vitale added his first in more than a year, and Tomas Vokoun stopped 31 shots as the Penguins beat the Boston Bruins 2-1 on Sunday for their ninth straight win.“It seems like it’s always different guys, so that’s what you

More SportsMarch 18, 2013

INDIAN WELLS, California (AP) ― Rafael Nadal rallied from a set and 1-3 down in the second to beat Juan Martin del Potro 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the BNP Paribas Open final on Sunday, giving the Spaniard his third title in four tournaments since returning from a seven-month injury layoff.Nadal improved to a career-best 17-1 on the year, including 14 straight match wins. He’s won three titles ― two on clay while runner-up in another on his favorite surface ― since returning from a left knee injury.Maria

More SportsMarch 18, 2013

Musing on her latest accomplishment in an already illustrious figure skating career, South Korean star Kim Yu-na said Sunday she thinks she’s aided by her natural talent.“I think I was born gifted,” Kim said with a sheepish grin.“Honestly, I can see some athletes who work even harder than I do (but who aren’t as successful). On the other hand, I’ve seen some talented skaters who don’t know how good they could be and who don’t work as hard. “Unless you back up your natural gifts with effort, it d

More SportsMarch 18, 2013

Two members of a celebrated local high school football team were found guilty Sunday of raping a drunken 16-year-old girl, and Ohio's attorney general warned the case isn't over, saying he is investigating whether coaches, parents and other students broke the law, too.Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'Lik Richmond, 16, were sentenced to at least a year in juvenile prison in a case that has rocked this Midwestern U.S. city of 18,000 and led to allegations of a cover-up to protect the Steubenville High team,

More SportsMarch 18, 2013

PALM HARBOR, Florida (AP) ― Justin Leonard walked toward the 12th green Saturday at Innisbrook and saw a scoreboard that showed he was tied for the lead in the Tampa Bay Championship. He knocked in his 8-foot birdie putt, assumed he was ahead, and then never looked at another board the rest of the day. He might do the same Sunday.There’s no point in staring at scores, not with so many names separated by so few shots. Besides, the Copperhead course at Innisbrook is playing so difficult even in pl

GolfMarch 17, 2013

INDIAN WELLS, California (AP) ― Cracking winners off his forehand in key moments, Juan Martin del Potro defeated top-ranked Novak Djokovic 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday, handing the Serb his first loss in 21 matches dating to last October.Del Potro snapped his own four-match skid against Djokovic, who had beaten the Argentine in eight of 10 career meetings.“I’m trying to hit hard with my forehands. When I have the chance to come to the net, I did all the tim

More SportsMarch 17, 2013

LONDON (AP) ― Manchester United opened a 15-point lead in the English Premier League with nine games remaining, beating Reading 1-0 Saturday on a Wayne Rooney goal as second-place Manchester City lost 2-0 at Everton.Rooney scored in the 21st minute on a shot that deflected off Alex Pearce, Rooney’s 12th league goal of the season and 16th overall. United (24-3-2) needs 13 points to clinch a record 20th English league title.“We knew the three points was the most important thing today ― especially

SoccerMarch 17, 2013

Lee Jee-young birdied three of her last four holes to take a one-stroke lead over Ai Miyazato on another hot day at the LPGA Founders Cup.Lee, the 27-year-old South Korean player who won the LPGA Tour's 2005 South Korean event before becoming a tour member, had a bogey-free 8-under 64 on Friday to reach 15-under 129. She broke the tournament 36-hole record of 12 under set by Angela Stanford in 2011.``I've waited so long, like seven, eight years,'' Lee said. ``I really want to win this week. But

GolfMarch 16, 2013