Nats bolster pitching staff with deal for Haren

(Reuters) - The Washington Nationals bolstered their already strong pitching rotation by agreeing to a one-year, $13 million contract with right-hander Dan Haren, Major League Baseball's (MLB) website reported on Tuesday.Haren, pending a physical, will join a rotation that boasts Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann and Gio Gonzalez, effectively replacing Edwin Jackson from a staff that helped the...

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Giants agree deal to keep playoff hero Scutaro

(Reuters) - National League Championship Series MVP Marco Scutaro has agreed a $20 million three-year deal to stay with the San Francisco Giants, the World Series winners said on Tuesday.The 37-year-old second baseman was acquired by San Francisco in a mid-season trade with Colorado and he paid great dividends down the stretch as the Giants claimed their second World Series in three years.Scutaro...

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Reds land Korean Choo in trade with Indians, D-Backs

(Reuters) - The Cincinnati Reds acquired South Korean outfielder Choo Shin-soo from the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday in a three-team trade that involved nine players.The 30-year-old Choo, entering the final year of his contract, declined to sign an extension with the Indians and will now give the Reds a potential lead-off hitter who batted .283 with 16 home runs last season."He fills the one big...

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Angels land slugger Hamilton in $125 million deal: report

(Reuters) - Free agent slugger Josh Hamilton has agreed to a five-year, $125 million deal to join the Los Angeles Angels, Major League Baseball's (MLB) website reported on Thursday.The five-time All-Star, who overcame drug and alcohol addictions to become one of MLB's most feared hitters, helped power the Texas Rangers to consecutive World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011.The 31-year-old hard-hitting...

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Angels land slugger Hamilton in $125 million deal

(Reuters) - The Los Angeles Angels grabbed Major League Baseball's prized free agent for a second consecutive year on Thursday by signing slugger Josh Hamilton to a five-year, $125 million contract.Hamilton, a five-time All-Star who overcame drug and alcohol addictions to become one of Major League Baseball's most feared hitters, powered the Texas Rangers to consecutive World Series appearances in...

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Yankees sign former rival Youkilis to one-year deal

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former Red Sox rival Kevin Youkilis officially joined the New York Yankees on Friday when he signed a one-year contract to fill a void left by the absence of Alex Rodriguez, the American League team said.The three-time All-Star, 33, will serve as the starting third baseman with slugger Rodriguez expected to be sidelined until midseason after having surgery on his left hip.The...

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Chiefs fire Crennel, make no move on GM Pioli

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs fired coach Romeo Crennel on Monday, but made no move on embattled general manager Scott Pioli despite a 2-14 season marked by blowout losses, fan rebellion and a murder-suicide involving one of their players.Crennel was fired after one full season as coach, and one day after Kansas City matched the fewest wins in franchise history with an embarrassing...

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Reid among 5 NFL coaches sacked in firing frenzy

By lunchtime Monday, five NFL coaches were looking for work.With the regular season ending the day before, the firings came at a furious clip and within a span of 90 minutes the following were sacked: Andy Reid in Philadelphia, Lovie Smith in Chicago, Pat Shurmur in Cleveland, Romeo Crennel in Kansas City and Chan Gailey in Buffalo,Though he also had a losing record, New York Jets coach Rex Ryan held...

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Jaguars fire GM Gene Smith after 4 seasons

 After four years of futility, the Jacksonville Jaguars are heading in a different direction.Coach Mike Mularkey might not be around for the move.The Jaguars fired general manager Gene Smith on Monday after four disappointing seasons, including the worst year in franchise history.Mularkey could be next.Owner Shad Khan is waiting to decide Mularkey's fate until he hires a new general manager,...

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Reid among 6 NFL coaches sacked in firing frenzy

With the regular season ending the day before, the firings came at a furious clip and within a two-hour span the following were sacked: Andy Reid in Philadelphia, Lovie Smith in Chicago, Norv Turner in San Diego, Pat Shurmur in Cleveland, Romeo Crennel in Kansas City and Chan Gailey in Buffalo,Though he also had a losing record, New York Jets coach Rex Ryan held onto his job while general manager...

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UPDATE 2-NFL-Heads roll on Black Monday as seven coaches fired

* Eagles' Reid pays for disappointing season* Bears surprisingly drop Smith after 10-6 record (Adds Cardinals, Chargers, Chiefs, Bears firings)Dec 31 (Reuters) - Heads continued to roll for under-achieving head coaches across the National Football League as the Philadelphia Eagles' Andy Reid, Buffalo Bills' Chan Gailey and Cleveland Browns' Pat Shurmur were all fired on what has become known as Black...

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Bengals book playoff spot with win over Steelers

 Josh Brown booted a 43-yard field goal with four seconds left to play to earn the Cincinnati Bengals a 13-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and a ticket to the National Football League playoffs on Sunday.The victory was the Bengals' (9-6) first over their bitter AFC North rivals in six meetings and eliminated the Steelers (7-8) from post-season contention spoiling the holiday mood for the...

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Column: NFL's 'nice little story' gets even better

The Colts were a nice little story six weeks ago.That's when a team that started 1-2 and had "rebuilding" written all over it responded to the loss of rookie coach Chuck Pagano with one of those how-did-they-do-it winning streaks — and that was supposed to be that. Considering the Colts finished 2-14 a year ago, then said goodbye to Peyton Manning and turned the rest of the roster upside-down, the...

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UPDATE 1-NFL-Bengals and Colts claim playoff berths

* Colts complete turnaround season as AFC playoff list set* Ravens claim AFC North title, top-seed not yet decided (Adds later games, quotes)Dec 23 (Reuters) - The Cincinnati Bengals edged the Pittsburgh Steelers to reach the NFL playoffs, and the Indianapolis Colts joined the postseason party by capping their remarkable turnaround in pressure-packed action on Sunday.The advancement of Cincinnati...

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Luck sets rookie record, rookie PK sets NFL mark

Andrew Luck has broken the NFL rookie record for yards passing, and rookie kicker Blair Walsh has broken the league mark for 50-yard plus field goals in a season.On a Sunday featuring a slew of records, Luck topped Cam Newton's year-old mark for yards passing in the first half of Indianapolis' win at Kansas City. Newton's record was 4,051 yards. Luck entered the game needing 74 yards to break the...

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UPDATE 1-NFL results

Dec 24 (Infostrada Sports) - Results from the NFL games on Sunday (home team in CAPS)GREEN BAY 55 Tennessee 7CAROLINA 17 Oakland 6MIAMI 24 Buffalo 10Cincinnati 13 PITTSBURGH 10New England 23 JACKSONVILLE 16Indianapolis 20 KANSAS CITY 13New Orleans 34 DALLAS 31 (OT)Washington 27 PHILADELPHIA 20St. Louis 28 TAMPA BAY 13Minnesota 23 HOUSTON 6San Diego 27 NY JETS 17DENVER 34 Cleveland 12Chicago 28 ARIZONA...

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Heisman winner Manziel glad to get back in huddle

Johnny Manziel is ready to get back to being Johnny Football.After not talking to the media all season until Nov. 26, two days after the regular season finale, the Texas A&M quarterback has been from Florida to New York to Hollywood. Along the way, he won the Heisman Trophy and a host of other major awards.Manziel is back on the College Station campus after a "Tonight Show" appearance this week,...

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Minn. college coach cleared in porn case off leave

MANKATO, Minn. (AP) — A Minnesota college football coach cleared by a judge of child porn charges stemming from cellphone video of his naked children is no longer on administrative leave, but hasn't yet been reinstated atop the program, his school said Wednesday.Minnesota State University, Mankato coach Todd Hoffner had been on leave since the videos were discovered on his university-issued phone...

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Canada's Cam Levins wins award as NCAA's top male track and field athlete

ORLANDO, Fla. - Canada's Cam Levins capped a memorable 2012 in style on Wednesday.The long-distance runner from Black Oak, B.C., won the Bowerman award as the NCAA's top male track and field athlete after a standout year for Southern Utah University.Levins, who competed for Canada at the London Olympics, swept the NCAA outdoor crowns at 5,000 and 10,000 metres.His time of 28 minutes 7.14 seconds was...

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AP IMPACT: Steroids loom in major-college football

WASHINGTON (AP) — With steroids easy to buy, testing weak and punishments inconsistent, college football players are packing on significant weight — 30 pounds or more in a single year, sometimes — without drawing much attention from their schools or the NCAA in a sport that earns tens of billions of dollars for teams.Rules vary so widely that, on any given game day, a team with a strict no-steroid...

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