ARLINGTON—Nolan Ryan hollered from the front row, manager Ron Washington pumped his fist in the dugout and C.J. Wilson kept in control on the mound.Finally, a home playoff victory for the Texas Rangers was within reach. Even better, they were beating their old nemesis, the New York Yankees.—NOT!!! Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees did what they do best. They rallied to win, using a five-run eighth inning to down Texas 6-5 Friday night in the AL Championship Series opener.The Rangers still have never won a postseason game at home (0-7). This one hurt the most, since they led 3-0 in the first inning and knocked out CC Sabathia with a 5-0 lead after four.Robinson Cano hit a solo homer in the seventh to begin the Yankees’ comeback. Brett Gardner’s headfirst dive for an infield hit the next inning started a string of seven straight hitters reaching base against Wilson and four relievers.After a majors-best 48 come-from-behind wins in the regular season, the defending World Series champion Yankees have done it three more times in the postseason.The latest left Washington and everyone else in the Texas dugout looking on in disgust. Ryan sat with his arms crossed, shoulders slumped for the Rangers part-owner.Texas had a runner picked off in the eighth, then threatened in the ninth against Mariano Rivera by putting a runner on second with one out. But Rivera struck out Michael Young and retired Josh Hamilton on a grounder.New York has won 10 consecutive postseason games against the Rangers, who were knocked out of the playoffs by the Yankees in their only three previous playoffs appearances (1996, 1998 and 1999).The Yankees became the first team to win a postseason game after trailing by at least four runs in the eighth since the 2005 Astros. Houston was behind Atlanta 6-1 in the eighth of NL division series Game 4 and went on to win 7-6 in 18 innings.Right-hander Phil Hughes starts Game 2 for the Yankees on Saturday against right-hander Colby Lewis.Hamilton’s three-run homer in the first put Texas ahead, and only a fortunate bounce on what could’ve been a bases-loaded wild pitch later in the inning stopped the Rangers from getting more.Wilson, the crafty lefty reliever-turned starter, blanked the Yankees through six innings. The home run by Cano started things going awfully wrong for the Rangers.Gardner, the speedy ninth-place hitter, led off the eighth with an infield hit and Derek Jeter followed with an RBI double to chase Wilson.Darren Oliver, the only player who had been in a playoff game with Texas before this season, came in with a 5-2 lead and walked the only two batters he faced.Rodriguez, who had already struck out twice and made a fielding error to the delight of his former Texas fans, hit a hard grounder that hopped over Young’s glove at third base. The single came against submarining right-hander Darren O’Day, who faced only one batter and took the loss. Cano then had an RBI single off lefty Clay Rapada, who didn’t face another batter. Marcus Thames followed with the single off Derek Holland that drove home A-Rod.Dustin Moseley, the second of four Yankees’ relievers, struck out four in his two perfect innings.Rivera worked the ninth for his 42nd career postseason save, extending his major-league record. He has allowed only one earned run over his last 21 postseason appearances (28 innings).Things had started so well for the Rangers in their first-ever ALCS game, and the first time playing a postseason series opener at Rangers Ballpark.Ryan, the Hall of Famer and team president, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. The all-time king of strikeouts and no-hitters fired a heater to Jim Sundberg that drew maybe the loudest pregame cheer under the Friday night lights that in the Texas fall are usually dominated by high school football.Ryan was ready for an ALCS game. So were the Rangers.Sabathia, not so much.With Hamilton’s three-run homer in the first, Texas already had more runs than it scored in all the 1998 and 1999 division series against New York. The Rangers scored only one run in each of those while being swept in three games both times. They lost the last three games in the 1996 after winning their playoff debut in old Yankee Stadium. Plus, Sabathia had allowed only two earned runs in his two ALCS starts for the Yankees last season. In the division series against the Rays, when Texas won a postseason series for the first time ever, Hamilton hit .111 with only two singles and one RBI. He hit .359 with 32 homers and 100 RBI in the regular season but missed 24 games in September because of two fractured ribs after crashing into an outfield wall making a catch.Hamilton pulled a pitch down the right-field line for his first postseason homer came after Elvis Andrus drew a leadoff walk and Young hit a liner to left-center for a single, sending the already worked-up crowd of 50,935 into another frenzy.But the Rangers missed out on a much bigger start against Sabathia.After another extended gap between starts, eight days of rest since Game 1 of the AL Division Series against Minnesota, the Yankees’ big left-hander labored through the first. Sabathia walked three, gave up three hits and was pitching to the ninth batter when he finally got out of a bases-loaded jam on his 36th pitch — the 20th ball.That high pitch clipped catcher Jorge Posada’s mitt and ricocheted hard off the brick-facade backstop. Posada turned, retrieved the ball and flipped it to Sabathia to get Nelson Cruz out trying to score.Cruz immediately pointed at home plate while pleading with umpire Gerry Davis, and Washington ran out to join the conversation. But replays showed clearly that Sabathia tagged Cruz on his left arm before his feet slid across the plate.Young put the Rangers up 5-0 with a two-run double in the fourth before Hamilton took an inning-ending called third strike. That was it for Sabathia in the shortest of his seven postseason games for the Yankees over two Octobers — and his shortest in 36 starts this year, his two postseason starts included.Sabathia gave up five runs on six hits and four walks, throwing 93 pitches over four innings.Sabathia had seven days of rest before his first-round start against Minnesota, when he threw 111 pitches in six innings while giving up four runs in the Yankees’ 6-4 victory.

NOTES—Former Cub Kerry Wood walked the first batter he faced in the 8th,but picke him off,then retired two in a row for a shutout inning and a ‘hold’…Cano’s homer leading off the seventh was the first by a left-hander against Wilson since June 3, 2008….Yankees pitchers had thrown 24 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings in playoffs games at Rangers Ballpark, since the third inning of Game 4 of the 1996 division series. They pitched shutouts at Texas in 1998 and 1999….Hamilton was 1 for 10 with four strikeouts in his career against Sabathia before the first-inning homer.

Derrick Rose scored 23 points and the Bulls rode a dominating advantage on the boards to a 109-90 preseason victory against the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night.The Bulls (2-2) hammered the Raptors off the glass on both ends of the court, they outrebounded Toronto 13-3 in the first quarter, 10-4 in the second and 15-8 in the third. Overall, the Bulls finished with a 44-22 rebound advantage and outscored Toronto 19-14 on second-chance points.Joakim Noah had 16 points and 14 rebounds for the Bulls, while Luol Deng scored 13 points and Omer Asik added nine points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots.Leandro Barbosa led the Raptors (1-2) with 20 points.Guard Ronnie Brewer made his debut after missing the Bulls’ first three preseason games with a right hamstring pull. Brewer, a four-year veteran who signed with the Bulls as a free agent over the summer, scored four points in 10 minutes and looked tentative at times during his first-half stint, but more confident during the second half.Brewer said after the game that he felt fine and suffered no setbacks with his injury.Rose scored 14 points and the Bulls shot 56 percent from the field while building a nine-point lead in the first quarter. Noah had four of his team’s nine assists in the first quarter and he finished with a team-high eight for the game.The Bulls were credited with an assist on 26 of their 40 field goals. Rose had seven assists.The Bulls stretched the lead to as many as 21 points in the second quarter as they took advantage of Toronto’s leaky defense and poor effort off the boards. The Raptors closed the advantage with a strong 14-7 finish to the opening half behind seven points from center David Andersen, who scored nine points in 20 minutes in the game.Toronto closed within 12 again late in the third quarter after Barbosa hit a 3-pointer from the corner. On the Bulls’ ensuing possession, Taj Gibson missed a foul-line jumper, but Noah tipped the ball twice then dived out of bounds to tip it a third time, slapping the ball to Deng on the wing. Fittingly, Noah got the ball back under the basket and his dunk put the Bulls back up by 14. A 14-3 run to finish the third quarter featured six second-chance points. The Bulls led 81-58 entering the fourth quarter.Toronto’s Andrea Bargnani, the top pick in the 2006 draft, scored 11 points. He was 2 for 17 from the field in the first two preseason games, and was only 3 of 9 on Tuesday.Thibodeau played his key starters heavy minutes with Noah playing 40 minutes, Rose 36 and Deng 31.Raptors forward Linas Kleiza sat out because of sore right Achilles’ tendon.

ST. PETERSBURG—Cliff Lee added another impressive line to his spectacular October résumé, and now the Texas Rangers will play for the AL pennant.Lee tossed his latest postseason gem and Texas won a playoff series for the first time, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 5-1 on Tuesday night in a decisive Game 5 on the legs of some daring baserunning.Lee struck out 11 in a six-hitter for his second victory against Rays ace David Price in a series in which the road team won every game — a first in major-league history.The Rangers will host the defending champion Yankees in the opener of the best-of-7 ALCS on Friday night. Texas’ three previous playoff appearances ended with first-round losses to New York, in 1996, ’98 and ’99.The teams split eight games during the regular season, including Texas’ three-game sweep at home in September. Lee beat the Yankees twice in last year’s World Series for Philadelphia.Ian Kinsler hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning for Texas, which had been the only active major-league franchise that hadn’t won a playoff series.Lee improved to 6-0 with a 1.44 ERA and three complete games in seven career postseason starts, striking out 54 and walking six in 56 1/3 innings. He had 21 strikeouts and no walks in 16 innings against Tampa Bay.The left-hander, acquired from Seattle in July, threw 90 of his 120 pitches for strikes. He retired his final nine batters and prevented Tampa Bay from completing an improbable comeback after losing the first two games at home.Carl Crawford might have played his last game with Tampa Bay because he can become a free agent after the World Series.When B.J. Upton popped out to shortstop for the final out, Lee didn’t even watch the ball drop into Elvis Andrus’ glove. He simply walked toward catcher Bengie Molina and the two hugged as Rangers players poured onto the field to mob them near the plate.The Rays had the AL’s best record this season, giving them home-field advantage in the playoffs. But they lost all three games at Tropicana Field, managing only two runs.A pair of Rangers runners scored from second base on infield grounders — thanks to heads-up baserunning by Andrus and Vladimir Guerrero.Kinsler batted .444 in the series with three home runs and six RBI. It was the first playoff series victory in the 50-season history of the Washington/Texas franchise.Back in the clubhouse, the first round of celebrating was with ginger ale so that Hamilton, who has battled alcohol and drug addiction, could take part. When he left the room, the Rangers brought out champagne.Lee, the 2008 AL Cy Young Award winner, allowed five hits in the series opener and beat Price 5-1. Lee fanned Rays slugger Carlos Pena six of the seven times he faced him in the series and finished with an AL Division Series-record 21 K’s in two games.Texas pitchers struck out 55 in the five games, a record for a division series in either league.After losing the first two games at Tropicana Field, the Rays rallied to win Games 3 and 4 in Texas to give themselves a chance to join the 1985 Royals, 1986 Mets, 1996 Yankees and 2001 Yankees as the only teams to lose the first two games of a postseason series at home and come back to win the series.Those 2001 Yankees were the only ones to rally in a best-of-5 playoff, bouncing back against Oakland in 2001, when Washington was the Athletics’ third base coach.For the first time since Tampa Bay’s final four home games of the 2008 postseason, the tarps from the upper deck at Tropicana Field were removed, boosting capacity in the domed stadium by about 5,000 seats — some with obstructed views.But a sellout crowd of 41,845 was not enough to keep the Rays’ bats from going silent again. Not with Lee on the mound.Jason Bartlett had three hits but the AL East champion Rays went 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position, with the lone hit being Ben Zobrist’s RBI single that tied it at 1 in the third.Price, a 19-game winner in his first full season in the majors, allowed three runs and eight hits in six innings. The Rangers hurt him with two long home runs in Game 1, but did much of their damage this time on ground balls that forced him to cover first base.Long known for fielding powerful lineups that came up short, the AL West champion Rangers have transformed into a club that turned the tables on the aggressive Rays with pitching and bold baserunning.The Rangers gave Lee an early 1-0 lead, catching the Rays napping after Andrus led off the game with a single and stole second base. Price coaxed Hamilton into hitting a grounder to first base, and Andrus — running on the pitch — scored from second base when Pena flipped the ball to Price covering the bag and the pitcher didn’t turn to check on Andrus in time.Texas remained aggressive on the bases. The slow-footed Molina stole second on a full-count pitch in the third, his first steal since Sept. 9, 2006, with Toronto.In the fourth, Nelson Cruz doubled off the wall in the deepest part of the ballpark, narrowly missing his fourth home run of the series. He put the Rangers ahead 2-1 when he brazenly stole third — with two outs — and continued home on a throwing error by catcher Kelly Shoppach. An alert play by Guerrero gave the Rangers a 3-1 lead in the sixth.With runners at first and second and one out, Kinsler hit a grounder to Pena. The first baseman fielded the ball and threw to second for a force out, but the relay throw to Price covering first was not in time for an inning-ending double play.Guerrero took off for home, surprising Price, who looked at the umpire for a call before throwing a bit wide toward the plate. Guerrero slid across headfirst to avoid the tag by Shoppach.The Rangers like their chances against the wild-card Yankees.

NOTES—The Rays lost a playoff series to an American League team for the first time.Their only previous series defeat was to the NL Phillies in the 2008 World Series…..Lee has held batters to a .185 average in postseason play. He has four postseason games with at least 10 strikeouts and no walks. No other pitcher has more than one….This was the first time a division series went the full five games since the Los Angeles Angels beat the Yankees in 2005.

BUFFALO—Corey Crawford’s nerves helped the defending Stanley Cup champions get their first win of the season.Crawford shrugged off a shaky start to win his second NHL game in goal, Marian Hossa scored twice, and Nick Leddy got his first career NHL goal in the Blackhawks 4-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Monday.The game was marred by a scary moment in the first period when Sabres right wing Jason Pominville was carted off on a stretcher after being hit into the boards from behind by Niklas Hjalmarsson with 5:42 to go.Pominville was skating toward the puck near the right boards in the Buffalo zone 20 feet inside the blue line when Hjalmarsson sent him flying into the boards, causing his head to hit the glass violently.Pominville sustained a concussion and a gash above his eye that required 7-8 stitches on the play, while Hjalmarsson was given a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct. The Sabres were unable to capitalize on the man advantage.Hjalmarsson could face a suspension after the league reviews the controversial hit.Sabres coach Lindy Ruff didn’t speculate whether or not he thinks Hjalmarsson will be suspended.Crawford, meanwhile, admitted that he was plenty nervous at the beginning of his first start of the season, and ninth NHL game. Allowing a pair of goals in the game’s first 2:43 didn’t help much, but the rookie settled down to finish with 32 saves.Joel Quenneville said he was thinking about pulling Crawford in favor of veteran Marty Turco, but was happy he stuck with the 25-year-old.Crawford helped preserve the win with a sparkling left pad save on Buffalo forward Mike Grier’s attempt from the slot with just over three minutes to go, and the Blackhawks allowed just one shot during a Sabres power play that began with 2:28 to go and with Miller off for an extra attacker for the majority of the advantage. Patrick Kane also scored for the Blackhawks, who had lost their first two games of the season.Drew Stafford and Derek Roy each had a goal and assist, and Tim Connolly also scored for the Sabres, who’ve lost two straight after a season-opening win at Ottawa.Ryan Miller finished with 26 saves.With the Hawks up 3-2 after two periods, Hossa notched his second of the game, and third of the season, 3:36 into the third with a wrist shot from the lower left circle that went under Miller’s glove.Connolly made it 4-3 less than two minutes later when he whipped a shot in from in tight.Stafford opened the scoring just 14 seconds in when his wrist shot from the inner edge of the left circle eluded Crawford.Roy made it 2-0 for Buffalo with his fourth of the season 2:29 later.The Blackhawks responded with four straight goals, starting with Kane cutting the deficit in half with a power-play goal at 7:44 of the first.Leddy tied it after his slap shot went off Buffalo defenseman Shaone Morrisonn’s skate near the crease four minutes into the second.Hossa gave The Hawks their first lead with 1:13 remaining in the middle frame when he went in alone from the blue line and slipped a shot from the slot past Miller.

NOTES—These two teams will play again on Saturday in the United Center….It’s the first time since 2002-03 they’ve met twice in one season. … Sabres C Jochen Hecht played in his 700th career NHL game. … Pominville entered the game as Buffalo’s active leader in consecutive games played with 335. … The Blackhawks won for just the second time in the past six meetings with the Sabres.

ATLANTA—The San Francisco Giants celebrated their first playoff win in eight years, then paused to honor the man whose career they had just ended.As Bobby Cox came out of the Braves dugout to tip his cap to the chanting crowd one last time Monday night, the Giants stopped what they were doing on the other side of the field.They began clapping, too, and tipped their caps in Cox’s direction. The Atlanta manager waved back.Then the Giants headed off to savor a 3-2 victory that sent them to the NL Championship Series for the first time since 2002. Twenty-one-year-old rookie Madison Bumgarner pitched six strong innings, late-season pickup Cody Ross homered and drove in the go-ahead run with a two-out single in the seventh, and the San Francisco bullpen closed it out.For Cox, there are no more games, only the reality of what he’s going to do with the rest of his life without a group of ballplayers to manage.He can put away that familiar No. 6 uniform for good.The series was tight and tense to the very last out. Giants closer Brian Wilson walked two in the ninth, giving the Braves one more shot to extend Cox’s career. But Omar Infante struck out attempting to check his swing on a nasty slider, and Melky Cabrera grounded out to third.Indeed, every game was decided by one run, but the Giants won three of them to take the best-of-5 series and earn a shot against the two-time defending NL champion Phillies. Game 1 is Saturday at Philadelphia and features a marquee matchup: Tim Lincecum vs. Roy Halladay.After the final out, the crowd of 44,532 chanted “Bobby! Bobby! Bobby!” to lure the retiring skipper out of the dugout for a well-deserved curtain call.Atlanta starter Derek Lowe pitched no-hit ball into the sixth inning, and still it wasn’t enough. The Braves have yet to win at Turner Field with a series on the line, losing for the eighth straight time in that situation since the Ted opened to baseball in 1997. Cox won’t get a chance to end that streak, deciding more than a year ago to call it a career at age 69.He heads for the rocking chair as the fourth winningest manager in baseball history (2,504 regular-season victories) but one major shortcoming on a record that will surely be good enough to land him in Cooperstown. In 16 trips to the playoffs — one with Toronto, 15 with the Braves — Cox’s teams captured only one World Series title, way back in 1995.A Braves fan held up a sign pleading for the team to “Win It For Bobby,” but Ross and the Giants were in no mood for sentimentality. Not even with the comfort of knowing that Game 5 would’ve been back in San Francisco, and Lincecum was all rested and ready to go after a two-hit, 14-strikeout shutout in Game 1.Now, the Giants ace is lined up to face Halladay, who pitched a no-hitter last week in his postseason debut. The Phillies and Giants split six games this season.The Braves couldn’t blame this one on Brooks Conrad. Shortstop Alex Gonzalez made a couple of errors — including a high throw in the decisive seventh that got Ross to the plate with two outs. He delivered a bases-loaded single to left, driving in the tiebreaking run.Gonzalez also got caught loafing down the line in the eighth after hitting a soft liner toward shortstop — violating one of Cox’s few rules (always play hard). Edgar Renteria dropped it, but still threw out Gonzalez easily at first.Conrad didn’t start after making three errors in Game 3, which the Braves were one out from winning to take the lead in the series. The last of those let in the winning run of San Francisco’s 3-2 victory, a stunning turnaround that gave the upper hand back to the Giants.They didn’t let it slip away, even after falling behind twice in Game 4. Bumgarner pitched like a veteran, allowing six hits and both Atlanta runs.Missing Chipper Jones and Martin Prado from an offense that wasn’t all that strong to begin with, the Braves simply didn’t have enough bats to extend Cox’s career. Heyward had his first two hits of the series but still batted .125. As a team, Atlanta managed just 24 hits in the four games.

CHARLOTTE—The way this game started,it was easy to see why the Carolina Panthers came in 0-4.The Bears jumped ahead early,overcame awful quarterback play from Todd Collins,and beat horrible Carolina 23-6. The Bears(4-1) jumped out ahead,and could have turned it into a blow out by halftime,but Collins was ineffective and threw three interceptions in the first thirty minutes.Carolina(0-5) won the toss,and no doubt with lack of confidence in their depleted offense,they deferred and original Panther John Kaysay’s kickoff was returned by Daniel Manning for 62 yards to the Panthers 38. After getting stuffed on first down,Matt Forte picked up 14 to the 23.  Collins hit Devin Hester for 5 yards to the 18.On the next play Forte rounded left end,and ran untouched for a quick touchdown with just 1:45 gone in the game.After a short Robbie Gould kickoff,the Panthers started at their own 40.After a no gainer on first down, DeAngelo Williams broke a 23 yard run to the Bears 38.Jonathan Stewart on a third and seven busted a 24 yard up the middle run to the 12.Then the drive(which featured all runs(9),no passes by Jimmy Clausen died at the six and Kaysay kicked a 24 yard field goal.This time Manning’s return was for 37 yards to the Bears 32. Seventeen seconds later,it was 14-3 as Forte broke off left tackle and went the distance(68 yards)untouched! The home town Panthers and their Fans were stunned(OK, not REALLY stunned) as the large contingent of Bears Fans had a ton to cheer about early.This time Clausen and Carolina started from their own 33.After two runs for -1 total, Clausen had a pass tipped and intercepted by Julius Peppers(who was booed by his former Fans here at Bank of America Stadium) at the 27.Hester got ten on an end around. Chester Taylor picked up three to the 15, then Charles Johnson tipped a Collins pass to the ground.On third down,Earl Bennett grabbed a quick pass for four.On fourth down,Gould kicked a 28 yard field goal to make it 17-0. Gould’s kickoff was downed in the end zone by Mike Goodson.This drove was also a train wreck for Carolina,keyed by a fumble by Clausen which he fell on.After a short gain on third down, Jason Baker’s punt was returned by Hester to the 9 with only Baker himself saving a TD. Taylor then broke a tackle and crashed over the plain of the goal line,but officials huddled up and called it down by contact just inside the one,and that after the Line Judge had called it a TD. Lovie Smith threw the red flag to challenge the call,but the call on the field held up,so it became second and goal at the one.Taylor was stuffed behind the line for a one yard loss and the Panthers recovered a loose ball,but the officials ruled it was down by contact. That was challenged by John Fox who lost it as well. The Bears continue to never try Quarterback sneaks and as a result,Collins tried a pass which he threw right into the hands of DT Ed Johnson who returned it to the six. Clausen failed to hit Jeff King,but Charles Tillman was called for pass interference. Lance Briggs later sacked Clausen for a loss of six setting up a third and sixteen.Clausen his David Gettis,but Chris Harris stopped him three yards short of a first down and Jason Baker punted out of bounds away from Hester as the lengthy first quarter ended with the Bears ahead 17-3.6-16 for just 32 yards and four interceptions while Clausen was 9-22 for 61 yards before he was replaced late in the fourth quarter…..Peppers said he understood why his former Fans in Carolina booed every time his name was called on the P.A….With Green Bay’s overtime loss at Washington,the Bears are again alone atop the NFC North.

The second quarter started,but shouldn’t have. This was a joke both ways. Collins threw another interception,right to Jordan Pugh at the Panthers 25.On first down,Clausen’s pass intended for Brandon LaFell was broken up by Tillman and offensive pass interference moved the ball back ten yards to the 14.Clausen then had to fall on an aborted snap at his own 2.Williams gained 11 to the 13,but Baker had to punt and again kicked it out of bounds away from Hester at the Bears 43.That series was a flop,capped by Collins getting sacked for a six yard loss on third down. Brad Maynard punted the ball 42 yards to the Carolina 16.After another ‘three and out for Carolina,Baker punted out at the Bears 41.Collins had another pass(his third of the half) picked off by Everett Brown at the Bears 42.The Bears stopped the inept Panther offense again and Hester called for a fair catch at his ten.The second quarter(and first half)ended 17-3 Bears.

The Panthers received the second half kickoff and started at their own 30. Both teams ended up punting on their two possesions.Clausen then hit LaFell for 16 yards to the Bears 37.Then on a fourth and one from the 28, Travelle Wharton jumped for a false start forcing a field goal try which Kasay missed from 51 yards,wide right.On the Bears third possession,Collins threw his fourth pick to Charles Godfrey who returned 25 yards to the Bears 43.After getting to the 35, Kasay was successful on a 53 yard field goal to get the Panthers back to within 17-6.Manning returned the kickoff to the Bears 28. Caleb Hanie replaced Collins at that point,but the Bears were another three and bye-bye as the third quarter ended.

In the fourth quarter,the Bears added two Gould field goals, of 53 and 43 yards to close it out.

NOTES—At least 65% of the sellout crowd left at half time. Most of those who remained were Bears fans…..Collins finished  6-16 for just 32 yards and four interceptions while Clausen was 9-22 for 61 yards before he was replaced late in the fourth quarter…..Peppers said he understood why his former Fans in Carolina booed every time his name was called on the P.A….With Green Bay’s overtime loss at Washington,the Bears are again alone atop the NFC North.

ATLANTA—Brooks Conrad bobbled a grounder. Then he dropped a popup. Finally, a hard shot skidded under his glove in the ninth inning, his third error of the game allowing the San Francisco Giants to rally for a 3-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Sunday.The Braves were within one out of taking control of the NL Division Series, but a 30-year-old journeyman infielder who wouldn’t have been playing if not for season-ending injuries to Chipper Jones and Martin Prado simply couldn’t catch the ball.Buster Posey’s grounder went right under Conrad’s glove, his worst miscue yet in a performance that might speed up the retirement of Braves manager Bobby Cox.Freddy Sanchez raced around with the go-ahead run, and Brian Wilson shut down the Braves in the ninth to give the Giants a 2-1 lead in the best-of-5 series.San Francisco can close it out Monday night. For Conrad, the memories of this game will linger for a lifetime.Atlanta did nothing against Jonathan Sanchez, managing only two hits in 7 1/3 innings, and the Giants led 1-0 on an unearned run provided by Conrad’s second error, that dropped popup in short right field in the second.But when pinch-hitter Eric Hinske lined a two-run homer off Sergio Romo in the eighth, the Braves took a 2-1 lead.Unfortunately for Atlanta, there was no Billy Wagner to close it out. He was removed from the roster before the game with a pulled muscle on his left side.Rookie reliever Craig Kimbrel was within one out of a save before the Giants rallied. Aubrey Huff tied it with a run-scoring single off Mike Dunn. Then, Posey hit a grounder to just the right man.It skidded right through Conrad and into center field.The wild finish overshadowed Jonathan Sanchez’s brilliant performance — he didn’t allow a hit until the sixth — and Hinske’s dramatic homer, which carried the Braves to within one strike of having a chance to close out the series at Turner Field.Conrad’s blunders cost them.He was one of the last guys to make the Braves roster out of spring training and spent his first full year in the big leagues. Conrad was primarily a backup, though he did provide one of the season’s most dramatic moments with a pinch-hit grand slam that capped a seven-run ninth inning and a 10-9 victory over Cincinnati in May.Then Jones hurt his knee, and an injury finished off Prado for the season, too. Down the stretch, the Braves were forced to go with Conrad at third base.His defense was so shaky that Cox swapped him with Omar Infante before the crucial last game of the regular season with the Braves trying to wrap up the wild card, moving Conrad to second because he was having trouble making accurate throws from third.His arm wasn’t the problem in Game 3.Now, the Braves will need to win the final two games to extend Cox’s career to at least the NL championship series. One of baseball’s winningest managers is retiring at the end of a season that is one loss from being over.

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CINCINNATI—Cole Hamels completed what Roy Halladay started, putting the Philadelphia Phillies back in the NL Championship Series.Another ace, another dominating performance.Hamels struck out nine in a five-hitter, Chase Utley hit a home run and the Phillies beat the Reds 2-0 on Sunday night to finish off the franchise’s first playoff sweep.Philadelphia, trying to become the first NL team in 66 years to win three consecutive pennants, will host San Francisco or Atlanta in the NLCS opener on Saturday. The Giants beat the Braves 3-2 on Sunday to take a 2-1 lead in their best-of-5 division series.Halladay opened this matchup with the second no-hitter in postseason history. With Hamels and Roy Oswalt also rested and ready to go for the next round, look out.The Reds, making their first postseason appearance in 15 years, committed six errors in the last two games of the series after finishing second in the NL with a club-record .988 fielding percentage during the regular season.The NL’s top offense also stalled in three playoff games, managing only 11 hits.Hamels got Joey Votto to ground into a double play after Brandon Phillips’ leadoff single in the ninth, then struck out Scott Rolen to end the game. The lanky left-hander threw 119 pitches in his first postseason complete game, 82 for strikes.After Rolen struck out for the eighth time in the series, Hamels pumped his fist and the Phillies celebrated with a few chest bumps and a handshake line before returning to the locker room for more champagne.Of course, it all looked very routine — Charlie Manuel’s team has practiced this a lot over the past couple of years.Utley, greeted with loud boos and chants of “Cheater! Cheater!” before each at-bat, connected against Johnny Cueto in the fifth, giving the Phillies a 2-0 lead. It was his 10th career postseason homer, moving him past teammate Jayson Werth and into first on the club’s career list.Utley started Philadelphia’s winning rally in Game 2 when he was hit by a pitch from hard-throwing reliever Aroldis Chapman in the seventh inning. The All-Star second baseman acknowledged after the game he wasn’t sure if the ball hit him, and a record crowd of 44,599 at Great American Ball Park made it clear what it thought of the play. Umpires reviewed Utley’s drive to right-center to see if a fan interfered with the ball, but the replays were conclusive and the call was quickly upheld.No cheating here. Just another timely drive for the NL East champs.The Reds never regained their footing after Halladay shut them down in the series opener. The surprising NL Central winners led 4-0 in Game 2 but quickly fell apart, committing four errors in a gut-wrenching 7-4 loss that put them on the brink of elimination.Hamels took it from there.The 2008 World Series MVP, quite the luxury to have as a No. 3 starter in the postseason, increased his perfect mark against Cincinnati to 7-0 in eight career starts. He also improved to 6-3 in 11 postseason outings.Hamels allowed only two runners to reach second and none of the Reds got to third. He also got some help from his defense in the first when center fielder Shane Victorino sprinted into the gap in left-center to grab Phillips’ liner with speedy Drew Stubbs on first. Cincinnati’s fielders were not so helpful to Cueto.Shortstop Orlando Cabrera, a late addition to the lineup, made an errant throw in the first that allowed Placido Polanco to score an unearned run, quieting the towel-waving crowd desperate for something to cheer about. Third baseman Scott Rolen mishandled Carlos Ruiz’s grounder in the sixth but Homer Bailey got Hamels to fly out to end the inning.Cincinnati chased nemesis Oswalt early in Game 2, but was still impressed with the Phillies’ trio of starters.Hamels closed the regular season with a flourish, going 5-1 in his final seven starts, and picked up right where he left off. He walked none and was in complete control throughout.

NOTES—The last four NL Central Champions have now been swept in the NLDS(2007 Cubs by Arizona, 2008 Cubs by the Dodgers, 2009 Cardinals by the Dodgers and 2010 Reds by the Phillies)…..Hall of Fame 2B Joe Morgan, wearing his No. 8 Reds jersey, got a standing ovation when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Morgan was the NL MVP when the Reds won the World Series in 1975 and 1976. … It was an unseasonably warm 77 degrees at first pitch.

The Blackhawks raised their 2010 Stanley Cup championship banner, but then were done in by plays that were anything but title-worthy. Valtteri Filppula’s second goal of the game snapped a third-period tie, and the Detroit Red Wings spoiled the Blackhawks’ celebration with a 3-2 victory on Saturday.Filppula exploited two breakdowns and scored on the power-play at 7:01, putting Detroit ahead 3-2.John Scott fell as Filppula accelerated toward him at the blue line. Filppula cut to the net and accidentally slid a shot under Blackhawks goalie Marty Turco when defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson dived in front of him.Turco lost his second straight one-goal decision.And Scott’s blowout at the blue line? The 6-foot-7 defenseman said he simply fell. Filppula provided a reason why.Todd Bertuzzi had a goal and assist for the Red Wings (2-0).Brent Seabrook and Bryan Bickell scored for the Blackhawks (0-1-1), who fell to their Central Division archrival in their home opener.

“There is no hiding from teams like that, and we want to take them on head-on and prove ourselves against them,” Captain Jonathan Toews said. “We played well in some instances, but I’m still disappointed we couldn’t beat them in our own building”

The Blackhawks commemorated their first Stanley Cup title since 1961, and fourth in team history, with a 30-minute, pregame banner-raising ceremony. The banner was unfurled on the ice by five members of the 1961 team — Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, Pierre Pilote, Eric Nesterenko and Ab McDonald. Returning players from last season then skated the banner the length of the ice before it was slowly hoisted to the United Center’s rafters.The Blackhawks wouldn’t admit the ceremony distracted them, but the Red Wings, who have won four titles in 13 seasons, certainly know that such celebrations can get you off your game.Detroit’s Chris Osgood stopped 26 shots in his first start this season.Turco finished with 23 saves.Patrick Sharp missed the game, apparently because of an injury sustained Thursday in the Blackhawks’ season-opening overtime loss at Colorado.Sharp was in uniform and skated with his teammates in the banner-raising ceremony. In a pregame radio broadcast, coach Joel Quenneville said Sharp’s condition wasn’t serious.Filppula opened the scoring 12:59 into the first period with a tip-in of Johan Franzen’s pinpoint cross-ice feed.Seabrook’s power-play goal with three seconds left in the period tied it at 1. He was wide open in front, after pinching in from the right point, and converted Marian Hossa’s feed from the left corner.Bertuzzi put Detroit ahead 2-1 at 1:12 of the second with a goal than withstood a video review. He stuffed a shot between the left post and Turco’s right skate, and the puck barely crossed the goal line…..Bickell tied it 37 seconds later when his wobbling one-timed shot from the high slot fooled Osgood and slid into the lower right corner of the net.

NOTES—The Hawks recalled Brandon Pirri from Rockford of the AHL to take Sharp’s place in the lineup…..Detroit D Jonathan Ericsson sat out because of back spasms, which flared up Friday in the Red Wings’ 4-0 win over Anaheim. Jakub Kindl replaced him…..Detroit C Kris Draper missed the game with a groin injury, and LW Justin Abdelkader sat out with a rib injury. Both are day-to-day….. NHL Commissioner Gary “Beavis” Bettman was loudly booed when he was introduced during the pregame ceremony.