National Sports Headlines

Josh Hamilton shed no tears and used no prepared statement as he apologized and shared few details about his relapse with alcohol. Still, it was clear he was upset by what he had done. The Texas Rangers slugger and recovering drug addict said he had "three or four" drinks during dinner at a Dallas restaurant and bar Monday and continued drinking later that night.

UConn's Jim Calhoun doesn't mince words when it comes to his health. So, when the Hall of Fame coach of the defending national champions, who turns 70 in May, had just about had it with his back problems, he let people know. "The bottom line is I'm going to need some work done," Calhoun told The Associated Press in a phone interview Friday.

The case against Lance Armstrong is closed. His legacy as a seven-time Tour de France champion endures. Federal prosecutors dropped their investigation of Armstrong on Friday, ending a nearly two-year effort aimed at determining whether the world's most famous cyclist and his teammates joined in a doping program during his greatest years.

With LeBron James running the show, Miami ran the Sixers out of their building. Dwyane Wade scored 26 points, and James had 19 points and 12 rebounds to lift the Miami Heat to a 99-79 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night. Needing a jumpstart in the fourth, James shifted to point guard, sparking a dominant late run that put away the pesky Sixers.

There must have been a lot of interesting give-and-take when the Big Ten football coaches met at the conference offices on Friday. New Ohio State coach Urban Meyer faced off with at least a couple of coaches who have been reported saying they question his poaching of recruits who had already committed to other programs.

Maybe, just maybe, the Colts and Peyton Manning are done stealing headlines during Super Bowl week. They might save the real news for later. The simmering spat between Manning and Colts owner Jim Irsay bubbled up Thursday night, when Manning's surgeon sent out a statement saying the star quarterback had been cleared to play.

Chris Doleman is not one of the four Pro Football Hall of Fame finalists who won a Super Bowl. He doesn't believe that should affect his chances of being elected to the shrine. Nor does Troy Aikman. Doleman terrorized quarterbacks and running backs as a defensive end for the Vikings, Falcons and 49ers for 15 seasons.

Running back Ahmad Bradshaw missed the New York Giants' Super Bowl practice Friday because of a sore right foot. Coach Tom Coughlin listed Bradshaw as probable for Sunday's game, and said he expects him to play. Bradshaw has a broken bone in his right foot and it was sore after two days of practice at the University of Indianapolis' practice bubble.

Another practice, another day of progress for Rob Gronkowski. The All-Pro tight end was listed as questionable for the New England Patriots for the Super Bowl against the New York Giants on Sunday after moving without a limp on Friday as the Patriots walked through their offensive plays. Gronkowski practiced on a limited basis Thursday after being hurt 11 days earlier in the Patriots 23-20 win over...

One of the nation's top high school quarterbacks is bound for Florida State. Hueytown's Jameis Winston signed to play for the Seminoles on Friday at an indoor sports complex in Birmingham before teammates, family, friends and a handful of Florida State fans. "I'm ready to get this started," Winston said.

Trail Blazers center Greg Oden will undergo an arthroscopic procedure to "remove debris" from his right knee, his fourth surgery since Portland selected him with No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, the team said. The often-injured 7-footer had microfracture surgery on the same knee before the start of his rookie season, forcing him to postpone his NBA debut for a year.

The Los Angeles Clippers and free agent Kenyon Martin have agreed to a one-year deal, returning the veteran forward to the NBA after a brief stint in China. Martin's agent, Andy Miller, confirmed Friday that the sides reached agreement. The deal, believed to be worth the mini mid-level exception of $2.5 million, is expected to be finalized as soon as Martin passes a physical.

University of Connecticut basketball coach Jim Calhoun is taking an indefinite medical leave of absence, the school announced on Friday. The Hall of Fame coach, who turns 70 in May, has been suffering for several months from spinal stenosis, a lower back condition that causes him severe pain and hampers mobility, according to the release.

The NFL is increasing the number of Thursday night games so more of its teams can play in prime time. Commissioner Roger Goodell said that there will be Thursday night games on the NFL Network from the second to the 15th week of the season, giving all of the league's teams a chance to appear in prime time on some outlet.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says expansion is not on the table at the moment. At the start of his annual state of the NFL news conference Friday, Goodell was asked about returning a team to Los Angeles, and replied the league hasn't thought about it "at all." However, he said Thursday that if the 32-team league puts a franchise in Los Angeles, it would probably expand to 34 teams.

The New York Giants are ready to face the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl and coach Tom Coughlin expects to have his full team ready to go in Sunday's game. In his final news conference before the game, Coughlin said Friday that running back Ahmad Bradshaw is expected to practice for a third straight day and every player on his 53-man squad wants to play.

Bill Belichick says he's focusing on Sunday's Super Bowl and not thinking about retiring after 37 years as a coach in the NFL. In his final news conference before the New England Patriots face the New York Giants, he was asked on Friday if winning his sixth NFL championship as an assistant or head coach might influence him to retire.

Wayne Gretzky, Paul Coffey and ... Sam Gagner? The Edmonton Oilers forward matched a franchise record held by two of the NHL's all-time greats Thursday night when he had eight points in an 8-4 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. Gagner, who entered with five goals all season, broke loose for four goals and four assists -- the first eight-point game in the NHL since Pittsburgh star Mario Lemieux...

When your name is being mentioned alongside Hall of Famers Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey, you know it's been a special night. It was a spectacular evening for Sam Gagner who scored four goals and four assists to tie a club record and lead the Edmonton Oilers over the Chicago Blackhawks 8-4 on Thursday night.

From Kobe Bryant to Chris Paul, Blake Griffin to Andrew Bynum, the NBA All-Star game is shaping up as an L.A. story. Two Lakers and two Clippers were voted as starters Thursday for the game, the first time in 15 years that two pairs of teammates have been voted to start for one conference. "It's pretty cool," Griffin said.