Sports News

SCORECARD:
Here are the sports results from Monday:
      

Winning gold medal helps Brian McKeever remembers why he keeps racing
WHISTLER, B.C. - Brian McKeever will never forget his Olympic disappointment, but the Paralympic gold medal he won Monday helped remind him why he keeps racing. McKeever's victory in the 20-kilometre cross-country ski race for the visually impaired gave Canada its first gold medal of the Winter Paralympics. The win came in an event where McKeever had finished second in his two previous Paralympics.
      

Canada's Joannie Rochette withdraws from world championships, source says
The emotional and physical upheaval of the last three weeks have taken a toll on Joannie Rochette. So the figure skater who captured bronze at the Vancouver Olympics less than a week after the death of her mother has withdrawn from next week's world championships.
      

David Beckham's surgery on torn Achilles' tendon completed at hospital in Finland
TURKU, Finland - David Beckham's left Achilles' tendon was "totally torn," and the doctor who performed the surgery said the England midfielder is expected to be out of action for about six months. Dr. Sakari Orava said the 34-year-old Beckham was expected to recover well from the injury but was all but certain to miss the World Cup in South Africa in June.
      

Alex Ovechkin suspended two games for hit on Blackhawks defenceman Campbell
TORONTO - Two-time MVP Alex Ovechkin was suspended Monday for the Washington Capitals' next two games because of a reckless hit. The forward drove Chicago's Brian Campbell into the boards from behind in the first period Sunday and received a major penalty and a game misconduct. With Ovechkin, who is leading the league in points with 96, kicked out of the game, the Capitals later came back from a 3-0 third-period deficit to win 4-3 in overtime.
      

Mir has nothing bad to say about Carwin, but sees unbeaten big man as obstacle to UFC title
Frank Mir is a champion talker as well as a fighter. Put a microphone in front of Mir and settle back. Usually the self-edit button is off.
      

'I deserve to be punished' for gun prank, Wizards guard says in interview
WASHINGTON - Gilbert Arenas says he deserves to be punished for bringing guns to the locker-room. The suspended Washington Wizards guard told Esquire magazine that he wasn't using "longevity thinking" when he took out four guns in what he says was an attempt to play a prank on teammate Javaris Crittenton in December.
      

Iditarod musher Mackey extends lead over King by cutting rest, setting fast pace
NOME, Alaska - Three-time defending champion Lance Mackey is poised to claim his fourth consecutive win in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race over a route beset by bitter cold. Mackey increased his lead in the 1,770-kilometre race Monday morning over four-time champion Jeff King, beating him out of the Koyuk checkpoint by slightly more than two hours. The village is 275 kilometres from the finish line in Nome and 77 kilometres from the next checkpoint at the village of Elim.
      

Russia's Evgeni Plushenko says he plans to skate at Sochi 2014 Olympics
MOSCOW - Olympic figure skating silver medallist Evgeni Plushenko says he plans to skate at the Sochi 2014 Games in his native Russia. Plushenko said Monday in comments carried by Russian state news agencies that he had "proved" his ability during the Vancouver Games, where he narrowly finished second to American Evan Lysacek.
      

UN criticizes Russia for ignoring ecological impact of 2014 Sochi Olympics projects
MOSCOW - The top U.N. environmental watchdog has criticized Russia in a report to be released Tuesday for ignoring the effects that several construction projects for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi will have on the region's unique wildlife. In the report - obtained Monday by The Associated Press - the U.N. Environment Program says impact assessments undertaken by the government "did not take into account the cumulative ... effects of the various projects on the ecosystems of the Sochi region and its population."
      

Forget winning the pool; strive for a perfect 64 for 64 NCAA tournament bracket
Some day, someone will fill out the perfect bracket sheet. Forget any money that might come that person's way through an office pool or an online competition. Sixty-four for 64. From the play-in game through the playing of "One Shining Moment" on championship Monday night, not a red "X" on the sheet.
      

Lookin At Lucky has trainer Bob Baffert ready for another run at winning the Kentucky Derby
NEW YORK - If you think Bob Baffert likes finishing second in the Kentucky Derby, think again. The first time the trainer saddled a horse in the Derby, he was second with Cavonnier in 1996, losing to Grindstone by the smallest of margins - a nose, after a photo finish. Upset but undeterred, Baffert simply came back and won the Derby the next two years, first with Silver Charm and then with Real Quiet.
      

Man who shot nude video of ESPN's Erin Andrews gets 2½ years; Victim says it's not enough
LOS ANGELES - An Illinois insurance executive who secretly shot nude videos of ESPN reporter Erin Andrews was sentenced Monday to 2½ years in prison after giving a tearful apology that was harshly rebuked by his victim. Michael David Barrett pleaded guilty in December to interstate stalking after prosecutors accused him of following the reporter to at least three cities and shooting the videos through hotel peepholes.
      

Stanford earns No. 1 seed in Sacramento region; UConn expected to be overall No. 1
Stanford, the last team to beat Connecticut, has earned its first No. 1 seed since 1998 in the NCAA women's basketball tournament. Undefeated Connecticut is expected to earn the No. 1 overall seed. UConn (33-0), which has won an NCAA record 72 straight games, will try to complete the sixth perfect season in women's basketball history as it goes for a seventh national championship.
      

North Carolina can either prolong its misery or find positives in a lost season
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Marcus Ginyard is relieved and grateful to have the chance to keep playing at North Carolina. It doesn't matter that the reigning national champions are reduced to playing in the NIT, either. "I'm just really excited for another opportunity to play," the fifth-year senior said. "I'm just hoping we finish this off better than we did the regular season."
      

Michigan State's Tom Izzo says March rejuvenates him, aiming for 6th Final Four in 12 seasons
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State's Tom Izzo had a tough time pushing the right buttons with some of his players this season. He suspended a couple of them, kicked one out of practice and benched another. Izzo, though, insisted the difficulties were similar to ones he dealt with during the championship season a decade ago.
      

With field getting panned, NCAA selection chair promises fantastic tourney
The coaches handled the snubs with class. The pundits weren't nearly as kind.
      

Villanova's Reynolds eyes second Final Four, school record in final NCAA tourney
VILLANOVA, Pa. - Scottie Reynolds is down to his own Final Four. He has four more notable accomplishments he hopes to add to his expansive bio as his Villanova career winds down: win a national championship, earn All-American honours, set the school's career scoring record and hear his name called in the NBA draft.
      

'Creeping Schumi'? 7-time champ's comeback gets mixed reviews in Germany
BERLIN - Michael Schumacher's comeback performance earned him a name he won't have seen often before in his native Germany: "Creeping Schumi." That was the mass-circulation Bild daily's front-page headline Monday after the seven-time champion finished sixth on his Formula One comeback in Bahrain. It asked: "How long will Schumi be trailing behind?"
      

Lance Armstrong confirms entry into Milan-San Remo single-day classic
MILAN, Italy - Organizers for the Milan-San Remo have confirmed that seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong will take part in Saturday's race. RCS Sport said Monday that Armstrong made the commitment in a phone call with race director Angelo Zomegnan.