Angels even Series in slugfest
ANAHEIM, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Tim Salmon's two-run homer in the eighth inning finished off a four-hour marathon of offensive prowess Sunday night and gave the Anaheim Angels the first World Series victory in franchise history with an 11-10 decision over the San Francisco Giants.
Anaheim evened baseball's showcase event at one game each. After a day off, the teams will meet in Game 3 Tuesday night in San Francisco.
San Francisco fell behind by five runs in the first inning, rushed back to take a 9-7 lead and then was all but shut down by the powerful relief combination of Felix Rodriguez and Troy Percival. After the Giants managed nine runs on 11 hits through five innings, they were able to produce only one baserunner over the final four against Rodriguez and Percival.
That was Barry Bonds, who with two out in the ninth hit a massive blast into the right field seats off Percival. Benito Santiago then popped out to end the game. Rodriguez won his fifth game of the playoffs by retiring all nine men he faced beginning in the sixth inning.
Anaheim staged its own rally to deadlock the game at 9-9 through six and that is where it still stood going into the Angels' eighth.
With Felix Rodriguez on the mound for San Francisco, Adam Kennedy opened the eighth by flying out to center. David Eckstein then singled to right field, after which Darin Erstad flew out to left.
That brought up Salmon, who smashed the first pitch from the San Francisco reliever into the left field bullpen. As the Anaheim crowd rejoiced in the most significant of the night's 28 hits, Salmon came out of the dugout to acknowledge the cheers by raising hits arms in celebration.
It was the second homer of the night for Salmon, who went four for four with a walk, three runs scored and four RBI.
Six Angels had at least two hits in the slugfest and all nine San Francisco starters had at least one hit.
The game fell 14 minutes short of the longest nine-inning World Series game in history, a 15-14 Toronto triumph over Philadelphia nine years ago. That game also established the record for most hits in a World Series contest with 32 -- just four more than the Giants and Angels combined to produce Sunday night.
Neither starting pitcher -- Russ Ortiz for San Francisco and Kevin Appier for Anaheim -- lasted past the second inning. That was the first time in 45 years both pitchers have left so early in a World Series game.
Saints, Chargers record big wins; Favre injured
GREEN BAY, Wis., Oct. 21 (UPI) -- With the midway point of the National Football League fast approaching, the teams to beat appear to have become the New Orleans Saints and the San Diego Chargers.
Both came up with significant victories Sunday while the Green Bay Packers came up with a potentially costly win.
The NFL produced four overtime games Sunday along with its second shutout of the season and the 12th contest this year in which at least 70 points were scored. Last year, there were only four such games.
Miami found it missed quarterback Jay Fielder, the St. Louis Rams began to resemble their old selves and Tampa Bay's defense struggled with Duce Staley.
The key contests, however, resulted in New Orleans and San Diego moving to the top of their conferences and Green Bay sweating out the status of quarterback Brett Favre.
Favre made his 164th straight start Sunday, the longest streak for any player at any position in the league. But he hobbled off the field in the third quarter with a torn knee ligament courtesy of Washington linebacker LaVar Arrington.
Green Bay had a 17-6 lead at the time and they went on to down the Redskins, 30-9, behind backup quarterback Doug Pederson.
Although both Favre and Green Bay Coach Mike Sherman were optimistic that the Packers star could return after the team's upcoming bye week, a MRI will be taken Monday to determine the full extent of the injury.
"I don't feel too bad, all things considered," said Favre. "From what I understand, it is an injury I could play with. It is a wait-and-see thing and we'll see how it heals."
"There's some swelling but not a lot of it. It appears like he's going to be OK," Sherman said. "There was a lot of concern by us on the sideline but it appears he'll be fine. We're going to MRI it tomorrow and see if there's more swelling and we'll go from there."
The Packers improved to 6-1, but that was good enough only for a tie at the top of the NFC standings.
New Orleans reached the same record by coming from behind to defeat the San Francisco 49ers, 35-27. Deuce McAllister rushed for a career-high 139 yards and Aaron Brooks threw for three touchdowns for the Saints, who pulled out the game with 22 fourth-quarter points.
McAllister increased his NFC-leading rushing total to 721 yards and also caught four passes for 26 yards, including a four-yard touchdown.
San Diego, meanwhile, became the top team in the AFC at 6-1 with a 27-21 overtime victory over the Oakland Raiders, who lost their second straight game after going into last weekend's action as the only unbeaten team in the league.
Drew Brees hit Tim Dwight with a pair of clutch third-down passes to set up a 19-yard touchdown run by LaDainian Tomlinson 3:38 into the overtime.
The touchdown capped a 153-yard performance for Tomlinson, who took over the NFL rushing lead with 785 yards and also caught a four-yard scoring pass.
Other NFL results: Denver 37, Kansas City 34 in overtime; Detroit 23, Chicago 20 in overtime; Arizona 9, Dallas 6 in overtime; Cleveland 34, Houston 17; Philadelphia 20, Tampa Bay 10; Buffalo 23, Miami 10; Atlanta 30, Carolina 0; St. Louis 37, Seattle 20; New York Jets 20, Minnesota 7; Baltimore 17, Jacksonville 10.
Modano paces Stars past Capitals
DALLAS, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Rob DiMaio scored twice and Mike Modano added three assists Sunday night as the Dallas Stars cruised to a 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals.
Since moving from Minnesota to Dallas following the 1992-93 season, the Stars are 7-1
1 at home against the Capitals.
Washington backup goaltender Craig Billington allowed three goals on seven shots and was replaced by Olaf Kolzig just 10:13 into the contest, when Dallas already had a 3-1 lead.
Superstar Jaromir Jagr had a goal and an assist for the Capitals, who have lost twice after opening the season with three straight wins.
In the only other NHL game on the schedule, Anaheim defeated Colorado in overtime, 3-2.
Galaxy wins MLS title
FOXBORO, Mass., Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Carlos Ruiz, the league MVP, scored in the 113th minute Sunday to lift the Los Angeles Galaxy to a 1-0 overtime triumph over the New England Revolution and their first MLS Cup title.
The perennial bridesmaids of the MLS Cup, the Galaxy had lost in the championship game three times.
Ruiz's goal, his 32nd in regular and post-season action in 2002, came off a pass from Tyrone Marshall. Nicknamed "The Little Fish," Ruiz knocked the ball past goalkeeper Adin Brown and inside the right goalpost.
Los Angeles has the chance to win both major domestic titles since the Galaxy will play the Columbus Crew on Thursday for the U.S. Open Cup at Crew Stadium.
Burns becomes another first-time PGA winner
ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Bob Burns claimed his first career PGA Tour win Sunday, outlasting Tiger Woods and a host of others in a shootout at the Disney Classic.
With Woods making a typical charge and Chris DiMarco among the elite players in contention, Burns won for the first time in 173 career starts, having finished a career-best third at the Kemper Open in May.
A 34-year-old Californian who enjoys brewing beer, Burns began the day a stroke off the lead but carded a bogey-free, 7-under-par 65 that included four birdies on the first five holes of the back nine.
At 25-under 263, Burns matched the best 72-hole score in relation to par this season, set by Woods at the American Express Championship. Eight others finished at 21-under or better.
Woods grabbed a share of the lead midway through a sensational 9-under 63 in a typical final-round charge. But the world's best player ended up third at 23-under 265.
Burns extended the record in 2002 for most first-time winners in a single year to 16. Phil Tataurangi broke the record last week when he won for the first time in Las Vegas.
Els wins match play crown
WENTWORTH, England, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Ernie Els won the Cisco World Match Play Championship for the fourth time Sunday, holding off Sergio Garcia in a marquee battle at Wentworth Club.
Els posted a 2 & 1 victory after building a 5-up lead through 12 holes. The South African walked away with the title in a match between the second- and fifth-ranked players in the world.
It was the fourth title in the 39-year history of the event for Els, who won three straight from 1994-96. Fellow South African Gary Player and Seve Ballesteros won the tournament five times.
Els won his third European Tour event of the season and the 15th of his career. He also has won twice on the PGA Tour, including his first British Open.
Busch wins NASCAR race
MARTINSVILLE, Va., Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Kurt Busch held off a charging Johnny Benson Jr. over the last 15 laps Sunday to claim the NASCAR Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville Speedway. It was Busch's second career Winston Cup win.
Busch piloted his Ford Taurus past Benson's Pontiac Grand Prix for the lead on lap 389 and maintained it through a pair of caution flags and the final round of pit stops for a record-setting victory.
The yellow flag waved on lap 407 when Hideo Fukuyama crashed in the third turn. When the green came out, Busch was ahead of defending champion Ricky Craven and Benson.
Bill Elliott's crash on the front stretch of lap 424 brought out the final yellow, but when the green waved, Busch continued on his path to victory. Benson passed Craven for second on lap 445 and made several runs at Busch, but finished 0.460 seconds back.
Starting 36th, Busch averaged 74.650 miles per hour. It was the furthest back any driver has started and driven to victory at Martinsville.
Tony Stewart, who came in with a 97-point lead over Jimmie Johnson in the Winston Cup standings, started 31st and drove his way to the lead by lap 203. But a mid-race tangle with Dale Jarrett and Earnhardt in the second turn on lap 343 dropped him out of contention. He finished 11th and widened his lead to 82 points with four races remaining.
Gap shrinks between Miami and Oklahoma
MIAMI, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Miami remained No. 1 as the top five stayed unchanged in the latest college football coaches poll.
Miami (6-0), which owns the nation's longest winning streak with 28 consecutive victories, has not played since edging Florida State, 28-27, on Oct. 12. But the Hurricanes lost three first-place votes, earning 55 of a possible 61 and 1,519 points overall.
After moving up to the second spot last week, Oklahoma (7-0) picked up the six remaining first-place votes and 1,465 points. The Sooners routed Iowa State, 49-3, on Saturday.
Virginia Tech (7-0), Ohio State (8-0) and Georgia (7-0) round out the top five for the second week in a row.
Oregon (6-1) made the biggest drop, going from sixth to 12th place. The Ducks' national title hopes may have ended after suffering a 45-42 loss to Arizona State, which entered the poll at No. 25.
Also new to the poll, Minnesota (7-1) slotted in at No. 24.
No. 17 Washington (4-3) and No. 22 Mississippi dropped out of top 25.
Oregon's fall allowed Notre Dame (7-0), Texas (6-1), Michigan (6-1) and North Carolina State (8-0) to scoot up one place each. Louisiana State (6-1) climbed two rungs to No. 10.
Agassi wins by default
MADRID, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Andre Agassi was handed the crown at the Tennis Masters Series - Madrid Sunday when Jiri Novak withdrew from the final with a groin injury.
Agassi, seeded second, claimed his third Tennis Masters Series title of the year and 15th of his career. He is the first player ever to win TMS events on clay (Roma), outdoor hard courts (Miami), and indoors (Madrid) in one year.
With his fifth tournament victory, the 32-year-old American took over the ATP lead in titles after being tied with world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt and Carlos Moya. He also stands just 43 points behind Hewitt for top spot in the ATP Champions Race, giving him a chance at overtaking the Australian for the No. 1 ranking at the end of the year.
In Zurich, Switzerland's Patty Schnyder saved one match point in Sunday's final before upsetting Lindsay Davenport and capturing the Swisscom Challenge.
Schnyder prevailed, 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (10-8), 6-3, in 2 hours, 15 minutes for her first victory over the second-seeded American in six meetings.
