Art Shell's second stint as coach of the Oakland Raiders ended after just one season, the franchise's worst in more than four decades. Shell met with owner Al Davis on Thursday, and afterward the team announced that he would not return as coach for the final season of his contract. "While Art will no longer serve as head coach, he and Mr.

There was no chance Bill Cowher would walk away from the Pittsburgh Steelers without winning a Super Bowl. That became obvious during a long succession of frustrating near-misses that left him one of the most successful NFL coaches without a championship ring. Once he finally accomplished the goal he set for himself back in 1992, saying goodbye proved much easier.

Police investigating the drive-by slaying of Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams have found the truck they were looking for and are now asking if anybody saw who ditched the spray-painted SUV. The 1998 Chevrolet Tahoe that police believe might have been used in the killing was found abandoned early Thursday in a remote neighborhood of snow-covered empty lots and industrial buildings under...

Toward the end of LaDainian Tomlinson's spectacular record-setting season, San Diego Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer ran out of superlatives to describe the super running back. That's saying something, since Schottenheimer was an English major in college. So Schottenheimer shifted directions as quickly as Tomlinson does.

Chad Pennington spent two nerve-racking weeks at home in Tennessee last fall wondering if his right shoulder would ever be the same. "That was the lowest point, not knowing what direction I would go in, whether it was good or bad or whether it was with football or without football," the New York Jets quarterback said.

Terry Robiskie, the Browns' wide receivers coach who served as Cleveland's interim head coach for the final five games in 2004, will not be retained next season, a person with knowledge of the decision said Thursday night. Robiskie's expected departure is the first of what is likely to be an extensive overhaul on coach Romeo Crennel's offensive staff.

Devin Harris didn't even think about taking jumpers. The skinny guard kept driving to the basket -- and scoring. With Jason Terry struggling, that was exactly what the Dallas Mavericks needed Thursday night to beat the Indiana Pacers 100-91 and extend the NBA's longest winning streak to 12 games. Harris scored 13 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter -- when he made all four of his shots on layups.

With 4 seconds left in regulation and the Los Angeles Lakers down by two, the Sacramento Kings were sure Kobe Bryant would take the last shot. "Everyone expected him to take that shot," Sacramento guard John Salmons said. "No one thought he would pass it." Yet that's just what Bryant did, feeding Smush Parker for a game-tying layup with 0.1 seconds left and helping the Los Angeles Lakers go on to a...

Richard Hamilton gave the Detroit Pistons the driving force they needed with their All-Star point guard on the bench. Hamilton set the tempo by scoring 15 of his 27 points during one first-quarter stretch, and the Pistons hardly missed Chauncey Billups in their 92-68 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Thursday night.

Gilbert Arenas got the ball with the score tied and 6 seconds to play. He dribbled downcourt, read Charlie Bell's retreating feet, stopped and stroked a perfect jumper 32 feet from the basket. "Once I let it go, I'm like, 'That's in,"' Arenas said. "I don't even need to look at this one." He didn't. He turned with a snarl and a strut, strolling away with his back to the basket as if it were another...

Steve Nash struggled for most of his first game in Canada this season before showing in the fourth quarter why he is a two-time MVP. Nash scored 13 of his 15 points in the fourth to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 100-98 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night. Nash was only 1-for-7 from the field through three quarters, but he recovered in the fourth.

As long as the Memphis Grizzlies want to run, interim coach Tony Barone isn't going to bog them down with too many set plays. The racehorse Grizzlies used a season-high 33 points from Mike Miller, and Pau Gasol's 24 points and 13 rebounds Wednesday night to beat the Golden State Warriors 144-135. "We got tired halfway through the third quarter," Barone said.

LeBron James just loves playing against the Boston Celtics. James scored 32 points, Zydrunas Ilgauskas had a season-high 27 points to go along with 11 rebounds, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Celtics 107-104 Wednesday night. Cleveland won for the fifth time in six games and has beaten the Celtics seven straight times.

This time the Timberwolves held on. Mark Blount scored 28 points, Kevin Garnett had 27 points and 17 rebounds, and Minnesota beat the San Antonio Spurs 103-101 in overtime Wednesday night. To earn its first win in six games against the Spurs, Minnesota made six straight free throws and Trenton Hassell grabbed a key rebound late in overtime.

The San Jose Sharks were three goals down, and their starting goalie had been lifted. Then Josh Gorges took a shot that was sailing wide -- and it somehow caught the top end of Dominik Hasek's stick and caromed into the net. One bizarre bounce triggered an avalanche of goals -- nine straight, to be exact -- on a revitalizing, record-setting night for the Sharks and Patrick Marleau, their steady...

The Boston Bruins were ashamed after they were manhandled by the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Bruins lost their third straight game, losing 10-2 Thursday night, and have been outscored 20-3 in the last three contests. They have allowed 28 goals in the last five games. "We are embarrassed. It was almost like we gave up," Bruins defenseman Brad Stuart said.

Penguins owner Mario Lemieux emerged from a "very positive" meeting with Gov. Ed Rendell and local leaders Thursday night without hinting whether the team will stay or move to Kansas City. Hours after touring the under-construction Sprint Center in Kansas City, Lemieux returned to Pittsburgh for his first in-person meeting with government officials since a plan to fund a $290 million arena with...

Martin Straka never felt so good with the flu. Straka was weak before the opening faceoff, better after the first period, stronger through 40 minutes, and perfect when he sealed the New York Rangers' latest victory with a breakaway goal. The understated and overshadowed Straka posted his sixth NHL hat trick, reached the 20-goal mark for the sixth time and carried the Rangers to a 3-2 victory over...

The Calgary Flames overcame a pair of obstacles to earn their first overtime victory of the season. Mark Giordano scored 4:30 into overtime to give Calgary a 5-4 win over the Florida Panthers on Thursday night, a victory marred by an injury to leading scorer Jarome Iginla. Calgary scored when Stephane Yelle won a face-off from Jozef Stumpel and drew the puck back to Dion Phaneuf.

Shutouts are nothing new for Curtis Joseph -- or for the suddenly slumping Carolina Hurricanes. Joseph made 29 saves in his second straight shutout and the Phoenix Coyotes beat Carolina 2-0 on Thursday night in the Hurricanes' second consecutive scoreless game. "As long as the puck's staying out, that's good news," Joseph said.

The Dallas Stars saved face in a game they looked destined to squander. Thanks to a bizarre gaffe, the Edmonton Oilers did, too. Sergei Zubov and Jussi Jokinen scored in a shootout as the Dallas Stars overcame a late tying goal to beat the Edmonton Oilers 6-5 Thursday night. Dallas rallied from 4-1 down with four unanswered goals, but needed the shootout heroics after Ales Hemsky tied the game for...

The emergence of Zach Parise as a goal scorer has been a pleasant development this season for the New Jersey Devils. Parise scored two goals and Martin Brodeur made 40 saves to lead the Devils to a 4-3 victory over the New York Islanders on Thursday night. Sergei Brylin and Patrik Elias also scored for the Atlantic Division-leading Devils, who have won four of their last five.

After escaping with a victory in a difficult place for visitors, the Tampa Bay Lightning hoped this was the start of something good. The Minnesota Wild just wished they would have started better. Martin St. Louis and Vincent LeCavalier each had a goal and an assist for Tampa Bay, which ended Minnesota's eight-game home winning streak with a 3-2 victory Thursday night.

Goalie Manny Legace likes the way the St. Louis Blues have started games lately. Lee Stempniak and Dennis Wideman scored goals to lead the Blues to a 2-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night. St. Louis has not given up a goal in the first period since Andy Murray became coach 12 games ago.