Although Brett Favre plans to skip the Green Bay Packers' mandatory minicamp this weekend, he might not be excused by Packers coach Mike McCarthy. McCarthy was not available for comment Tuesday, but team spokesman Jeff Blumb said that as far as McCarthy was concerned, "the camp is mandatory." The Packers' three-day minicamp begins Friday, and Favre could face fines from the team if he fails to...

Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson could become the third player suspended by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell when they meet Wednesday, three days after Johnson was released from jail. The meeting in New York comes two days before the Bears hold a mandatory mini-camp that Johnson is expected to attend.

Baltimore Ravens return specialist B.J. Sams was acquitted of driving under the influence and negligent driving charges in district court Tuesday. Sams, who was arrested Oct. 3, was found guilty of a lane violation, which carries a $90 fine and one point on his driving record. He had probation before judgment on his record for a prior DUI charge.

The Chicago Bulls are going home -- to play another game. The Bulls made shots, stops and got to almost every loose ball against the Detroit Pistons. Suddenly, it's a series. Ben Gordon scored 28 points and the hot-shooting Bulls beat Detroit 108-92 Tuesday night in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, pulling to 3-2 in the series.

As a teenager in Germany, Dirk Nowitzki stayed up late to watch the NBA finals and got up early to watch All-Star games. He worked on his shot every day and came home to a room with a poster of Scottie Pippen on the wall. Barely 20 when he was drafted, Nowitzki wasn't sure he was ready for the NBA. Even after his rookie season, he wondered "if I had it, if I was going to make it in this league." "I...

Tomas Holmstrom finished with two goals, an assist and 13 stitches. Holmstrom scored in each of the first two periods and the Detroit Red Wings took control early on the way to a 5-0 victory Tuesday night over the Anaheim Ducks in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals. Dominik Hasek made 29 saves, and the Red Wings scored three times on 13 shots against Anaheim's Jean-Sebastien Giguere to take a...

Canada used a different formula to achieve familiar results at the world hockey championships. Relying on youngsters and journeymen instead of stars, the Canadians defeated Finland 4-2 Sunday to win their third world title in five years and their 24th overall. "There were a lot of superstars in some of Canada's teams before, but I think this was just a great young team coming together, a great...

The NHL Players' Association fired executive director Ted Saskin on Thursday, two months after placing him on a paid leave of absence following allegations that he and senior director Ken Kim read players' e-mails. The union's executive board, made up of 30 player representatives and the six-member interim executive committee, voted to fire Saskin on a conference call.

Curled up in a leather recliner in his motor home, Juan Pablo Montoya watched TV in his home theater during a rain delay at Darlington Raceway.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was docked 100 points Tuesday, and his crew chief was fined $100,000 and suspended for six races for an illegal part at Darlington Raceway.