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NY's Chamberlain On Bereavement List

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:52:15 GMT

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., -- Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain left the team after his father collapsed at his home in Lincoln, Neb., and the pitcher was placed on the bereavement list.

Harlan Chamberlain was hospitalized Monday at St. Elizabeth Regional Medical Center in Lincoln. Hospital spokeswoman Jo Miller said the family requested no further information be released.

"He is currently in critical but stable condition," Joba Chamberlain said in a statement released by the team. "I also want to thank my teammates and my manager for giving me so much support when I have needed it most. Their actions are the reason I was able to reach my father's side as quickly as I did."

The New York Daily News first reported the story Monday on its Web site.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Joba Chamberlain's sister called and left the pitcher a phone message during New York's 8-5 loss at Boston on Sunday night.

330 Players To Wear Jackie's #42

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:51:08 GMT

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Clip Source: sports.espn.go.com

NEW YORK -- The 30 major league teams and the sport's league office will combine to sponsor a Jackie Robinson Foundation scholar for each club from 2009-11.

The pledge of $1.2 million announced Monday raises the foundation's support from MLB and its teams to more than $10 million since 1996, the commissioner's office said.

Players again have been invited to wear Robinson's No. 42 on Tuesday, the 61st anniversary of when Robinson played his first game for the Brooklyn Dodgers and broke the major league color barrier. More than 330 players, managers and coaches are expected to wear No. 42, up from more than 240 last year.

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig announced 11 years ago that Robinson's number was being retired by all major league teams. The only player wearing No. 42 then who remains active is New York Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera.

"Major League Baseball has not forgotten and will never forget the great contribution and sacrifice that Jackie made to baseball and to all of society,"

'Big Unit's Debut Spoiled By Giants

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:48:24 GMT

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Clip Source: sports.espn.go.com

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Randy Johnson had a hard time finding the strike zone in his season debut, eight months after back surgery.

Still, the San Francisco Giants didn't get many good swings against him.

The Big Unit did not allow an earned run in five innings, settling down to finish with seven strikeouts and four walks before San Francisco rallied against Arizona's bullpen for a 5-4 victory over the Diamondbacks on Monday night.

"I've got a lot of room for improvement, but considering the situation I know that things will get a lot better," Johnson said. "I felt like I was kind of battling out there and finding myself behind in the count. Obviously with the outcome, it's kind of disappointing. I felt like if the game's pitched a little bit better by myself early in the game the outcome probably isn't what it is."

Carmelo Anthony DUI

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:45:59 GMT

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Clip Source: sports.espn.go.com

DENVER -- NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony was arrested early Monday on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, hours after his worst game of the season.

The Denver Nuggets forward was arrested on Interstate 25, police said. He was alone in the car and pulled over for weaving and not dimming his lights.

Detective Sharon Hahn said Anthony failed a series of sobriety tests. He was charged with DUI and then taken to police headquarters before being released to a "sober responsible party," Hahn said. Anthony is due in court May 14.

Mark Warkentien, the Nuggets' vice president of basketball operations, said the team was aware of the situation but declined comment. The Nuggets did not practice Monday and Anthony wasn't available. He's expected at practice Tuesday.

Beasley Decides To Turn Pro

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:44:44 GMT

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Clip Source: sports.espn.go.com

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- After putting together one of the best freshman seasons ever, Michael Beasley is headed to the NBA.

Kansas State's All-America freshman announced Monday that he will skip his final three seasons to enter the June 26 NBA draft, where he could be the No. 1 overall pick.

"It's time to take my game to the next level," Beasley said as his family and several teammates looked on. "I think I proved myself over the course of the season. I just think it's time for new challenges."

Fellow freshman Bill Walker also announced Monday that he was making himself eligible for the draft, but he won't sign with an agent. That means that Walker, who averaged 16.1 points and 6.3 rebounds this season, can remove his name prior to the draft and be eligible to return to Kansas State for his sophomore year.

Beasley dominated his lone college season, averaging 26.2 points and becoming just the third freshman in NCAA history to lead the nation in rebounds at 12.4 per game.

Thome Suspended After Ejection

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:43:40 GMT

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Clip Source: sports.espn.go.com

NEW YORK -- Jim Thome of the Chicago White Sox was suspended for one game Tuesday and fined an undisclosed sum by Major League Baseball for "inappropriate actions" during a game against Detroit last week. He was ejected for arguing a call after he struck out.

Thome said he would not appeal and would serve his suspension Tuesday, when the White Sox were home against Oakland. He said he was due for a day off anyway.

"You get caught up in the situation, emotions. No grudges, you move on," Thome said in the clubhouse before the game against the A's.

Thome was ejected in the fifth inning last Friday following a third-strike call by plate umpire James Hoye. Replays showed the 3-2 pitch borderline low.

Thome, the designated hitter, headed toward first thinking he had walked. He then turned and began arguing with Hoye. Manager Ozzie Guillen had to separate Thome from the umpire.

Memphis' Rose Declares For NBA Draft

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:42:19 GMT

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Clip Source: sports.espn.go.com

Memphis freshman Derrick Rose, who was widely expected to enter the NBA draft after playing one season for the Tigers, will do so this week, according to Memphis-area media reports.

he Commercial Appeal and WPTY-TV both cited sources close to the Memphis program in reporting that Rose, who averaged 14.9 points and 4.7 assists per game in the regular season and 20.8 points in six NCAA tournament games, would declare his intent to enter the draft. the Tigers finished national runners-up to Kansas.

WPTY and cable news channel CNBC also reported that Rose is close to signing with agent Arn Tellem. When asked about the possibility of signing Rose, Tellem's agency, Wasserman Media Group, declined to comment, according to WPTY's report.

Rose, a point guard, is listed as the No. 2 draft selection, with the possibility of being taken as the No. 1 pick, on Chad Ford's Big Board on ESPN.com.

Oprah's Newest 'Choice' Described As Outrageous

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:40:03 GMT

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Clip Source: www.worldnetdaily.com

Bisexual's program includes quizzing 6-year-old on sex

A theatrical production lauded by Oprah Winfrey and a long list of other celebrities is targeted in a new campaign called "Stop the Monologues," because it depicts questioning a 6-year-old about her sexuality and a drunken sexual assault on a teen girl.

Donna Miller of Americans for Truth said the radical feminist play, "The Vagina Monologues," was "celebrated" by Hollywood personalities in New Orleans over the weekend, and a roster of invited guests included names such as Ashley Judd, Jennifer Hudson, Sally Field, Jane Fonda, Glenn Close and Faith Hill.

Oprah, who has advocated for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and promoted a New Age religion in recent weeks, too, was scheduled to appear but reports said she did not show up at the event to perform a monologue written for her by author Eve Ensler.

It is the play's explicit content that has raised new alarms

Woman Stalks John Cusack

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:36:23 GMT

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Clip Source: www.reuters.com

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A judge on Monday ordered a 33 year-old woman to stand trial for stalking actor John Cusack, star of movies such as the recent family film "Martian Child" and supernatural thriller "1408."

Emily Diane Leatherman, 33, was arrested outside the actor's Malibu home in March, and the complaint against her claims that she began stalking Cusack in February 2007.

In a separate filing for a temporary restraining order to keep Leatherman away from him, Cusack accused the woman of throwing a bag of love letters, rocks and screwdrivers over his home's fence, according to a report in The Los Angeles Times.

Leatherman faces one count of felony stalking, and if convicted could get up to three years in prison, the District Attorney's office said.

She also faces one misdemeanor charge of failing to obey a restraining order and one count of petty theft. Each of those charges carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail.

Desperate Housewive's Takes Ratings Hit

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:51:30 GMT

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Clip Source: www.reuters.com

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - ABC's "Desperate Housewives" fell to a record low rating for an original episode as the suburban soap returned to the air on Sunday after being sidelined for more than three months by the writers strike.

The show drew 16 million viewers, down about 15 percent from its season average of 18.9 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. It was still enough to win the 9 p.m. hour by a wide margin, and give ABC the nightly honors with 10.5 million viewers.

"Housewives" was hurt by the absence of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" as a lead-in. Instead, ABC moved the fast-fading "Oprah's Big Give" to the 8 p.m. slot (8.9 million viewers vs. a season average of 11.5 million).

At 10 p.m., ABC tried out Thursday regular "Eli Stone," which benefited from the strong lead-in (9.2 million vs a season average of 8.2 million).

Wentz Denies Simpson's Pregnant

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:49:29 GMT

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Clip Source: www.reuters.com

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rocker Pete Wentz on Monday denied that his fiancee, pop star Ashlee Simpson, is pregnant as reported in celebrity magazines days after they announced their engagement, according to a story on MTV.com.

Earlier in the day, Us and OK! magazines published stories on their Web sites claiming Simpson was pregnant. OK! went so far as to say the baby was due in October.

But Wentz, the bassist for rock band Fall Out Boy, told MTV News in an e-mail: "There is a witch hunt for people to be pregnant whenever they get engaged in Hollywood ... I mean we're engaged, that's true, and happy about it."

In a separate e-mail, MTV News said it asked Wentz if he was denying the reports of Simpson's pregnancy, and Wentz answered "Yeah."

A representative for 23-year-old Simpson, the younger sister of actress and singer Jessica Simpson, issued a statement confirming the engagement and adding "beyond that, there is nothing to add."

Man Eats Vote, Fed Up With Politics

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:47:52 GMT

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Clip Source: www.reuters.com

NAPLES (Reuters) - Ballot stuffing took on a new meaning in Italy's parliamentary election on Sunday when a man ate his ballot paper in protest at the country's politicians.

Police in Naples said they had charged the 41-year-old businessman with destroying election materials. He said all Italian politicians and politics "are crap" and that he was protesting "against the system."

Foreclosures Jump 57%

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:46:06 GMT

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Clip Source: www.reuters.com

Home foreclosure filings surged 57 percent in the 12 month-period ended in March and bank repossessions soared 129 percent from a year ago, as homeowners struggled to make mortgage payments, real estate data firm RealtyTrac said on Tuesday.

For the month of March, foreclosure filings, default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions rose 5 percent, led by Nevada, California and Florida, RealtyTrac said.

The rise in March to filings on a total of 234,685 properties followed a 4 percent decline in February, RealtyTrac reported.

RealtyTrac said the peak has yet to be reached.

"What we're really looking at is ongoing fallout from people overextending themselves to buy homes they couldn't afford and using highly toxic loan products to get into the houses in the first place," Rick Sharga, vice president of marketing at RealtyTrac, based in Irvine, California, said in an interview.

Sour Economy Casts Pall Over Sunny Florida

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:41:20 GMT

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Clip Source: www.reuters.com

MIAMI (Reuters) - Economic data continues to suggest that fears of a new "Great Depression" in the United States are overblown. But in places like Miami and Fort Lauderdale, where the housing bust has bitten hard and prices are rising fast, the specter of economic stagnation twinned with inflation looms all too real.

"Since the 1970s we haven't really seen this simultaneous threat of an economic slowdown, and recession, side by side with the threat of inflation," said Sean Snaith, an economics professor at the University of Central Florida.

Nationally, inflation was flat in February, according to the U.S. Labor Department's consumer price index, the most widely used gauge.

But in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, prices were up by 5.3 percent that month, according to the department's southeastern office, in Atlanta, the highest of any metropolitan area in the country.

The department gives national figures for March on Wednesday. The regional figures are released every two months

Delta To Buy Northwest

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:37:36 GMT

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Clip Source: www.reuters.com

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines Inc will buy Northwest Airlines Corp for more than $3 billion under a proposal unveiled Monday to create the world's biggest airline, as carriers seek to counter skyrocketing fuel prices and a weak economy.

After racking up $35 billion in losses and finally emerging from a five-year slump in 2006, U.S. airlines are hoping mergers could lead to higher fares as combined carriers reduce flights and use their increased market power to raise prices.

The all-share deal will give Northwest shareholders 1.25 Delta shares for each Northwest share they own, a 17 percent premium to Northwest's closing price of $11.22 on the New York Stock Exchange. Delta shares closed up 4.7 percent at $10.48.

"It's a very optimistic view on an industry that's been very dismal for the last couple of weeks," said airline consultant Robert Mann.