DOVER, Del. (AP) — Jimmie Johnson has a championship to race for, and he’s grateful that his rookie teammate understands to run hard — but not get in the way. Johnson barely hung on to beat teammate Kyle Busch, then credited the rookie for helping him win Sunday at Dover International Speedway, a victory that…

NASHVILLE (AP) — David Legwand, Martin Erat, Yanic Perreault and Scott Walker each had a goal and an assist Sunday as the Nashville Predators beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2. Perreault scored an empty net goal at 18:38 on a breakaway, and Walker earned the assist. Walker gave Nashville a 3-2 advantage at 7:36 of the…

By The Associated Press Atlanta closed in on another division another title, and San Francisco moved close enough to make its next series matter. But Sunday wasn’t a good day for everyone in the National League. The Marlins are all but out of the race, and A.J. Burnett sounds as if he’s all but out…

By MIKE FITZPATRICK / AP Sports Writer Get ready for another best of seven between Boston and New York. Tied atop the AL East with seven regular-season games to go, the Red Sox and Yankees appear headed for a fantastic finish again. After splitting a pair of seven-game thrillers in the past two AL championship…

NASHVILLE (AP) — Vanderbilt linebacker Moses Osemwegie heard what he thought was the ultimate compliment the other day. “I heard someone say we’re a football school,” he said. “That’s exciting to hear.” It certainly appeared that way Saturday night as a near sellout crowd at Vanderbilt Stadium watched the Commodores move to 4-0 with a…

By RALPH D. RUSSO / AP Sports Writer BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The day before LSU’s long-awaited home opener, it was hot, windy, but thankfully dry, in Louisiana’s capital city. Around campus, weakened tree limbs were being sawed off huge oak trees and work crews armed with rakes assembled piles of branches and debris…

By DAVE GOLDBERG / AP Football Writer PITTSBURGH — Of all the exceptional displays the New England Patriots have put on over the past five seasons, this was one of the most remarkable. OK, maybe the first Super Bowl, the win over St. Louis, because it was far more important, ranks on top. But Sunday’s…

By The Associated Press Injuries to several NFL stars took some of the spotlight away from scintillating finishes by the Patriots, Eagles, Jaguars and Cowboys. Rodney Harrison, Kurt Warner, Takeo Spikes and David Akers were among the ailing Sunday. Harrison’s knee injury, which looked serious, took some of the shine off yet another resourceful victory…

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The St. Louis Rams’ needed a last-minute defensive stand for a victory over the Tennessee Titans, and Leonard Little flashed back — not to his team’s 2000 Super Bowl win, but to a fresh memory from seven days ago. Marc Bulger threw three touchdown passes and the Rams survived a controversial…

NEW YORK (AP) — No pension, no medical benefits, no prescription plan. When you’re a mob boss, retirement is more bronze casket than golden parachute. Since the 1930s ascension of the Mafia, its leaders have departed “The Life” almost exclusively through their deaths. Albert Anastasia, Carmine Galante and “Big Paul” Castellano were brutally (and memorably)…