By Mark Lamport-Stokes LOS ANGELES | Sun Nov 11, 2012 6:32pm EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - With their reserve players sparking play in the final quarter, the Los Angeles Clippers pulled away from the pesky Atlanta Hawks to end a tightly contested game with a flourish and an 89-76 win on Sunday. Back...

BUENOS AIRES | Sun Nov 11, 2012 6:30pm EST BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - World Boxing Council champion Sergio Martinez will defend his middleweight crown against unbeaten Briton Martin Murray in Argentina on April 17, according to Argentine media reports. The venue for the bout will be chosen from the Monumental st...

Sun Nov 11, 2012 6:13pm EST (Reuters) - PGA Tour rookie Charlie Beljan claimed the Children's Miracle Network Classic in impressive fashion on Sunday, winning by two strokes in Florida to secure a PGA Tour card for the next two years just two days after a hospital stay. Beljan fired a three-under-par 69 to finish at 16-under-par for the season-ending tournament, ...

By Martyn Herman LONDON | Sun Nov 11, 2012 6:07pm EST LONDON (Reuters) - Roger Federer provided a glorious reminder that he will be chasing more major titles next year with a vintage display to outclass Britain's Andy Murray on Sunday and set up a season-ending showdown with Novak Djokovic. The Swiss 17-times grand slam champion, who will turn 32...

By Simon Evans Sun Nov 11, 2012 6:05pm EST (Reuters) - The Atlanta Falcons' unbeaten run was ended by the New Orleans Saints on Sunday with a 31-27 loss at the Superdome, while defending Super Bowl champions the New York Giants suffered a shock 31-13 loss at the Cincinnati Bengals. The Buffalo Bills came close to producing another upset against New Englan...

By Martyn Herman LONDON | Sun Nov 11, 2012 4:52pm EST LONDON (Reuters) - Defending champion Roger Federer reached the final of the ATP World Tour Finals for the eighth time in 11 years on Sunday after a 7-6 6-2 win over Britain's Andy Murray. The Swiss was out-hit by Murray in the early exchanges but produced a classy response to overwhelm the U....

Sun Nov 11, 2012 4:39pm EST (Reuters) - Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson could be on the verge of returning to the Los Angeles Lakers for a third time. The Lakers have confirmed the 67-year-old Jackson and team officials met on Saturday to discuss the job left vacant by Friday's firing of Mike Brown.An answer could come as early as Monday with former NBA coaches M...

By Martyn Herman LONDON | Sun Nov 11, 2012 2:12pm EST LONDON (Reuters) - Juan Martin del Potro believes he can muscle his way into the world's top four next year after returning to the kind of form that propelled him to the U.S. Open title three years ago. The 1.98 metres tall Argentine saw his bid to win the ATP World Tour Finals ended by world ...

SINGAPORE | Sun Nov 11, 2012 7:07am EST SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Rory McIlroy followed in the footsteps of Ryder Cup team mate Luke Donald when he became the second player to win the money list crowns in both Europe and the United States on Sunday. World number one McIlroy finished third at the Singapore Open to secure the European Tour Race to Dubai title ...

By Patrick Johnston SINGAPORE | Sun Nov 11, 2012 7:04am EST SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Two Asian Tour golfers say they have been made to feel like traitors by fellow competitors for challenging the circuit's policy to fine members who play on the rival OneAsia Tour. Malaysian Danny Chia and Guido Van der Valk of Netherlands have both incurred penaltie...

By John O'Brien SINGAPORE | Sun Nov 11, 2012 6:40am EST SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Italian teenager Matteo Manassero displayed all the nerve and experience of a seasoned veteran to edge out Louis Oosthuizen on the third hole of a playoff and claim a thrilling Singapore Open victory on Sunday. The first two days of the $6 million co-sanctioned event we...

By John O'Brien SINGAPORE | Sun Nov 11, 2012 5:22am EST SINGAPORE (Reuters) - World number one Rory McIlroy finished with a flourish at the Singapore Open on Sunday when a monster eagle putt at the par-five 18th lifted the Briton up to third place, but like all champions, he was disappointed not to win. McIlroy struggled to maintain his focus and...

Sun Nov 11, 2012 1:22am EST (Reuters) - Ten-time all-star Paul Pierce stepped up late in the game to help the Boston Celtics grind out a hard fought 96-92 away victory over the Milwaukee Bucks at the BMO Harris Bradley Center on Saturday. Having lost to the Bucks eight days earlier, the Celtics dished out a little payback with Pierce notching up nine rebounds and...

Sat Nov 10, 2012 9:08pm EST Washington State junior wide receiver Marquess Wilson said Saturday he left the school's football program earlier this week because of alleged abuse by the coaching staff. "It is with a heavy heart that I announce my decision to forgo playing football for Washington State University," Wilson said in a statement. "I realize the school i...

HAMBURG | Sat Nov 10, 2012 7:25pm EST HAMBURG (Reuters) - World heavyweight champion Vladimir Klitschko was made to go the distance against Polish challenger Mariusz Wach but earned an unanimous points decision on Saturday to retain his four title belts. The 36-year-old Ukrainian, who holds the IBF, IBO, WBO and WBA crowns, was never seriously troubled b...

By Martyn Herman LONDON | Sat Nov 10, 2012 5:53pm EST LONDON (Reuters) - Towering Argentine Juan Martin del Potro snapped Roger Federer's three-year unbeaten sequence at the ATP World Tour Finals on Saturday to earn a semi-final against world number one Novak Djokovic at the season-ending showpiece. Del Potro, fresh from beating the Swiss in the ...

By Martyn Herman LONDON | Sat Nov 10, 2012 5:46pm EST LONDON (Reuters) - Andy Murray's tearful defeat in his first Wimbledon final proved the catalyst for the Scot's golden summer, according to Roger Federer, the man who crushed Murray's hopes that day in July. Federer's ruthless display on Centre Court to win a seventh Wimbledon title was a mass...

Sat Nov 10, 2012 4:31pm EST (Reuters) - Charlie Beljan checked out of a Florida hospital after a major health scare and retained his Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic lead on Saturday. Beljan, hospitalized after suffering an elevated heart-rate and shortness of breath at the tournament in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, shot a one-under 71 for a 203 total a...

Sat Nov 10, 2012 4:01pm EST (Reuters) - South Korean pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin has landed a $25.7 million bid from the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have 30 days to negotiate a contract with the Hanwha Eagles player, the National League team said on Saturday. "We are thrilled to have this exciting opportunity," Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti told Major League Basebal...

By Peter Rutherford MACAU | Sat Nov 10, 2012 2:54pm EST MACAU (Reuters) - Kickboxing champion Cung Le let his fists do the talking for once with a devastating one-punch knockout of Rich Franklin in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's first event in China early on Sunday. Le's win in the main event at Macau's Venetian hotel takes him a step close...

LONDON | Sat Nov 10, 2012 2:24pm EST LONDON (Reuters) - Windsurfing has reclaimed its place in the Olympic program after the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) voted on Saturday to reinstate it at the expense of kiteboarding. The ISAF decided to retain men's and women's windsurfing at the governing body's annual general meeting in Dun Laoghaire, Ire...

Sat Nov 10, 2012 2:21pm EST (Reuters) - Washington manager Davey Johnson has agreed to return for another season with the Nationals, the Major League Baseball team said on Saturday. The 69-year-old Johnson, the oldest manager in the Majors, steered the young Nationals to a Major-League best 98-64 record and the National League East title before falling in the fir...

Sat Nov 10, 2012 2:40am EST (Reuters) - The Los Angeles Lakers responded to the axing of coach Mike Brown by belting the Golden State Warriors 101-77 at the Staples Center on Friday for their second win of the season. After a close first quarter, the Lakers went on a tear with Kobe Bryant scoring 27 points, much to the delight of the home crowd.Having fired Brown...

Sat Nov 10, 2012 1:16am EST (Reuters) - Negotiations appeared to have soured on Friday as National Hockey League (NHL) owners and locked out players completed a fourth consecutive day of talks to resolve their bitter labor dispute. "We thought we were much closer together on a structure of a deal than suggestions were," NHL Players Association (NHLPA) executive d...

Sat Nov 10, 2012 12:44am EST (Reuters) - The New York Knicks remain the only unbeaten team in the National Basketball Association (NBA) after an impressive 104-94 win over the in-form Dallas Mavericks at Madison Square Garden on Friday. The Knicks were led by five-time all-star Carmelo Anthony who top scored with 31 points and bench man J.R. Smith who added 22, n...

Fri Nov 9, 2012 4:58pm EST (Reuters) - The Pittsburgh Steelers and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders have been fined a total of $50,000 for a faked injury by Sanders in the October 21 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the National Football League (NFL) said on Friday. Sanders was fined $15,000 and the Steelers $35,000, the league said.The league had told clubs in...

By Martyn Herman LONDON | Fri Nov 9, 2012 2:15pm EST LONDON (Reuters) - World number one Novak Djokovic marched into the semi-finals of the ATP World Tour Finals with an unblemished record after completing his round-robin matches with a 6-2 7-6 win over Czech Tomas Berdych on Friday. The Serb, winner of the year-end showpiece in 2008, followed hi...

Fri Nov 9, 2012 2:13pm EST (Reuters) - Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike Brown has been fired after a 1-4 start to the season, the Los Angeles Times reported on Friday. The disappointing start by the Lakers followed an off-season in which the National Basketball Association team added center Dwight Howard and point guard Steve Nash to their lineup.(Reporting by Larry...

By Brian Homewood HOOFDDORP, Netherlands | Fri Nov 9, 2012 1:50pm EST HOOFDDORP, Netherlands (Reuters) - Separate unions for black players would not make sense and would make it more difficult to stand up for the rights of footballers, the world players' union FIFPro said on Friday. Secretary General Theo van Seggelen said that FIFPro, which repr...

By Simon Evans Fri Nov 9, 2012 1:20pm EST (Reuters) - If form through the first half of the National Football League (NFL) season is a guide, Sunday's clash between the Houston Texans and the Chicago Bears could be a potential Super Bowl preview. The Texans lead the AFC with a 7-1 record and the Bears have an identical record, bettered in the NFC only by ...

By Brian Homewood HOOFDDORP, Netherlands | Fri Nov 9, 2012 12:58pm EST HOOFDDORP, Netherlands (Reuters) - The players' union may ask FIFA to reconsider its decision to stage 2014 World Cup matches in early afternoon in tropical venues in Brazil. "It's an issue for us and a serious one," FIFPro secretary general Theo van Seggelen told Reuters in a...

By Patrick Johnston SINGAPORE | Fri Nov 9, 2012 11:29am EST SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Chris John made a 17th defense of his WBA super world featherweight title when he outpointed Thailand's Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo in a slugfest at Marina Bay Sands on Friday. John was awarded the bout 117-111, 119-109, 119-109 by the three ringside judges in an enterta...

The Costa Rica Adventure Race, hosts of the AR World Championships 2013, have just opened entries to 40 additional registration spots for general entry teams. The AR World Series unites in competition the worlds best endurance athletes at premiere Qualifier events around the globe. The top two teams at each of these races gain a coveted position on the start line of the annual pinnacle of the s...

In the past The Costa Rica Star has published extensively on Skateboarding in Costa Rica. Costa Rican skateboarders, and in particular those who practice in this sport on Nicoya streets, are being singled out in a new piece of legislation aimed at making roads safer across the country. The legislation, entitled “Law Number 9078,” is an 111-page document making a great number of changes to ex...

LONDON | Fri Nov 9, 2012 9:43am EST LONDON (Reuters) - British Cycling's head coach Shane Sutton is expected to make a full recovery from injuries sustained when he was knocked off his bike, officials said on Friday. Sutton was taken to hospital after suffering bruising and bleeding on the brain in the accident on Thursday, a day after British Tour de Fr...

By John O'Brien SINGAPORE | Fri Nov 9, 2012 5:47am EST SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Thailand's Chapchai Nirat maintained Zen-like calm to soar to the top of the Singapore Open leaderboard on Friday as the $6 million co-sanctioned event suffered a second successive day of frustrating weather disruptions. Chapchai was one of 78 players, including world nu...

MELBOURNE | Fri Nov 9, 2012 1:59am EST MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Sam Stosur hopes to banish her home court demons on the way to more grand slam glory after failing to add to her major trophies in 2012, the Australian said on Friday. "Overall, finishing number nine in the world, it's still pretty good," the former US Open champion told local media."It's not a...

Fri Nov 9, 2012 12:49am EST (Reuters) - Some late game heroics from three-time all-star Kevin Durant powered the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 97-91 victory against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center in Chicago on Thursday. Trailing by six at three-quarter time, the Thunder rallied late with Durant making a couple of clutch baskets in the final minute to help hi...

By Martyn Herman LONDON | Thu Nov 8, 2012 4:42pm EST LONDON (Reuters) - Defending champion Roger Federer guaranteed his place in the last four of the ATP World Tour Finals with a straight-sets win over Spain's David Ferrer on Thursday but Janko Tipsarevic became the first player eliminated after a second defeat. World number two Federer, seeking ...

By Mark Lamport-Stokes LOS ANGELES | Thu Nov 8, 2012 3:09pm EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Excited after their command performance against the San Antonio Spurs, the Los Angeles Clippers accept they have to become much more consistent after a Jekyll-and-Hyde start to the season. While Wednesday's 106-84 win against the previously unbeaten Spurs was ...