Owners pass 2 rules changes

PHOENIX | NFL owners approved two rule changes Tuesday to enhance player safety. They might not vote on a proposal to ban offensive players from using the crown of their helmets against defenders.

Saturday signs contract to retire with Colts

INDIANAPOLIS | Indianapolis gave Jeff Saturday a chance to fulfill his NFL dream.

Saturday signs contract to retire with Colts

Jeff Saturday, right, gets a hug from Colts owner Jim Irsay at a news conference Thursday in Indianapolis before signing a one-day contract in order to retire as a Colts player. Saturday spent 13 seasons in Indianapolis before signing with Green Bay last year.

Saturday signs contract to retire with Colts

Jeff Saturday, right, listens to Colts owner Jim Irsay during a news conference Thursday in Indianapolis before signing a one-day contract in order to retire as a Colts player. Saturday spent 13 seasons in Indianapolis before signing with Green Bay last year.

Cubs planning $300 million Wrigley renovation

CHICAGO | The Chicago Cubs plan on restoring Wrigley Field, with or without the city's help.

MLB to expand blood testing for HGH

PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. | Major League Baseball will test for human growth hormone throughout the regular season and increase efforts to detect abnormal levels of testosterone, a decision the NFL used to pressure its players.

Jimmy Kimmel moves to late-night's sweet spot

LOS ANGELES (AP) — During production of his final post-midnight show, Jimmy Kimmel's studio audience waited patiently while he taped a string of promotional spots.

Drop the puck: NHL, players settle labor dispute

NEW YORK | They walked into a Manhattan hotel, knowing they were running out of time to save their season.

Drop the puck: NHL, players settle labor dispute

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, left, and Donald Fehr, executive director of the NHL Players' Association, reached a tentative agreement early Sunday to end a nearly four-month-old lockout that threatened to wipe out the season.

Drop the puck: NHL, players settle labor dispute

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, left, talks to the media as Donald Fehr, executive director of the NHL Players' Association, stands next to him, in New York, early Sunday. A tentative deal to end the 113-day NHL lockout was reached early Sunday morning following a marathon 16-hour negotiating…

Mediator gets NHL, union back together

NEW YORK | A federal mediator has finally been able to get the NHL and the players' association back together Saturday for their first face-to-face meeting since talks broke down two days earlier.

Mediator gets NHL, union back together

In this Dec. 6, 2012, file photo, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, right, and deputy commissioner Bill Daly speak to reporters in New York. Bettman has told the players union that a deal must be in place by Jan. 11 in order for a 48-game season to be played beginning eight days later.

After handing out 10 assists, Bulls' Noah jokes about new position of 'point-center'

CHICAGO | After enjoying one of the most complete games of his career, Joakim Noah may have invented a new position for himself.

Bulls center Joakim Noah

Bulls center Joakim Noah rips a rebound away from Boston forward Chris Wilcox during Tuesday's gmae in Chicago.

Goodell: Bounty players should be punished

IRVING, Texas | NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said he "fundamentally disagrees" with former league boss Paul Tagliabue's decision not to discipline players in the New Orleans Saints' bounty scandal.

Goodell: Bounty players should be punished

NFL executive vice president and general counsel Jeff Pash speaks about the decision not to discipline players in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal while meeting with reporters outside the NFL owners meeting, Wednesday in Irving, Texas.

Cowboys player's death raises question of safety net

IRVING, Texas | San Francisco 49ers defensive end Demarcus Dobbs walked away from a one-vehicle accident on his 25th birthday last month and was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Sports stars sell memories, beat tax increase

NEW YORK | Rather than leave a 56-year-old uniform hanging in a closet at his Idaho home, Don Larsen decided it should be used for education.

All quiet as deadline for full NHL season nears

NEW YORK | The NHL's deadline for playing a full, 82-game season arrived Thursday with no new discussions between the league and its locked-out players.

Stern to retire as NBA Commissioner in 2014

NEW YORK | David Stern spent nearly 30 years growing the NBA, turning a league that couldn't even get its championship series on live prime-time TV into a projected $5 billion a year industry.