No. 17 Notre Dame beats No. 21 Cincinnati 66-60

CINCINNATI | Jerian Grant scored 19 points and No. 17 Notre Dame used its patient offense to get open shots for a 66-60 victory Monday night that extended No. 21 Cincinnati's home-court misery.

Linemen lead charge into Hall of Fame

CANTON, Ohio | Willie Roaf was in an unfamiliar role — the center of attention in front of a large crowd, being singled out for something good.

Reds rally vs Marmol, beat Cubs 4-3 in 10 innings

CINCINNATI | Carlos Marmol got a little wild again, losing a three-run lead in the ninth. He might have lost his closer job as well.

LaHair, Stewart homer to lead Cubs over Reds 3-1

CINCINNATI | Bryan LaHair and Ian Stewart hit solo homers - a major outburst for the power-challenged Chicago Cubs - and Jeff Samardzija pitched into the eighth inning on Wednesday night for a 3-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

Cubs' series opener vs. Reds postponed

CINCINNATI | A rainout provided some valuable rest for the Cubs' bullpen.

Vinatieri kicking at Super Bowl, across the street

INDIANAPOLIS | Adam Vinatieri lined up a Super Bowl kick and let it fly, straight through the yellow uprights. Several dozen fans surrounding the netted area applauded and cheered.

Colts fall short in loss to Bengals

CINCINNATI | Kicker Adam Vinatieri found it surreal.

Bengals try to end another long losing streak, this time against the winless Colts

CINCINNATI | These Bengals have become quite adept at ending the franchise's long losing streaks. Too bad they're too young to appreciate any of it.

Murray, Stosur advance to Cincinnati quarters

MASON, Ohio | Rafael Nadal wanted to play a lot of tennis at the Western & Southern Open, though maybe not all in one day.

Bruszewski, Notre Dame reach Elite Eight

DAYTON, Ohio | Hands with green fingernail polish — Notre Dame's NCAA tournament tradition — seemed to swipe at every dribble and reach for every pass.

Free-throw line saves, extends Xavier's streak

CINCINNATI | Mark Lyons made two free throws with 3.4 seconds left, and Xavier held on to beat Butler 51-49 Thursday night, extending the nation's second-longest home-court streak to 28 games.

Police: Notre Dame recruit 'drunk' on fatal fall

CINCINNATI | A "drunk and belligerent" 17-year-old Notre Dame football recruit was killed in a fall from a fifth-floor hotel balcony during his senior-year spring break in Florida, authorities said Saturday.

Xavier's Amber Harris to return next season

Amber Harris will return for another season at Xavier, which narrowly missed out on its first trip to the Final Four this week.

Xavier rallies for 63-62 win over Vandy

CINCINNATI | No watching and wincing this year. Amber Harris is taking Xavier places in the NCAA tournament.

Xavier's NCAA excellence by design

CINCINNATI | Xavier bristles whenever anyone suggests it's doing quite well for a mid-major school. Another trip to the NCAA's round of 16 might finally remove the hyphen.

Vandy, Xavier stars missed out last year

CINCINNATI | Vanderbilt point guard Jence Rhoads watched video of Xavier's first-round win in the NCAA tournament on Monday morning and was taken aback by what happened around the basket.

Vandy, Xavier stars missed out last year

CINCINNATI | Two players who had to sit and watch last year's NCAA tournament will have a lot to do with how Vanderbilt and Xavier fare in their second-round game on the Musketeers' home court.

Notre Dame lures Kelly to be new football coach

CINCINNATI | Notre Dame has settled on Brian Kelly as the man who can restore its faded glory, just as he turned Cincinnati into a national title contender.

Cincy's Kelly brushes aside Notre Dame rumors

Reds blank Cubs to avoid being swept

CINCINNATI | Given a chance to open a one-game lead in the NL Central -- something they haven't done all season -- the Cubs got twisted into knots by a journeyman pitcher and an infielder with a sore head.

Lansing native Tom Gorzelanny impressive in debut with Cubs

CINCINNATI | Lansing native Tom Gorzelanny walked off the mound in his brand new blue jersey, satisfied with everything he had done in his Cubs debut.

Cubs survive another bullpen scare in win over Reds

CINCINNATI | If not for a rookie pitcher, the Cubs wouldn't be where they are today: First place by a percentage point.

Buehrle posts seven goose eggs in win

CINCINNATI | By now, National League hitters ought to know a little bit about Mark Buehrle. Judging by the Cincinnati Reds' swings, he's still mostly a mystery.

Home runs lead Sox to win at Cincinnati

CINCINNATI | Hammerin' Hank had to like this one.

Reds snap funks at Sox' expense

CINCINNATI | No special celebration when Brandon Phillips ended his power slump. He flipped the bat, dropped his head and started rounding the bases without fanfare.

Notre Dame men drop sixth straight

CINCINNATI | Sophomore guard Larry Davis scored a career-high 21 points Wednesday night and led a second-half surge that swept Cincinnati to a 93-83 victory over fast-fading Notre Dame, stuck in its worst rut in 15 years.

Ball State improves to 10-0 after big road win

OXFORD, Ohio | For the first time, Ball State is a perfect 10.

No. 14 Ball St. improves to 10-0 with 31-16 win

OXFORD, Ohio | For the first time in its history, Ball State is a perfect 10.

Cubs end slide with power outburst

CINCINNATI | Alfonso Soriano homered three times at the top of Chicago's retooled batting order, and the first-place Cubs emerged from their longest losing streak of the season by keeping their composure and beating the Cincinnati Reds 14-9 on Saturday night to end a six-game slide.

Cubs lose their sixth straight

CINCINNATI | Jay Bruce hit his first career grand slam and Joey Votto added a two-run homer Friday night, an all-rookie power display that sent the Cincinnati Reds to a 10-2 victory on a day when nothing went right for the first-place Cubs.

Zambrano feels better, Piniella gets lost

CINCINNATI | Right-hander Carlos Zambrano was upbeat Friday about his chances of returning to the Cubs' rotation in a week, optimistic that an anti-inflammatory injection and rest will be enough to heal his aching shoulder.

Griffey traded from Reds to White Sox

CINCINNATI | Ken Griffey Jr. is leaving home to get back in a pennant race.

Big Z puts Reds to sleep

CINCINNATI | In the first five weeks, Carlos Zambrano has been the Cubs' constant.

Cubs stumble against struggling Reds

CINCINNATI | The bases were loaded with two outs. Derrek Lee was doing that slow, purposeful walk to the plate. A sickening thought was darting through Dusty Baker's mind.

Cubs stumble against the struggling Reds

CINCINNATI | The bases were loaded with two outs. Derrek Lee was doing that slow, purposeful walk to the plate. A sickening thought was darting through Dusty Baker's mind.

Cubs beat Reds 6-0 and win NL Central title

CINCINNATI (AP) | They lost on the field, fought in the dugout, fell out of contention before the season's midpoint. Then, the Chicago Cubs did something that defied their long history of failure and disappointment. Somehow, they pulled together and won the division.

Colts lose yawner

PRO FOOTBALL

Colts, Bengals will save their starters in final preseason game

CINCINNATI | The last time the Colts visited for the final preseason game, their starters could have driven over in a minivan and had plenty of room left for all their equipment.

Baseball now the focus of Hamilton's comeback

CINCINNATI | Josh Hamilton's inspiring comeback story keeps getting better.

NFL teams on notice: Character counts

CINCINNATI | A psychologist who helps NFL teams assess a draft pick's character shakes his head when a troubled player is chosen, then turns out to be nothing but trouble.

Cubs, Barrett pass on victory

CINCINNATI | Two walks, a wild pitch and a passed ball added up to one bad inning -- and one stunning loss -- for the Cubs.

Griffey will wear No. 42 on Robinson's anniversary

CINCINNATI | Ken Griffey Jr. plans to wear No. 42 on April 15, honoring the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking baseball's color barrier.

Lilly reigns supreme in snow

CINCINNATI | Snowflakes filled the air, making it tough to track fly balls. A sharp northerly wind made sandwich wrappers float above the heads of red-faced fans bundled in blankets.

Cubs drop rubber game at Cincy

CINCINNATI | Michael Barrett's passed ball let in the tiebreaking run during a wild seventh inning Thursday that helped the Cincinnati Reds rally to a 5-2 victory over the Cubs.

Cubs claim first win of year

CINCINNATI | Ted Lilly pitched seven impressive innings in his Cubs debut, leading Chicago to a 4-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on a snowy Wednesday night.

Can Cubs score 16 again?

CINCINNATI | With President Bush watching from a luxury box in Cincinnati, the Cubs scored 16 runs in their season opener a year ago.

Irish set up camp in 3-point land

MEN'S BASKETBALL | NOTRE DAME 76, CINCINNATI 64

Rose backs McGwire, hopes exhibit helps with reinstatement

CINCINNATI | Pete Rose thinks Mark McGwire should be in baseball's Hall of Fame, and hasn't given up hope that he'll get there someday, too.

Bengals likely to run against Colts

CINCINNATI | Pro Bowl receiver Chad Johnson smiled at the suggestion that the Cincinnati Bengals could use him as a tailback in their next game.

As Cincy prepares to face Indianapolis, future of Bengals' line in flux

CINCINNATI | By the end of the week, the Cincinnati Bengals will have a good idea of whether their offensive line will rely on backups for their push toward the playoffs.