Lots of fluids, rest after 3OT Stanley Cup opener

CHICAGO | Long after the celebration was over, Marian Hossa finally made it home and managed to fall asleep around 3 a.m. The Chicago star woke up a few hours later, roused by a noisy neighbor.

Special teams could be crucial in Stanley Cup

CHICAGO | When it comes to power plays in the Stanley Cup finals, the Blackhawks and Boston Bruins might just prefer to keep going with everyone on the ice.

Blackhawks look to close out Kings in Game 5

CHICAGO | When the Blackhawks were in deep trouble in the second round of the playoffs, they used desperation to their advantage and pulled off a big comeback in an already impressive season.

White Sox complete sweep of Marlins

CHICAGO | From the infield to the outfield, the White Sox are playing much better defense than they did during their listless start. And it's no coincidence that the wins are coming in bunches now.

Blackhawks try to stay sharp during playoff break

CHICAGO | Practice was long over when Joel Quenneville was stopped by two young boys waiting to get on the ice. They asked if he would sign their sticks, and the former NHL defenseman happily obliged.

Bulls, Heat prepare for Friday's pivotal Game 3

DEERFIELD, Ill. | It started with the flu, and turned into a hospital stay. There were terrible headaches and weakness. Just walking was a chore.

Cubs blow another late lead, lose 5-4 to Cardinals

CHICAGO | There were the four double plays, one in every inning from the fifth to the eighth. Mix in a wild pitch, an error and a shaky outing from a usually reliable reliever, and that was enough.

Marmol struggles as Cubs lose to Reds

CHICAGO | This was the wild Carlos Marmol, and the Cubs were unable to escape the jam created by the erratic reliever.

Hawks LW Saad, Minnesota's Coyle, Brodin among key rookies in NHL playoffs

CHICAGO | A year ago, Brandon Saad was just a footnote when he made his postseason debut for Chicago against the Phoenix Coyotes. He skated for just over 10 minutes in two games and picked up his first career NHL point on an assist, but the Blackhawks were eliminated in the first round.

Ohio State beats Wisconsin for B10 title

CHICAGO | Ohio State is the champion of the Big Ten tournament — again.

Blackhawks set franchise mark with 10th consecutive victory

CHICAGO | With each point, the pressure grows. The wins are piling up, increasing the expectations. And the Blackhawks just keep going and going.

Blackhawks extend streak to 19 games

CHICAGO | Marian Hossa scored 1:44 into overtime and the Blackhawks beat the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 on Monday night to stretch their NHL-record opening points streak to 19 games.

Hawks match best start in NHL history

CHICAGO | Ray Emery held the puck in his outstretched glove for one sweet moment, then let it fall to the ice.

MLB, StubHub renew secondary ticket market deal

CHICAGO | Major League Baseball Advanced Media and StubHub.com announced a new five-year deal Monday that continues the website's role as the official secondary ticket market for the sport while eliminating the cheap listings that had become an eyesore for some clubs.

Soriano powers Cubs past Giants

CHICAGO | While Buster Posey and the San Francisco Giants are fighting for the NL West title, Anthony Rizzo and the Cubs have their own magic number.

Purdue's Boudia edges Qiu for Olympic diving gold

LONDON | Team USA clinched the top spot in the medals table for the fifth consecutive Summer Games, helped by David Boudia's victory in the men's 10-meter platform for the country's first gold in diving since 2000.

U.S. wrestler Burroughs comes through with gold

LONDON | Wrestler Jordan Burroughs had his eyes on a gold medal for months, and he let everyone know about his plans.

US men's volleyball will go without medal

LONDON | The U.S. men's volleyball team got off to a strong start at the London Olympics, but it's headed home without a medal.

U.S. women's teams to play for beach gold

It will be an All-American party at beach volleyball when Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor take on April Ross and Jennifer Kessy in Wednesday night's final.

Team USA routs China in women's hoops

LONDON | Diana Taurasi scored 22 points, and the U.S. women's basketball matched its Olympic scoring record in a 114-66 rout of China on Sunday.

Team USA survives Lithuania in men's hoops

LONDON | The U.S. men's basketball team was pushed — and then some.

Wambach leads U.S. women's soccer team into semifinals

LONDON | Abby Wambach slid into a pass in the 27th minute to knock home her fourth goal of the tournament and then celebrated with a cartwheel in the United States' 2-0 win over New Zealand in the women's soccer quarterfinals Friday.

Harrison captures first U.S. judo gold

LONDON | Kayla Harrison tried to keep it together. Once the national anthem started, so did the tears.

Hancock wins 2nd consecutive skeet title

LONDON | Vincent Hancock is putting together quite the Olympic resume.

North Korean Olympic weightlifter steals the show

LONDON | North Korea's Om Yun Chol said he wanted to lift a big weight and make the other athletes nervous.

Serena Williams opens Olympics with easy win

LONDON | Wimbledon champions Roger Federer and Serena Williams each won their opening matches Saturday — one struggled, one didn't.

Maholm wins again as Cubs top Marlins 4-2

CHICAGO | Paul Maholm welcomed Mark Buehrle back to Chicago with a spot-on impersonation of his fellow veteran left-hander.

Wood pitches well in Cubs' loss to Tigers

CHICAGO | Travis Wood was pumped up for his matchup against Justin Verlander, and he held up just fine.

Tigers rally to beat Cubs

CHICAGO | Jhonny Peralta had three hits and two RBIs one night after he made two costly throwing errors, and the Detroit Tigers rallied to beat the Cubs 8-4 on Wednesday.

Cubs use Peralta's errors to beat Tigers

CHICAGO | It was another difficult day during a frustrating season for the Cubs. Only this time, it had a happy ending.

Wood struggles again as Cubs lose to Braves

CHICAGO | Kerry Wood trudged off the mound after another difficult outing and threw his glove and hat into the stands as he made his way into the dugout.

Soriano lifts Cubs past Cardinals

CHICAGO | Alfonso Soriano threw up his hands in joy as the ball caromed off second baseman Tyler Greene and into center field. He slapped hands with his teammates as they mobbed him near first base.

Emotional Marshall excited to join Bears

LAKE FOREST, Ill. | Brandon Marshall paused to collect himself a couple times as he talked about joining the Bears and his bond with Jay Cutler. The wide receiver spoke eloquently about raising awareness of mental illness and the borderline personality disorder that has affected his life so deeply.

Boozer leads Bulls past Pistons

CHICAGO | Carlos Boozer scored 23 points and the Chicago Bulls beat Detroit 92-68 on Monday night for their 13th consecutive victory against the Pistons.

Vrbata helps Coyotes beat Blackhawks

CHICAGO | Radim Vrbata and Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored in the shootout and Mike Smith stopped Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa in the tiebreaker to lead the Phoenix Coyotes to a wild 4-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night.

Bears confident Hanie will bounce back

LAKE FOREST, Ill. | Lovie Smith and the Bears said all the right things after Jay Cutler went down with a broken right thumb. They expressed confidence in Caleb Hanie, and the backup quarterback boldly proclaimed he had been waiting for this opportunity.

Offensive line keys Bears' resurgence

BOLINGBROOK, Ill. | Hours after Chicago completed a gutsy win at Philadelphia, running back Matt Forte and cornerback Charles Tillman started studying again. Only this time the subject was finance — part of a community service program at a local high school on Tuesday morning.

Pena lifts Cubs to 6-3 victory over Reds

CHICAGO | Carlos Pena hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the eighth inning to send the Cubs to a 6-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night.

Dempster looks sharp as Cubs beat Mets

CHICAGO | Ryan Dempster is once again one of the favorites at Wrigley Field.

Coleman roughed up as Cubs lose 12-2 to Dodgers

CHICAGO | A steady rain pelted Wrigley Field much of Friday morning, leading to puddles on the warning track and chilly temperatures. The nasty weather also put the Cubs' game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in doubt.

Rose leads Bulls past Wizards

CHICAGO | John Wall lumbered out of the locker room with a walking boot protecting his injured left foot, weary after chasing around Derrick Rose all night. It was his third game in four days, too.

Jeter leads Yankees past White Sox 6-4

NEW YORK | The final game of the season's first month had a familiar feel for the New York Yankees, who are used to Derek Jeter putting together these kinds of nights.

Cubs beat Mets; Zambrano sent to bullpen

NEW YORK | Lou Piniella gathered his team together for a quick pep talk Wednesday, urging his players to relax and have fun.

Lee homers twice, lifts Cubs

NEW YORK | Derrek Lee homered twice and drove in three runs in his return to the lineup, leading Rich Harden and the Cubs to a 5-3 victory over the New York Mets on Saturday.

New helmet required in minors in 2010

NEW YORK | David Wright has been reduced to a spectator since a beanball sent him to the hospital two weeks ago. The New York Mets slugger hopes to return to the lineup Tuesday and isn't taking any chances.

Sox drop five behind Detroit after losing on walk-off homer

NEW YORK | Robinson Cano hit a three-run homer with two outs in the 10th inning to give the New York Yankees a 5-2 win over the White Sox on Friday night.

Mets beat Cubs for critical win

NEW YORK | The New York Mets needed a break, and Johan Santana's bat shattered just in time.

Santana's single sparks Mets' win over Cubs

NEW YORK | The New York Mets needed a break, and Johan Santana's bat shattered just in time.

A-Rod makes history with 500th homer

NEW YORK | Alex Rodriguez leaned to his right and watched the ball as it sailed toward the foul pole in left. When it stayed true, he threw up his hands -- the long wait for No. 500 was finally over.

Alex Rodriguez hits HR No. 500

NEW YORK | Alex Rodriguez became the youngest player in major league history to hit 500 home runs, sending the first pitch he saw Saturday just past the foul pole in left field.