Kobe second to Wilt

Kobe Bryant scored a staggering 81 points Sunday night against the Toronto Raptors in a 122-104 win. Only Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game stands ahead of him.

USA plays ball with Cuba

The Bush administration is letting Cuba play ball.

The Cubans will be allowed to participate in the inaugural World Baseball Classic after the U.S. government reversed course Friday and issued the special license necessary for the communist nation to play in the 16-team tournament.

Shaq makes peace

On Bill Russell's advice, Shaq shakes hands with Kobe. There is peace on MLK Day.



(Unless you count that Andrew Bynum thing)

Rod Dedeaux

Rod Dedeaux, who coached Southern California to a record 11 NCAA baseball championships and turned out a parade of future major leaguers, died Thursday. He was 91. Nearly 60 USC players under Dedeaux went on to big league careers, including Mark McGwire, Randy Johnson, Tom Seaver, Dave Kingman, Fred Lynn and Roy Smalley.

Texas dethrones USC in Rose Bowl

With the national title down to a final play, fourth down and 5 yards to go, Vince Young scrambled untouched for an 8-yard touchdown with 19 seconds left and the No. 2 Longhorns stunned No. 1 Southern California 41-38 in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday night.

Point for Flutie

Doug Flutie added another oddity to his football resume on Sunday when he converted a drop kick in the fourth quarter of the New England Patriots' game against the Miami Dolphins. It was the league's first drop kick since the 1941 NFL championship game, according to the Web site for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.



But what happened to the ball?