Bills ground attack not missing step with Fred Jackson filling in for suspended Marshawn Lynch

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Bills running back Fred Jackson isn’t buying into the “Marshawn Who?” talk.

Fielder hits 42nd homer to take majors RBI lead with 131 as Brewers top Cubs 3-2

MILWAUKEE — Prince Fielder hit his 42nd homer to give him a majors-best 131 RBIs and rookie Chris Narveson struck out 10 for his first win as a starter, helping the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs 3-2 on Wednesday night.

Timberwolves allow Blount to skip training camp, preseason and seek roster spot elsewhere

MINNEAPOLIS — Mark Blount will not join the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have given his agent permission to seek a new team for the veteran center.

Sharks sign free agent center Manny Malhotra

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Sharks have signed free-agent center Manny Malhotra to a contract.

Kings D O’Donnell suspended 5 games, including first 2 of regular season, for match penalty

TORONTO — Los Angeles Kings defenseman Sean O’Donnell has been suspended five games, including the first two of the regular season, for a match penalty during a preseason game against the New York Islanders.

Cubs OF Milton Bradley apologizes for comments, actions that led to suspension

MILWAUKEE — Suspended Cubs outfielder Milton Bradley apologized Wednesday for behavior that led to general manager Jim Hendry’s decision to banish him for the rest of the season.

NBA, players union wrap up second collective bargaining meeting

NEW YORK — The NBA and its players’ association already agree on one thing: They are glad they started talking early.

Broncos’ mercurial receiver Brandon Marshall willing to accept role _ whatever it may be

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Brandon Marshall insists he’s comfortable with the Denver Broncos’ playbook and that his surgically repaired hip is no longer a concern.

McNabb skips practice; Vick eager to make 2009 debut after serving prison sentence, suspension

PHILADELPHIA — Donovan McNabb did not practice Wednesday because of a broken rib that forced him to miss the Eagles’ 48-22 loss to New Orleans last Sunday.

Lee homers for 2nd straight night, Cubs keep clicking without Bradley in 7-2 win over Brewers

MILWAUKEE — Derrek Lee hit his 35th homer and drove in two runs to set a new career mark with 109 RBIs, leading the Chicago Cubs to a 7-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night.

Pineiro sharp in Cardinals’ 11-2 win over Houston Astros

HOUSTON — Joel Pineiro allowed five hits in seven effective innings, Yadier Molina hit a two-run homer and the St. Louis Cardinals inched closer to the NL Central title on Tuesday night with an 11-2 win over the Houston Astros.

Chargers sign DT Alfonso Boone to fill void left by Jamal Williams’ injury

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Chargers have signed defensive tackle Alfonso Boone to help fill the void left when Jamal Williams was lost for the season with a triceps injury.

NFL, NFLPA warn players drug-testing program still in effect despite StarCaps lawsuit

NFL players have been warned the league’s drug-testing program is still in effect despite commissioner Roger Goodell’s ruling to delay suspending several players who tested positive for a banned substance.

‘Haven’t sugarcoated anything’: New Wizards coach Saunders confident he, Arenas will get along

WASHINGTON — New Washington Wizards coach Flip Saunders knows what he’s getting into with Gilbert Arenas.

Astros fire manager Cecil Cooper after 171-170 record, promote Dave Clark to interim spot

HOUSTON — The Houston Astros couldn’t wait until the end of the season to fire manager Cecil Cooper.

Missed tackles, little pressure, penalties, drops, sacks plague Jaguars in loss to Cardinals

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio stood on the sideline and watched Kurt Warner pick his defense apart.

Giants breath life into wild-card hopes with 5-4 victory over Diamondbacks

PHOENIX — The bases were loaded with one out in the eighth and the last thing San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy wanted was an inning-ending double play.

Lee, Ramirez hit back-to-back homers, Gorzelanny pitches Cubs to 10-2 win over Brewers

MILWAUKEE — Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez hit consecutive homers and Tom Gorzelanny tied a career high with nine strikeouts, lifting the Chicago Cubs to a 10-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night.

Astros fire Cooper, lose eighth straight as Cardinals close in on NL Central with 7-3 win

HOUSTON — Mark DeRosa homered twice at Minute Maid Park for the second time this season and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Astros 7-3 on Monday night, a few hours after Houston fired manager Cecil Cooper.

Rangers score 3 in 1st period, beat Red Wings 4-2 in Gaborik’s preseason debut

NEW YORK — Newcomers Vinny Prospal and Enver Lisin scored on the power play in New York’s three-goal first period, and the Rangers held on to beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-2 on Monday night in star forward Marian Gaborik’s preseason debut.

Cubs moving on to finish disappointing season after Bradley’s suspension for the year

MILWAUKEE — The Chicago Cubs are trying to move past the latest distraction in a disappointing season.

Reunited and it feels so good: Kidd, Marion glad to be teammates on Mavericks

DALLAS — Shawn Marion had it easy when he broke into the NBA. All he had to do was grab rebounds for Jason Kidd to start fast breaks, then hustle to the other rim to try finishing off those quick scoring chances.

Seahawks say Hasselbeck has fractured rib, team must prepare as though he won’t play Sunday

RENTON, Wash. — The Seahawks are preparing to play without Matt Hasselbeck on Sunday against the Chicago Bears, though the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback is hoping to start despite a broken rib.

With Gretzky’s future in doubt, Coyotes add Dave King as assistant coach

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Phoenix Coyotes hired Dave King as assistant coach on Monday, raising questions about Wayne Gretzky’s future behind the bench.

Avalanche sign F Ryan O’Reilly to three-year, entry-level contract

DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche have signed second-round draft pick Ryan O’Reilly to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Astros fire manager Cecil Cooper after 171-170 record, mired in seven-game losing streak

HOUSTON — The Houston Astros fired manager Cecil Cooper on Monday with 13 games left in another disappointing season. Third-base coach Dave Clark was named interim manager. The Astros were 70-79 headed into Monday’s home against St. Louis.

NFL says no plans for a Packers-Vikings site swap, in case of Tigers-Twins tiebreaker at Dome

MINNEAPOLIS — The NFL said Monday it will not swap sites for this season’s Packers-Vikings games in case the baseball playoffs get in the way at the Metrodome.

Cubs suspend outfielder Milton Bradley for rest of season after he criticizes team

ST. LOUIS — Milton Bradley’s season is finished. Perhaps his days with the Chicago Cubs are, too.

Police: Giants’ Dominican baseball prospect Angel Villalona main suspect in killing

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — A baseball prospect for the San Francisco Giants is the main suspect in the killing of a 25-year-old man in the Dominican Republic, police said Sunday.

Jerry Rice says 49ers’ holdout receiver Michael Crabtree way behind

SAN FRANCISCO — Jerry Rice questions what kind of impact Michael Crabtree could have this season with San Francisco if the No. 10 draft pick even shows up to the 49ers at all.

Corky Miller’s rare homer backs Kip Wells’ pitching, Reds gain split with 8-1 win over Marlins

CINCINNATI — Corky Miller hit a rare home run to back Kip Wells’ strong pitching and the Cincinnati Reds gained a split of their four-game series against the Florida Marlins by rolling to an 8-1 victory Sunday.

Pedro Martinez leaves start after three innings with stiff neck

ATLANTA — Pedro Martinez left his start after three innings because of neck stiffness in Philadelphia’s game against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night.

Belliard hits grand slam; Kemp, Loney, DeWitt homer in Dodgers’ 12-1 win over Giants

LOS ANGELES — Ronnie Belliard hit a grand slam, Matt Kemp and James Loney added back-to-back drives off former teammate Brad Penny and the Los Angeles Dodgers routed the San Francisco Giants 12-1 on Saturday.

Chargers place DT Jamal Williams on injured reserve a day before home opener vs. Baltimore

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Chargers have placed defensive tackle Jamal Williams on injured reserve with a triceps injury, meaning he’ll miss the rest of the season.

Bruins say they did their best to keep Kessel before acceding to his trade request

BOSTON — The Bruins did their best to keep restricted free agent Phil Kessel before acceding to his desire to be traded and making a deal with Toronto.