Midwest

For Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks, something didn't seem right at the Wachovia Center Wednesday night.

When Ben Gordon tossed an alley-oop to rookie Tyrus Thomas and he slammed it down for a reverse dunk in a lane of traffic, a sold out United Center crowd was certain they were in the wrong p

After a scoring frenzy in their last game Saturday, the Blackhawks returned to form Tuesday night getting run out of the building 7-1. Martin Lapointe scored the lone Hawk goal at the end of the third period to at least make sure they weren't shut out in extremely embarrassing fashion.

Despite another awful outing this weekend in Cactus League play, Mark Prior locked up a starting spot with Class A Daytona Cubs. Prior gave up four runs on four hits--including a home run--against the lowly Royals, punching his one-way ticket to the minors, where he will start Thursday.

After filming two commercials playing up the Sox-Cubs rivalry, McDonald's abruptly announced that it would release A.J. Pierzynski from his promotional contract with the corporation.

Arizona winters may be a relaxing experience for many people seeking refuge from the cold, but nothing can be further from the truth when it comes to oft-injured Kerry Wood. In fact, the Cubs' paper-mache pitcher has been shut down once again with a right triceps strain after experiencing windburn from a slight breeze in Mesa.

The fire inside Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano has always made him a showman on the field, causing him to break bats over his leg and throw trademark temper tantrums on the mound. But the right-hander plans to intentionally entertain fans with his behavior this season, promising "thrills and spills" much like the one he exhibited in a spring training game Monday against the San Francisco Giants when he tripped after rounding second base.