After thoroughly dominating the Giants

But one thing the Falcons never seem to do anymore is lose two straight games. They extended the NFL's longest active streak since consecutive defeats to 49 games, going back to the 2009 season.

''Our focus was heightened from other weeks,'' coach Mike Smith said. ''We've got a lot of great leaders and mentors in that locker room. They took the message from the meetings and took it out on the field.''

After thoroughly dominating the Giants, the Falconshave surely sent a resounding message to the rest of the league: beware of this team in the playoffs.

''Last week everybody was talking smack about us,'' defensive end John Abraham said. ''We just continue what we're doing.''

Gulf Coast lawmakers recently and loudly protested press reports

A pre-election settlement could also expose Obama to criticism for selling out Gulf Coastpoliticians and environmental groups. Rumours have been flying.

Gulf Coast lawmakers recently and loudly protested press reports that BP and the Justice Department have discussed shifting settlement payments based on the Clean Water Act - with their promised billions of dollars to Gulf state coffers - instead to payments based on natural resource statutes, which would not only go to the U.S. Treasury but also be tax-deductible for BP.

"BP, who is responsible for this, would also get a tax deduction that could write off millions," Representative Jo Bonner, an Alabama Republican, told Reuters. "The audacity of giving BP a tax write-off!"

Though Robinson was removed for good at the start of the fourth quarter

It was another historic carry for Robinson, giving him his 40th career rushing touchdown, making him the eighth player in Football Subdivisionhistory with 40 rushing and 40 passing touchdowns.

Though Robinson was removed for good at the start of the fourth quarter, U-M's offensive reserves understood this was their chance to shine as well and tailback Thomas Rawls seized on it with a 63-yard touchdown run, pushing the margin to 45-0. 

Tucker said he thinks the controversy could spur a resolution

Former NFL offensive lineman Ross Tucker said an erroneous call by the replacements that decided a game was bound to happen sooner or later.

"I think the biggest shame of it is that anybody with half a brain could see this coming," said Tucker, who played for Washington, Dallas, Buffalo and New England. "If you watched the preseason games, if you watched the first two weeks of regular season games, it was inevitable."

Tucker said he thinks the controversy could spur a resolution between the league and the regular officials.

"I do think they'll get something done in the next few days because of the pressure," Tucker said. "But it's so frustrating, because why did it have to come to this? This could have been done last week. Maybe the league was hoping this wouldn't happen, or it wouldn't be this bad if it did happen. But you could see it coming from a mile away. They could have avoided this train wreck and yet they chose not to."

Brees completed fewer than half his passes for the first time since Dec. 24

Drew Brees led the Saints' offense onto the field with a chance to complete an unlikely comeback in the final minutes, only to throw another errant pass.

Washington safety DeJonGomes snagged Brees' overthrown ball for receiver Lance Moore and returned it to the New Orleans 4, setting up the decisive touchdown in the Redskins' 40-32 victory over the Saints on Sunday.

Brees completed fewer than half his passes for the first time since Dec. 24, 2006, part of a sloppy, penalty-marred performance as New Orleans lost at home for the first time since 2010.

"It's hard to believe we even had a chance to tie it at the end," Brees said. "When you make that many mistakes, you don't deserve to win."

CC Sabathia's achy left elbow had turned the day inside out

For a long time, the door to manager Joe Girardi's office remained closed at Rogers Centre. Across the way, the Yankees were preparing to head out into a Saturday night after a win against the Blue Jays. In Girardi's office, other plans were being made.

CC Sabathia's achy left elbow had turned the day inside out. The discussion began well before Saturday's first pitch, "just trying to decide what we were going to do," Girardi said. "Should we just skip him a start? Should we DL him? What do we do in this instance?"

Girardi, general manager Brian Cashman and the Yankees' staff came to the conclusion that the disabled list was the best place for Sabathia, forcing the Yankees ace lefty to skip two starts. Officially, it's a "low level" of concern, mostly due to a stealth MRI conducted prior to his last start.

The athlete concluded the text with an apology that baffled McCray

Al McCray, an assistant coach at Fort Hays State, said when he woke up at his Kansas home Monday he found a message on his cellphone from the player, thanking him for everything he had done for Murdock and his family.

The athlete concluded the text with an apology that baffled McCray, who said he had known the 25-year-old since Murdock was in middle school.

"At the end, he goes: 'I apologize.' And I don't know what he's talking about. I woke up, and I'm thinking he's apologizing because he texted me so early. ... I wish he had called instead."

The 38-year-old Canadian says he spoke to Bryant

"Don't get me wrong, it's fantastic," he added. "I think I'm a good fit for the team, and we have a great team, we're a contender, that's all incredible, too. But as far as getting over the hump and being able to be a Laker after being a Sun and trying to beat the Lakers in the playoffs all those years, the reality is it was too great of an opportunity to pass up as far as my children were concerned. And fortunately for me, it's a great basketball situation."

The 38-year-old Canadian says he spoke to Bryant by phone Monday to see whether he wanted to work together. Bryant took a break from his basketball camp in Santa Barbara to confirm he thinks Nash would be a perfect fit in the Lakers' backcourt, providing a dimension they never possessed even in Derek Fisher's best years — a playmaking talent Los Angeles hasn't seen since Magic Johnson was running the show.

Three weeks of solid finishes have elevated him to 17th in points

A victory in California's wine country would make Ambrose the reigning champ on both road courses that host Sprint Cup events. The fifth-year driver prevailed at Watkins Glen, N.Y., last season for his first win in NASCAR's top series.

Although his road savvy often gives him a competitive edge, Ambrose shrugs off the notion he's a road-racing specialist. Three weeks of solid finishes have elevated him to 17th in points, and wins at Sonoma and Watkins Glen could place him in the wild-card picture for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs. To make his first postseason appearance, Ambrose knows he has to excel on ovals as well.

"I apply myself the same every week," Ambrose said. "The pressure is not much different, it's just the weight of expectation I guess this weekend and for Watkins Glen as well, the expectation of success is what we have to balance out. I can't change the way I drive. I've got to keep doing my best out there. If I do my job well and the team does, we know we'll be a contender for the race win."

Before the match there was fighting between fans from both countrie

Before the match there was fighting between fans from both countries, leaving 15 injured and more than 140 detained by the police as thousands of Russian supporters marched to celebrate the Russia Day national holiday. Dzagoev darted past defender Lukasz Piszczek in the 37th minute and deflected a curling free kick by Andrei Arshavin past goalkeeper Przemyslaw Tyton with his shoulder. But Poland was rewarded for its attacking style in the 57th when Blaszczykowski cut in from the right and sent a searing left-footed drive into the far corner of the goal. “I think we deserve praise because all of us put a lot into this match,” Blaszczykowski said. “The tactics we set up before the match we carried out 100 percent.” The result left Russia at the top of Group A with four points but also kept alive Poland’s chances of qualifying for the quarterfinals. The Czech Republic is in second place with three points after its 2-1 win against Greece. “We’re still in the tournament, so with this point a win in our final match puts us into the knockout stage,” Blaszczykowski said. At least 15 people were injured in fighting between fans. Polish police also fired rubber bullets and tear gas at a group of young Poles who attacked them with glass bottles. The march to the stadium by thousands of Russian fans was seen as a provocation by many Poles, who have long had tense relations with Russia. Russia’s attack, which had flourished in an opening 4-1 win over the Czechs, was largely muzzled by a well-organized Polish defense. At the other end, Robert Lewandowski was a constant threat. “When we went 1-0 up, I thought we’d get more space like we did against the Czech Republic, but that didn’t happen,” Russia Coach Dick Advocaat said. “We lost the ball too fast when we were going forward and they could counter. We left the field too open.” After scattered fighting in Warsaw before the match, the police fired rubber bullets at a group of fans who attacked them with bottles and stones near an outdoor fan zone where about 75,000 people were watching the game on huge video screens.

Reid, the Nevada Democrat who was a boxing judge himself in his earlier days

A former amateur boxer, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had a few thoughts on the disputed outcome of the Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley fight in Las Vegas. Reid, the Nevada Democrat who was a boxing judge himself in his earlier days -- "an inexact science," he called it Tuesday -- welcomed an investigation into Saturday's bout at the MGM Grand. Fans have protested the judges' split decision that made Bradley the winner, and there have been calls for the Nevada attorney general to investigate. "I feel confident there's been nothing untoward," Reid said Tuesday. "But if an investigation makes everyone feel better, do the investigation." Reid has often been ringside for the big fights -- and once ran into ethical questions for accepting credentials to observe the events -- but missed the weekend match to celebrate his wife's birthday. "One of my very good friends was one of the judges for this fight. And from all the reports that I've seen by people on the outside who saw the fight, who attempted to be fair and judge the fight, Pacquiao won the fight," Reid went on. "Now, I understand how upset everybody is. The person that's handled this better than anyone else is Pacquiao. He has said, 'It's a fight, and I lost.' But he'll fight again." Reid suggested it might be time to make another push with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on their stalled bipartisan bill for a national boxing commission.

Gomez, whose father is Spanish

He had forced a save in the second minute, but he skied a header over the crossbar in the 57th minute. For long stretches, Germany's short passing and possession style seemed to lack energy and purpose. But Gomez scored in the decisive moment, and in the end that was all that mattered.

Still, many had expected Klose to start such an important match. After all, he had 63 goals in 116 previous international appearances. And Gomez had started only intermittently for Die Mannschaft. But Klose badly injured a thigh in March while playing for Lazio of Italy's Serie A, and his convalescence has been extended.

"It was a hard road for me," Gomez, whose father is Spanish and whose mother is German, said about being the usual understudy to Klose. "I am very happy that the coach had confidence in me. With the goal, I could pay something back. The ball was deflected and landed exactly on the front of my head. It wasn't that difficult."

Somehow, Laich slipped behind Chara

Zdeno Chara does not often make mistakes on the defensive side of his game. But in the third period of Game 3 Monday, there was the Boston strongman, looking at the wrong end of Brooks Laich - the back of the No. 1 center's jersey.

The Bruins were in control. They had a 3-2 third-period lead. Chara and top-pairing mate Dennis Seidenberg were on the ice, patrolling the neutral zone.

Somehow, Laich slipped behind Chara. When Chara finally noticed, it was too late. Laich took a long-distance pass from Nicklas Backstrom, zoomed in on a breakaway, and scored the tying goal on Tim Thomas at 14:00.

The Angels will be competitive every season that Pujols

The Angels will be competitive every season that Pujols remains productive, regularly claim the American League West or a wild card berth and continue to draw three million fans as easily as they unlock the front gate to their stadium.

But a bunch of World Series titles? Let's be real.

Sure, that would make the Pujols signing a success. Based on baseball's recent history, though, the Angels should worry about starting with one first. And their fans should realize anything more than one is a bonus.

So when Kentucky Coach John Calipari was asked after his team’s 82-70 victory over Baylor

So when Kentucky Coach John Calipari was asked after his team's 82-70 victory over Baylor if his Wildcats might be distracted this week by a national semifinal matchup with its archrival Louisville at the Final Four in New Orleans, he just shrugged.

It was an easy answer for him.

"I'm not worried about who we're playing," Calipari said.

No. 1 Kentucky (36-2) dunked over Baylor's height, shot over its defense and blitzed the Bears with transition in front of 24,035 fans, most of them wearing Kentucky blue, at the Georgia Dome. When the Wildcats play as well as they did in the first half while building a 42-22 lead, it really does not matter what team they play. And that includes Louisville, which lost to Kentucky, 69-62, on Dec. 31.

Kentucky is considered to have the best collection of talent in college basketball, and very little of it is from its home state, so the players are not predisposed to feel the pressure of the fierce Red versus Blue rivalry with Louisville. Among the Wildcats' top seven players, only the senior wing Darius Miller is a Kentuckian. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, a versatile 6-foot-7 player who led the Wildcats with 19 points against Baylor, is from New Jersey. Davis, a 6-10 freshman who had 18 points and 11 rebounds, is from Chicago.

Louisville and Kentucky have split their four matchups in the N.C.A.A. tournament, but this will be their first meeting in the Final Four. 

The sale is to close June 1. Doral has held a PGA Tour event since 1962

"It's a tremendous location, 800 acres right smack in the middle of Miami, and we look to make this one of the great places anywhere in the world for golf," Trump said Thursday. "It needs a lot of work. It's a little bit tired, and that's OK.

 And we're going to do something special."  The sale is to close June 1.  Doral has held a PGA Tour event since 1962, and it was elevated to a World Golf Championship in 2007

. It is hosting a 74-man field this week that includes the top 50 players in the world ranking. Trump said the course would be shut down after the 2013 tournament, and Gil Hanse would renovate what is now called the TPC Blue Monster. 

Braun told USA TODAY in December that the result was "B.S."

Two people close to Braun and familiar with his appeal, but unauthorized to speak publicly about the process, acknowledge the sample collection was flawed. But they contend there were several factors in Braun's succesful grievance. There was no other proof that he took an illegal substance, and his 20/1 TE ratio [hormone testosterone to the hormone epitestosterone], they said, was impossibly elevated for an acceptable sample. A TE ratio of less than 4/1 is considered normal.

Braun told USA TODAY in December that the result was "B.S." and never relented in his innocence.

"We provided complete cooperation despite the highly unusual circumstances," Braun said in a prepared statement. "I have been an open book, willing to share details from every aspect of my life as part of this investigation, because I have nothing to hide. I have passed over 25 drug tests in my career, including at least three in the past year.