AFP - Liverpool starlet Ryan Babel climbed off the bench to inspire The Netherlands to a 2-0 victory over Cameroon in a pre-Olympic tournament in steamy Hong Kong on Wednesday.

AP - John Lackey came within two outs of a no-hitter, pitching the Los Angeles Angels past the Boston Red Sox 6-2 Tuesday night on a big day for the AL West leaders.

AFP - Euroleague champions CSKA Moscow and rivals FC Barcelona and Lietuvos Rytas of Lithuania will visit North America in October to face National Basketball Association teams in pre-season games.

AP - Italian cyclist Riccardo Ricco admitted Wednesday that he made a "mistake," taking responsibility after testing positive for the blood-booster EPO during the Tour de France.

AP - Beijing's pollution levels dropped Wednesday to less than half of the previous day's, the lowest reading since authorities began pulling cars off the road and shutting down factories to address athletes' concerns about air quality ahead of the Olympic Games.

AP - Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy traveled to Mississippi to meet with quarterback Brett Favre and his agent James "Bus" Cook on Wednesday, in an apparent attempt to talk Favre out of reporting to camp later this week.

AFP - Russian fifth seed Elena Dementieva and eighth-seeded compatriot Vera Zvonareva were upset in second-round matches here Tuesday at a 1.34 million-dollar WTA hardcourt tournament.

AFP - New coach Luiz Felipe Scolari was upbeat after Chelsea completed the Asian leg of their pre-season tour, saying he had seen enough to convince him he has a side that can win the Premier League.

AP - Carlos Zambrano outpitched fellow ace Ben Sheets again, and the Chicago Cubs scored five runs in the sixth inning to beat Milwaukee 7-1 on Tuesday night, assuring they'll leave town leading the NL Central.

AFP - Team USA hoped the NBA betting scandal was over on Wednesday after ex-referee Tim Donaghy was jailed for 15 months, despite fears of further shock revelations.

AP - Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell was held out of all team drills during the evening practice Tuesday after banging his elbow off the helmet of teammate Darren McFadden earlier in the day.

AP - Ichiro Suzuki reached 3,000 combined hits in the major leagues and the Japanese League with a first-inning single Tuesday night against the Texas Rangers.