The St, Louis and LA benches cleared in Game 1 of their NLDS after Cards starter Adam Wainwright hit Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig in the shoulder with a pitch in the third inning. The fracas was sparked by Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and Cards catcher Yadier Molina, who jawed at each other after Puig was hit. Your browser does not support iframes. MORE: Amazing photos | Cardinals rally against Kershaw, stun Dodgers | Schedule...

Judge Tonya Parker declined to stop the panel from considering whether Dallas-based SCA Promotions should be repaid the bonuses it awarded Armstrong for three of his seven Tour de France victories. Jeff Tillotson, an attorney for SCA Promotions, said Wednesday that the panel will meet next month to consider his request for repayment of $12 million in bonuses and penalties for lying under oath. SCA Promotions filed one of several lawsuits against Armstrong after he admitted to doping....

People may remember the fateful 49ers-Cowboys end that was rife with ref drama: An official, who was late breaking to the play, had to spot the ball for Dallas, potentially costing Dallas precious seconds before the end of the game, and subsequently, the end of the season for the ‘Boys. Former NFL officiating heads Mike Pereira and Dean Blandino both said that the game mechanics could have been handled much differently and and better altogether, but that the procedure was followed accordingly....

And while that could be a little unsettling as he guides Denny Hamlin into the 2014 Sprint Cup Series championship race Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, it sure is a lot better feeling than he had in 2011. MORE: Hamlin the dark horse at Homestead | Chase standings | Photos from Phoenix In 2011, Grubb knew with about six races left in the season he wouldn’t be back at Stewart-Haas Racing — and he still won the championship with Stewart....

It means the same thing as complete remission or complete response. Unfortunately, NED does not mean that cancer is cured. With most cancers, there is a chance that some remaining cancer cells could cause a recurrence (return of cancer) in the future. Achieving NED means that the cancer treatments were effective, and many patients celebrate “being NED.” Even after achieving complete remission, many people have to cope with fears about recurrence and potential survivor guilt....

The wait is finally over. After six years, the NFL last week reversed itself and eliminated its controversial instant-replay rule. In the previous two years, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue had barely mustered the three-fourths majority needed to maintain replay. This time only 17 of the 28 owners voted to keep the rule. Several, while insisting that they love it in theory, said replay has proved both imperfect and interminable. “In practice, it stinks,” said Eagles owner Norman Braman....

In my post-married life, it has always felt a little strange to attend these celebrations without a date. Occasionally it was fun. More often uncomfortable. And sometimes excruciatingly painful to be alone in a sea of couples. But I’d tough it out, present my gift and leave at the earliest opportunity with the feeble excuse of having another pressing engagement. Maybe getting upset about not having the option to bring a date was “my hang-up,” as some friends suggested....

Exercise burns calories and can certainly help contribute to that deficit––and thereby contribute to fat loss. But for some people, exercise can also boost their appetite and seemingly “entitle” them to eat more. You know the story: “I just walked for an hour so I deserve to have some cookies.” In just four minutes (the amount of time spent devouring eight Oreos), you can easily replace the 400 calories you burned in 60 minutes of walking....

Germany’s Confederations Cup campaign will have been a spectacular success even if the world champions don’t manage to defeat Chile in the final in St Petersburg on Sunday. WATCH: Dybala scores vs defender army “Whenever there’s a tournament and you nominate a squad there’s always a debate,” said Low. “There are decisions that are taken that are seen from different vantage points. “The decision to go with a squad that is perhaps not as experienced at international level as other choices would have been, I can fully live with that decision....

But right now, they don’t need him. They need Max Unger. They need the guy they traded more than the one they traded him for. MORE: 23 birthday gifts for Johnny Manziel | Marcus Mariota looks like Steve McNair They don’t have either one of them … and the Seahawks, at 7-5 and on a three-game win streak, are playing better than they have all season, Super Bowl-level good. And if they’d had Unger, the center they sent to the Saints to get Graham, they might have been playing like this all year, instead of forcing Graham into the offense and putting Russell Wilson in danger game after game....

Posted yesterday by @pupsanddowns, the video has already received 1.3 million likes and nearly 7,000 comments from Tiktokers trying—and failing—to catch a glimpse of Martha. Aptly soundtracked by Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now,” in the viral clip Martha moves so fast, all that’s visible is a vaguely dog-shaped blur and the disappearing frisbee. “Have watched 10 times, still can’t pause in time to see puppers,” wrote Emily Moon. “Blinked and missed like 2 of the runs,” said addie....

The incident did more than just put a dent in NBC’s distinguished journalistic tradition. It also raised delicate questions of what’s fair game in the growing sport of business exposes-and what should happen when somebody steps over the line. Exposing corporate scams and scandals has always been a mainstay of magazine programs. Yet recent months have seen a rise in business-bashing stories, with controversial investigations of such companies as Wal-Mart, Food Lion and makers of cellular phones....

Let Bill Gates of Microsoft be the official spokesman for the Info Age. Charles Wang would rather make money. Quietly, he’s built his 19-year-old software house into one of the biggest (and perhaps best) companies you’ve never heard of. With revenues of $2.6 billion, Computer Associates is the world’s second-largest independent software supplier, after Microsoft itself. Clearly, obscurity pays. A dollar invested two years ago in Microsoft would be worth $2....

MORE: NFL Week 6 picks SB Nation notes that wideouts Julian Edelman and Dez Bryant both saw seasons end prematurely when they underwent second surgeries for similar foot injuries. So this is certainly good news for Buffalo. The Bills placed Watkins on injured reserve in late September, requiring him to miss at least eight games. The earliest he is allowed to return is for Buffalo’s Dec. 4 game at the Raiders....

At last week’s Board of Governors meeting, the executive committee heard presentations from representatives of the Las Vegas and Quebec markets in the third and latest phase to determine if the league will go forward with its expansion bids. Each presentation lasted about an hour, with the Las Vegas presentation led by billionaire businessman Bill Foley and the Quebec presentation headed by members of Quebec City-based communications conglomerate Quebecor....

Williamson, the Pelicans’ second-leading scorer at 23.6 points per game, departed the Walt Disney World Resort complex in Florida last week to attend to what the team termed “an urgent family matter.” “[Williamson] has been getting tested daily for COVID-19 while away from the team and continues to produce negative results,” the Pelicans said in a statement. “While there is no current timetable for his return to campus, he fully intends to rejoin the team....

Traveling through East Asia last week, I noted how poorly most observers rated President Bush’s recent trip there. Even more striking, however, was the comparison repeatedly made between Bush’s visit and that of Chinese leader Hu Jintao–with a thumping majority believing Hu had done better. In Thailand at the meeting for Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation, “there was no question that Hu was the better appreciated one,” a Thai official said to me....