Jan 17 (Infostrada Sports) – Leg 2 Classification from the Rally of Monaco on Thursday 1. Sebastien Loeb (France) Citroen 3:16:29.100 2. Sebastien Ogier (France) Volkswagen +01:35.000 3. Daniel Sordo (Spain) Citroen 02:38.000 4. Evgeny Novikov (Russia) Ford 02:53.200 5. Mikko Hirvonen (Finland) Citroen 03:22.700 6. Jari-Matti Latvala (Finland) Volkswagen 03:43.200 7. Juho Haenninen (Finland) Ford 04:11.300 8. Bryan Bouffier (France) Citroen 05:45.800 9. Mads Ostberg (Norway) Ford 05:49.500 10. Martin Prokop (Czech Republic) Ford 14:15.600
Rose and Donaldson lead as McIlroy and Woods toil
ABU DHABI (Reuters) – Rory McIlroy was reduced to a bit-part role and Tiger Woods struck one of the wor st shots of the day as Britons Justin Rose and Jamie Donaldson stole the show in the Abu Dhabi Championship first round on Thursday. Rose and Donaldson led the way with five-under 67s as winds gusting up to 30 kph (20 mph) made scoring difficult in the opening event of the European Tour's three-week desert swing that also includes the Qatar Masters and Dubai Classic. Sharing third place on 68 were Spain's Pablo Larrazabal and Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark. … UPDATE 1-Golf-Rose and Donaldson lead as McIlroy and Woods toil
* Opening 67s for Rose and Donaldson * McIlroy struggles to a 75 in Abu Dhabi * Woods duffs drive on way to level-par 72 (Adds Rose quotes, detail) ABU DHABI, Jan 17 (Reuters) – Rory McIlroy was reduced to a bit-part role and Tiger Woods struck one of the worst shots of the day as Britons Justin Rose and Jamie Donaldson stole the show in the Abu Dhabi Championship first round on Thursday. …
(Reuters) – Ferrari's Fernando Alonso has tipped Lewis Hamilton to win races this season, despite his move from McLaren to Mercedes, and sees the Briton as more the man to watch than triple champion Sebastian Vettel. Speaking to reporters on Thursday at the Italian Formula One team's 'Wrooom' media event at the Dolomites ski resort of Madonna di Campiglio, the Spaniard singled out his former McLaren team mate as the strongest rival. … 
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Moments after Chip Kelly's plane landed, he was handed a new Eagles visor and received a warm greeting from fans gathered at the airport. 
(Reuters) – Veteran Boston Red Sox pitcher Vicente Padilla has signed a one-year deal with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of the Japan Pacific League, according to a report on the MLB.com. Padilla's deal with the Hawks, who last won the Pacific League in 2011 and finished third last season, is worth $3.25 million, the report said quoting sources. The 35-year-old Nicaraguan compiled a 4-1 record with a 4.50 earned run average and one save over 56 relief appearances last season for the Boston Red Sox. … 
(Reuters) – LeBron James became the youngest player to reach 20,000 career points on Wednesday, picking up 25 in Miami's 92-75 win over the Golden State Warri ors. "It means a lot," James, aged 28 years and 17 days, told reporters. "I've been blessed to be able to stay healthy and play a lot of games. I'm grateful to have team mates to help me accomplish the feat." James took the record from the LA Lakers' Kobe Bryant, who was 29 years and 122 days when he reached 20,000 points. … 
(Reuters) – Notre Dame football sta r Manti Te'o, whose on-field excellence after his grandmother and online girlfriend purportedly died made him a hero in the sports media, was the victim of a hoax because the girl never existed, the university said on Wednesday. The girlfriend, who called herself Lennay Kekua and claimed to be a Stanford graduate, was merely an online persona who "ingratiated herself with Manti and then conspired with others to lead him to believe she had tragically died of leukemia," university spokesman Dennis Brown said in a statement. … 
CHICAGO (AP) -- The Chicago Bears hired Montreal Alouettes coach Marc Trestman on Wednesday to replace the fired Lovie Smith. 
The Mariners added some much-needed power to their lineup Wednesday, acquiring Michael Morse from Washington in a three-team deal that moved catcher John Jaso from Seattle to Oakland. 
LONDON (Reuters) – Carmelo Anthony, fresh from an e xtreme self-imposed diet, is eager to help grow the NBA's global brand and position his New York Knicks for a title run when they face the Detroit Pistons in London on Thursday. The match marks the return of U.S. professional basketball to the O2 Arena, the same London stage where Anthony helped lead the United States to a gold medal at last year's Olympics. "How can I forget … that was a special moment. … 
TOKYO (Reu ters) – Ichiro Suzuki feels a renewed sense of passion after finally signing a two-year contract to stay at the New York Yankees, the Japanese outfielder said on Tuesday. The 39-year-old, a career .322 hitter with 2,606 hits in 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), called the storied 'Bronx Bombers' a unique ballclub. "Re-signing for the Yankees has awakened a fresh determination in me," the 10-times All Star told Japanese media after a workout in Kobe. … 
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Bob Melvin has repeatedly described the comfort of managing right at home in the Bay Area -- and Billy Beane has described the comfort in having a winning, "modern-day" manager leading the Oakland Athletics. 
(Reuters) – The Oakland Athletics rewarded mana ger Bob Melvin with a two-year contract extension after he led the team to a division title and was voted American League Manager of the Year, the team said on Monday. The extension will keep Melvin, who led Oakland to a 94-68 record in 2012 that was a 20-win improvement over the previous campaign, with the A's through the 2016 Major League Baseball season, the team said in a statement. It was Melvin's first full year at the helm in Oakland. He was named interim manager in June 2011 before signing a three-year pact three months later. … 
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- New cars, same results at Daytona International Speedway.