Lopez, Thompson lead Cardinals in rout of Reds

Felipe Lopez drove in three runs and emergency starter Brad Thompson threw five effective innings, helping the St. Louis Cardinals end the year on a season-best six game winning streak with an 11-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.

Lopez had three of the Cardinals' 13 hits, including two doubles, in the first three innings and finished 4-for-5 with the three RBIs. Ryan Ludwick had his 37th home run of the season to give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead after one and Troy Glaus added his 27th homer in a six-run third against Adam Pettyjohn (0-1).

Thompson (6-3) gave up three runs _ two on a homer by Edwin Encarnacion _ on four hits. He got the start after …

Ohio State earns wild Sugar Bowl victory

NEW ORLEANS - Terrelle Pryor passed for 277 yards and twotouchdowns and Solomon Thomas made a huge interception with about 58seconds left, preserving No. 6 Ohio State's 31-26 victory eighth-ranked Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl on Tuesday night.

The Buckeyes (12-1) might want to send a thank-you note to theNCAA, which allowed Pryor, Thomas and three others to play eventhough they will have to serve five-game suspensions next season forselling memorabilia and getting discounted tattoos.

Four of those Buckeyes made huge plays. DeVier Posey caught atouchdown pass and Dan Herron ran for a …

Rosie, Elisabeth Wage Angry War of Words

NEW YORK - Watching Rosie O'Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck squabble on ABC's "The View" is nothing new, but Wednesday's dustup seemed particularly nasty with the co-hosts trading accusations and personal digs.

A political discussion over the war in Iraq became heated when an angry O'Donnell decried Hasselbeck for not standing up for her when media outlets suggested that she'd called U.S. troops "terrorists" during a previous debate.

"What you did was not defend me. ... I asked you if you believed what the Republican pundits were saying - you said nothing, and that's cowardly," O'Donnell said.

Responded a stern Hasselbeck: "Do not call me a coward, because No. …

Ireland sees biggest deflation rate since 1933

Ireland's consumer prices fell 2.6 percent in March from a year ago, the sharpest rate of deflation since 1933, when the world was struggling through the Great Depression, official figures showed Thursday.

The March rate accelerated from an annual deflation rate of 1.7 percent in February, the Central Statistics Office said.

However, the report said there was no change in prices from February to March. They are now at August 2007 levels.

Ireland's turn into deflation began in January, with a 0.1 percent drop in the average cost of goods and services, and reflects the country's sudden fall into a deep recession.

The country last …

Brazil's Silva target of misused-funds probe

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian prosecutors are investigating possible misuse of $5.7 million in government funds by former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Federal prosecutors say Silva and his former social security minister used the money to mail 10.6 million letters informing retirees about the possibility of obtaining low-interest loans from Banco BMG, a private …

CURIOUS TIMES

YOU ACT TOUGH BUT YOU SLEEP LIKE A FETUS

A British scientist who has been studying the connection between sleep position and personality traits has come up with the six favorite sleep positions and what they say about your personality. The most popular position is the "fetus" (curled up on the side, holding the pillow), which indicates a person with a tough exterior who is actually a very sensitive person; the "starfish" (spread-eagled on the back) indicates a good listener who makes friends easily; a "free faller" (sleeping on the front) has a brash exterior but a nervous personality; a "soldier" (sleeping on the back) is quiet and reserved; a "log" (sleeping on the side) is …

World Cup Cross-Country Ski Results

Leading finishers from Wednesday's 1.2-kilometer World Cup ski cross-country classic sprint races:

Men

1. Boerre Naess, Norway.

2. Ola Vigen Hattestad, Norway.

3. Eldar Roenning, Norway.

4. Anders Gloersen, …