Newser Story Index from April, 2008
Welcome to the Newser Story Index. Here you find stories written by Newser writers and editors, assembled with supporting photos and videos from the files of the news story.
DreamWorks to Theaters: Where's the 3D?
Reuters
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Apr 30, 2008 12:28 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Movie theaters just aren’t adding digital and 3D screens fast enough, says DreamWorks animation chief Jeffrey Katzenberg, a big believer in the technology. DreamWorks has pledged to make all future releases available in 3D, at a cost of $15 million per film. But theater chains haven’t matched his enthusiasm. “Things have dragged along,...
Madonna's Candy Not So Sweet
Baltimore Sun
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Apr 30, 2008 12:16 PM CDT
(Newser) -
There is something noticeably absent in Madonna’s new record, writes Rashod Ollison in The Baltimore Sun : Madonna. Her 11th studio album, Hard Candy, “is a mostly stale piece of self-consciously fluffy pop” in which the superstar “plays it safe.” Enlisting younger hit makers like Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, and...
David Blaine Breaks Breath-Holding Record
Associated Press
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Apr 30, 2008 12:11 PM CDT
(Newser) -
David Blaine broke the world record for holding one’s breath today when he was submerged for 17 minutes and 4 seconds during a taping of Oprah. The endurance artist looked relaxed emerging from a water-filled sphere, the AP reports. Blaine had undergone simulated altitude training and pure oxygen treatment to prepare for the feat. The previous...
Torch Back in China After Tumultuous Tour
New York Times
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Apr 30, 2008 12:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
There were no protests in Hong Kong today as the Olympic torch returned to Chinese soil. But reports were rampant of advocates and would-be protesters being deported or barred from entering the country, the New York Times reports. China says it’s dedicated to allowing peaceful demonstrations, but yesterday deported three pro-Tibetan advocates,...
As Currency, Dolphin Teeth Feel Recession's Bite
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 30, 2008 11:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Spinner dolphins had better watch out—their pearly whites are again a fast-growing currency in the South Pacific, the Wall Street Journal reports. Economic troubles in the Solomon Islands have caused many to return to the traditional trading chip. “Dolphin teeth are like gold,” says the governor of the nation's central bank. "You...
ATT to Offer Half-Priced iPhone
Fortune Magazine
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Apr 30, 2008 11:43 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The new iPhone will have not only a GPS chip and a slimmer silhouette, but a much lower price tag than its predecessor, Fortune reports. AT&T will subsidize as much as half the cost of each phone bought along with a 2-year contract, a source tells Fortune , bringing the price to an industry-competitive $199. The new phones would be locked to...
Congress' Superdelegates Have Picked, But Stay Mum
Politico
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Apr 30, 2008 11:38 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Most of the 80 unpledged Dem superdelegates in Congress have privately chosen a candidate, and one of Barack Obama’s key Senate surrogates claims most have swung his way, Politico reports. It’s “a matter of timing,” Missouri's Claire McCaskill said. “They would like someone else to act for them before they talk about it...
McCain Must Open Up to Win: Rove
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 30, 2008 11:21 AM CDT
(Newser) -
For John McCain to win in November, he needs to let Americans know about McCain the man as well as McCain the candidate, Karl Rove writes in the Wall Street Journal . The Bush campaign mastermind thinks the candidate's very private nature means not enough people are hearing about McCain's heroism as a Vietnam POW and his postwar life.
'CSI' Actor Busted for Drugs
People
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Apr 30, 2008 11:11 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Life imitated art for "CSI" star Gary Dourdan when he was arrested Monday in Palm Springs, Calif., for possession of cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, and prescription pills, People reports. The “disoriented” crime drama star, who plays an audio-video analyst with an addiction-addled past, was picked up by patrol officers who spotted...
Meet the Next Miley
E! Online
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Apr 30, 2008 11:01 AM CDT
(Newser) -
With tween queen Miley Cyrus' squeaky-clean image taking a drubbing, E! Online reports that Disney execs may be shopping for a new fresh face--and may have found one in lesser-known and untainted Selena Gomez. “Selena sings and acts…She is going to be the next Miley Cyrus,” an insider said.
Dear Mass Murderer: I Need Advice
Radar
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Apr 30, 2008 10:51 AM CDT
(Newser) -
An unemployed writer posing as a 10-year-old boy seeking advice wrote letters to a number of celebrities, including some of America's most infamous killers. The responses to the queries from the "pop-culture historian," as Radar magazine described Bill Geerhart, range from the weirdly sensible (Ted Kaczynski) to the terrifyingly psychotic...
Wright Tests Obama's Anger Management
New York Times
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Apr 30, 2008 10:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama has spent his entire career trying not to be an Angry Black Man, but yesterday Jeremiah Wright forced him to tap his rage, Maureen Dowd writes in the New York Times . Wright, seemingly among the angriest of black men, had created a full-blown crisis for Obama, forcing the Democrat to commit “a painful form of political patricide.”
Clemens Had More Women, Source Says
New York Daily News
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Apr 30, 2008 10:17 AM CDT
(Newser) -
It wasn't just country singer Mindy McCready that Roger Clemens carried on with, a source tells the New York Daily News. The former Major League pitcher apparently had several lovely lady friends whom he jetted across the country in his plane and presented with expensive jewelry. One of them admitted to knowing Clemens, but had no comment about their...
Another Key Shortage: Fertilizer
New York Times
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Apr 30, 2008 10:02 AM CDT
(Newser) -
One of the less touted factors behind the global food crisis is a shortage in chemical fertilizer, which has helped boost crop yields dramatically and particularly benefited the developing world. But while growing demand is unlikely to be met for many years, the environmental impact of producing and using chemical fertilizers is significant and negative,...
Soldier to Serve His Country ... as a Linebacker
Detroit Free Press
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Apr 30, 2008 9:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
If linebacker Caleb Campbell hadn't been picked up by the Detroit Lions in the seventh round of the NFL draft Sunday, he'd be suiting up for the battlefield, not the gridiron. Assuming he makes the team, Campbell, who graduates from the U.S. Military Academy May 31, will be allowed to replace five years' service by working as a recruiter...
Support for Scot Independence Hits Record Low
Telegraph (UK)
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Apr 30, 2008 9:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
It's been one year since a separatist government came to power in Scotland, vowing to break away from the United Kingdom. But a new poll shows while the Scottish still admire Alex Salmond, the region's first minister, support for independence is at an all-time low—with only 19% wanting to be independent, the Daily Telegraph reports.
The Engagement of Mimi?
New York Post
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Apr 30, 2008 9:31 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Mariah Carey might be keeping silent about the $2.5 million 17-carat engagement rock on her finger, but her new beau isn't . Actor Nick Cannon was overheard yesterday saying the pair are going to marry, reports the New York Post, during a follow-up visit to the New York jeweler where he purchased the bauble. "Maybe he's making payments on it,"...
S. Africa Blocks Sending UN Envoy to Zimbabwe
Times (UK)
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Apr 30, 2008 9:19 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A closed-door session of the Security Council failed to make progress on Zimbabwe after South Africa led a successful effort to block a plan to send a UN envoy to Harare. The US, Britain, and France pushed for dispatching an observer—and for a moratorium on arms sales. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, meanwhile, blasted Zimbabwe's failure to...
Japan's Oldest Giant Panda Dies
Associated Press
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Apr 30, 2008 9:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Ling Ling, the undisputed star of the Tokyo Zoo and a symbol of friendship between Japan and China, died today of heart failure, the AP reports. At 22—the equivalent of 70 human years—the giant panda was Japan’s oldest, and the fifth-oldest in the world. Ling Ling had been eating poorly since August, suffering from kidney and heart...
Economy Grew at a Crawl in First Quarter
Bloomberg
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Apr 30, 2008 8:44 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The US Gross Domestic Product rose at a 0.6% annual pace in the first quarter, despite the widespread belief that the economy is in recession, Bloomberg reports. The number stayed positive thanks to a surge in inventories, which offset flagging consumer spending and business investment. “We think we're in recession, but I don't know that the...
Group Makes Last Hunt for Top Nazis
Associated Press
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Apr 30, 2008 8:33 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A doctor at barbaric Mauthausen concentration camp heads the list of the 10 most-wanted Nazis sought by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, AP reports. Aribert Heim, 93, is believed to be living in South America, and has a $485,000 reward on his head. One witness recalled how the physician-butcher decapitated a teenage Jewish athlete and saved his skull for...
Turkey Eases Controversial 'Insult' Statute
Financial Times (UK)
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Apr 30, 2008 8:06 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Turkish parliament has approved changes to a notorious law that makes it a crime to "insult Turkishness," reports the Financial Times . Ankara legislators today amended the notorious Article 301, reducing the maximum sentence and requiring the justice minister to approve all prosecutions. But while nationalists are outraged, civil rights...
5.2 Quake Again Rattles West
CNN
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Apr 30, 2008 7:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The latest in a series of shakers to rattle the West was a 5.2 magnitude earthquake that struck a rural area 190 miles northwest of Sacramento last night. No injuries or damage were immediately reported. Quakes have recently rattled Los Angeles, Lake Tahoe, and Reno, where a swarm of hundreds of tremors building in strength the past six weeks are making...
China Sends 30 to Prison in Mass Tibet Trials
New York Times
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Apr 30, 2008 7:43 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A Chinese court sentenced 30 people yesterday, including six monks, for taking part in the March protest riots in Tibet, the New York Times reports. The sentences ranged from three years to life in prison. Human Rights Watch watch said the trials were secret and defendants weren’t allowed representation, calling them “political punishment...
GM Posts $3.3B Loss on Weak US Market, Strikes
Associated Press
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Apr 30, 2008 7:16 AM CDT
(Newser) -
General Motors today posted a $3.3 billion first-quarter loss, AP reports, due in part to a weak US market, a strike at a major supplier, and plummeting sales of sport utility vehicles and pickups. The loss amounted to $5.74 per share, including one-time charges. Without the charges, it appeared GM's adjusted results beat Wall Street expectations....
Ballmer May Seek Middle Path on Yahoo
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 30, 2008 7:13 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Steve Ballmer's next move on Yahoo is expected momentarily, and one option is to nominate a proxy slate for the board of directors, the Wall Street Journal reports, but hold off on making a new hostile bid for the company. Microsoft could buy time for setting a new price for Yahoo, which rejected the company's $42-billion bid, but keep the option...
Austrian Town Holds Vigil for Dungeon Family
BBC
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Apr 30, 2008 7:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Hundreds of people gathered last night for a candlelit vigil in the Austrian town where a man locked his daughter in a basement dungeon for 24 years and fathered her seven children. Emotional residents stood in the rain to demonstrate solidarity with the captive family, the BBC reports. "We want to show that Amstetten is not a town for criminals,"...
New Ship a 'Reminder' to Iran: Gates
Reuters
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Apr 30, 2008 6:36 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A second US aircraft carrier steamed into the Persian Gulf yesterday, which Robert Gates says Iran should see as a "reminder." The defense secretary denied that the deployment of another ship in the Gulf amounted to an escalation of American forces in the area, Reuters reports, but hoped to get Tehran's attention with the extra vessel's presence.
Pastor Strife Forces Obama to Get Tough
New York Times
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Apr 30, 2008 6:09 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama's angry break with his former pastor marks a dramatic change in tone for the Democratic hopeful—and the party's superdelegates are paying close attention, the New York Times reports. Obama's forceful handling of the furor has impressed many but the revival of thorny racial issues ahead of next week's primaries is causing some to...
Al Franken to Cough Up $70K in Back Taxes
Associated Press
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Apr 30, 2008 5:43 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Funnyman-turned-Democratic candidate Al Franken has announced he'll pay up $70,000 in back taxes to 17 states, AP reports. Franken blamed the backlog on bad advice from his accountant. Most of the income at issue was from speeches and other appearances dating back to 2003. The tax issue has sidetracked Franken's Minnesota Senate campaign, and the state's...
Clinton to Dems: Back Obama If He Wins
Indianapolis Star
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Apr 30, 2008 4:52 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Hillary Clinton is strongly urging her supporters to back Barack Obama if he wins the Democratic nomination. Polls have demonstrated that many Clinton and Obama supporters have become so firmly entrenched that they'd prefer to vote for John McCain over a Democratic rival. That would be "the height of political foolishness," said Clinton,...
Dungeon Takes Physical Toll on Austrian Kids
Times (UK)
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Apr 30, 2008 4:32 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Doctors have begun to tally the physical toll of a lifetime of imprisonment on the three Austrian children locked in a cellar by their grandfather/father Josef Fritzl. The children all have defective immune systems, are anemic and suffer from a vitamin D deficiency from their time in a 650-square-foot cellar. None had ever seen daylight, a doctor or...
McCanns: Leaving Maddy 'Last-Minute' Decision
Telegraph (UK)
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Apr 30, 2008 4:07 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Almost a year after their daughter's disappearance, Madeleine McCann's parents spoke of the "last-minute decision" that now torments them to leave Maddy alone in their vacation hotel room while they left for dinner. “It was cold," Kate McCann said of the night Maddy vanished. "I knew what pajamas she had on, and I ...
Rockefeller Clan Launches Green Revolt at Exxon
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 30, 2008 3:39 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Exxon Mobil is facing a shareholder revolt by most of John D. Rockefeller's 300 descendants, who are pushing for the mammoth company to go greener, reports the Wall Street Journal . The Rockefellers are campaigning for Exxon to develop new energy technology, cut greenhouse gas emissions and appoint a new independent chairman. The revolt is opposed...
Chilean Mayor Beefs Up Support With Free Viagra
BBC
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Apr 30, 2008 3:21 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The mayor of a Chilean town has come up with a new way of securing support among voters: he's is handing out free Viagra. The mayor of a working class suburb of the capital of Santiago has ordered physicians to hand out batches of the blue sex potency pills four times a month to men over 60.
Iraq to Net Record $70B Oil Windfall
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 30, 2008 2:58 AM CDT
(Newser) -
US analysts estimate that record-breaking oil prices and a fall in insurgent attacks on pipelines will boost Iraq oil revenue this year to $70 billion—double earlier estimates, the Wall Street Journal reports. The latest figure has sparked a call among US lawmakers to demand that Iraq pay more of its reconstruction costs. But the White House...
Final Trip for LSD Creator
Washington Post
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Apr 30, 2008 2:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Swiss scientist who formulated LSD and unwittingly helped lay the foundation of '60s drug culture has died of a heart attack at the age of 102. Albert Hofmann, who called LSD his "problem child," discovered its hallucinatory properties while working on heart stimulants, reports the Washington Post . He believed laws eventually...
Blum's 3-Run Double Leads Astros to 6-4 Win
Associated Press
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Apr 30, 2008 12:54 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Geoff Blum doubled in three runs and the Houston Astros handed the Arizona Diamondbacks only their third home loss in 13 games his season, 6-4 on Tuesday night. Hard-throwing Max Scherzer, Arizona's 2006 first-round draft pick out of the University of Missouri, made an impressive major league debut, to say the least, in relief of Diamondbacks starter...
Cameron Makes Big Impact in Debut for Brewers
Associated Press
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Apr 30, 2008 12:53 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Mike Cameron made an immediate impact with Milwaukee, once he had the chance. Cameron had three hits, including a two-run single in the seventh that broke open the game, and the Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs 10-7 on Tuesday night to overcome a shaky outing by Ben Sheets.
Rockies Top Giants 3-2
Associated Press
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Apr 30, 2008 12:47 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Tim Lincecum's first loss of the year came via a debated balk call that pushed home the go-ahead run. Chris Iannetta, who replaced the injured Troy Tulowitzki in the first, scored on that seventh-inning balk by Lincecum that led the Colorado Rockies past the San Francisco Giants 3-2 on Tuesday night.
Spurs Win First Round Series Against Suns
Associated Press
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Apr 30, 2008 12:29 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Tony Parker scored 31 points, Tim Duncan added 29 points and 17 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs advanced to the Western Conference semifinals with a 92-87 Game 5 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night. The third-seeded Spurs will meet the No. 2 seed Hornets in a second-round series that begins Saturday at New Orleans.
Red Wings Go Up 3-0 on Avs
Associated Press
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Apr 30, 2008 12:06 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The usually heated Colorado-Detroit matchup has never been this one-sided, on the scoreboard or in the trainer's room. Pavel Datsyuk scored twice and Johan Franzen picked up his sixth goal of the series, putting the Red Wings on the cusp of the Western Conference finals with a 4-3 victory Tuesday night over the ailing Avalanche.
Saunders Bests Smith, Angels Beat A's 2-0
Associated Press
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Apr 30, 2008 12:05 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Joe Saunders outpitched Greg Smith to remain undefeated in six starts, and the Los Angeles Angels beat Oakland 2-0 on Tuesday night to climb back into a first-place tie with the Athletics in the AL West. Saunders (5-0) combined with Francisco Rodriguez on the Angels' second shutout victory this season, scattering four hits over eight innings with five...
Guillen Leads Royals to Win Over Rangers
Associated Press
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Apr 30, 2008 12:02 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Jose Guillen drove in five runs and the Kansas City Royals held off the Texas Rangers 9-5 on Tuesday night. The Royals have won three of their last four games after snapping a seven-game losing streak. Texas has lost 14 of its last 18 games to fall to a major league-worst 9-18 record on beleaguered manager Ron Washington's 56th birthday.
UCLA Medical Center Snoop Indicted
Los Angeles Times
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Apr 29, 2008 11:45 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A former UCLA Medical Center employee has been indicted for snooping in the medical records of the stars and selling the information to tabloids, the Los Angeles Times reports. Lawanda Jackson is accused of making thousands from the sale of information about celebrities including Farrah Fawcett and Maria Shriver. She could face up to 10 years in...
McGrady Scores 29 as Rockets Beat Jazz 95-69 to Stay Alive
Associated Press
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Apr 29, 2008 11:42 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Tracy McGrady scored 29 points, Luis Scola added 18 points and 12 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets staved off elimination Tuesday night by routing the Utah Jazz 95-69 in Game 5 of their first-round series. Dikembe Mutombo grabbed 10 rebounds as the Rockets cut their series deficit to 3-2 and forced Game 6 in Utah on Friday night.
Hornets Hand Mavs First-Round Exit
Associated Press
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Apr 29, 2008 11:33 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Byron Scott accepted his NBA coach of the year award, then guided his team to the second round of the playoffs. Chris Paul had 24 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds, and the New Orleans Hornets held on for a 99-94 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night to win their first-round series in five games.
Wright's 11th-Inning Hit Gives Mets 5-4 Win
Associated Press
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Apr 29, 2008 11:22 PM CDT
(Newser) -
David Wright hit a single over a pulled in outfield with the bases loaded in the 11th inning, giving New York a 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates Tuesday night after the Mets' bullpen wasted a two-hit performance by Johan Santana. Endy Chavez singled off John Van Benschoten (0-1), Pittsburgh's sixth pitcher, leading off the 11th.
Tigers Best Yankees 6-4
Associated Press
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Apr 29, 2008 11:20 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Gary Sheffield and Curtis Granderson homered in the third inning, sending old pro Kenny Rogers and the Detroit Tigers to a 6-4 victory over the road-weary New York Yankees on Tuesday night. Magglio Ordonez got Detroit going with a two-run single off struggling right-hander Phil Hughes, and the $139 million Tigers (12-15) won for the sixth time in eight...
Phillies Deny Maddux 350th Win
Associated Press
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Apr 29, 2008 11:19 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Cole Hamels pitched 7 1-3 impressive innings and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the San Diego Padres 7-4 Tuesday night, denying Greg Maddux his 350th career victory. Hamels (3-3) allowed five hits, two runs and struck out six. Tom Gordon worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth and the Phillies scored four insurance runs in the bottom half.
