PRO FOOTBALL
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - The Seahawks won their first Super Bowl title Sunday night in overpowering fashion, punishing Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos 43-8. Their relentless defense, the NFL’s stingiest, never let the five-time MVP get going, disarming the highest-scoring offense in league history.
Seattle (16-3) was too quick, too physical and just too good for Denver. What was hyped as a classic matchup between an unstoppable offense and a miserly defense turned into a rout.
Punctuating Seattle’s dominance were a 69-yard interception return touchdown by linebacker Malcolm Smith to make it 22-0 in the second quarter, and Percy Harvin’s sensational 87-yard kickoff runback to open the second half to make it 29-0.
Smith was the game’s MVP.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - The first outdoor, cold-weather Super Bowl in the nation’s most congested region confounded skeptics on the first count, as unseasonably warm temperatures served as a pleasant backdrop for Sunday’s NFL title game. But long delays leaving MetLife Stadium for the thousands who heeded organizers’ advice and took mass transit left a sour taste.
Organizers had dubbed the game the first mass-transit Super Bowl and spent considerable effort urging fans to take trains or buses to the stadium. The message apparently took hold, as nearly 28,000 rode the rails from nearby Secaucus Junction. That far surpassed New Jersey Transit’s previous record of 22,000 riders in 2009 for a U2 concert, and nearly doubled optimistic pregame estimates of 15,000.
After Sunday’s game, fans converged on the rail station for the return trip, clogging the platform as trains loaded and left when full. The agency eventually opened a second platform to accommodate the overflow crowd. It finally took NJ Transit bringing in more than 50 buses to shuttle fans to the Port Authority terminal in New York City - almost two hours after Seattle completed its 43-8 victory over Denver - to eliminate the long delays at the stadium area.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman went to the locker room in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s Super Bowl with a high ankle sprain.
He reappeared on the field after the game, celebrating the victory on crutches.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - A man jumped onto the podium during Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith’s postgame news conference, grabbed the microphone and said the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks were “perpetrated by people with your own government.”
Smith sat dumbfounded when the man suddenly appeared on his right side.
The man said: “Investigate 9/11. 9/11 was perpetrated by people with your own government.” He quickly walked away, and security converged on him.
It wasn’t immediately clear if he was taken into custody.
NEW YORK (AP) - Ray Guy became the first punter elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.
Joining the long-time Oakland Raider were two first-time eligible players, linebacker Derrick Brooks and offensive tackle Walter Jones.
The class of 2014 also included defensive end Michael Strahan, receiver Andre Reed, defensive back Aeneas Williams and defensive end Claude Humphrey, who like Guy was a senior selection.
NEW YORK (AP) - Peyton Manning’s record-setting season earned him his fifth Associated Press NFL MVP award Saturday night in a landslide.
No other player has won more than three.
Manning also took the AP’s Offensive Player of the Year award for the second time.
Carolina grabbed two major awards, with Ron Rivera winning AP NFL Coach of the Year and linebacker Luke Kuechly voted top defensive player.
Green Bay running back Eddie Lacy and Jets defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson were the top rookies for 2013.
San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers took the Comeback Player of the Year award at the NFL Honors show.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - Fox analyst Terry Bradshaw did not take part in the network’s Super Bowl coverage after the death of his father.
Bill Bradshaw died Thursday after a long illness, Fox said Sunday. He was 86. Terry Bradshaw was with his family in Louisiana.
Fox Sports dedicated the broadcast to the Bradshaws.
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GOLF
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) - Kevin Stadler won the Phoenix Open on Sunday for his first PGA Tour title when playing partner Bubba Watson missed a 5-footer for par on the final hole.
Stadler, the 33-year-old son of PGA Tour winner Craig Stadler, closed with a 3-under 68 for a one-stroke victory over Watson and Canadian Graham DeLaet.
Stadler won in his 239th PGA Tour start, earning a spot in the Masters - a tournament his father won in 1982. The Stadlers are the ninth father-son winners in tour history.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Stephen Gallacher of Scotland shot a final round 72 Sunday to become the first player to successfully defend the Dubai Desert Classic title, beating Emiliano Grillo of Argentina by one stroke.
Rory McIlroy struggled with a 74 to finish tied for ninth while top-ranked Tiger Woods (71) birdied his closing three holes for a share of 41st with a 6-under 282.
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) - Mi Hyang Lee of South Korea shot a course-record 9-under 63 Sunday to win the Women’s New Zealand Golf Open by a stroke from and defending champion Lydia Ko.
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OLYMPICS
SOCHI, Russia (AP) - The IOC is urging Russian Olympic organizers to move quickly to resolve the issue of accommodations that are not ready for accredited media personnel in the mountains outside Sochi.
According to the Sochi organizing committee, only six of the nine media hotels in the mountain area are fully operational.
Some media have arrived and found they had no place to stay, and thousands of journalists are expected to arrive Monday.
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COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Arizona forward Brandon Ashley is out for the season after injuring his right foot in a 60-58 loss to California on Saturday night, a defeat likely to knock the Wildcats down the rankings after eight straight weeks at No. 1.
MILWAUKEE (AP) - Oakland’s Travis Bader set the NCAA Division I record for the most career 3-pointers on Sunday against UW-Milwaukee, surpassing the previous mark of 457 set by Duke’s J.J. Redick.
Bader entered the game two behind Redick and missed his first 3-point attempt before making his next four, breaking the record with a shot from the right corner with 6:17 left in the first half.
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PRO BASKETBALL
NEW YORK (AP) - David Stern retired Saturday after 30 years as the NBA’s commissioner and was succeeded by Adam Silver.
The NBA posted a picture on its Twitter account of Silver holding a basketball and shaking hands with outgoing commissioner David Stern.
“It’s official: Adam Silver succeeds David Stern as NBA Commissioner” the caption read.
Stern retired after exactly 30 years in charge, making him the NBA’s longest-serving and most successful commissioner.
Silver joined the NBA as his assistant in 1992 and has been the deputy commissioner since 2006. He is the NBA’s fifth commissioner.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Pacers added size and scoring to the Eastern Conference’s best team Saturday, signing free agent center Andrew Bynum for the rest of the season.
Team officials did not release additional details of the contract. He is expected to join the team next week.
Bynum has played only 24 games since the 2011-12 season ended. He played with Cleveland before “conduct detrimental to the team” forced a trade to Chicago, which then released him. He was averaging 8.4 points and 5.3 rebounds this year with Cleveland and has career averages of 11.5 points and 7.7 rebounds.
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TENNIS
SAN DIEGO (AP) - Wimbledon champion Andy Murray beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3 Sunday to clinch Britain’s opening-round Davis Cup victory against the United States on Sunday at Petco Park.
Murray won his 18th straight Davis Cup singles match and Britain beat the Americans for the first time since 1935.
Britain advanced to the World Group quarterfinals for the first time since 1986. It will face Italy, which defeated Argentina.
PARIS (AP) - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia beat third-seeded Sara Errani of Italy 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 Sunday in the final of the Open GDF Suez for her sixth career title.
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BASEBALL
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - An auction house that sold a 148-year-old baseball card is now selling even older baseball memorabilia that features a Union team decimated by a Civil War battle.
Saco River Auction Co. in Biddeford has a scorecard, four tickets and three concession passes from an 1862 game featuring the Washington Nationals and 71st Regiment of the New York Militia.
The militia won a game 42-13 in 1861 but lost the rematch 28-13 the following year after several team members died in the Battle of Bull Run in Virginia, said Troy Thibodeau from Saco River.
The auction will be held on Feb. 19.
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SKIING
ST. MORITZ, Switzerland (AP) - Ted Ligety of the United States put together two nearly flawless runs in difficult conditions to win a World Cup giant slalom on Sunday, the last men’s race before the Sochi Olympics.
Ligety, a two-time world champion in the event, overcame poor visibility to finish a massive 1.51 seconds faster than Marcel Hirscher of Austria in the combined time.
KRANJSKA GORA, Slovenia (AP) - Frida Hansdotter of Sweden won her first women’s World Cup race in heavy snow Sunday after American teen Mikaela Shiffrin failed to hold on to her opening-run lead.
Hansdotter, who trailed Shiffrin by 0.31 seconds going into the final run, finished in an overall time of 1 minute, 50.17 seconds.
The last racer on the visibly deteriorating course, Shiffrin caught a hole in the snow early in her final run and was thrown forward. She recovered but, having lost her pace, ended up 0.72 behind Hansdotter in seventh.
CRAFTSBURY, Vt. (AP) - Dartmouth College said that a 20-year-old member of its cross-country ski team died at an event in Vermont on Saturday.
Dartmouth spokesman Rick Bender says that Torin Tucker died while competing at the Vermont Carnival.
Bender said the junior from Sun Valley, Idaho, died at the scene after attempts to resuscitate him failed. The cause of Tucker’s death is under investigation.
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MIXED MARTIAL ARTS
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Renan Barao made quick work of Urijah Faber in his latest title defense, dropping the challenger with a right and pummeling him with a series of shots to the head while retaining his 135-pound championship in the main event of UFC 169 on Saturday night.
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