- Associated Press - Monday, January 27, 2014

PRO FOOTBALL

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) - Peyton Manning might have a few years left in his record-breaking right arm.

Riding into retirement with another Super Bowl ring? Well, that’s not even a thought for the Denver Broncos quarterback.

“If I can’t produce, if I can’t help the team, that’s when I’ll stop playing,” Manning said Sunday. “If that’s next year, maybe it is, but I certainly want to continue to keep playing.”

The AFC champion Broncos arrived in New Jersey on Sunday night for the start of preparations for the big game next week against the Seattle Seahawks at MetLife Stadium. Manning, at a news conference aboard the Cornucopia Majesty cruise ship docked outside the team hotel, said he has no plans beyond next Sunday’s Super Bowl.

HONOLULU (AP) - DeMarco Murray caught a 20-yard pass for a touchdown and Mike Tolbert plunged into the end zone for a 2-point conversion with less than 1 minute to give Jerry Rice a win over Deion Sanders in the first schoolyard-style Pro Bowl.

Baltimore’s Justin Tucker missed a 67-yard field goal on the game’s final play after missing a 66-yarder earlier in the game.

MIAMI (AP) - Tampa Bay Buccaneers executive Dennis Hickey was hired as general manager of the Miami Dolphins, ending an arduous search that lasted nearly three weeks.

Hickey has been with the Buccaneers for 18 seasons, including the past three as director of player personnel.

The hiring came after the Dolphins were rebuffed by several candidates.

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TENNIS

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - After winning the Australian Open, some players have jumped for joy into the Yarra River. Many pop champagne and indulge in late-night celebrations. Most set new goals and start thinking about the Grand Slams they want to win next.

Not so for Stan Wawrinka, who woke up Monday morning groggy but sober and still stunned he had beaten Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to win his first Grand Slam title.

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GOLF:

SAN DIEGO (AP) - In a tournament that was up for grabs, Scott Stallings hit a 4-iron worthy of a winner Sunday in the Farmers Insurance Open.

Stallings was in a five-way tie for the lead when he hit his second shot on the par-5 18th hole as hard as he could. It was enough to barely clear the water, and he took two putts from 40 feet for birdie and a 4-under 68 at Torrey Pines. That was enough for a one-shot victory when no one could catch him.

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) - Jessica Korda won the season-opening Bahamas LPGA Classic for her second tour title, holing a 6-foot birdie putt on the final hole to beat Stacy Lewis by a stroke.

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OLYMPICS

ASPEN, Colo. (AP) - Danny Davis got the perfect boost on his way to Sochi - a win at the Winter X Games.

Davis showed signs he might give Shaun White a run in Russia, mixing old-school moves with huge jumps to score a 95 on Sunday and win the last major halfpipe contest before the Olympics.

White skipped the X Games, choosing training over a shot at his seventh straight title in Aspen.

It left a wide-open race for the win and Davis took it, edging Louie Vito by two points.

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There were no surprises when the U.S. Ski Team announced its squad for the Sochi Olympics: Teenager Mikaela Shiffrin was on the list and, of course, Lindsey Vonn was not.

Five-time Olympic medalist Bode Miller made his fifth squad Sunday, while 2006 Olympic gold medalists Ted Ligety and Julia Mancuso also earned spots. In all, the Americans had nine women and 11 men on the team.

ASPEN, Colo. (AP) - Kelly Clark won her fourth straight Winter X Games gold Saturday night, flying high above the superpipe to edge 13-year-old Chloe Kim.

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Jake Coker is going from backing up Jameis Winston to trying to replace AJ McCarron. The former Florida State quarterback is transferring to Alabama and will be eligible to play next season.

Coach Nick Saban announced Sunday that Coker has signed with the Crimson Tide.

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COLLEGE BASKETBALL

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi State coach Rick Ray issued an apology after television replays showed him directing comments at Mississippi’s Marshall Henderson in the final seconds of Saturday’s game.

Henderson was walking off the court with 6.3 seconds left when Ray said something as the guard walked past. The Rebels won 82-63 and Henderson scored 19 points.

Ray issued an apology on Instagram on Sunday saying he “responded inappropriately to an Ole Miss player yesterday in our game.” Ray said he “reached out to (Ole Miss) Coach (Andy) Kennedy immediately to apologize and subsequently to the player.”

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BASEBALL

MILWAUKEE (AP) - While Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun doesn’t think he can ever stop apologizing, he’s also ready for a new chapter in his baseball career.

The 2011 NL MVP is trying to make amends with fans and teammates following his 65-game suspension last year for violating Major League Baseball’s anti-drug agreement.

“I don’t ever know if I could apologize enough for what’s occurred, you know? I just continue to move forward and obviously I’ll be apologetic,” Braun said Sunday morning before an appearance at Brewers On Deck, the team’s annual offseason fan event.

Save for one heckler, Braun received a relatively warm welcome.

MILWAUKEE (AP) - Free agent pitcher Matt Garza signed a four-year contract with Milwaukee on Sunday, strengthening the top of the rotation and boosting the Brewers’ hopes following a disappointing season.

The Brewers said the contract included a vesting option for the 2018 season.

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AUTO RACING

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Action Express Racing led a Corvette podium sweep in the prestigious Rolex 24 at Daytona, where Joao Barbosa held off Max Angelelli on a restart with 8:23 remaining Sunday to preserve the team’s second overall win in four years.

Barbosa had driven the No. 5 Corvette to a 13.1-second lead when a full-course caution with 21 minutes remaining put the victory in jeopardy. The field was bunched and Angelelli had one final chance to give Wayne Taylor Racing the win.

But Barbosa easily pulled away to get the win for teammates Christian Fittipaldi and Sebastien Bourdais. It’s the second overall victory for Barbosa, third in class. Fittipaldi was part of the winning 2004 team, and it’s Bourdais’ first victory.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Memo Gidley has a broken back that will require surgery after a terrifying accident early in the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Gidley’s GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing team said Sunday the 40-year-old driver will remain at Halifax Health in Daytona Beach until doctors repair an “unstable fracture” in his back. Gidley had surgery on his left arm and leg late Saturday.

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SKIING

KITZBUEHEL, Austria (AP) - Didier Defago of Switzerland edged Bode Miller by 0.05 seconds to win a World Cup super-G on Sunday, and Alexis Pinturault of France beat Ted Ligety of the United States to capture the super-combined for his sixth career victory.

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) - Swiss skier Lara Gut mastered a windy super-G Sunday in the final World Cup speed race before the Sochi Olympics, rediscovering the form that helped her win three straight races to open the season.

Tina Weirather of Liechtenstein finished second, 0.12 seconds behind, and Maria Hoefl-Riesch was third, 0.61 back, to maintain her lead in the overall World Cup standings

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