National

The NFL will be more aggressive in suspending players next season for illegal hits, and also could make changes to instant replay and kickoffs.
Ray Anderson, the league’s chief disciplinarian, said Wednesday that repeat offenders or players committing illegal hits will have a much greater chance of being suspended during the 2011 season.

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — The individual best performance in the "First Four" came from a guard who insists he's in a shooting slump.

Melvin Johnson III scored a career-high 29 points during Texas-San Antonio's 70-61 win over Alabama State. He outscored the Hornets 25-21 in the first half, hitting one open shot after another while wearing bright orange shoes with "SWISH" scribbled on the sides.

Every year when the NCAA tournament bracket comes out, there’s a team, maybe a couple that stand out.
Last year, to a certain extent, it was Duke. Kansas, with those five future pros, was the bracket behemoth in 2008 and Florida was the no-brainer in 2007.
This year, there doesn’t seem to be that one team that’ll be at the top of everyone’s bracket. It’s probably closer to a dozen. Heck, there are five or six teams just in the Big East that could be considered legitimate title contenders.

Boston pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka tried to get in touch with his grandmother. Oakland slugger Hideki Matsui prayed for the victims. Mets reliever Ryota Igarashi stayed up all night to see the devastation.
All across spring training, Japanese ballplayers worried Friday about those at home. Hundreds of people were killed or missing after Japan was struck by its biggest recorded earthquake and a massive tsunami.