Gordon wins at Dover in Chase elimination race

DOVER, Del. (AP) -- Jeff Gordon won the third race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship for an automatic spot in the 12-driver field that advanced to the next round.

Gordon was in control in the closing laps Sunday at Dover International Speedway and joined Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano as the three drivers who were guaranteed a berth in the next Chase round with victories.

''It wasn't about the points. It wasn't about just squeezing by to get to the next round,'' Gordon said after his fourth win of the season and 92nd overall. ''It was about making a statement. I don't know how you make a bigger statement than what this team just did right there.''

Kurt Busch, AJ Allmendinger, Greg Biffle and Aric Almirola were eliminated from championship contention. Four more drivers will be eliminated in the next three-race segment that starts next week at Kansas Speedway.

Pirates' 4-1 loss to Reds gives title to Cards

CINCINNATI (AP) -- After a day of too much Johnny Cueto, the Pittsburgh Pirates finally knew where they were going.

Home. For the playoffs.

Cueto singled in the go-ahead run and got his 20th victory on Sunday, a 4-1 win that gave the NL Central title to the St. Louis Cardinals and forced Pittsburgh to settle for a wild card for the second straight season.

A bit sad, but not bad at all.

''It's disappointing,'' catcher Chris Stewart said. ''At the same time, we can't really hang our heads. We faced a great pitcher. Yes, we would have liked to win the division, but we're still in the playoffs and still have a chance to win the World Series.''

Tigers win AL Central with 3-0 victory over Twins

DETROIT (AP) -- In an AL Central race that went down to the last day, Detroit's extra ace made the final difference.

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David Price pitched the Tigers to their fourth straight division title with the type of performance they acquired him for, taking a shutout into the eighth inning of a 3-0 victory over Minnesota on Sunday. Detroit clinched the championship while second-place Kansas City was still playing in Chicago against the White Sox. The Royals ended up winning to finish one game behind the Tigers.The Tigers face the Orioles in an AL division series. Game 1 is in Baltimore on Thursday.

Europe wins the Ryder Cup again

GLENEAGLES, Scotland (AP) -- The tone was set by Rory McIlroy, the best player in the world. The winning shot came from Jamie Donaldson, a Ryder Cup rookie.

Europe added another layer to its Ryder Cup dominance on Sunday by leaving no doubt who had the best team, if not the best players. Behind two early comebacks that showed its resolve, Europe clinched the cup with four matches still on the course.

With a 16 1/2-11 1/2 victory, Europe kept that gold trophy for the eighth time in the last 10 tries.

McIlroy played some of his best golf this year - even for a guy who won the last two majors - by trouncing Rickie Fowler to put the first point on the board. Donaldson finished off the Americans with a 9-iron that settled 18 inches from the cup on the 15th hole at Gleneagles and set off the celebration.

''It came down to me to close it out,'' Donaldson said. ''But it's all about the team.''

That concept appeared lost on the Americans.

NASCAR overhauls rules on qualifying, testing, engines and more

NASCAR announced a new rules package Tuesday that will ban all private testing in 2015, including the annual Daytona 500 test, and levy the stiffest penalty possible on any team caught conducting its own sessions.
The only testing allowed next season will be sessions conducted by NASCAR or Goodyear. Any team caught testing on its own will receive a P6 penalty, the highest on NASCAR's new punishment scale. It carries a loss of 150 points, a minimum $150,000 fine and a six-week suspension for the crew chief and other crew members.
"It will be a huge penalty if anyone is caught," said Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR's executive vice president and chief racing development officer. O'Donnell said NASCAR believes teams will police the testing themselves and report any organization that breaks the ban.
The three-day annual Daytona 500 test each January was as much about promoting the season-opening race as it was for teams to shake off any cobwebs from the offseason. O'Donnell said that time will now be used to send drivers on a cross-country promotional tour similar to the "Chase Across North America" that NASCAR used this month with its 16 Chase championship drivers assigned to visit various race markets.

Asamoah Gyan to hold press conference denying he sacrificed rapper

A truly bizarre story has gotten even weirder in Ghana, where national team star Asamoah Gyan will hold a press conference tomorrow to quell rumors that he and his family killed a rap artist — as part of a ritual human sacrifice.
Yes, you read that right.
Ghanaian rapper Castro and Janet Bandu went missing on a trip they took together with Gyan’s family following the World Cup in July. Over two months later, no body has turned up, which has led to some suspecting (extremely) foul play on behalf of the striker - enough people to prompt a press conference, apparently.
Here is the official statement on Gyan’s website:

The Gyan Family will hold a press conference on Wednesday address recent issues of public interest including the disappearance of musical icon Theophilus Tagoe (aka Castro).

The press conference which will take place at the Alisa Hotel will be addressed by counsel for the family Kissi Agyabeng.

It will be recalled that Theophilus Tagoe (aka Castro) and Janet Bandu went missing while on a holiday hangout with Family and Friends of the Gyan’s at a resort in Ada back in July.

No need to run now: Wanderlei Silva receives lifetime ban in Nevada

The Nevada Athletic Commission finally passed judgment on former UFC fighter Wanderlei Silva on Tuesday, hammering the recently retired competitor with a lifetime ban from fighting in Nevada along with a $70,000 fine for the infraction.
Silva was not present at the commission hearing nor was he on the phone to respond to the allegations. In May, Silva skipped out on a commission-sponsored drug test when he was scheduled to fight Chael Sonnen at UFC 175 in Las Vegas.
Silva later admitted to skipping out on the test as well as taking diuretics, which would have resulted in a positive result if he would have taken the test.  Diuretics by commission law are a banned substance and Silva knew he was going to test positive.
Because he ran from the test, the commission was looking for the stiffest penalty possible for his actions. As a result, Silva received a lifetime ban from fighting in Nevada in a unanimous vote from the Nevada Athletic Commission.
"My proposal would be we would sanction Mr. Silva with a lifetime ban," Commissioner Pat Lundvall said at the proceedings.