Runners

TEMPE, Ariz. - Tommy Hanson did not shed a tear this winter when Major League Baseball eliminated the first-and-third pickoff move in which the pitcher fakes a throw to third and either throws or fakes a throw to first. "I hated that play - I'm glad it's gone," said Hanson, the Angels right-hander who was acquired from Atlanta on Nov. 30. "I think the fans are going to like that it's gone too. Every time someone did it, they would freak out and think it was a balk. " Hanson said the elimination of the play "isn't going to affect me," but Manager Mike Scioscia thinks it will have an effect on the game.

PRETORIA, South Africa - Coldblooded, planned murder or a terrible, heartbreaking accident? The competing versions of the killing of model and law school graduate Reeva Steenkamp by her superstar boyfriend, Oscar Pistorius, offered in court Tuesday were compelling, each in its own way. Pistorius, the double amputee athlete who competed in last year's London Olympic Games, wept so uncontrollably that at one point Chief Magistrate Desmond Nair had...

Here's a new situation for the English singer Adele - up for a major award but with actual competition. She swept the Grammys last year for her sales juggernaut "21" and snagged a Grammy for a live performance of "Set Fire to the Rain" this year. Now her theme to "Skyfall" is up for original song at the Academy Awards on Sunday. The brassy retro theme number is the front-runner but victory is far from assured. For at-home Oscar swamies, here are some reasons we might see an upset.

He was a national treasure who inspired the world when he made Olympics history as the first double amputee runner to compete using prosthetic blades. She was a blond-haired, blue-eyed cover girl and celebrity model, with a law degree and an interest in women's rights. But in a Valentine's Day tragedy involving South Africa's "Blade Runner," Oscar Pistorius, the body of a woman was found in a pool of blood early Thursday at his home in an upscale suburb of Pretoria. Pistorius was charged with murder in the death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee revered in South Africa for overcoming his disability to compete in the London Games last year, wept in court Friday as he faced a murder charge in connection with the fatal shooting of his girlfriend. During the proceedings in Pretoria, Gerrie Nel, one of the National Prosecuting Authority's most senior advocates, said he would argue the killing of model and law graduate Reeva Steenkamp was premeditated murder, the most serious category of offense under South African law. Nel is known for prosecuting high-profile cases, including winning the conviction of former police chief and Interpol boss Jackie Selebi on corruption charges.

NEW YORK - A tiny black affenpinscher named Banana Joe won the coveted Best in Show award at the 137th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Tuesday, beating out more than 2,700 others for a title that guarantees canine fame, great dating and mating opportunities, and a chance to ring the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange. In the end, it came to the final seven, each of whom had been judged best in their categories: hound, sporting, working, herding, toy, terrier and nonsporting.

It's the move that twists ankles, crushes spirits and confounds even the sharpest of defensive minds. Jamal Crawford's crossover dribble is a straight-up pain to those who try to stop it. He can fake to his left and go to his right. Dribble behind his back or between his legs. Or hesitate before accelerating toward the basket. Often, the veteran Clippers guard will combine multiple moves in a blur of activity that resembles something out of a Harlem Globetrotters routine. Don't bother guessing which move he will go to next.

70 DEGREES AND SUNNY 1. OKLAHOMA CITY (28-8)    These are strange days indeed when Thunder's biggest worry is the Clippers. (1) 2. CLIPPERS (28-9) Jim Valvano smiles in heaven at thought of Vinny Del Negro as All-Star coach is a remarkable possibility. (3) 3. SAN ANTONIO (28-11) Best old, slow Lakers can hope for is playoff matchup with old, slow Spurs. (2) 4. MIAMI (24-11) If this keeps up, ESPN's Heat Index could be renamed the Big Chill. (4) PLEASANT WITH A FEW CIRRUS CLOUDS 5. NEW YORK (23-13)

Just in time for the end of the world, AMC has quite a surprise for fans of "The Walking Dead. " The megahit series has been renewed for a fourth season but will continue without show runner Glen Mazzara, making the show's top creative post about as safe a place as the world after a zombie apocalypse. In a statement Friday announcing the show's return - all but a foregone conclusion, given its record-setting ratings - AMC also dropped the bombshell that Mazzara would no longer be involved with the series beyond the current season, which returns to the network in February.

"Zero Dark Thirty" is a hit with critics and early audiences, but a bipartisan thumbs-down from Washington may dim the once-bright Oscar chances for Kathryn Bigelow's fact-based thriller about the hunt for Osama bin Laden. The film, which arrived in theaters in New York and L.A. Wednesday, has come under fire for misrepresenting the role of torture in tracking down the Al Qaeda leader. On Thursday, the battle took to the airwaves, as Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) went on radio and television to decry the Sony Pictures release.