APNewsBreak: USA Cycling offers $100k for gold

USA Cycling will reward gold medalists at the London Games with up to $100,000 in bonus money, creating the richest known Olympics financial incentive program offered by any cycling organization in the world.

Amateur golf: Now it’s one-on-one

As if Santa Clarita Valley golf star Alison Lee didn't already have a full resume, now she can add to it.

Amateur golf: Lee makes final eight

On Wednesday, Valencia High senior Alison Lee was talking about how she has never made it past the round of 16 in her five previous chances at the U.S. Girls' Junior Championship.

Opening ceremony tensions boiling over at Olympics

LONDON (AP) - Transforming the Olympic Stadium into a rural idyll is proving far from serene for Danny Boyle ahead of the opening ceremony.

MLB: Kemp comes up with the answer

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The game began with an intense pitcher's duel between Cy Young Award-winning left-handers Clayton Kershaw and Cliff Lee. That lasted for eight innings. It ended four innings later with slugger Matt Kemp doing what he does best.

Follow our local Olympians

Form now until the end of the Olympics, track our locals and stay up to date on all the action in London at The Signal's 2012 Summer Olympics page at the-signal.com (http://summergames.ap.org/the-signal)

Around the SCV: Local fighter drops out of match

Local boxer Said El Harrak was scheduled to fight this Friday for the second time of his career on the Showtime network.

MLB: Bullpen down in flames

DETROIT (AP) - On this night, Quintin Berry was the best rookie on the field. The Detroit outfielder had three hits, two stolen bases and scored twice, helping the Tigers rally to an 8-6 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night. Berry even outplayed Mike Trout - but don't expect him to push the Los Angeles phenom in the Rookie of the Year race. "No, man. That dude's ridiculous," Berry said. "If you ...

MLB: Howard's first HR helps Phillies beat Dodgers 3-2

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Ryan Howard homered for his first RBI of the season and Joe Blanton pitched eight effective innings to lead the Philadelphia Phillies over the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 on Monday night.

C.J. Reyes: In relentless pursuit

From quarterback to kicker to slot receiver? Talk about the road less traveled. That, though, is exactly what former Hart High signal caller C.J. Reyes is up to at Idaho State University. The walk-on turned partial-scholarship athlete will be the starting punter this season, but a desire for more playing time convinced the red-shirt sophomore to approach a new coach about playing a new position. "I asked (head coach Mike Kramer) if I could start ...

Semipro soccer: Quite a way to finish

A frustrating season for the Santa Clarita Blue Heat came to a happy ending on Sunday at Valencia High School, where the Blue Heat beat the crosstown Los Angeles Strikers 4-1.

MLB: Padres score 6 unearned runs to beat Dodgers 7-2

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Less than 24 hours after a game was literally stolen from them in the ninth inning, the Los Angeles Dodgers gave one away to the San Diego Padres with some costly errors that were converted into six unearned runs.

MLB: Angels hold on for 10-8 win over Yankees

NEW YORK (AP) - With a struggling bullpen and facing a powerful offense perfectly suited for a homer-friendly ballpark, Mike Scioscia is relieved the Angels were able to escape New York with a win.

Skateboarding: The Birdman’s ride

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An American team in North Korea

The moment the group of American basketball players and coaches stepped off the plane and began walking through the terminal at Sunan International Airport in Pyongyang, North Korea, they could feel the eyes of military guards upon them.

Clippers beat Grizzlies 112-91 in playoff opener

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Chris Paul led seven players in double figures with 23 points, Eric Bledsoe had 15 and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Memphis Grizzlies 112-91 on Saturday while getting just one dunk in their playoff opener.

Orioles beat Dodgers 6-1 for doubleheader sweep

BALTIMORE (AP) - The Baltimore Orioles had barely completed one sweep when they started talking about finishing off another.

Red Sox show resolve in beating Royals

BOSTON (AP) - David Ortiz has been in the middle of some of Fenway Park's greatest moments. None of them seemed more important to "Big Papi" than his role in one Saturday afternoon.

Angels pound Tigers in Hunter's return

ANAHEIM (AP) - Peter Bourjos had three hits and three RBIs, Mike Trout and Albert Pujols drove in two runs apiece, and the Los Angeles Angels slowed the worst start in franchise history with an 8-1 victory over Torii Hunter and the Detroit Tigers on Friday night.

Clippers beat Kings 112-108 to clinch 4th seed

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Jamal Crawford scored 24 points, including several big shots down the stretch, and the Los Angeles Clippers locked up home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, holding off the Sacramento Kings 112-108 on Wednesday night in the regular-season finale for both teams.

Lakers hold off Rockets, take West's 7th seed

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Steve Blake scored 24 points, Pau Gasol added his seventh career triple-double, and the Los Angeles Lakers secured the seventh playoff seed in the Western Conference with a 99-95 overtime victory over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.

Canyon baseball comes from behind to beat Hart 6-5

Padres pummel Capuano, Dodgers 9-2

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Jason Marquis pitched three-hit ball over 7 2-3 innings for his first win of the season and Alexi Amarista tied a career high with four RBIs, leading the San Diego Padres to a 9-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night.

Clippers rout Trail Blazers 93-77

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Caron Butler scored 18 of his 22 points in the third quarter, and the Los Angeles Clippers routed the Portland Trail Blazers 93-77 on Tuesday night for their sixth straight victory.

Lakers win without Kobe, rallying past Spurs 91-86

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Dwight Howard had 26 points and 17 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakersstaged a dramatic rally in the fourth quarter to win their first game since losing Kobe Bryant for the season, beating the San Antonio Spurs 91-86 Sunday night to stay in position for a playoff berth.

Trout, Hamilton HR, Wilson and Angels beat Astros

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Now that Josh Hamilton has homered in consecutive games, Mike Trout has found his power stroke and C.J. Wilson has gotten his first win of the season, the LosAngeles Angels hit the road for frigid Minnesota with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

Goldschmidt gets winning hit off Beckett in 9th

PHOENIX (AP) - Paul Goldschmidt rarely has been so happy making so little contact.

Corbin, Diamondbacks beat Kershaw, Dodgers 3-0

PHOENIX (AP) - Patrick Corbin gave up three hits in six innings and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-0 on Friday night.

Lakers lose Kobe, survive thriller with Warriors

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Kobe Bryant scored 34 points while playing much of the second half in obvious pain from his injured left leg, and the Los Angeles Lakers rallied in the final minutes without him to stay in the playoff picture with a 118-116 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Friday night.

A good Day at Augusta for leader Jason Day

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) - The 14-year-old from China isn't going anywhere in a hurry. And this Masters is still a long way from taking shape.