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Buffalo placed C Paul Gaustad on injured reserve Saturday because of an upper-body injury and recalled left wing Tim Kennedy from Portland of the American Hockey League. Gaustad, placed on IR retroactive to Dec. 17, has missed four games since he was injured against New Jersey last week. He also missed the first nine games of the season because of a thumb injury that required surgery.

Tucson Palo Verde's Adam Hall headlines the 2008 honorees, which include Shad Bride of St. Johns, along with coaches Payson's Josh Anderson and Centennial's Richard Taylor.

BY CLARENCE E. HILL JR. Do-or-die situation1This is it for the Cowboys. It’s do or die. It’s win or go home. Pick a cliché, because it all applies. A season that began with a Super Bowl-or-bust mantra can find new life and a chance to realize those dreams with a win today. A loss, however, and the Cowboys miss out on the playoffs and might be remembered as the most disappointing and underachieving team in franchise history.Final-game woes2To make the playoffs, the Cowboys must do something they haven’t done since 1999 — win their regular-season finale. The Cowboys beat the New York Giants 26-18 in the final regular-season game in 1999 to clinch a playoff spot. It also must be noted that the Cowboys last won a season finale on the road in 1995 when they beat the Cardinals 37-13 en route to the fifth and most recent Super Bowl title in franchise history.No Romo turnovers3It’s real simple. If quarterback Tony Romo takes care of the football and avoids

Rene Bourque is fitting in perfectly with the Calgary Flames after three seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks. Bourque scored three goals for his first NHL hat trick, and the Flames beat the Ottawa Senators 6-3 on Saturday night. 'The puck was going in for me tonight,' said Bourque, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound former Wisconsin star who had 10 goals in 62 games last season for Chicago.

Brett Favre could be playing his final game for the Jets Sunday, which raises a pretty important question. Exactly who is going to be starting their season opener in September if Favre decides he is done?

Game Preview: Warriors at L.A. Lakers - December 28, 2008

RANDY GALLOWAY PHILADELPHIA — What we’ve got here today is a football club with a head coach who’s been demoted to doofus status by fans and media. Plus, a high-profile quarterback with an approval rating that’s slipped lower than Washington politicians. Plus, there’s the gutless-team tag that was attached after last week’s spot-light game collapse.But enough already about the Eagles.How ’bout them Dallas Cowboys?Week 17, Game 16 of the NFL’s regular-season finale bring us the irony of two bitter old rivals who have almost carbon-copied each other in 2008 futility.I said almost.The Cowboys are better off in postseason hope, having only to win today to make the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Eagles’ chances of advancing involve a complicated process of banking a pass off the Rocky statue, swimming the Schuylkill River, beating Ben Franklin off the perimeter dribble, then slam-dunking over all-time favorite son, Wilt Chamberlain.Translatio

Florida State overpowers Wisconsin 42-13 in Champs Bowl for first nine-win season since 2004

Brad Winchester tied it in the second period, and scored the deciding goal on his first shootout chance of the season, helping the St. Louis Blues beat the high-flying San Jose Sharks 3-2 on Saturday.

By JEFF CAPLAN LOS ANGELES — The Dallas Mavericks are defying convention at almost every turn under coach Rick Carlisle, whose button-pushing and use of unorthodox lineups are drawing surprising comparisons to the one former Mavs head coach no one would have figured.'He has a vision going into each game and you can start to see it now,' guard Jason Terry said. 'At first, early on you were like, 'Uh, what is this guy doing?’ He’s a mad scientist. That’s what I’m going to call him.'Hold on, isn’t that what they called Don Nelson?Critics of the Carlisle hire complained he was too stiff, too impersonal and too demanding, like his predecessor, Avery Johnson. Who would have thought that one-third through the season Carlisle would actually turn out to be the next Nellie?'It’s almost like with Nellie back in the day,' Dirk Nowitzki said. 'He was liable to do anything. With Nellie, I remember my first year I was guarding Muggsy Bogues. With Rick it&rsq