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By ANTHONY ANDRO Few teams played themselves out of playoff contention during the first half of the season. A look at how we got to this point at the All-Star break where there are a lot of possibilities for the playoff brackets in October.Three ups1. San Francisco GiantsThe offense was supposed to be awful, but led by the surprising showing of All-Star snub Pablo Sandoval, the Giants are wild-card contenders. But it really boils down to pitching, where Tim Lincecum, above, and Matt Cain have been dominant. The starters are so good that even a fill-in (Jonathan Sanchez) can throw a no-hitter.2. Dodgers didn’t need MannyThe 50 games left fielder Manny Ramirez, above, missed didn’t seem to hurt the Dodgers. When his drug suspension kicked in, Los Angeles had the best winning percentage in baseball and the biggest division lead. He’s back, and the Dodgers are still the leader in both categories.3. Forget about June swoon in TexasThe Rangers won’t open the second h

ON DECK FOR A'S: L.A. ANGELSSite: Oakland Coliseum.Angels update: Los Angeles endured injuries to its rotation early in the season, and Nos.

The Los Angeles Lakers confirmed Wednesday that they withdrew a second contract offer to forward Lamar Odom, reportedly worth $10 million US over three years.

Star-Telegram The Texas Rangers have moved up the starting times for games Sept. 19 and Sept. 20 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington against the Los Angeles Angels. The Sept. 19 game will start an hour earlier than scheduled, at 6:05 p.m. The Sept. 20 game is starting two hours earlier, at 12:05 p.m., because of the Dallas Cowboys’ regular season home opener, scheduled for 7:15 p.m, at the new Cowboys Stadium, which is down the street from Rangers Ballpark.Gates at Rangers Ballpark will open at 4:05 p.m. on Sept. 19 and 10:05 a.m. on Sept. 20. 'An earlier starting time on Sunday should help alleviate some of the traffic and parking issues with the two games in Arlington that day,' Rangers president Nolan Ryan said. 'We apologize for any inconvenience that the change may cause, but this will make it easier for our fans to get to and from Rangers Ballpark that day.'The Rangers and Angels open that series with a 7:05 p.m. game on Friday, Sept. 18.

The Los Angeles Lakers have retracted an offer to Lamar Odom, saying that talks to re-sign the free agent have stalled.

On July 29 -31, the Orange County Super Fair welcomes ASA Entertainment’s Big Air BMX Triples presented by BFD.com to the Action Sports Arena for a second consecutive year of sky-scraping action against the backdrop of the fairgrounds’ skyline. For three nights 36 of the world’s top freestyle BMX stars will test their skill over the 170-ft, three-obstacle course, showcasing their best tricks in a head-to-head format. Confirmed athletes who will be bringing their best game to the ramps are: -Ryan Guettler Queensland, australia 25 -Diogo Canina Amparo, Brazil 21 -Patrick Guimez Tosse, France 28 -Austin Coleman Los Angeles, CA 25 -Rob Darden Greenville, NC 28 -Dave Dillewaard Brisbane, Australia 25 -Josh Stead Glenbrook, Australia 23

Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum are engaged in a friendly competition when it comes to their success with the San Francisco Giants. 'I've got to stay ahead of him,' Cain said with a smile. 'He finds ways to do it. I've got to tell him to slow down so I can catch up to him in innings.' These two, both 10-2 heading into the second half, are a big reason surprising San Francisco holds the NL wild-card lead with the second-best record behind the rival Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Los Angeles Lakers have retracted an offer to Lamar Odom, saying that talks to re-sign the free agent have stalled.

The Los Angeles Lakers have retracted an offer to Lamar Odom, saying that talks to re-sign the free agent have stalled.

- With Wednesday's loss, the Lynx fell to 5-1 against Eastern Conference opponents. - The Lynx out-rebounded the Dream 35-34 today. With the los... - WNBA Minnesota Lynx