| Sports News: |
| US softball team loses 3-1 to Japan, denied gold
(AP)
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 AP - Losing for the first time since 2000, the U.S. softball team was denied a chance for a fourth straight gold medal Thursday, beaten 3-1 by Japan in the sport's last appearance in the Olympics for at least eight years — and maybe for good.
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| NFLPA head Gene Upshaw dies of cancer at age 63
(AP)
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 AP - Gene Upshaw, a towering lineman on the football field who went on to win untold millions of dollars for NFL players as their union leader, has died at age 63. Upshaw had a Hall of Fame career as a guard for the Oakland Raiders — a team that won two of the three Super Bowls it reached during his 15 years in a black and silver jersey.
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| US beats Brazil 1-0 for gold medal
(AP)
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 AP - They came to the Beijing Olympics as a team trying to find its way, still adjusting to a new coach and each other, still smarting from a loss that brought humiliation on and off the field.
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| Relay flubs cap 0-for-6 US showing in sprint races
(AP)
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 AP - Tyson Gay stuck his left hand behind him, waiting to feel the red baton's cool metal make contact.
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| Rams RB Jackson signs 6-year, $44 million deal
(AP)
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| AP - Steven Jackson signed a six-year, $44 million contract, ended a 27-day holdout, and was on the field for practice with the St. Louis Rams on Thursday. |
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