Sports

Chelsea extended its Premier League lead with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Norwich, and defending champion Manchester City climbed to second place by comprehensively beating Sunderland 3-0 on Saturday.

The Green Bay Packers have activated defensive end Mike Neal, who was suspended for the first four weeks of the season for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

DETROIT 3 OAKLAND 1 Justin Verlander pitched Saturday night with a steady rhythm and dispatch that he never attained in last year's post-season after his first playoff start was aborted by rain after one inning.

Adam Wainwright was a spectator last fall, cheering on the St. Louis Cardinals from the bench as they rose from wild card to World Series champions. It's a lot more fun being part of the action.

The NHL's collective bargaining talks resumed unexpectedly and the sides are committed to staying in touch through the weekend.

The Spokane Chiefs won the battle of special teams Friday en route to a 5-3 Western Hockey League victory over the Victoria Royals.

Game day: Westshore at Kamloops, 7 p.m

When he was growing up in Kenya, Thomas Omwenga would watch on TV "every step at every Olympics" that his nation's many running heroes took. "That motivated me," he said. Omwenga has taken plenty of steps himself, including on the streets of the B.C.

Although Steve Nash has a Ph.D. in the pick-and-roll, he's spending this month as a freshman in Princeton. The Princeton offence, that is. After 16 seasons and two MVP awards, the Los Angeles Lakers' new point guard is learning a new way to play.

Minus his old signature toothpick, Cincinnati's Dusty Baker leaned against the batting cage intently watching his players just as he did for a decade managing the Giants.