The St. Louis Cardinals have taken a 2-1 lead in the NL Championship Series by outlasting the San Francisco Giants 3-1 in a game that was interrupted by a three and a-half hour rain delay at Busch Stadium. The big hit was a Matt Carpenter two-run homer for the Cards in the third inning. Carpenter entered the game as a replacement for Carlos Beltran, who was taken out after grounding out in the first inning. The Cards say Beltran has a strained knee and his status is uncertain for Game 4, taking place tonight at Busch Stadium.
The Yankees could be facing their final day of 2012 as they take on Detroit in the Motor City this afternoon after yesterday’s Game 4 was rained out. It's CC Sabathia (suh-BATH'-ee-uh) for the New Yorkers against Max Scherzer of the Tigers, who hold a 3-0 series lead. Joe Girardi's lineup for Game 3 had Alex Rodriguez and center fielder Curtis Granderson out of the starting lineup. Eric Chavez was scheduled in place of A-Rod at third base. Brett Gardner was scheduled to start in place of Granderson. Girardi's lineup also had Nick Swisher back in right field after being benched in Game 3.
Derek Jeter will have surgery on his broken left ankle, and New York says the star shortstop could need four to five months to completely recover.
Turning to the NFL now, Ray Lewis has been placed on injured reserve with the "designated to return" tag, which provides him the chance to play again this season. The Pro Bowl veteran tore his right triceps in Sunday's game against Dallas. His return this season is unlikely, but by being designated to return, the 37-year-old is eligible to come back in six weeks.
Nike, Anheuser-Busch and 24-Hour Fitness have all severed ties with famed cyclist Lance Armstrong, following evidence that he participated in doping and misled the company for more than a decade. Nike said it will continue to support the initiatives of Livestrong, a cancer nonprofit organization. Though he will remain on the board, Armstrong has stepped down as chairman of his Livestrong cancer-fighting charity so it can focus on its mission instead of its founder's problems. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency released a massive report last week detailing allegations of widespread doping by Armstrong and his teams when he won the Tour de France seven consecutive times from 1999 to 2005.
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press