Michael Ratterree homered and drove in three runs as the No. 24 Rice Owls beat Houston 8-2 Friday night for coach Wayne Graham’s 900th victory.

Whenever the Astros have had a good rally this season, Hunter Pence, however quietly, has seemed to be a part of it.

SAN FRANCISCO — The Say Hey Kid is still as popular as ever. The San Francisco Giants honored Willie Mays on his 80th birthday Friday night with a ceremony befitting a baseball legend, complete with a celebratory lett...

PHILADELPHIA — Atlanta Braves pitcher Derek Lowe has limped off the mound with a blister on his right foot after allowing his first two hits in the seventh inning against the Philadelphia Phillies. Lowe took a n...

PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies placed pitcher Roy Oswalt on the 15-day disabled list on Friday night because of what they called lower back inflammation. The move is retroactive to April 27, meaning Oswalt is eligible to retur...

PHILADELPHIA — Cliff Lee was almost unhittable. The four batters who did get hits off him did enough damage to overshadow Lee's 16 strikeouts, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-0 Friday night. ...

The Aeros tied the game with two goals in the last 4:22 of regulation and then won the game 3-2 at 8:45 of overtime when Robbie Earl banked a shot in off Milwaukee goalie Jeremy Smith (50 saves).

On a night when coach Dominic Kinnear is shifting his lineup to rest some players during the Dynamo's third game in eight days, Brian Ching will be back home nursing an injury that could keep him out as long as a month.

Velazquez back in

It didn't take long for jockey John Velazquez to get another ride in today's race. The rider, who has seen his best mounts in the past three Derbys get scratched before the race, was named to ride Animal Kingdom in the Run for the Roses for trainer Graham Motion.

Center back Eddie Robinson, one of the key pieces of the Dynamo's two MLS Cup championship teams and a starter during the team's first five seasons in Houston, hasn't started a game this season. Heck, he hasn't seen a minute of action so far.

NCAA women's golf TCU recorded a two-day total of 23-over-par 599 and will enter the third round of the East Regional in Daytona, Fla., in 12th place. Texas Tech is 20 shots behind in a tie for 21st. Texas remains in 10th place with at 37-over 613 after the second round of the Central Regional at South Bend, Ind.

The Texas attorney general's office has sued companies from Houston and Georgia accused of misleading mostly Hispanic consumers by selling a dietary supplement under a name similar to the Spanish brand name of a widely used antibiotic.

The announcement follows last month's hacking of Sony's online entertainment and games platforms when the Tokyo-based company was criticized by U.S. lawmakers for not informing users of the breach quick enough.

Oil fell from a two-year high of $114.83 during Monday trading, to $97.18 at Friday's close.

The data's contradictions make it hard to draw firm conclusions about the direction of the job market. But considering other signs of slowed growth, including a 1.8 percent pace of first-quarter growth, the boost in hiring offers some reassurance that the economic expansion is well entrenched.

BP hopes the concession ends a three-month dispute with the Russian billionaires who are its partners in TNK-BP and who had opposed the Rosneft deal.

The project combines an independent assessment of alleged groundwater contamination and seismic events some have attributed to the fracking of shale formations with a detailed analysis of the scope and effectiveness of laws and regulations.

A total of 78,150 people took part in the four-day trade show and technical conference on the offshore energy industry.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Children played in front yards and neighbors chatted under a cloudless sky Friday in a south Memphis neighborhood, yards away from the rising water of the Nonconnah Creek.

AZTEC, N.M. — The first of three defendants accused of branding a swastika into the arm of a mentally disabled Navajo man was convicted Friday of conspiracy to commit aggravated battery. An 11th District Court jury in Aztec found William Hatch, 29, guilty after deliberating for much of the day.

HUALAPAI INDIAN RESERVATION, Ariz. — Swiss "JetMan" Yves Rossy was fascinated by the Grand Canyon's unique elements — its swirling air currents, its cactus-covered cliffs and its significance to the Hualapai Tribe that calls the rugged area home.

A federal agent in Houston says MS-13's involvement in human smuggling and human trafficking has been increasing locally and nationally.

Clarence Brandley, who spent nearly 10 years on death row for a murder he didn't commit, has been paying child support nearly every year since he was released from prison in 1990.

Data show that 74 percent of Texas is now in at least an "extreme" drought, and 24 percent is reaching "exceptional," the worst category.

Chris Lackey died in an accident that defied the odds of ever happening, let alone sparing anyone when it did.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - If the Kentucky Derby holds to form, there will be one heck of a big surprise when the 137th Run for the Roses is done early this evening. That is because the events leading up to the 11/4-mile race worth $2 million have mostly been of the eye-opening, jaw-dropping, shake-your-head variety.

Janet Van Bebber and Yasmine Medina-Fierro, whose horses face each other in today's Grade 2 $50,000 Sam Houston Classic at Sam Houston Race Park, have been delighted by surprising runs out of their horses.

Texas school districts would have more authority to deal with lower state funding under a key education reform measure considered Friday night by the Texas House.

School districts could increase class sizes, cut employee pay and give teachers unpaid furloughs under the bill by Rep. Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 32 points, Jason Terry had 23 and Peja Stojakovic scored 11 of his 15 in the fourth quarter, rallying the Dallas Mavericks to a 98-92 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night that puts the two-time defending champions on the brink of elimination.

Michael Ratterree homered and drove in three runs as the No. 24 Rice Owls beat Houston 8-2 Friday night for coach Wayne Graham’s 900th victory.

President Barack Obama will use the Texas-Mexico border as a backdrop Tuesday to call again on Congress to fix the nation's broken immigration system.

ARLINGTON, Texas — Derek Jeter is back in the lineup for the New York Yankees. Jeter was listed as the leadoff hitter for Friday night's game at the Texas Rangers. Jeter missed Thursday's game against Detroit, a d...

NEW YORK — Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier was back in the starting lineup for Friday night's game against the New York Mets. Ethier carried a 29-game hitting streak into the three-game series at Cit...

PHILADELPHIA — Injured Phillies second baseman Chase Utley is going to extended spring training and pitcher Roy Oswalt is going to the doctor. Oswalt will miss his scheduled Saturday against the Braves. Right-hander Kyle Ke...

ARLINGTON, Texas — Derek Jeter is back in the lineup for the New York Yankees, and Eric Chavez is on the disabled list. Jeter was set to bat leadoff for Friday night's game at the Texas Rangers after missing one game with a...

BOSTON — Red Sox manager Terry Francona has been ejected for arguing a balk during Boston's game against the Minnesota Twins. Francona charged out of the dugout when Tim Wakefield was called for a balk while trying to...

NEW YORK — Andre Ethier singled in the first inning of the Los Angeles Dodgers' game against the New York Mets on Friday night, becoming the first major league player in two years with a 30-game hitting streak. ...

NEW YORK — Andre Ethier singled in the first inning of the Los Angeles Dodgers' game against the New York Mets on Friday night, becoming the first major league player in two years with a 30-game hitting streak...

Art-history lessons don't get much better: Cave of Forgotten Dreams presents the world's oldest paintings captured by one of film's great visionaries.

The Texas attorney general's office has sued companies from Houston and Georgia accused of misleading mostly Hispanic consumers by selling a dietary supplement under a name similar to the Spanish brand name of a widely used antibiotic.

At the end of last week’s city Planning Commission meeting, commissioner David Robinson stepped to the microphone, announced his resignation and thanked the colleagues he’d served with in his four years on the board. He then walked down the hall to the city secretary’s office and filed the initial paperwork necessary to begin his campaign [...]

In today’s paper, we reported the counter-intuitive situation the county’s sports-venue agencies are in as they face a possible prolonged NFL lockout and the loss of a season for the Texans. The changes likely will be a wash for the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority, which acts as the team’s landlord and finances the debt on [...]

LOS ANGELES — Former New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Lenny Dykstra has been indicted by a Los Angeles federal grand jury in a bankruptcy fraud case. The 48-year-old filed for bankruptcy in 2009, and is accused of later stealing and selling property from an $18.5 million estate.

LOS ANGELES — Billionaire Len Blavatnik is spending $1.3 billion to buy Warner Music Group Corp. a decade into a steep decline in CD sales for the music industry. That could make him a sucker in line for many more years of slashing staff, or a savant for buying the company at the start of a digital music revolution.

AZTEC, N.M. — The first of three defendants accused of branding a swastika into the arm of a mentally disabled Navajo man was convicted Friday of conspiracy to commit aggravated battery. An 11th District Court jury in Aztec found William Hatch, 29, guilty after deliberating for much of the day.

HUALAPAI INDIAN RESERVATION, Ariz. — Swiss "JetMan" Yves Rossy was fascinated by the unique elements of the Grand Canyon — its swirling air currents, its cactus-covered cliffs and its significance to the Hualapai Tribe that calls the rugged area home. They were among the reasons he chose the scenic wonder as the site for his first U.S. flight in a jet-propelled wing suit.

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — Brimming with pride, President Barack Obama on Friday met and honored the U.S. commandos he sent after terror mastermind Osama bin Laden, saluting them on behalf of America and the world and capping an extraordinary week for the country. "Job well done," the president declared.

CAIRO — Al-Qaida vowed to keep fighting the United States and avenge the death of Osama bin Laden, which it acknowledged for the first time Friday in an Internet statement apparently designed to convince followers that it will remain vigorous and intact even after its founder's demise.