NEW YORK, Oct 31 (Reuters) – The New York City Marathon, one of the premier U.S. distance-running events, will take place as planned on Sunday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Wednesday, as the city struggles to recover from heavy flooding caused by massive storm Sandy.

Proponents of allowing the race to occur argued that it would mark another step in the city’s return to normalcy, while critics said it would divert vital resources, such as police, from assisting those still suffering from the storm’s impact.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A treasure trove of homegrown talent sparked the San Francisco Giants’ rise to World Series success after the team moved on from the Barry Bonds era, according to general manager Brian Sabean.

The Giants ruled Major League Baseball after completing a four-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers on Sunday for their second Fall Classic crown in three years and San Francisco could be poised for more celebrations given their young core of talent.

By Larry Fine

(Reuters) – A remarkable odyssey has taken Ryan Vogelsong to baseball’s grandest stage with the chance to put a stranglehold on the World Series for the San Francisco Giants in Saturday’s Game Three against the Tigers in Detroit.

The 35-year-old Vogelsong has toiled in parts of 10 seasons in the minor leagues, pitched three years in Japan and got his final crack at making it in Major League Baseball after showcasing himself in Venezuela’s winter league two years ago.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander embraced the challenge of returning home 2-0 down to the San Francisco Giants in the World Series and envisioned a storybook finish for the American League champions.

“It’s lined up to be storybook, we just got to make it happen,” said Verlander, whose sub-par start in an 8-3 loss in the World Series opener got the Tigers off on the wrong foot.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval said he received 300 text messages after his triple home run night in the World Series opener and a presidential tweet from back home in Venezuela.

Sandoval’s power surge triggered the Giants’ 8-3 win over the Detroit Tigers and ace Justin Verlander and put him in the company of Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson and Albert Pujols as the only players to have hit three homers in a World Series game.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Pablo Sandoval had just three at-bats when San Francisco won the World Series two years ago, and Barry Zito was left off the roster altogether, but those forgotten Giants stood tall in the 2012 Fall Classic opener against Detroit on Wednesday.

Sandoval bashed three home runs to put his name alongside Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson and Albert Pujols as the only players to accomplish the feat in a World Series game as the Giants beat the Tigers 8-3 at AT&T Park.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Pablo Sandoval blasted a record-tying three home runs to power the San Francisco Giants to an 8-3 win over the Detroit Tigers and ace Justin Verlander in the opening game of the World Series on Wednesday.

Sandoval became just the fourth player to hit three homers in a World Series game with his solo shot in the first inning, a two-run blast in the third off Verlander, and a roundtripper in the fifth off reliever Al Alburquerque.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – The traditionalists cried foul when Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig broke with convention and changed the rules on how home-field advantage would be decided for the World Series.

It was custom for the home-field advantage to alternate between the American League and National League but Selig, in an attempt to add some spice to the mid-season All-Star game, changed all that a few years ago.

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Reuters) – The Super Bowl champion New York Giants notched a key win over Washington on Sunday, but much of the post-game chatter centered on the sensational play of Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III.

The multi-talented rookie surpassed all the hype heard around the league about the prowess of the quarterback known as RG3 after he went toe-to-toe with double Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning in a fourth-quarter duel that ended 27-23 for the G-men.

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Reuters) – A 77-yard bomb from Eli Manning to Victor Cruz with 73 seconds left helped the New York Giants claim a 27-23 win over the Washington Redskins in a thrilling see-saw battle on Sunday.

The long connection to Cruz came just 19 seconds after Redskins signal caller Robert Griffin III hit Santana Moss with a 30-yard touchdown strike that had given Washington a 23-20 lead.