WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Danica Patrick is convinced that if “the stars are aligned” she can win the Daytona 500 in her first attempt on Sunday.

The 5-foot-2, 105-pound Patrick said she was emboldened by last year’s victory by 20-year-old Trevor Bayne, a rookie who took the checkered flag in just his second Sprint Cup start.

WASHINGTON, Feb 21 (Reuters) – Danica Patrick is
convinced that if “the stars are aligned” she can win the
Daytona 500 in her first attempt on Sunday.

The 5-foot-2, 105-pound Patrick said she was emboldened by
last year’s victory by 20-year-old Trevor Bayne, a rookie who
took the checkered flag in just his second Sprint Cup start.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – George Hamilton moves from story to story, one more outrageous than the next.

There is no theme to tie them together but he’s having such a good time telling them, you just let him roll on.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The San Jose Sharks padded their slim lead in the Pacific Division by defeating the Washington Capitals 5-3 on Monday behind two goals each from Joe Pavelski and Patrick Marleau and some outstanding goaltending from Thomas Greiss.

Greiss, starting in place of regular goaltender Antti Niemi, frustrated the Capitals by blocking 39 shots, many of them from point-blank range.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Jeremy Lin’s sudden rise from obscure reserve to the toast of Broadway could not have come at a better time for the New York Knicks.

Lin scored 23 points and had a career-high 10 assists to lead the Knicks to a 107-93 rout of the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, the club’s third straight victory since the former Harvard point guard entered the rotation.

BALTIMORE (Reuters) – The Baltimore Ravens know full well the challenge that lies ahead when they hit the road for next week’s game against the top-seeded New England Patriots with a berth in the Super Bowl on the line.

The three-time Super Bowl champion Patriots, who cruised through the 2011 National Football League (NFL) regular season with a 13-3 record, advanced to the January 22 AFC Championship with a crushing win over Denver in the divisional playoffs.

BALTIMORE, Maryland (Reuters) – The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Houston Texans 20-13 in the National Football League (NFL) divisional playoffs on Sunday to earn a date with the top-seeded New England Patriots in next week’s AFC Championship game.

With the Ravens clinging to a 17-13 lead, Billy Cundiff booted a 44-yard field goal with 2:56 left in regulation to hike the lead to seven points and provide the final margin.

BALTIMORE (Reuters) – The pass-happy National Football League will get a glimpse of the past on Sunday when the Houston Texans visit the Baltimore Ravens in a match-up of run-oriented, grind-it-out offenses.

Prolific gunslingers like Tom Brady and Drew Brees may garner the headlines but the Ravens and Texans took another route to reach the divisional playoffs of the AFC.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A first period goal from Jason Chimera and some brilliant goaltending by Tomas Vokoun helped the Washington Capitals blank injury-riddled Pittsburgh 1-0 on Wednesday, sending the Penguins to their sixth consecutive loss.

Pittsburgh outshot the Capitals 30-21 but could not solve Vokoun, who recorded his second shutout of the season with some acrobatic saves to improve his record to 17-10.

LAUREL, Maryland (Reuters) – Rapid Redux, a six-year-old gelding claimed for just $6,250 in 2010, extended his U.S. record on Wednesday by winning his 22nd consecutive race.

J.D. Acosta rode the chestnut son of Pleasantly Perfect to a three-quarter-length victory over Awesome Rhythm in a $17,000 starter-allowance race at Laurel Park.