Sport Leak

The Chicago Cubs owe much of their identity to two factors — their 101-year drought without a World Series title and Wrigley Field. The Cubs and automaker Toyota are working out a sponsorship deal that could put the company’s logo on a sign hoisted above the left field bleachers. It’s a way to increase revenue for the Cubs under new ownership.

Rex Grossman says he wants to get back to being a starting NFL quarterback and hopes “to be thrown into the mix” with the Washington Redskins. Speaking to reporters at Redskins Park on Thursday, a day after signing a one-year deal, Grossman said he “definitely” thinks he can be a starter again.

The Philadelphia Eagles have signed newly acquired defensive end Darryl Tapp to a three-year contract. The contract was announced Thursday, a day after Tapp joined Philadelphia in a trade that sent defensive end Chris Clemons and a fourth-round pick in next month’s draft to Seattle. A second-round draft pick by the Seahawks in 2006, Tapp has 18 sacks, two interceptions, eight forced fumbles and…

The San Diego Chargers have traded third-string quarterback Charlie Whitehurst to the Seattle Seahawks. Whitehurst has never thrown a pass in the NFL and has played in only two games, both as a rookie in 2006. The teams swapped second-round picks in this year’s draft, allowing the Chargers to move up 20 spots to No.

The St. Louis Blues are clinging to the hope of another miracle run to the playoffs. Time is running short, especially after the latest home-ice failure. The Blues are seven points out of the final Western Conference playoff spot with only 13 games remaining. They’ve got three teams to leapfrog, having dropped to 11th place after Tuesday’s 5-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

The injury-ravaged Golden State Warriors haven’t had the luxury of slowly bringing along their NBA Development League. That’s worked well for Reggie Williams, one of five D-League players called up by Golden State this season. Williams scored 22 points, 18 in the fourth quarter, to help the Warriors overcome a 21-point deficit and beat the New Orleans Hornets 131-121 on Wednesday night.

Nelson Cruz hit two home runs, and Josh Hamilton and Chris Davis also connected as the Texas Rangers scored eight times in the first six innings and cruised to an 8-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night. The big news came earlier in the day when Texas manager Ron Washington acknowledged that he tested positive for cocaine last season.

Chris Kaman had 20 points and seven rebounds and the Los Angeles Clippers snapped an eight-game losing streak, recovering after squandering a big second-half lead to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 101-93 on Wednesday night. Drew Gooden added 16 points and 11 rebounds, Baron Davis had 14 points and seven assists, and Eric Gordon had 14 points for the Clippers, 5-15 since Kim Hughes took over as interim…

Saku Koivu scored the go-ahead goal with 5:36 left in the third period, Todd Marchant had a short-handed goal and Bobby Ryan notched his 30th and 31st goals, leading the Anaheim Ducks to a 4-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night. The Central Division-leading Blackhawks began a three-game road trip without three-time All-Star defenseman Brian Campbell, who is out with a fractured…

Rene Bourque scored two goals, Vesa Toskala made 32 saves and the Calgary Flames beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 on Wednesday night to keep pace in the Western Conference playoff race. Eric Nystrom also scored for the Flames, who are in ninth place with 79 points, one point behind idle Detroit for the final postseason spot with 12 games left.