Ireland appealed to France and football authorities Thursday to replay their World Cup playoff in Paris after an obvious handball by Thierry Henry produced the winning goal.

The Atlanta Hawks reclaimed a share of the lead in the NBA standings with a 105-90 win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday. Joe Johnson made it two straight 30-point games, and Josh Smith dominated during a decisive first-half run as Atlanta won its sixth in a row.

France qualified for its fourth consecutive World Cup when officials missed a double handball by captain Thierry Henry that led to the extra-time goal in a 1-1 draw with Ireland on Wednesday.

The Philadelphia Flyers opened a five-game road trip with their seventh victory in eight games, beating the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 in the NHL on Wednesday.

Mike Scioscia, who guided the Los Angeles Angels through a difficult season after the death in a road accident of pitcher Nick Adenhart, was named American League Manager of the Year Wednesday.

The La New Bears baseball team expelled two of its players yesterday for their alleged involvement in a game-fixing scam. The management said it will also seek compensation from the duo in a civil lawsuit.

Rusty Goepel, a long time member of the Vancouver Organizing Committee's board of directors, was named on Wednesday to fill the vacant chairman's post for the 2010 Olympics.

Honduras' celebration of their World Cup qualification ended in disappointment with an own goal and a 2-1 defeat to Peru in a friendly on Wednesday.

The Phoenix Suns recovered from a slow start to get a 111-105 win over the Houston Rockets in the NBA on Tuesday, rallying from a double-digit deficit to victory for the fifth time this season.

Kobe Bryant showed no signs of injury as the 11-time All-Star guard lit up the scoreboard for 40 points in the Los Angeles Lakers' 106-93 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday.