NFL New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady says his recovery from knee surgery remains on schedule and he doesn’t see any reason he won’t
be ready for the 2009 opener. “I’m feeling great. … Everything is progressing just as I expected,” Brady said at a charity event. NHL Alex Ovechkin scored a goal while sliding on the ice in the host Washington Capitals’ 4-3 shootout win over the Montreal Canadiens. … Steve Mason made 21 saves, including a key stop in the closing seconds, to lead host Columbus to a 4-3 win over the St. Louis Blues, moving the Blue Jackets six games over .500 for the first time in the team’s eight-year history. Obituaries Brad Van Pelt, who together with Hall of Famers Harry Carson and Lawrence Taylor and Brian Kelley, formed the New York Giants’ “Crunch Bunch” in the 1970s and early 1980s, was found dead of an apparent heart attack. He was 57. Mike Whitmarsh, a 1996 Olympic silver medalist in beach volleyball, killed himself through carbon monoxide poisoning in the garage of a friend’s home, officials said. He was 46.
College basketball