Oswalt beats Reds again in Astros' 5-4 win

Roy Oswalt came off the disabled list and beat Cincinnati again, striking out five in the Houston Astros' 5-4 win over the Reds on Monday night.

Oswalt (8-8) won his fifth straight start against the Reds and improved to 20-1 in 25 career outings against them, despite giving up a grand slam to Adam Dunn. The Houston ace threw 74 pitches in five innings in his first start since aggravating a left hip injury on July 11. He went on the DL on July 19 and was activated just before Monday's game.

Geoff Blum hit his third homer in two days and Jose Valverde pitched a perfect ninth to earn his 27th save. The Astros' bullpen allowed one hit in four scoreless innings as …

Take it easy when you first return to exercise

If your new year's resolutions include exercising more andgetting fit, it's important to take care not to injure yourself andmake sure your body is ready for the changes you're about to make toits normal regime.

Bath-based physiotherapist Isabel Machell offers some essentialadvice to make sure you don't do yourself more harm than good withyour exercise resolutions.

You may feel the need to head to the gym more than ever after theover-indulgence of Christmas, but are you sure you're ready?

"It's not uncommon for me to see patients a week or two intoJanuary who have done themselves a serious injury because they haveapproached a new regime of exercise in the wrong …

Ward Calls Steelers' Loss Worst Ever

PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Steelers may have played a worse game under coach Bill Cowher, may have been more overmatched at the line of scrimmage, may have given their quarterback less protection, may have mounted less offense.

Just don't ask them to name specifics, not after a 27-0 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday not only ended any faint hope they had of repeating their Super Bowl championship but exposed the very reasons why they won't.

"This was maybe our worst game - ever," wide receiver Hines Ward said.

These Steelers have never begun to play the way they did in winning their final eight games and the NFL championship last season. Even if they do …

R&B, jazz guitarist Snooks Eaglin dies at age 72

R&B singer and guitarist Snooks Eaglin, a local legend who counted platinum-selling rockers among his fans, died Wednesday. He was 72.

The blind musician died of a heart attack at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans after falling ill and being hospitalized last week, said John Blancher, a close family friend. Eaglin was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year, said Blancher.

Eaglin, known for picking strings with his thumb nail _ played and recorded with a host of New Orleans giants, including Professor Longhair, the Wild Magnolias and pianist Allan Toussaint.

Musicians, including Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Robert Plant and Bonnie …

China to impose resource tax nationwide

China will impose nationwide a tax on oil and gas drilling and other resource industries to raise money for development in poor western regions, an official said Thursday.

Beijing is carrying out a test of such a tax in its oil-rich western region of Xinjiang and plans to expand it gradually to the whole country, said Du Ying, a vice chairman of the country's planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission.

"The reform will clearly increase the local fiscal income of the resource-rich western regions," Du said at a news conference. He gave no timetable for expanding the tax.

The 5 percent tax in Xinjiang, imposed last …

Don't Stop the Presses

Sometimes the decisions companies make aren't based on profits. But when business is good, those decisions can be a little easier.

Take Kevin Spall, president of John C. Otto Co., an East Longmeadow-based printer. Spall has long been intrigued with environmentally responsible printing - an idea that many green-thinking folks might initially scoff at, but one that does take some very tangible forms.

For example, Otto is affiliated with the Forest Stewardship Council, buying paper produced in responsibly managed forests - which means, for one thing, timber producers who reject clear-cutting in favor of replanting and maintaining the ecosystem necessary to continue to grow …

Sampras stuns Federer in straight sets in exhibition

Roger Federer, greatest ever? Not just yet, Pete Sampras says, with a straight set upset of the current World No. 1 in an exhibition in the southern Chinese gambling enclave Macau Saturday.

Sampras never faced break point and converted one of two against his opponent as he handed Federer a 7-6 (8), 6-4 defeat at the Venetian Macao arena, wrapping up a three-match Asian exhibition series between the two tennis greats.

The two players own 26 Grand Slam titles between them, but Sampras, 36, retired five years ago after winning the U.S. Open in 2002. Twenty six-year-old Federer is fresh from another stellar season that saw him win three Slams and last week's …