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Nneka Ogwumike, who led the Los Angeles Sparks to the No. 2 seed in the WNBA playoffs, was named MVP for the 2016 season, the league announced Tuesday.Its the first MVP honor for the 6-foot-2 forward, who averaged a career-high 19.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.2 blocks this season, her fifth in the WNBA. She ranked third in the regular season in scoring and rebounding.As far as goals go, this honor has always been on a list I wrote down in the back of some journal years ago, Ogwumike said. Dreams dont sprout overnight, and triumph doesnt grow from trees. My 2016 season is a reflection of years of being a student of the game, hours of grueling practice, memories favorable and unfavorable, of great teammates and heartbreaking losses on the court.Ogwumike received 31 of 39 first-place votes and 362 points from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. New Yorks Tina Charles received the other eight first-place votes and finished second with 267 points, followed by Minnesotas Maya Moore (197 points), Chicagos Elena Delle Donne (119 points) and Ogwumikes Sparks teammate Candace Parker (30 points). Players were awarded 10 points for a first-place vote, seven points for a second-place vote, five points for a third-place vote, three points for a fourth-place vote and one point for a fifth-place vote.Ogwumike, 26, shot a league-leading 66.5 percent from the field (244-of-367), the second-highest mark in league history. She also shot 16-for-25 from beyond the arc this year after being 7-for-34 in her first four WNBA seasons combined.Ogwumikes true shooting percentage, which takes into account 2-pointers, 3-pointers and free throws, is 73.7. That ranks as the best in WNBA history, according to ESPN.coms Kevin Pelton, a metrics expert of both the NBA and WNBA. He points out that the only player who has finished at 70.0 or better in a season in which she played at least 500 minutes is Phoenixs Candice Dupree (70.0) in 2010.[Ogwumike] has had a season of extreme efficiency for the ages, and Nneka has worked extremely hard to expand her game, Sparks coach Brian Agler said. Not only has she been dominant at the offensive end, but also she has developed that defensive stopper mentality and is one of our key team leaders -- and will be for the WNBA in the future.The No. 1 overall draft pick and Rookie of the Year in 2012, Ogwumike set league records this season for consecutive field goals made (23) and most field goals in a game without a miss (12). She had 18 double-doubles in 33 appearances.Ogwumike is the third Sparks player to win MVP, joining teammate Candace Parker (2008, 13) and Lisa Leslie (2001, 04, 06).The Sparks (26-8) host Chicago on Wednesday in Game 1 of their WNBA semifinal series (ESPN2, 10 p.m. ET). Jimmy Wynn Jersey . Belfort (24-10) needed just 77 seconds to down Henderson in the headlining bout of Saturdays "UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson" event at Goiania Arena in Goiania, Brazil. The fight served as a rematch of the pairs 2006 meeting, which Henderson won by decision. Roberto Osuna Astros Jersey . LOUIS -- The New Orleans Saints looked like a team playing out the string. http://www.baseballastrosproshop.com/aledmys-diaz-astros-jersey/ . Pettersen, winner of last years Evian Championships, had nine birdies and three bogeys, holding off a series of challengers led by Marion Ricordeau of France. The second-ranked Norwegian made her season debut after missing the LPGA Tours opening event last month in the Bahamas because of a shoulder injury. Gerrit Cole Astros Jersey . He just needed to be his best twisting, turning acrobatic self. "I didnt need to be anybody else, I just needed to be myself and be aggressive," said Burks, who scored a career-high 34 points to spark the Utah Jazz to a 118-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. Alex Bregman Jersey . Radwanska, making her debut in the Seoul tournament, hit eight aces in a match that lasted 1 hour, 4 minutes at Olympic Park tennis stadium. "It was definitely a very good match -- I was playing really good tennis," Radwanska said. ARLINGTON, Texas -- Carlos Gomez was a struggling outfielder when released by another AL West team just over a month ago. Now he is helping the AL-leading Texas Rangers close in on home-field advantage throughout the postseason.Gomez hit a towering, tiebreaking three-run homer in the eighth inning Wednesday night, giving the Rangers their MLB-best 49th come-from-behind win, 8-5 over the Milwaukee Brewers.We believe in Carlos. We believed in him so much that we brought him not just as an experiment or anything like that, manager Jeff Banister said. Hes showing you exactly just how he can impact the game, and hes put in the work.The 418-foot homer to left was his 13th this season, the second long three-run homer in as many nights -- he had a 444-foot drive on Tuesday. That makes eight homers and 24 RBI in 31 games since joining the Rangers last month after being released by Houston.You see it the last two weeks, see the work Ive been doing, said Gomez, a two-time All-Star with Milwaukee. Work a lot, sooner or later you see a good result.Jeremy Jeffress (1-0), who came to Texas from Milwaukee in an Aug. 1 trade with Jonathan Lucroy, worked the final two innings in relief of Cole Hamels. Jeffress won five days after being reinstated by Major League Baseball from the restricted list following a drunken driving arrest last month and then a three-week stint in an inpatient rehab clinic.AL West champion Texas (94-65) has a 1 1/2-game lead over Boston for the best record in the American League after the Red Sox lost earlier Wednesday even while clinching the AL East title. Former Rangers first baseman Mark Teixeira hit a game-ending grand slam to give the New York Yankees a 5-3 win over the Red Sox, who led 3-0 in the ninth.Lucroy reached to start the eighth on a two-base error when the ball ricocheted off the glove of center fielder Hernan Perez.That one was like a knuckleball. It went left to right, and at the last minute moved to the left again, said Perez, playing only his fifth game in center field this season.Delino DeShields came on as a pinch-runner, and after Mitch Moreland walked against Corey Knebel (1-4), he scored the tying run when EElvis Andrus greeted reliever Tyler Thornburg with a single to center.ddddddddddddRougned Odor also homered for the Rangers, his 32nd a two-run shot in the first that snapped an 0-for-22 slide and put Texas up 3-2.Look, hes going to hit. The swing is there, hes one of our main guys, Banister said. But some feel-good for him.SHORT HOPSBrewers second baseman Jonathan Villar hit Cole Hamels first pitch of the game into the stands for his 19th homer, and the Brewers scored in each of the first three innings to build a 5-3 lead. ... The Rangers got their 41st win from a reliever, matching the major league record set by the Dodgers in 1953.HAMELS CONSISTENCYHamels, the All-Star lefty expected to start the Rangers playoff opener Oct. 6, allowed five runs (three earned) over seven innings with six strikeouts and no walks. Hamels has thrown 202 2/3 innings, exceeding 200 innings pitched in the regular season for the eighth time in his career, and the seventh year in a row -- which will be the longest active streak in the majors since Chicago White Sox right-hander James Shields (nine) and Seattles Felix Hernandez (eight) will not extend their streaks this season. Hamels has exactly 200 strikeouts , his fifth 200-strikeout season.TRAINERS ROOMRangers: Shin-Soo Choo (fractured left forearm) will return to Texas on Thursday and could play this weekend to determine if hes ready for the playoffs. He played seven innings in right field and made six plate appearances in an instructional league game Wednesday, his third day in a row playing in Arizona. He was 2 for 5 with a two-run homer and a walk.UP NEXTBrewers: Lefty Brent Suter, a Harvard graduate, starts Friday in the series opener at California. Since allowing four runs in 4 1/3 innings in an emergency start Aug. 19, Suter has pitched 12 1/3 scoreless innings over 12 relief appearances.Rangers: After Texas final day off of the regular season, Yu Darvish (6-5) makes his final start before the playoffs Friday in the opener of a three-game weekend series against Tampa Bay. ' ' '