An Oregon football player helped a choking diner during the traditional Beef Bowl, which brings the teams playing in the Rose Bowl to Lawry's in Beverly Hills for prime rib.Oregon guard Mark Asper performed the Heimlich maneuver on Diamond, helping him cough the meat up.Diamond says he was breathing throughout and not in too much distress, describing it as "not a big deal."The Beef Bowl traditionally brings the teams to the restaurant on separate nights for a dinner before the game.To experience everything that ESPN.com has to offer, we recommend that you upgrade to a newer version of your web browser. Click the upgrade button to the right or learn more.BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. [Read the full article]

NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne apologized Wednesday after expressing his disgust on Twitter when he saw a woman breastfeeding at a grocery store.“Just walking though supermarket. See a mom breast feeding little kid. Took second look because obviously I was seeing things. I wasn't!Kahne tweeted: "Just walking though supermarket. See a mom breast feeding little kid. Took second look because obviously I was seeing things. I wasn't!""I understand that my comments regarding breastfeeding posted on Twitter were offensive to some people," Kahne acknowledged in a statement on his Facebook page. "For that, I apologize. It was in no way my intention to offend any mother who chooses to breastfeed her child, or, for that matter, anyone who supports breastfeeding children. [Read the full article]

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Bobby Valentine has found his new man for the back end of the Boston bullpen.The Oakland Athletics traded All-Star closer Andrew Bailey and outfielder Ryan Sweeney to the Red Sox on Wednesday for outfielder Josh Reddick and infield prospect Miles Head and minor league pitcher Raul Alcantara.More on the Andrew Bailey TradeAndrew Bailey is a good young closer, but there is still some risk being taken by the Red Sox, ESPN.com's David Schoenfield writes. BlogThe Red Sox gave up little to acquire closer Andrew Bailey. However, with Raul Alcantara showing promise, it might be the A's who win in the long run, ESPN Insider Keith Law writes. Blog • McDonald: Stronger pitching staff• Cockcroft: Fantasy impact of trade• McDonald: Enough right-field offense?• Stats & Info: A stellar fit"I'm excited, obviously," Bailey said. [Read the full article]

Rafael Nadal plans to take several weeks off after the Australian Open to recover from a nagging shoulder injury.The second-ranked Nadal said Thursday the injury surfaced before the ATP World Tour Finals in November and that he was still "not 100 percent." He only decided three days ago to defend his title at the World Tennis Championships, a two-day exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi."I had a problem before London with my shoulder and I had to stop for about 10 days before the (ATP) finals," Nadal said Thursday in Abu Dhabi. "It felt better but again it resurfaced. In December, I did not have enough time to practice because of that."Nadal will play the winner of a match between Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and David Ferrer in the semifinals on Friday. [Read the full article]