The Colorado Rockies acquired the innings-eating veteran starter they have been searching for all offseason. In a trade yesterday, the Rockies got Jeremy Guthrie from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for starting pitcher Jason Hammel and reliever Matt Lindstrom. Guthrie has pitched over 200 innings in each of the last three seasons. The 32 year-old right-hander went 9-17 with a 4.33 ERA for the Orioles last season. Hammel was a part of the Rockies starting rotation for the last three seasons, but lost his starting spot for the final weeks in 2011. Lindstrom went 2-2 with 2 saves in 63 games in his lone season in Colorado. Guthrie agreed to avoid arbitration with the Rockies and signed to a one-year contract worth 8.2 million. He is likely to be the Rockies starting pitcher on Opening Day.

Without three of their regular starters, and with a fourth suffering a significant injury in the game, the Denver Nuggets fell to the Houston Rockets 99-90 at the Pepsi Center last night. Nene, Arron Afflalo and Timofey Mosgov all sat out the game with injuries, and the team’s leading scorer, Danilo Gallinari, suffered a chip fracture in his ankle in the third quarter. Poor shooting was to blame for the Nuggets in the defeat, as they missed 19 of 22 three-point attempts and 14 of 33 free throw attempts. Despite his injury, Gallinari led the Nuggets with 14 points. Rudy Fernandez also added 14 points off the bench, and Ty Lawson chipped in 13 points. The Nuggets have now lost three straight games and fall to 15-10 on the season. They’re back in action Wednesday night, hosting the world champion Dallas Mavericks.

Danny Woodhead’s first-half touchdown gave the New England Patriots a halftime advantage, but it was the New York Giants who claimed victory in Super Bowl XLVI, with a last-minute touchdown from Ahmad Bradshaw giving the Giants a 21-17 triumph. Woodhead played a major role in New England’s 14-play, 96-yard touchdown drive that capped off the first half, and he ended the drive by hauling in a four-yard scoring pass from Tom Brady that put the Pats ahead 10-9 at the break. On the evening, the North Platte native rushed 7 times for 18 yards and caught four passes for 42 yards. He’s the second player ever from Chadron State College to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl. Wide receiver Don Beebe scored in back-to-back Super Bowls in 1991 and 1992 with the Buffalo Bills.

The Nebraska men’s basketball team couldn’t find the mark in the second half, and it cost them in their second straight defeat, as they fell to Minnesota 69-61 at the Devaney Center yesterday afternoon. The Huskers shot just 31 percent in the second half, and went six minutes without scoring after they tied the game at 39 with twelve and a half minutes left, allowing the Gophers to take the lead for good. Nebraska had three players score in double figures, led by Bo Spencer’s 18 points. The Huskers were without Jorge Brian Diaz, and they may have to get used to that, as head coach Doc Sadler said after the game that he thinks Diaz is unlikely to play again this season with his foot injury. The Huskers are now 11-11 and 3-8 in Big Ten play. They host Michigan on Wednesday night.

Tonight on ESPN Radio 1410, the North Platte Community College Knights begin their toughest road trip of the season. The Knights are in Torrington, Wyoming to take on Eastern Wyoming in a South Sub-region context in their first of back-to-back road games this weekend. After beating the Doane JV on Tuesday, North Platte has won four straight games to move to 13-8 on the season. They are 4-2 in sub-region play, tied for fourth with Otero Junior College. The homestanding Lancers are 7-13 overall and 2-4 in the sub-region. This is the first meeting between the two teams since the 05-06 season, and North Platte’s first visit to Eastern Wyoming since the 03-04 season.Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 tonight. ESPN Radio 1410’s coverage gets underway at 8:15.

In a triple overtime thriller in West Lafayette, the 16th-ranked Nebraska women’s basketball team topped 15th-ranked Purdue 93-89 to claim a share of first place in the Big Ten. Emily Cady’s buzzer-beating three pointer in the second OT evened the score at 80 apiece, and a two-pointer from Cady gave the Huskers the lead for good in the third extra session. The Huskers will try and extend their winning streak to five when they host Michigan next Thursday.

The Nebraska men’s basketball team’s second half rally fell short in an 84-74 loss at Northwestern last night. Down by 15 points at halftime, the Huskers charged back to within two points and were within 75-72 with a minute and a half to play before the Wildcats pulled away. Bo Spencer’s 24 points led the Huskers in the defeat. The Huskers drop to 11-10 and 3-7 in Big Ten play with the loss. They return to action on Sunday, when they host Minnesota