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Due to a planned power outage, today’s edition was due before AFC Championship game ended Sports 1B Monday January 24, 2011 CHICAGO (AP) — There was one Monster of the Mid- way in the NFC championship game and his name was Aaron Rodgers. He wasn’t even at his best and, still, he was better than the first, the second and the third quarterback used in vain by the Chicago Bears against their bit- ter rivals. Rodgers ran for a score and made a TD-saving tackle in leading the Green Bay Packers into the Super Bowl with a bone-jarring 21-14 victory Sun- day over Chicago. ‘‘It’s an incredible feeling,’’ Rodgers said. ‘‘I’m at a loss for words.’’ Rodgers played well enough to keep the Bears off balance all afternoon, Green Bay punter Tim Masthay kept Devin Hester under wraps and the Packers’ superb defense took care of the rest in knocking the Bears out of the playoffs. It was the 182nd meeting in the league’s most historic feud, and the stakes had never been bigger. Now the Packers (13-6) are headed to Dallas. And no mat- ter what happens in the Super Bowl on Feb. 6, the Packers and their fans hold ultimate brag- ging rights over their foes to the south. Green Bay will play the winner of Sunday night’s AFC title game between the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steel- ers. ‘‘We made a play to win the game and that’s all that mat- ters,’’ Packers linebacker Clay Matthews said. ‘‘Keep playing defense the way we know how, and it’s going to be tough for teams to beat us.’’ All Jay Cutler could do was watch, having left the game with a knee injury early in the third quarter. Even before the injury, Cutler was having trou- ble moving the ball. Worse, he was getting booed by the home fans. Primary backup Todd Collins replaced Cutler and was jeered even worse. Then little- known backup Caleb Hanie and the Bears (12-6) actually made it a game. Chicago’s third-string quar- terback rallied the Bears for a touchdown drive to cut the lead to 14-7 after Chester Taylor’s 1- yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. Hanie had a chance to tie the game after the Bears’ defense finally got a few stops, but threw a ball straight to Packers defensive lineman B.J. Raji, who lumbered 18 yards into the end zone for a touch- down to give the Packers a 21- 7 lead. But Hanie wasn’t finished. He threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Earl Bennett to again cut the lead to seven points with 4:43 left. The Bears forced a punt and got the ball back with under 3 minutes left. Hanie drove the Bears to the Green Bay 29-yard line, then threw a fourth-down interception to Sam Shields — the rookie’s second of the game. Now all those Pro Bowl vot- ers who didn’t think Rodgers was worthy can relax. They’re off the hook. Rodgers will be headed to the Super Bowl instead. Rodgers proved ready for the biggest day of his brief but impressive career as the succes- sor to Brett Favre, even if his final stat line didn’t look impressive after an ugly, hard- fought game. He threw for 244 yards with two interceptions — a disap- pointment, given how well he had played lately. But his play in the first half was good enough to put the Bears in a two-touchdown hole, boggling MCT photo Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) scores in front of Bears cornerback Charles Tillman (33) and safety Danieal Manning (38) in the 1st quarter of the NFC Championship game Sunday. a good defense that suddenly seemed to fall for every play- action fake. Chicago was ready for a championship party under sunny skies and 20-degree tem- peratures, and went wild from the national anthem on. But Rodgers quieted them down quickly, marching the Packers on an opening drive then ended with Rodgers scrambling for a score. The Bears went with a heavy dose of running back Matt Forte early on, with limited success. Early in the second quarter, Brandon Jackson faked Brian Urlacher out for a long gain on a screen pass, and Rodgers’ pass to Jordy Nelson set up James Starks’ 4-yard touch- down run to give Green Bay a 14-0 lead. It was the latest in a series of big moments for Rodgers, who has earned near-universal praise for the way he has played this season — espe- cially since sitting out the Packers’ Dec. 19 loss at New England because of a concus- sion. Rodgers has been on a hot streak ever since, and doing it under pressure. The Packers Roddick loss ends US run; Federer extends streak MELBOURNE, Aus- tralia (AP) — Andy Rod- dick didn’t like being the fall guy again. The facts, however, were unmistak- able: All the Americans were gone from the Aus- tralian Open. Roddick lost to 19th- seeded Stanislas Wawrinka on a cool Sunday night at Melbourne Park. Roddick saw 24 aces whip past him, barely got a look at a break- point chance and didn’t get his own big serve firing in a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 fourth-round defeat. Roddick, seeded eighth, had been the last American man standing in the singles field. The women were out before the third round ended. Venus Williams last- ed seven only points before she hobbled off with an ail- ing hip muscle. ‘‘Obviously I’m not going to sit here and ... ‘‘ Roddick checked himself and then switched gears, saying the stories were already written and it didn’t really matter what he said. ‘‘Obviously wasn’t the showing that we wanted, you know, but I’m doing what I can.’’ Roddick’s ouster came on a day when Roger Feder- er equaled Jimmy Connors’ Open era mark by reaching his 27th straight quarterfinal at a major, and Francesca Schiavone won the longest women’s match in Grand Slam history — a 6-4, 1-6, 16-14 victory over Svetlana Kuznetsova that took 4 hours, 44 minutes. No. 3 Novak Djokovic and No. 6 Tomas Berdych also won in the fourth round. Among the women, No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki and No. 9 Li Na advanced, while No. 14 Maria Shara- pova lost to No. 30 Andrea Petkovic. Since Roddick’s 2003 U.S. Open victory, no American man has won a major. Venus and sister Ser- Rodgers leads Pack to Super Bowl, beat Bears 21-14 would have been out of the playoffs with a loss in either of their last two regular-season games, including the regular season finale against Chicago. With the Packers leading 14-0 at halftime, Green Bay’s defense forced a three-and- out to begin the second half, and Rodgers went back to marching the Packers down the field. With the Packers poised to put the game away, Rodgers instead tossed the ball to Urlacher on third-and-goal. He took off and ran down the Bears linebacker near midfield, barely preventing him from running it back for a touchdown when he grabbed him. ‘‘I don’t think he saw me,’’ Urlacher said. ‘‘He threw it to me — then he tackled me.’’ Urlacher, who said earlier in the week that he voted for Rodgers for the Pro Bowl, walked away impressed. ‘‘Great quarterback, no doubt about that,’’ Urlacher said. But after Urlacher’s inter- ception, the Bears couldn’t make anything happen with Collins in for Cutler, and appeared to be headed for a blowout until Hanie took over. Packers players were sur- prised Cutler didn’t come back. ‘‘You know if he doesn’t come back it had to be serious, not to come back and play in this game,’’ Charles Woodson said. Matthews wasn’t sure when Cutler got hurt. ‘‘Kinda wish they would have had Jay in there the whole time the way things were going,’’ Matthews said. Bears coach Lovie Smith grew testy when asked about Cutler’s injury after the game. ‘‘He couldn’t go, and we moved on,’’ Smith said. already beaten by the end of the third round. There’s two Swiss, but only one can reach the semifinals. Wawrinka advanced to the first all-Swiss quarterfi- nal at a major in the Open era, where he’ll run into Federer, the defending champion. Federer beat Tommy Robredo 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals for the 27th major in a row. Connors’ mark came between 1973 and 1983 — although he didn’t play every major because he was hurt or didn’t travel to Aus- tralia. MCT photo Andy Roddick hits a shot against the Netherlands' Robin Haase during the third round of the Australian Open tennis tournament at in Melbourne, Friday. ena Williams have won 10 majors between them in the interim, and 20 between them overall. Serena was the 2010 champion in Aus- tralia, but couldn’t defend her title because of a foot injury. ‘‘Not having the best player in the world at a major would be ... be tough for any country. Obviously we want her healthy as much as possible,’’ Roddick said. ‘‘You know, she’s instantly the best player in the game when she comes back.’’ Roddick’s career was starting in the days when Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi were winding down. Since they retired, no Amer- ican man has regularly kept him company in the late stages of majors. ‘‘It’s tough,’’ he said. ‘‘I remember last summer when I was catching all the heat for not having an American guy in the top 10 for the first time in 15 years. Didn’t really make sense to me that I was the one taking heat when I was the only guy that had been there for the last six years. ‘‘It’s a responsibility that has great benefits, and it’s hard sometimes as well. ... For many reasons, I would love to have guys there with me all the time.’’ Roddick’s departure leaves 2010 finalist Andy Murray as the only player from any of the Grand Slam host countries in the tourna- ment. All the French and the Australian players were Schiavone, the French Open champion, saved six match points, then convert- ed on her third match point in the longest women’s match at a major in terms of time in the Open era. The longest previous record was set in Australia last year when Barbora Zahlavova- Strycova beat Regina Kulikova 7-6 (5), 6-7 (10), 6-3 in 4:19. Said a spent Schiavone: ‘‘At the end, you have something more, always.’’ Kuznetsova said the match was so long she was forgetting the score or who should serve. Schiavone said it wasn’t quite that bad for her. ‘‘But I was watching the clock, and I say, ’Brava, Francesca, you are tough!’’’ The 30-year-old Italian will next meet Wozniacki, who reached the quarterfi- nals in Australia for the first time with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Anastasija Sevastova. She then caused a bit of stir at her news conference with a tale about being scratched by a kangaroo. She later returned to Melbourne Park to clarify she’d made up the story and to apologize, saying she didn’t think anyone would believe it. Petkovic topped Shara- pova, the 2008 champion. Vegas wins Hope Classic LA QUINTA (AP) — Jhonattan Vegas made a 13- foot par putt on the second playoff hole to win the Bob Hope Classic on Sunday, holding off Gary Woodland for his first PGA Tour victory. The Venezuelan rookie won in just his fifth PGA Tour start despite putting his tee shot in the water on the 92nd hole of the five-day tournament. Vegas capitalized when Woodland made two poor chip shots, pumping his fist in celebration after his putt fell. Vegas and Woodland eliminated defending champi- on Bill Haas with birdies on the first playoff hole after all three finished the final round at 27-under 333. Playing one group apart, Haas and Vegas both missed short putts on the final regulation hole. A few minutes after Haas botched a 6-footer, Vegas couldn’t connect from 9 feet. Scoreboard NBA At A Glance By The Associated Press EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL Pct GB Boston 33 10 .767 — New York 22 21 .512 11 Philadelphia18 25 .419 15 Toronto 13 31 .29520 1/2 New Jersey 12 32 .27321 1/2 Southeast Division WL Pct GB 31 13 .705 — Miami Orlando 29 15 .659 2 Atlanta 29 16 .6442 1/2 Charlotte 17 25 .405 13 Washington 13 29 .310 17 Central Division WL Pct GB Chicago 30 14 .682 — Indiana 16 24 .400 12 Milwaukee 16 25 .39012 1/2 Detroit 16 28 .364 14 Cleveland 8 35 .18621 1/2 WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest Division WL Pct GB San Antonio37 7 .841 — Dallas 28 15 .6518 1/2 New Orleans29 16 .6448 1/2 Memphis 21 23 .477 16 Houston 20 25 .44417 1/2 Northwest Division WL Pct GB Oklahoma City 28 15 .651 — Utah 27 17 .6141 1/2 Denver 24 18 .5713 1/2 Portland 25 20 .556 4 Minnesota 10 33 .233 18 Pacific Division WL Pct GB L.A. Lakers 32 13 .711 — Phoenix 20 22 .47610 1/2 Golden State 19 24 .442 12 L.A. Clippers17 26 .395 14 Sacramento9 32 .220 21 ——— Saturday’s Games Atlanta 103, Charlotte 87 Dallas 87, New Jersey 86 Washington 85, Boston 83 Detroit 75, Phoenix 74 Miami 120, Toronto 103 Philadelphia 96, Utah 85 Chicago 92, Cleveland 79 New Orleans 96, San Antonio 72 Oklahoma City 101, New York 98 Orlando 118, Houston 104 Memphis 94, Milwaukee 81 Portland 97, Indiana 92 L.A. Clippers 113, Golden State 109 Sunday’s Games Indiana at Denver, late Monday’s Games Cleveland at New Jersey, 4 p.m. Detroit at Orlando, 4 p.m. Phoenix at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. Memphis at Toronto, 4 p.m. Washington at New York, 4:30 p.m. Milwaukee at Chicago, 5 p.m. Houston at Minnesota, 5 p.m. Oklahoma City at New Orleans, 5 p.m. Sacramento at Portland, 7 p.m. San Antonio at Golden State, 7:30 p.m. NHL At A Glance By The Associated Press EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division GP W L OT Pts Philadelphia 49 32 12 5 69 Pittsburgh 49 30 15 4 64 N.Y. Rangers50 28 19 3 59 N.Y. Islanders47 15 25 7 37 New Jersey 48 16 29 3 35 Northeast Division GP W L OT Pts Boston 48 27 14 7 61 Montreal 49 27 17 5 59 Buffalo 48 22 21 5 49 Toronto 47 19 23 5 43 Ottawa 49 17 25 7 41 Southeast Division GP W L OT Pts Tampa Bay 50 30 15 5 65 Washington 49 27 14 8 62 Atlanta 51 23 19 9 55 Carolina 48 23 19 6 52 Florida 47 21 21 5 47 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division GP W L OT Pts 48 29 13 6 64 Detroit Nashville 47 26 15 6 58 Chicago 49 26 19 4 56 St. Louis 47 22 18 7 51 Columbus 48 23 20 5 51 Northwest Division GP W L OT Pts Vancouver 48 29 10 9 67 Colorado 48 24 18 6 54 Minnesota 48 24 19 5 53 Calgary 49 22 21 6 50 Edmonton 46 14 25 7 35 Pacific Division GP W L OT Pts Dallas 48 29 14 5 63 Anaheim 51 27 20 4 58 Phoenix 49 24 16 9 57 San Jose 49 25 19 5 55 Los Angeles48 25 22 1 51 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. Sunday’s Games Philadelphia 4, Chicago 1 New Jersey 5, Florida 2 Buffalo 5, N.Y. Islanders 3 Tampa Bay 7, Atlanta 1 Nashville at Edmonton, late Monday’s Games Toronto at Carolina, 4 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Washington, 4:30 p.m. Nashville at Calgary, 6:30 p.m. St. Louis at Colorado, 6:30 p.m. Dallas at Vancouver, 7 p.m. Boston at Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m.