Price, Cook, Zoeller say yes to Constellation event
GOLF
The Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship announced yesterday that Nick Price, John Cook and Fuzzy Zoeller have committed to the Champions Tour event Oct. 9-12 at Baltimore Country Club. Price, a World Golf Hall of Famer, has won 43 tournaments, including three major championships. Cook has won 11 PGA Tour events as well as the U.S. Amateur Championship in 1978. Zoeller has won 10 tournaments on the PGA Tour. The Senior Players Championship also announced that Tom Watson, who had previously committed to play in this year's tournament, has withdrawn, as he is scheduled to have hip replacement surgery.
Chargers find their spark with 48-29 win over Jets
NFL
Philip Rivers threw three touchdown passes, LaDainian Tomlinson recorded his first two scores of the season and the host San Diego Chargers raced past Brett Favre and the New York Jets, 48-29. Frustrated by two gut-wrenching losses, the Chargers sacked Favre four times and intercepted him twice, including a 52-yard return for a score by All-Pro cornerback Antonio Cromartie. San Diego (1-2) looked like the team picked by many to reach the Super Bowl. Rivers has thrown three touchdown passes in every game this season. He was 19-for-25 for 250 yards last night. Tomlinson had 67 yards on 26 carries, his third straight game under 100 yards.
Redskins: : What seemed like an annoying kick in the calf turned into a significant medical issue for defensive end Jason Taylor, who underwent a 20-minute emergency procedure yesterday and will miss next week's game against the Cowboys. The injury will end Taylor's consecutive games streak at 133, the seventh longest among active players. Taylor was kicked in his left leg during Sunday's win over the Arizona Cardinals. He finished the game, but the leg became painful Sunday night, and he lost feeling in his ankle as blood began to pool.
Browns: : With his team off to an unexpected 0-3 start and Pro Bowl quarterback Derek Anderson coming off another rough performance, coach Romeo Crennel said he was considering personnel changes leading into Sunday's game against the winless Bengals - including whether to replace Anderson with backup Brady Quinn. Anderson finished 14-for-37 for 125 yards and three interceptions in Sunday's 28-10 loss to the Ravens.
Et cetera: : Packers cornerback Al Harris suffered a torn spleen in Sunday night's loss to the Cowboys and is likely out for the rest of the season, ESPN.com reported, citing several reports. ... Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey is expected to be out for three to six weeks because of a sports hernia. ... Panthers linebacker Dan Connor will miss the rest of the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. ... Eagles running back Brian Westbrook is day-to-day with a strained right ankle.
Wizards pick up option on Jordan for 2009-10
et cetera
The Washington Wizards picked up a one-year option for coach Eddie Jordan, keeping him under contract through the 2009-10 season. Jordan has coached the Wizards for five seasons, leading them to four consecutive playoff appearances. The Washington native is entering the second season of a three-year, $12 million extension. The team held the option for a third year.
More basketball: : Washington Mystics general manager Linda Hargrove was fired after a 10-24 season that ended with a nine-game losing streak. ... Sacramento Kings forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim retired because of a persistent right knee injury. Abdur-Rahim, 31, played 12 NBA seasons for four teams, beginning his career in 1996 when the Vancouver Grizzlies made him the third overall draft pick. The 2002 All-Star averaged 18.1 points and 7.5 rebounds in his career.
College football: : North Carolina quarterback T.J. Yates has a broken left ankle and is expected to miss at least six weeks. Coach Butch Davis said he hasn't settled on whether redshirt freshman Mike Paulus or junior Cameron Sexton will start against Miami. Yates, a sophomore, was hurt on a sack in last week's loss to Virginia Tech. ... Injuries will sideline North Carolina State quarterback Russell Wilson and top defensive player Nate Irving when the Wolfpack plays No. 13 South Florida on Saturday. Coach Tom O'Brien declined to say how Wilson and linebacker Irving were hurt, citing the Atlantic Coast Conference's injury-reporting policies. Harrison Beck was listed as the new starter at quarterback. ... Ball State wide receiver Dante Love will probably not play football again after undergoing surgery for a broken spine, school officials said. Love suffered the injuries in Saturday's win at Indiana and had surgery the next day. ... Quarterback Gary Rogers' career at Washington State is over after he suffered a broken spine in Saturday's win over Portland State. Surgery is not needed, and the fifth-year senior walked out of the hospital yesterday.
Swimming: : Nike said it is leaving the elite swimwear market. The company said it will not compete against the likes of Speedo - and Michael Phelps - to get the swoosh onto the world's top swimmers. Speedo has stolen the spotlight with its LZR Racer suit. Of the 77 world records set since the release of the suit in February, 72 have been in the LZR Racer, Speedo said. That suit is worn by Phelps, the Rodgers Forge native who won a record eight gold medals last month. Speedo reportedly holds 60 percent of the $200 million market for performance swimwear. Nike denied that its decision was a direct result of Speedo's success.
Baseball: : Yankees slugger Hideki Matsui had surgery on his left knee. Sidelined from June 23 to Aug. 18 because of inflammation, Matsui played Sunday in New York's 7-3 win over the Orioles - the final regular-season game at Yankee Stadium. He had said he didn't want to have surgery until the Yankees were out of the playoff race. New York would be knocked out with one more loss or a Red Sox win. ... Indians pitcher Fausto Carmona was suspended six games and Tigers slugger Gary Sheffield was penalized four games for their brawl last week. Indians catcher Victor Martinez and infielder Asdrubal Cabrera were suspended three games each and fined an undisclosed amount. Carmona and Martinez will appeal their penalties.
Colleges: : Prosecutors will review police reports before deciding whether to file formal charges against Notre Dame tight end Will Yeatman and center Mike Golic Jr., son of an ESPN television host. They were among 37 arrested on preliminary alcohol charges at a weekend party in South Bend, Ind. Women's basketball player Brittany Mallory, 19, also faced a preliminary charge of minor consumption. Mallory was a three-time first-team Sun All-Metro selection at McDonogh.
More colleges:: William L. Smith, a nephew of Minnesota basketball coach Tubby Smith who is from Southern Maryland, was stabbed to death Sunday during a fight at an off-campus apartment in Worcester, Mass. Becker College student William Smith, 19, lived in Scotland in St. Mary's County. No arrests have been made.
Varsity: : McDonogh soccer player Jake Weiner, who suffered a lacerated pancreas in a game Sept. 13, returned home from Johns Hopkins Hospital over the weekend and is doing well. McDonogh coach Steve Nichols said Weiner will have to return to Hopkins regularly for tests during the next two weeks. GLENN GRAHAM
From Sun staff and news services