Johnson optimistic he'll start Game 3

Baseball

Randy Johnson exceeded his expected pitch count, which was cause for optimism in New York yesterday. The Yankees lefthander threw 41 pitches during a bullpen session and is hopeful he will start Game 3 of the playoffs Friday night. Manager Joe Torre, who is confident the Big Unit will pitch against Detroit, expected Johnson to throw only 25 pitches, but the Big Unit went on to throw 41 -- his uniform number. Johnson is scheduled to throw another bullpen session Wednesday. ``It was surprisingly good," Johnson said. ``Everybody was more pleased than I was, so I guess that's a good thing. My only concern is a stiff back." A herniated disk in Johnson's lower back was discovered during an MRI last week . . . Andy MacPhail resigned after 12 years as president and CEO of the Chicago Cubs. The team, without a World Series title since 1908, finished 66-96, the worst record in the National League. MacPhail will be replaced by John McDonough, the team's vice president of marketing and broadcasting. The future of manager Dusty Baker, whose contract has run out after four years, will be announced today.

Hockey

Attempting to find salary cap room to sign Brian Gionta, who scored a team-record 48 goals last season, among others, New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello traded suspended defenseman Vladimir Malakhov, who has effectively retired, and a conditional first-round draft pick to San Jose for defenseman Jim Fahey and the rights to left wing Alexander Korolyuk. The deal will save the Devils $3.6 million on their cap -- Malakhov's salary -- and it probably won't cost New Jersey much because Korolyuk will play in Russia again this season, and Fahey, a Boston native, might not make the roster. The Devils were pushed over the cap limit this summer when they signed forward Patrik Elias to a seven-year, $42 million contract and center Scott Gomez was awarded $5 million by an arbitrator. Lamoriello refused to reveal the conditions placed on the first-round pick sent to the Sharks, who have ample room under the cap, and would not say whether the Devils will have to make more moves before the season opens. The 38-year-old Malakhov, citing impaired knees, recently told a Russian publication he has no intention of resuming his NHL career.

Tennis

Controlling the match from the start with superior ground strokes, James Blake dominated top-seeded Ivan Ljubicic, 6-3, 6-1, to win the Thailand Open final in Bangkok in less than an hour. It was the fourth title of the year for the third-seeded Blake, his seventh career ATP title, and his first win against Ljubicic . . . Anna Chakvetadze cruised past Anabel Medina Garrigues, 6-1, 6-4, to win the Guangzhou Open in Beijing, her first WTA singles title . . . Eleni Daniilidou held on for a 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (7-3) win over Ai Sugiyama at the Korea Open in Seoul to earn her fourth WTA singles title.

College football

Center Joe Cope of No. 2 Auburn is expected to miss at least four weeks with a sprained right knee sustained Thursday against South Carolina. Coach Tommy Tuberville said either guard Ben Grubbs, tackle Jonathan Palmer, or backup center Jason Bosley would get the nod this week against Arkansas. Meanwhile, Tuberville revealed that a laptop containing Auburn's offensive plan was stolen from the team hotel last Wednesday by ``a drifter," not someone attempting to help out South Carolina . . . No. 5 Florida might be without leading rusher DeShawn Wynn (knee) against ninth-ranked LSU this week.

Miscellany

Experts at a three-day anti-doping symposium in Switzerland said even athletes who take approved substances risk failing doping tests, citing a study that found banned steroids in nutritional supplements and vitamins. The introduction of new steroids in supplements and the inadvertent contamination of regular vitamins because of poorly cleaned production lines or transportation containers present new dangers, they said. Meanwhile, anti-doping laboratories are working on a test to detect a powder used to destroy traces of the performance-enhancer EPO in urine samples . . . In Paris, Rail Link held on to win the Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe by a neck, fighting off late bids by Deep Impact and Pride to prevail in a field of eight and give trainer Andre Fabre his seventh win in Europe's most prestigious horse race. The Prix de l'Opera was won by Satwa Queen . . . Odds-on favorite Healthy Addiction beat Downthedustyroad by 1 1/2 lengths in the Lady's Secret Breeders' Cup Handicap at Santa Anita . . . Discreet Cat overwhelmed four rivals to remain unbeaten with a 10 1/4-length win in the Jerome Breeders' Cup Handicap for 3-year-olds at Belmont Park . . . Costa Rican boxer Lucas Green Arias was treated to relieve bleeding in his brain following his loss to Jean Pascal Saturday in a World Boxing Council super-middleweight bout in Montreal . . . Abby Wambach had three goals and three assists to lead the United States to a 10-0 rout of Taiwan in a women's soccer game in Carson, Calif.