Velazquez will miss Kentucky Derby

John Velazquez, will miss the Kentucky Derby with a broken right shoulder blade, bruised sternum, and two cracked ribs, and could be sidelined for five months. Velazquez, who suffered the injuries during a spill at Keeneland Thursday, was set to ride Bluegrass Cat in the Derby. Bill Casner, chairman of WinStar Farm, which owns the 3-year-old colt, is looking for another rider . . . Nick Zito's hopes of participating in this year's Kentucky Derby come down to Hemingway's Key in today's Lexington Stakes. ''It's Custer's last stand," said Zito, who trained a record-tying five horses in last year's Derby.

Former offensive guard Rich Tylski, who spent nine seasons with the Jaguars, Steelers, and Panthers before retiring in 2004, and his wife, Jane, were accused of hitting their adopted daughter with a belt, slamming her head on a table, and other abuse that left the girl with broken bones in her hands and leg. They were freed on $20,000 bond in Jacksonville, Fla., on child abuse and neglect charges. The child, whose age and name weren't released, was taken to a Jacksonville hospital March 10 for a fractured right thigh bone. Her parents said she had fallen down stairs . . . A misdemeanor charge of domestic battery against Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Lional Dalton was dismissed when his wife Kimberly failed to appear for the trial in Olathe, Kan.

The Chicago Bears signed restricted free-agent defensive back Ricky Manning Jr. to an offer sheet, with his agent, Jim Ivler, saying the deal is worth up to $21 million over five years and includes about $7.5 million in guaranteed money in the first year. Manning spent his first three seasons with the Carolina Panthers, who have until April 28 to match the offer or receive a third-round draft pick from the Bears . . . Chargers linebacker Steve Foley was arrested in San Diego on charges of resisting arrest early yesterday morning after police said he scuffled with officers. Foley also was booked on charges of battery on a police officer and public drunkenness . . . Anthony Wright, who started seven games last season with Baltimore, signed a one-year deal to be the Cincinnati Bengals' backup quarterback . . . Brandon Lloyd, acquired in a trade last month, signed a long-term contract extension with the Washington Redskins . . . The Green Bay Packers released wide receiver Terrence Murphy after he failed to recover from a bruised spinal cord sustained in a game against Carolina last October.

Reliever Rafael Betancourt was placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Cleveland Indians, who now have four pitchers out with injuries, including reliever Matt Miller, who will have surgery to repair a strained right flexor tendon and likely will not pitch again this season. Betancourt strained his upper back in Wednesday's loss to Baltimore . . . The Texas Rangers sent struggling outfielder Laynce Nix (.094 with 17 strikeouts) to Triple A Oklahoma and purchased the contract of former Red Sox outfielder Adam Hyzdu . . . Major League Baseball objected to Forbes magazine's financial analysis of the industry, which said 25 of the 30 teams had operating profits last year. ''Forbes has never had access to financial information from major league baseball or the individual clubs," Rob Manfred, baseball's executive vice president of labor relations, said in a statement . . . The Colorado Rockies designated righthander Zach Day for assignment and called up righthanded reliever Miguel Asencio from Colorado Springs.

Top-ranked Roger Federer and defending champion Rafael Nadal won quarterfinal matches in straight sets at the Monte Carlo Masters. Federer defeated David Ferrer, 6-1, 6-3, and second-ranked Nadal beat Guillermo Coria, 6-2, 6-1. If both win semifinal matches today they would meet in tomorrow's final . . . As expected, Dean Lombardi was hired as president and general manager of the Los Angeles Kings, replacing Dave Taylor, who was dismissed earlier this week. . . The NCAA said Kansas ''demonstrated a failure to exert a lack of appropriate institutional control" over a six-year period that led to dozens of violations in football and men's and women's basketball. However, the findings largely mirrored what the university had reported to the NCAA last June in placing itself on two years' probation.