Brewers' Yost gets vote of confidence

Milwaukee Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio gave manager Ned Yost a vote of confidence yesterday despite the team's second-half slide. "There's certainly no reason to think he won't be back next year," Attanasio said. But Attanasio stopped short of guaranteeing that Yost would return next season, saying everything the team does is subject to review at the end of the season. The Brewers, who had an 8 1/2 game lead in the National League Central June 22, trail the Cubs by 1 1/2 games . . . Orioles lefthander Erik Bedard is scheduled to have a strained muscle in his right side examined by team orthopedist Andrew Cosgarea. Bedard, the American League strikeout leader, has been out since allowing six runs over six innings in a loss to the Twins Aug. 26. Bedard is 13-5 with a 3.16 ERA and 221 strikeouts in 182 innings . . . Yankees first baseman Andy Phillips has a broken right wrist and will have surgery today, most likely sidelining him for the rest of the season. Phillips was hit by a pitch during New York's 8-2 loss to Tampa Bay Sunday . . . The Rockies announced they will be without injured righthanded starters Aaron Cook and Jason Hirsh for the remainder of the season.

Injured Mauer makes his position clear
Joe Mauer might be out for another week with his latest lower-body injury, a strained left hamstring. There's no target for his return, but when he does come back he vows it will still be behind the plate. Mauer was worked up after both local newspapers published columns calling for him to be moved to third base. Mauer, the 2006 AL batting champion, was hurt Aug. 25. Earlier this season, he missed more than a month because of a strained left quadriceps. The 24-year-old was upset about insinuation that he is unable to play with pain. "I don't usually read the paper, but when people start writing things about questioning reputations and stuff like that when they don't know what's going on in the clubhouse - that's what kind of fired me up a little bit," Mauer said. "The guys in here know that I play hard and I play hurt."

Sea Dogs, Fisher Cats meet in playoff
The Portland Sea Dogs will host a one-game playoff today with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats to determine which team will advance to the Eastern League playoffs. The teams finished tied for second place in the Northern Division (70-72), and the teams also had identical head-to-head records (14-14), necessitating the playoff. The top two teams in each division advance to the postseason. Tommy Hottovy (3-10, 5.77 ERA) will pitch for Portland, while Kyle Yates (9-8, 4.33) starts for the Fisher Cats . . . Junior Spivey went 3 for 4 with a home run and four RBIs, but the Pawtucket Red Sox lost their season finale to the Scranton Yankees, 8-5, at McCoy Stadium.

Nebraska transfer Harrison Beck will start at quarterback for North Carolina State this week at Boston College, getting the nod from coach Tom O'Brien for leading a second-half rally against Central Florida last week. Beck completed 17 of 28 passes for 207 yards with two touchdowns in the Wolfpack's 25-23 loss to Central Florida. NC State trailed, 25-3, at halftime before Beck led a rally that ultimately fell short . . . Two days after a 34-32 loss to Appalachian State that sent shock waves through the college football world, Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said the fifth-ranked Wolverines are starting from scratch heading into Saturday's game against Oregon. "What we have to do in a short time here is become a more disciplined team, a smarter team and a team that executes better," Carr said. Appalachian State's stunner at Michigan Stadium marked the first time a Football Championship Subdivision team - formerly 1-AA - beat a team ranked in the Top 25.

Deanna Nolan scored 20 of her franchise playoff-record 30 points in the first half to help the defending champion Detroit Shock advance to the WNBA finals with an 81-65 victory over the visiting Indiana Fever in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals. The Shock will face Phoenix starting tomorrow night as they go for their second straight title and third in five years . . . Dirk Nowitzki had 35 points and 11 rebounds in Germany's 83-78 overtime victory against the Czech Republic on the opening day of the European basketball championships in Madrid . . . In Alicante, Tony Parker scored 16 points and France held off Poland, 74-66, and a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Jaka Lakovic lifted Slovenia past Olympic runner-up Italy, 69-68 . . . In Granada, defending champion Greece opened with a 76-66 win over Israel, and Andrei Kirilenko's 24 points and 12 rebounds led Russia over Serbia, 73-65 . . . In Seville, Pau Gasol scored 19 points and Spain routed Portugal, 82-56.

Paul Quigley of Warren, R.I. was one of two New Englanders to advance to the second round of the USGA Senior Amateur Championship, defeating Todd Kennedy of Abbottstown, Pa., 5 and 4, at Flint Hills National Golf Club at Andover, Kan. South Hadley's Alistair Catto ousted John Enright of Montara, Calif., 2 up. Medalist Steve Bogan of Placentia, Calif., topped David Heldmar of Tulsa, 6 and 4 . . . Medalist Patty Moore of Charlotte, N.C. easily advanced to the second round of the USGA Senior Women's Amateur, routing Fran Gacos of Flemington, N.J., 6 and 5 on Sunriver Resort's Meadows Course in Oregon. Deborah Jamgochian of Greenwich, Conn., the lone New Englander in the field, was eliminated by Patricia French of Tulsa, 3 and 2 . . . Timber Reserve fought off a tough challenge from Xchanger and won the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Philadelphia Park in Bensalem, finishing in 1 minute 47.67 seconds . . . . . . Longshot Set Play rallied in the stretch to beat Spring Awakening by two lengths and win the $250,000 Del Mar Debutante for 2-year-old fillies, covering the seven furlongs in 1:26.79 . . . Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott capped a dominating season at Saratoga Race Course in New York when 2-year-old Majestic Warrior took the $250,000 Hopeful Stakes, running 7 furlongs in 1:23.04.