Wizards' Thomas to have heart surgery

Washington Wizards center Etan Thomas will undergo open-heart surgery today to repair a leak of the aortic valve, a procedure that requires months of recovery time but might not mean the end of the 29-year-old's NBA career. The Wizards said they wouldn't comment or make the doctor available until the surgery is completed . . . Nuggets guard Anthony Carter had surgery on his right hand and is expected to return in about six weeks . . . Bobcats forward Sean May is facing 6-12 months of rehabilitation after surgery on his right knee Tuesday . . . Seattle guard Luke Ridnour broke his nose after catching an elbow from Sacramento's Ron Artest Tuesday and will wear a mask for the next month . . . Antoine Walker's level of conditioning is still a concern for the Heat, and coach Pat Riley predicted it may take the forward until January to meet his team-mandated body fat level. Walker currently weighs 256 pounds, according to Riley, who would like him to trim down to 235.

At 36, Allan Houston is rejoining the Knicks, two years after knee pain forced him to walk away. The Knicks re-signed their former star guard and expect him to begin his attempt to make the team at practice tomorrow. Houston retired two years ago after chronic knee pain limited him to 70 games over the previous two seasons.

A jury in Newmarket, Ontario, found former NHL player Rob Ramage guilty of impaired driving causing death and four other charges in connection with a wreck that killed former Chicago Black Hawks player Keith Magnuson. Magnuson died Dec. 15, 2003, when a rental car driven by Ramage slammed head-on into another vehicle. Magnuson was a passenger in the car driven by Ramage. The prosecution said scientific evidence showed Ramage had up to four times the legal blood-alcohol limit at the time of the crash. The 48-year-old Ramage is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 17. His lawyer said he would go over the case to see if there were grounds to appeal.

Sports marketer Lloyd Lake, who allegedly provided improper benefits to running back Reggie Bush in 2005, will hand over financial records and other evidence to NCAA investigators that would link Bush and his family to nearly $280,000 in benefits while he was enrolled at USC, according to a Yahoo! Sports report . . . The body of George Gipp, the Notre Dame player who inspired the rallying cry "Win one for the Gipper," was exhumed in Traverse City, Mich., recently for DNA testing. Houghton County Medical Examiner Dr. Dawn Nulf said the test was sought by the Gipp family but declined comment about why the request was made . . . Tavita Pritchard will remain Stanford's starting quarterback this week against TCU after leading the Cardinal to an upset of USC in his first career start . . . Coach Dave Wannstedt gambled by going for a touchdown on fourth and goal at the 2 when a chip-shot field goal would have forced a third overtime, and freshman Pat Bostick overthrew Darrell Strong in the end zone as host Pitt (2-4) lost, 48-45, to Navy (4-2) . . . Holy Cross junior Dominic Randolph, who threw six touchdown passes in a win over Brown, and AIC's Rob Parent, who threw four TD passes in a win over Merrimack, received this week's Gold Helmet Awards, presented by the New England College Football Writers.

Floyd Landis will appeal his doping case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, his last chance to retain his 2006 Tour de France title. An arbitration panel ruled against Landis last month, upholding the results of a test that showed the American cyclist used synthetic testosterone to fuel his spectacular comeback Tour victory . . . Chinese triathlete Wang Hongni was banned for two years for testing positive for metabolites of testosterone, knocking her out of next year's Beijing Olympics . . . Saying she competed fairly, Passion Richardson wants to keep the bronze medal she earned with the disgraced sprinter Marion Jones on the 400-meter relay team at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Hope Solo, whose critical remarks of coach Greg Ryan got her dismissed from the US team at the Women's World Cup last month, is on the roster for a three-game series with Mexico beginning Saturday in St. Louis. Solo, Briana Scurry, and Nicole Barnhart are the three goalkeepers listed by Ryan on the roster . . . The Revolution will host an MLS first-round playoff game at Gillette Stadium Nov. 3 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will go on sale Saturday . . . An appeals committee upheld the penalty levied against Carl Edwards when his winning car failed inspection at Dover International Speedway Sept 23. Edwards's car did not meet minimum height requirements, and NASCAR docked him 25 points. Roush Fenway Racing claimed a jack bolt failed and caused the car to be too low. Edwards is sixth in the Chase for the championship standings, 205 points behind leader Jeff Gordon . . . The first two rounds of golf's Masters are moving to ESPN. The network will televise the Thursday and Friday action when the tournament tees off in April. USA had aired the first two rounds since 1982 . . . Maria Sharapova lost to 18-year-old Victoria Azarenka, 7-6 (11-9), 6-2, in Moscow in the second round of the Kremlin Cup.