Giants lose Vizquel for up to six weeks

The San Francisco Giants probably will be without Omar Vizquel's sparkling defense at shortstop on Opening Day. Vizquel will have arthroscopic surgery on his left knee today and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. The 11-time Gold Glove shortstop turns 41 in April . . . Tampa Bay Rays lefthander Scott Kazmir missed a scheduled intrasquad game appearance after feeling discomfort in his elbow on his final warm-up pitch. The American League strikeout champion had warmed up in the bullpen without a problem, then watched the first half-inning from the bench. He threw three warm-up pitches before leaving the mound and walking to the clubhouse for tests. The Rays said the 24-year-old, who agreed to a $3,785,000, one-year contract last month, would undergo an MRI exam last night. His status was to be updated today . . . Mark DeRosa visited a Chicago cardiologist, and manager Lou Piniella said he expects the Cubs infielder back in camp next week. He was hospitalized over the weekend after experiencing an irregular heartbeart. DeRosa later said he's had the condition since he was a teenager . . . Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said his pitchers would bat eighth in spring training games in which the designated hitter is not used, and he will continue the practice once the regular season starts. "We'll hit the pitcher eighth," he said. "We're going to have a second leadoff as the ninth-place hitter." . . . Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said that Brett Myers will be Philadelphia's starter on Opening Day . . . The Atlantic City Surf of the Can-Am League named former major leaguer Cecil Fielder manager.

The Vikings have agreed to trade wide receiver Troy Williamson to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-round draft pick, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. The source spoke on condition of anonymity, because trades cannot be made official by the NFL until free agency begins Friday . . . Muhsin Muhammad's agent, Joel Segal, and Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said they are nearing a deal that would return the veteran receiver to where he played his first nine seasons. Muhammad was released by the Bears last week . . . The Chiefs released veteran wide receiver Eddie Kennison, 35, who played for them for seven seasons . . . Another receiver on the move: Brandon Lloyd was released by the Redskins, ending his disappointing stay with the team. He caught only 25 passes with no touchdowns in two seasons with Washington . . . Wide receiver Justin McCareins and cornerback Andre Dyson were released, and starting left guard Adrien Clarke was waived by the Jets . . . Cable TV giant Comcast and the NFL Network must return to court to determine the kind of viewing package in which Comcast can put the network. A state appeals court in New York voted 4-0 to reverse a lower court ruling that had allowed Comcast to distribute NFL Network games on a niche sports tier rather than a larger digital package.

Connecticut football coach Randy Edsall's new contract includes a buyout clause that would have him pay up to $1.5 million should he take a job with another school or the NFL. The school released details of the five-year deal that Edsall signed Feb. 14. Under the contract, Edsall will receive an average of $1.5 million annually, including more than $1 million each year for speaking and media appearances . . . LSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux is not expected to be on the field when the Tigers open spring practice Friday. Perrilloux was suspended indefinitely last week by coach Les Miles for violating unspecified team rules . . . Arizona State has begun an internal investigation into allegations of academic fraud and recruiting violations in its top-ranked baseball program.

Top seed and defending champion Venus Williams was upset in the opening round of the WTA's Cellular South Cup in Memphis by qualifier Petra Kvitova. The 17-year-old Kvitova won only the fifth WTA Tour match of her career, stunning Williams, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 . . . Sixth-ranked Anna Chakvetadze ended a two-match losing streak by beating Agnieszka Radwanska, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, in the first round of the Dubai Championships. Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova withdrew with a viral illness . . . Top-seeded Ivan Ljubicic moved into the second round of the PBZ Zagreb Indoors in Croatia, while second-seeded Ivo Karlovic was beaten in three sets by 209th-ranked Sergiy Stakhovsky. Ljubicic had a tough time before dispatching Ernests Gulbis, 6-3, 7-6 (7-6), while Karlovic wasn't as lucky, losing, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, to Stakhovsky . . . Oscar De La Hoya said he plans to fight three times this year, then retire. "I'm at that stage of my career now where I can't take it further," the 35-year-old De La Hoya said after a news conference to discuss his May 3 bout against Steve Forbes . . . The PGA Tour amended its divisive cut policy, giving players on the cut line one more day of competition to separate from the bottom of the pack. Starting this week at the Honda Classic, the Tour will return to a traditional 36-hole cut for the top 70 and ties. If more than 78 players make the cut, there will be another cut to the top 70 and ties after the third round . . . Harvard defenseman Caitlyn Cahow and forward Sarah Vaillaincourt are among the 10 finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Award, given to the top player in Division 1 women's hockey . . . Freddy Adu and former Boston College star Charlie Davies were among 24 players picked for the US under-23 soccer team's final training camp before Olympic qualifying.