Yankees' Rodriguez out another week

Injured Alex Rodriguez is hoping to rejoin the New York Yankees early next week. "We're aiming for Tuesday at home," Rodriguez said yesterday after working out at the team's minor league complex. "You've got to be smart, so it's a good way to go." The All-Star third baseman is on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right quadriceps. He hasn't played since April 28 and is eligible to come off the DL tomorrow. Rodriguez, hitting .286 with four home runs and 11 RBIs, will miss the series this weekend against the crosstown rival Mets . . . Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal was placed on the 15-day DL retroactive to May 6 because of a lower back strain. The Dodgers said Furcal, third in the National League in batting at .366, received a cortisone shot and would rejoin the team this weekend in Anaheim, where it faces the Los Angeles Angels . . . Claudio Vargas was called up from Triple A New Orleans and will start for the Mets tonight against Washington. The Mets also designated pitcher Nelson Figueroa for assignment and placed outfielder Angel Pagan (shoulder contusion) on the 15-day DL . . . Tribune Co. and CEO Sam Zell rejected an Illinois state agency's plan to buy Wrigley Field and are pushing ahead to sell the ballpark together with the Chicago Cubs, a top company official said. Crane Kenney, the Cubs' chairman and outgoing general counsel of parent Tribune, said there still is a chance Wrigley could be sold separately to the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority . . . St. Louis Cardinals lefthanded reliever Tyler Johnson, sidelined since spring training by a shoulder injury, will undergo arthroscopic surgery and miss the rest of the season . . . Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk is returning to the Chicago White Sox as a team ambassador and will be honored during "Welcome Back Carlton Fisk Night" May 22 at US Cellular Field.

Saying the NCAA has "new information," president Myles Brand promised to investigate former Southern California basketball star O.J. Mayo, who allegedly received thousands of dollars in gifts from money given to an event promoter by a sports agency. On Sunday, ESPN reported that Bill Duffy Associates provided Rodney Guillory with about $200,000 before Mayo arrived at USC. Louis Johnson, a former associate of Mayo's, told the network that Mayo received about $30,000 and other benefits from Guillory while in high school and during his one season at USC. Mayo declared for the NBA draft after the season and hired BDA Sports' Calvin Andrews as his agent. USC said the school is working with the NCAA and the Pac-10 "in a cooperative investigation to review allegations." . . . Former West Virginia football coach Rich Rodriguez said Governor Joe Manchin and three members of the university's board of governors pressured him into signing a new contract before the start of the 2007 season, even though it had a $4 million buyout clause he didn't want. The statement came out of a deposition taken last month for WVU's lawsuit to recover the $4 million from Rodriguez, who quit in December to coach Michigan . . . The National Football Foundation announced it will give Harvard coach Tim Murphy the Ron Burton Distinguished American Award, given to a former player who has carried the lessons learned on the field to the larger community . . . Former Central Connecticut athletic director William Moore is one of eight collegiate athletic administrators picked for induction into the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Hall of Fame.

Justine Henin is quitting professional tennis, according to a Belgian newspaper. The 25-year-old Henin, the top-ranked player in the world, will make the announcement today, Het Nieuwsblad reported. Henin has been battling fatigue. Last week she was ousted from the Berlin Open in the third round and this week she pulled out of the Italian Open . . . Tickets for the Boston Lobsters season, including appearances by Venus Williams and Martina Navratilova, go on sale this morning at bostonlobsters.net or by calling 877-617-5627. The Lobsters open their season at their new facility at Ferncroft Country Club in Middleton July 7 against the Delaware Smash. Venus Williams and the Philadelphia Freedom come to Ferncroft July 10 and Navratilova will appear twice, with the Springfield Lasers July 16 and the Newport Beach Breakers July 19.

Charles Buckman, a crewman for Dale Coyne Racing, has been released from Methodist Hospital four days after being struck by Danica Patrick's racecar during practice for the Indianapolis 500. Buckman suffered a concussion and cuts to his scalp and face . . . Miguel Cotto's welterweight unification title fight with Antonio Margarito will be held in Las Vegas July 26 . . . Storm Cat, one of the top stallions in thoroughbred racing history, has been retired as a breeder. The 25-year-old Storm Cat, who for six straight years commanded a $500,000 stud fee, believed to be the highest in the history of the breed, has produced 160 stakes winners who combined to top $112 million. Among Storm Cat's top foals were Preakness and Belmont winner Tabasco Cat, Breeders' Cup Classic champion Cat Thief, and European champion Giant's Causeway. Storm Cat was a surprising breeding star considering his racing history. An injury limited his starts at age 3 and kept him out of the Triple Crown races . . . David Beckham put on a show, but it wasn't enough for Los Angeles, and the Vancouver Whitecaps won their friendly match, 2-1, in Edmonton. In the 43d minute, Beckham sent a cross-field pass that Alan Gordon headed in to tie it at 1.