Injury leaves gymnast ham-handed

Olympic gold medalist Paul Hamm has a broken bone in his right hand, an injury that will take at least four weeks' recovery and keep him out of next month's Olympic trials. The men's competition at the Beijing Games begins Aug. 9, 11 weeks from now. "He won't be able to do the Olympic trials," Miles Avery, Hamm's coach, said yesterday. "The course of action for that is to petition him to the team." USA Gymnastics officials would be almost sure to grant Hamm's petition, provided he is healthy. "There's enough time," said Dennis McIntyre, men's program director for USA Gymnastics. "And I wouldn't count that guy out, no matter what." James Bicos, an orthopedic surgeon, said, "For the Olympics, he has an excellent chance of being 100 percent." Hamm broke his hand Thursday competing on the parallel bars at the US championships in Houston . . . After deciding to skip the marathon in pollution-choked Beijing because of his asthma, Haile Gebrselassie will seek a spot on the Ethiopian 10,000-meter team for the Summer Games. He'll compete today at the FBK Games in Hengelo, Netherlands, hoping to set up a unique Olympic triple after winning the 10,000 at Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney in 2000.

Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker made contact with an umpire Thursday, New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi kicked dirt on an umpire the same day, and San Diego hitting coach Wally Joyner came on the field to argue with an umpire Wednesday, and they all paid the price. Baker was suspended two games and the others for one game and all were fined for their actions. The suspensions started last night . . . Bobby Cox, 67, saying he's still having fun with the game, has agreed to a one-year contract extension to manage the Atlanta Braves through 2009 . . . Placed on the disabled list were Brewers closer Eric Gagné (right rotator cuff tendinitis) and White Sox second baseman Juan Uribe (strained left hamstring).

It'll be interesting to see who got the better deal. Earlier in the week, the Laredo Broncos (United League) got John Odom, who has toiled in the low minors for three years. In exchange, the Calgary Vipers (Golden Baseball League) got 10 bats. You heard it, a bag of bats - Prairie Sticks Maple Bats, double-dipped black, 34-inch, C243 style, to be exact. "They just wanted some bats, good bats - maple bats," Broncos GM Jose Melendez said. "I don't really care," Odom said in McAllen, Texas. "It'll make a better story if I make it to the big leagues." . . . Players approved a toughened drug agreement on the last day for ratification. The deal increases the frequency of tests and the authority of the program's independent administrator.

Top-ranked Roger Federer will face American Sam Querrey at the French Open, and Maria Sharapova will face fellow Russian Evgeniya Rodina as they both begin their latest bids for the only Grand Slam titles missing from their collections. The draws for the tournament were held yesterday. Sharapova is the top seed following the retirement of four-time champion Justine Henin.

Two athletes took gambles, and they didn't pay off - but they paid up. A Clark County prosecutor says Charles Barkley is off the legal hook and the case on his $400,000 gambling debt is closed. Chief Deputy District Attorney Bernie Zadrowski said the retired NBA star sent a $40,000 check to pay statutory and bad check processing fees. Meanwhile, Clark County DA David Roger said suspended NFL player Adam "Pacman" Jones has paid a $20,000 gambling debt to a casino. Jones paid off his debts within 24 hours of a criminal complaint being filed, and the case is now closed.

Memphis guard Antonio Anderson of Lynn has withdrawn from the 2008 NBA draft and is returning to school for his final season of eligibility because he wasn't satisfied being projected as a second-round pick . . . The Vikings waived Erasmus James, the former first-round draft pick who had a series of knee injuries . . . Deanna Nolan had 33 points and eight assists before leaving the court with her left arm in a sling, and the Detroit Shock beat the expansion Dream, 88-76, in WNBA action in Atlanta . . . Kaka had arthroscopic knee surgery in Rio de Janeiro and will miss Brazil's upcoming exhibition tour to the United States, which includes a stop at Foxborough June 6 . . . The Boston Blazers will play at TD Banknorth Garden for the next three years in an agreement that brings professional indoor lacrosse (National Lacrosse League) to the area, starting in January.