Smoltz's future unclear after surgery

John Smoltz had the labrum in his right shoulder repaired yesterday, and the Braves said it will be months before the pitcher will know if he can resume his career. Dr. James Andrews and an associate performed the arthroscopic procedure in Birmingham, Ala. Smoltz, 41, said last week he expected to get a definitive word on his comeback hopes immediately after the operation, but no such announcement was made public. "The prognosis on John's shoulder is unclear based on the findings of today's surgery," said Braves general manager Frank Wren . . . Padres righthander Jake Peavy will come off the disabled list and face the Dodgers tomorrow. Peavy reacted well to a simulated start Saturday with no setbacks to his strained right elbow . . . The Tigers sent struggling Dontrelle Willis down to Single A, hoping the lefthander can find his control.

The Dodgers plan to move Nomar Garciaparra back to shortstop, after learning Rafael Furcal (sore back) was expected to be out another three weeks. Garciaparra, who has not played the position for three years, has not played since April 26 because of an injured left calf. Manager Joe Torre said he hoped Garciaparra could begin a minor league rehabilitation assignment within the next week . . . Robert Saunooke, the former attorney for Jose Canseco, said he has sued the retired baseball star for not paying him. Saunooke said Canseco owes him between $350,000 and $500,000.

Ron Wilson was hired as coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, less than a month after he was fired by the San Jose Sharks. The 53-year-old Wilson appeared at a news conference in Toronto's Air Canada Centre after signing a four-year deal. Wilson was fired May 12 by San Jose after the Sharks lost to the Stars in the second round of the playoffs. He succeeds Paul Maurice, who was fired last month . . . The Los Angeles Kings fired coach Marc Crawford after his team finished with the fewest points in the Western Conference this season. Crawford, who had a year left on his three-year contract, coached the Kings to a 59-84-21 record in two seasons . . . Citing an NHL source, the Associated Press is reporting that Mike Babcock and the Red Wings have agreed to a three-year contract for the Stanley Cup winning coach . . . The Wild acquired defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron from the Ducks for a third-round pick in Friday's draft.

USA Basketball has changed its plans and will select the Olympic team without a tryout. The US will pick the 12 players headed to Beijing before they report to Las Vegas later this month. The original idea called for the team to have 16 players in camp and cut down to 12 June 30 . . . Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson had arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle and is expected to be ready for training camp . . . Vinny Del Negro officially accepted his first head coaching job, agreeing to take over a Bulls team that went from 49 wins to 49 losses in a season and missed the playoffs . . . Lindsay Whalen scored 14 points to help the Connecticut Sun beat the Minnesota Lynx, 75-66, in a WNBA game in Minneapolis . . . UCLA guard Josh Shipp has withdrawn from the NBA draft and will return for his senior season.

David Villa scored three times in Spain's resounding 4-1 victory over Russia at Innsbruck, Austria, a win that confirmed the Spaniards as a team to beat at the European Championship. Russia's goal came from Roman Pavlyuchenko long after things were decided. At Salzburg, Austria, Zlatan Ibrahimovic connected with a powerful right-footed shot in the 67th minute to power Sweden to a 2-0 victory over defending champion Greece . . . Defender Carlos Bocanegra and forward Brian Ching were added to the US roster that will train ahead of the opening World Cup qualifier against Barbados Sunday . . . Mexico's national team goaltender Oswaldo Sanchez is facing misdemeanor trespassing and resisting arrest charges after an incident at the Westin Hotel in downtown Chicago after his team's 4-0 victory over Peru at Soldier Field Sunday. Sanchez told reporters in Mexico City that teammates were listening to music in their room and wouldn't turn it down as the hotel asked. Sanchez says police arrived as he was trying to calm things down, grabbed him, sprayed him with tear gas, and took him into custody. Police officials confirmed officers did use pepper spray to subdue Sanchez.

Jim Renner of Plainville fired his second straight 8-under-par 62 to grab a 12-stroke lead heading into the final round of the 54-hole Vermont Open at Lake Morey CC in Fairlee. Steve Sokol of Oxford, Conn., is Renner's nearest challenger after a 71 . . . About 200 relatives, friends, and colleagues attended a funeral Mass for Jim McKay at Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Baltimore. The venerable host of ABC's "Wide World of Sports" died Saturday at 86 at his Maryland farm . . . No. 2 seed James Blake served his way to a 6-4, 6-1 win against Bjorn Phau in the first round of the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany . . . Top-seeded Nikolay Davydenko beat Pablo Cuevas, 6-3, 6-2, in the first round of the Warsaw Open. . . Ashland High junior pitcher Nicole D'Argento has been selected the Gatorade Massachusetts Softball Player of the Year.