Chacon suspended after fight with GM

Houston Astros pitcher Shawn Chacon was suspended indefinitely by the team yesterday for insubordination after reportedly grabbing general manager Ed Wade by the neck and throwing him to the ground. Chacon, upset after getting demoted to the bullpen over the weekend, told the Houston Chronicle he got upset after being yelled at by Wade. "So at that point I lost my cool and I grabbed him by the neck and threw him to the ground. I jumped on top of him," Chacon said. "Words were exchanged." Chacon said players quickly came and separated the two. Wade said Chacon "is suspended pending final resolution of whatever move we end up making with him." Chacon is now concerned that he might not pitch in the majors again. "Maybe it shouldn't have happened," Chacon said. "But when you do those things and you're yelling at somebody and you're cussing you better know what type of person you're dealing with. If there's any regret, I just wish they had just let me alone. I wish they had left me alone," he told the Chronicle.. . . Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Scott Proctor was placed on the 15-day disabled list with an ailing right elbow. The team originally announced it was going to option Proctor to Triple A Las Vegas, but switched to the DL when it was revealed Proctor was injured . . . The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired righthander Denny Bautista from the Detroit Tigers for minor league righthanded reliever Kyle Peterson . . . The Mets claimed infielder Andy Phillips off waivers from Cincinnati, four days after the Reds designated him for assignment . . . Third baseman/DH Brandon Inge was put on the 15-day disabled list by the Detroit Tigers because of a pulled oblique muscle . . . Umpire Brian O'Nora was released from a Kansas City hospital after sustaining a mild concussion and a cut on his forehead when he was hit by a broken maple bat Tuesday night.

Philipp Lahm ended Turkey's storybook run in the European Championship in Basel, Switzerland, with a late goal in a 3-2 semifinal victory that kept Germany on target for a record fourth title. In a wild finish that many people around the world did not see because the international TV feed went out, Lahm finished off the surprising Turks on a give-and-go with Thomas Hitzlsperger in the 90th minute. Lahm cut in from the left, set up a passing one-two, collected the ball and shot it past Rustu Recber. Germany, which won Euros in 1972, 1980, and 1996, will play the winner of today's Spain-Russia semifinal Sunday.

Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said three of the club's minor league prospects, including former Boston College standout Chris Collins, have not been offered new contracts and all will be rendered unrestricted free agents as of July 1. Collins, who was a dynamic scorer at The Heights, played in 72 games last season for Providence (AHL) and had 22 goals and 19 assists. The Bruins also decided to set free forward T.J. Trevelyan and defenseman Nathan Saunders. Trevelyan, 24, collected 52 points in 60 games with Providence his first pro season, then fell to 18-20 -38 last season. Saunders split last season between Johnstown (ECHL) and Providence, where he collected 6 points in 31 games.

KEVIN PAUL DUPONT

The Tampa Bay Lightning and their All-Star center, Vincent Lecavalier, have agreed to terms on a nine-year deal that likely will ensure he finishes his career with the team, according to Canadian media reports. TSN of Canada and the Canadian Press is reporting the deal is worth between $75 million and $80 million. Any deal cannot be announced until July 1. Lecavalier, 28, holds the franchise records for points (602); goals (273); and games played (710). The Lightning also bought out the final season of goalie Marc Denis's contract . . . The San Jose Sharks re-signed forwards Joe Pavelski and Jeremy Roenick and backup goaltender Brian Boucher . . . The Vancouver Canucks claimed forward Kyle Wellwood, a day after he'd been placed on waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Banned sprinter Justin Gatlin appealed a ruling by an American judge, hoping he can beat the clock and make it to the starting blocks in time to compete at the US Track and Field's Olympic trials this weekend. Gatlin's attorneys asked the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta to issue an emergency injunction, pending his appeal, that would allow him to participate. A similar motion was also filed with US District Judge Lacey Collier in Pensacola, Fla., who ruled Tuesday he did not have jurisdiction in a case stemming from Gatlin's doping suspension. Officials in the Atlanta court said a decision would be expedited . . . Donny Robinson, the world's top-ranked BMX racer, has been told by USA Cycling that he'll fill the third spot on the men's team headed to the Beijing Games. He'll join automatic qualifiers Kyle Bennett and Mike Day.

The New York Giants signed left guard Chris Snee to a six-year, $43.5 million contract extension. The former Boston College standout will earn nearly $24 million in the first three years of the deal. The extension will keep Snee under contract with the Super Bowl champions through 2014 . . . A man accused of robbing and beating Oakland Raiders receiver Javon Walker told a judge police pressured his girlfriend to press domestic violence charges against him before he was arrested in the Walker case. "My fiance, she was forced by the police, because of the other matter, to go forward with these accusations," Arfat Fadel said as he appeared by videoconference before Las Vegas justice of the peace Eugene Martin. Officer Ramon Denby, a Las Vegas police spokesman, declined to comment on Fadel's accusation because investigations were continuing in both cases. He did say that Fadel had not cooperated with investigators trying to identify a second man suspected of beating Walker . . . The NFL is looking into the March 6 arrest of Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall on a misdemeanor battery charge for allegedly hitting his girlfriend. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello confirmed the inquiry but declined to comment further. Fulton County, Ga., authorities say no formal charges have been filed. The arrest was reported in Wednesday's editions of The Denver Post. Marshall's girlfriend filed an affidavit in Fulton County claiming Marshall hit her in the mouth and eye on March 4. Marshall, who owns homes in Denver and Atlanta, was released on a $1,000 bond. Separately, Marshall is scheduled for trial in September on a DUI charge stemming from an October 2007 arrest in Denver. He was arrested in March 2007 on a false imprisonment charge after allegedly blocking a woman who was trying to leave his home in Colorado. The charge was dismissed after he completed anger-management classes . . . Offensive lineman Brad Butler signed a contract extension with the Buffalo Bills. Details were not released . . . The Oakland Raiders signed former Nebraska quarterback Sam Keller and waived quarterback Erik Meyer. Keller was not drafted despite setting a school record last season by completing 63.1 percent of his passes for 2,422 yards and 14 touchdowns in nine games. His season ended prematurely when he suffered a shoulder injury against Texas in October.

Rick Dutrow, the outspoken trainer of Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown, is facing a 15-day suspension by Kentucky racing officials after another horse he trains exceeded the allowable limit for a drug that enables horses to breathe easier while exercising. Two separate drug tests on 8-year-old gelding Salute the Count revealed the horse had twice the allowable limit of Clenbuterol in his system after finishing second in the Aegon Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs May 2, said John Veitch of the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority . . . Geno Auriemma has signed a five-year, $8 million contract that will keep the Hall of Fame women's basketball coach on Connecticut's sideline through 2013 . . . Longtime Connecticut assistant Tonya Cardoza will replace Dawn Staley as women's basketball coach at Temple, a person with knowledge of the hiring said . . . Former Northeastern coach Ron Everhart signed a three-year contract extension with Duquesne that runs through the 2013-14 season.