Hands down, Hamm ready for Beijing

Paul Hamm is going to the Olympics again, thanks to a performance yesterday that ended any doubt about whether his broken right hand has healed. Eight weeks after breaking his hand, the men's selection committee in Colorado Springs confirmed he would be on the team, but it wasn't a stroll for Hamm, who grimaced and grunted his way through his rings routine and nearly fell during his high bar landing. He did portions of all six events, including the parallel bars, which is where he broke his right ring finger at nationals . . . Gymnasts Alicia Sacramone of Winchester, Mass., Chellsie Memmel, Samantha Peszek and Bridget Sloan were named to the Olympic team, joining Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin, the top two at the trials.

Daric Barton smacked his head on the bottom of a pool during the All-Star break, requiring six staples to close the gash and leaving the Oakland first baseman with a neck strain that landed him on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to July 14 . . . Astros ace Roy Oswalt was placed on the 15-day DL with a strained hip and a herniated disk in his back . . . Washington first baseman Dmitri Young was placed on the 15-day DL after missing his second straight start, complaining of having high blood sugar and feeling lightheaded. Young is diabetic . . . The Mets decided to wait until next weekend to let Pedro Martínez take the mound again, giving him more time to recover from a groin injury . . . Orioles lefthander Adam Loewen, 24, has abandoned his career as a pitcher because of a stress fracture in his left elbow and intends to return as an outfielder.

Brett Favre is sticking to the script, declining to address his public rift with the Green Bay Packers in an appearance at Lambeau Field. Favre called Green Bay "a special place" while praising former teammate Frank Winters before the Packers' Hall of Fame induction ceremony banquet. After speaking for just over three minutes, Favre walked off the stage and ducked out a side door without taking questions . . . The Rams and defensive end Chris Long, the second overall pick in the draft, reached a contract agreement. Long is expected to sign a deal that covers at least five years early next week, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch website reported . . . The Redskins and rookie tight end Fred Davis agreed to a $3.5 million, four-year contract . . . Boston College's 1984 Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie, former Notre Dame defensive tackle Chris Zorich, and Penn State coach Joe Paterno were enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.

A driver died in a four-vehicle accident at Toledo (Ohio) Speedway that sent the rear of his car slamming into a wall at about 110 miles per hour. Terry Gibson, a 46-year-old from LaRue, Ohio, died at the scene Friday night . . . Kyle Busch came up five spots short in his bid to make NASCAR history in Sparta, Ky. Busch was attempting to become the first to win in the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series and Craftsman Truck Series in successive starts . . . Carl Edwards passed Jason Leffler with 48 laps remaining and cruised to victory at the Dodge Dealers 250 at Madison, Ill., in the Nationwide Series.

Top-seeded Serena Williams injured her left knee and retired while trailing in the second set of her semifinal match against Aleksandra Wozniak in the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford, Calif. . . . Top-seeded James Blake was upset by Dimitry Tursunov, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, in the semifinals of the Indianapolis Championships . . . Martina Navratilova and Raquel Kops-Jones won in doubles, then lost in overtime as the Lobsters fell to the Breakers, 21-18, at Danvers.

The Indiana Fever overcame the heat and humidity, and stole the spotlight - under the moonlight - from the New York Liberty in the WNBA's first outdoor game. On a basketball court laid on top of the tennis court at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, Katie Douglas scored 9 of her 20 points in the fourth quarter as the Fever defeated the Liberty, 71-55. The game-time temperature was a steamy 87 degrees before 19,393 at the 23,226-seat stadium . . . Sean Morris scored four goals to lift the Boston Cannons over the Washington Bayhawks, 14-10, in Major League Lacrosse action at Annapolis, Md.