Braves' Hudson ponders elbow surgery

Tim Hudson is likely headed for surgery after two doctors found the Atlanta Braves ace has major ligament damage in his pitching elbow. Hudson was examined by Dr. Xavier Duralde, the team's lead orthopedist, then met yesterday with Dr. James Andrews. "Both concur that surgery is likely," Braves spokesman Brad Hainje said after a 7-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. "But he's going to take a short rehabilitation period before he makes a final decision." With surgery, Hudson would likely miss the rest of this season and much of 2009 . . . CC Sabathia, traded from the Indians to the Brewers July 7, took out a large ad in the sports section of Cleveland's The Plain Dealer - a $12,870 thank you to the community, team, and fans. "Thank you for 10 great years. You've touched our lives with your kindness, love, and generosity. We are forever grateful!" read the ad. "Wow, that just blows me away," Indians righthander Paul Byrd said. "What a cool thing to do by a really great guy."

Restricted free agent forward Luol Deng and the Chicago Bulls agreed to six-year contract that could be worth as much as $80 million. The deal was reported by the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, and ESPN.com, which said the contract would include $71 million in guaranteed money. Deng had rejected a five-year contract extension last October that was worth $57.5 million . . . The Detroit Pistons signed free agent guard Will Bynum, but terms were not released. The 6-foot, 185-pound guard played last season for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli League.

The Detroit Red Wings signed Valtteri Filppula, 24, to a $15 million, five-year contract. "We love everything about him because he's a complete player with great character, and we think he can get even better," Detroit general manager Ken Holland said. "He plays hard, he plays hurt. The only thing no one knows is how good he can be." . . . The Blue Jackets re-signed restricted free agent goalie Pascal Leclaire, 25, to a three-year contract through the 2010-11 season.

University of Connecticut defensive tackle Jarrell Miller, the Huskies' highest-rated recruit a year ago, has left the school for "personal reasons," officials said. The redshirt freshman out of Richmond, Va., was expected to compete for a starting job this fall . . . Howard Schnellenberger, Florida Atlantic's 74-year-old football coach, had his contract extended through the 2010 season, a reward from the school's board of trustees after leading the Owls to their first Sun Belt Conference championship last year . . . Penn State defensive tackles Chris Baker and Phil Taylor, who were involved in off-field fights last year that led to probation sentences in court, were kicked off the team by coach Joe Paterno.

Jimmie Johnson, coming off his victory in last Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, has added a Truck Series race to his 2008 schedule. In addition to his duties behind the wheel of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, the two-time reigning Sprint Cup champion will make his truck debut in Bristol, Tenn., Aug. 20 - driving for Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss. Johnson will drive the No. 81 Kobalt Tools Silverado fielded by Randy Moss Motorsports.

Italian cyclist Riccardo Ricco admitted he made a "mistake," taking responsibility after testing positive for the blood-booster EPO during the Tour de France. Ricco appeared before the Italian Olympic Committee's antidoping prosecutor, Ettore Torri. "What I did during the Tour is done. I made a mistake and the mistake is only mine," Ricco said after the hearing behind closed doors in Rome. "I have always won with my own legs. Unfortunately, I've made a mistake and I will pay for it." . . . Rafael Nadal needed only 48 minutes to win his 30th straight match, earning a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Florent Serra in the second round of the Cincinnati Masters. Nadal, 22, ranked No. 2 in the world for a record 158 weeks, has closed the gap on No. 1 Roger Federer . . . Third-seeded Maria Sharapova withdrew from the Rogers Open in Montreal after her second-round victory because of a shoulder injury, possibly jeopardizing her participation at the Beijing Olympics. Sharapova defeated Marta Domachowska, 7-5, 5-7, 6-2, in a match that took nearly three hours . . . The Chicago Fire acquired former US striker Brian McBride from Toronto FC for Chad Barrett, its first-round pick in the 2009 draft, and future considerations. Shortly thereafter, the Fire's Chris Rolfe and Tomasz Frankowski scored to lead host Chicago to a 2-0 win over Everton in an international friendly . . . The Boston Blazers, a professional indoor lacrosse team debuting at TD Banknorth Garden in January, are offering special rates for their eight-game package, ranging from $72 to $379. For information on the offer that ends Sept. 15, check out www.blazerslacrosse.com or call 1-888-BLAZERS.