Pudge, Hunter suspended for fight

Yankees catcher Ivan Rodriguez and Los Angeles Angels star Torii Hunter were suspended two games each yesterday for their roles in a bench-clearing scuffle. Rodriguez took an openhanded swing at Hunter after getting shoved in the back by Hunter, and both players were ejected Monday night. Bob Watson, baseball's vice president in charge of discipline, cited them for "violent and inappropriate actions." "You expected something because there was a skirmish. Torii went out and Pudge retaliated a little bit," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. Both were fined, as was Angels pitcher John Lackey. Los Angeles won, 12-1. "John was in the middle of it," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "It was a relatively minor incident. In hindsight, Torii was a little embarrassed. That's not the way Torii is." Rodriguez and Hunter began serving their suspensions yesterday, the series finale in Anaheim, Calif. . . . The Chicago White Sox say Paul Konerko has a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee and will be evaluated daily. He was injured making a throw to second base against Toronto Tuesday.

Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips will have season-ending surgery tomorrow to have a pin inserted into his broken right index finger to help it heal properly. Phillips broke the finger in Tuesday night's game at Milwaukee when he was hit by a pitch on a bunt attempt . . . Giants outfielder Fred Lewis will undergo season-ending surgery tomorrow to remove a bunion from his right foot . . . Despite Atlanta's worst season since 1990, longtime Braves manager Bobby Cox vowed to return next season. The 67-year-old Cox signed a one-year contract extension in May, but his team was ravaged by injuries - especially to the pitching staff - and has a 64-82 record. Cox said the Braves' record - good or bad - would not be a factor in his decision to step aside, whenever that might be. "I'm not going to decide my retirement based on wins and losses," he said . . . With Fenway Park on hold because of a scheduling error, the Atlantic Coast Conference plans to hold its 2009 baseball tournament in Durham, N.C., at the home stadium of the minor league Durham Bulls, May 20-24.

Former Kansas teammates Darrell Arthur and Mario Chalmers were fined $20,000 apiece after being banished last week from the NBA rookie symposium, the league said in Miami. Security at the resort near New York where the event took place found Arthur and Chalmers in a room with two women, and the scent of marijuana was detected. No drugs or drug paraphernalia were found, but having guests in the room violated NBA policy, and the two rookies were sent home. Arthur (Memphis Grizzlies) and Chalmers (Miami Heat) apologized but denied using marijuana. Next year they'll have to again attend the symposium, which addresses the challenges of making the transition to pro ball.

University of Massachusetts senior quarterback Liam Coen and Plymouth State senior back Jeff Mack received this week's Gold Helmets from the New England College Football Writers. Coen completed 25 of 36 passes for 395 yards and three touchdowns to rally the fourth-ranked Minutemen past Holy Cross, 45-42. The Newport, R.I., native was also selected as the national player of the week by The Sports Network. A Milford, N.H., native, Mack piled up 204 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 27 carries as the Panthers held off Division 2 Saint Anselm, 36-28 . . . Quarterback Dustin Grutza had surgery for a broken bone in his lower right leg, an injury suffered when he was sacked in the second half of Cincinnati's 52-26 loss at Oklahoma Saturday . . . Eddie Crowder, 77, who spent nearly a half-century at the University of Colorado as a football coach and athletic director, died Tuesday from complications of leukemia. Obituary, B5 . . . Bill Lessig will call it a career this season after he completes his 38th year as coach of the Connecticut College men's soccer team. He has a 264-227-39 record.

Wheelchair racer Anjali Forber-Pratt of Natick could not be happier with her bronze medal in the women's 400-meter event at the Beijing Games. "It was unbelievable - such a challenging race," said Forber-Pratt, who clocked in at a personal-best 57.07 seconds. "I just had to run my race and set a goal to do the best I could." American Jessica Galli (Savoy, Ill.) won in a world-record 54.88. Josiah Jamison of Chula Vista, Calif., won gold in the men's 100 meters in 10.89.

Floyd Landis, the American who won the 2006 Tour de France but then had his title stripped for a positive doping test, is looking to return to a team run by Momentum Sports Group. "We are in negotiations with Floyd Landis to ride for the team in 2009, but we do not as of yet have a signed contract," said team director Mike Tamayo at the Tour of Missouri. Landis did not return messages. Landis's suspension ends Jan. 30, 2009 . . . Astana team leader Johan Bruyneel is looking forward to reuniting with seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong. Bruyneel said he already has begun discussions with close friend Armstrong, who's coming out of his three-year retirement to try to win an eighth Tour title in 2009. "He won't have a problem finding a team. But it's clear that the relationship we have means that I can't allow him to go to another team," Bruyneel told reporters in Calahorra, Spain, during the Spanish Vuelta.

World champion figure skater Jeffrey Buttle is going out on top, announcing his retirement at age 26. Buttle became the first Canadian to win the men's title since Elvis Stojko in 1997 when he won in March. He also was the bronze medalist at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, and is a three-time national champion. He said he's satisfied with everything he's accomplished in his career.