Avery's comments draw a suspension

Dallas Stars forward Sean Avery has been suspended indefinitely by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman yesterday for comments made about a foe dating his former girlfriend. Bettman said Avery made "inappropriate public comments, not pertaining to the game." The Stars' pest will meet with Bettman before his punishment is settled. Avery's inflammatory comments came following a morning skate in Calgary, where the Stars played last night. Avery approached a group of reporters, asked if a camera was present, then said he wanted to say one thing: "I'm really happy to be back in Calgary; I love Canada. I just want to comment on how it's become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my [former girlfriends]." He used a crude term to refer to the ex-girlfriends. One ex-girlfriend, actress Elisha Cuthbert, is dating Calgary defenseman Dion Phaneuf and had been romantically linked to Mike Komisarek of the Canadiens. Avery also dated model and actress Rachel Hunter, the girlfriend of Kings center Jarrett Stoll . . . Moscow prosecutors said an ice arena manager and a hockey club director were negligent in the Oct. 13 death of rising Russian star Alexei Cherepanov.

"Sugar" Shane Mosley told a grand jury in 2003 he injected himself with the doping agent EPO as he prepared for a fight against Oscar De La Hoya, according to court transcripts and doping calendars reviewed by the New York Daily News. The transcript of the boxer's testimony was part of a BALCO file that was under a protective order before US District Court Judge Susan Illston decided Nov. 26 to allow prosecutors to share thousands of documents with Barry Bonds's lawyers. Mosley has acknowledged using performance-enhancing drugs but has denied knowing the drugs were banned or illegal. Mosley, who beat De La Hoya in the 2003 junior middleweight title bout, is expected to fight Antonio Margarito Jan. 24 for the WBA welterweight championship.

Rockets guard Tracy McGrady announced he will miss three weeks to rehabilitate his sore left knee. McGrady sat out Houston's last three games after starting the first 15. He had arthroscopic surgery May 6, but said that doctors have told him the knee is not healed. "Obviously, I came back a little bit too early," said McGrady, who was averaging 15.6 points. "I'm just not ready." McGrady visited renowned orthopedist James Andrews, who reassured him that he won't need more surgery.

Righthanded pitcher Javier Vazquez has been told he's headed from the White Sox to the Braves in a deal likely to be finalized today, according to a report on ESPN. A baseball source told the network that the deal will include four other players, including White Sox reliever Boone Logan. Among the players expected to go to Chicago are pitchers Jo-Jo Reyes and Brett Lillibridge, and another top prospect. Vazquez, 32, was 12-16 last season with a 4.67 ERA in 33 starts. He struck out 200 batters in 208 1/3 innings . . . The brother of major league catcher Henry Blanco was killed in Venezuela. Police believe that 39-year-old Carlos Simon Blanco was murdered by kidnappers after they abducted him Sunday in Guarenas, a Caracas suburb. Police found the victim's bullet-riddled body Monday. Authorities think the kidnappers were seeking ransom for Blanco's release, according to a statement released by Venezuela's attorney general. Henry Blanco was a backup catcher for the Cubs this season and is currently a free agent . . . Relief pitcher Doug Brocail is staying with the Astros, agreeing to a $2.75 million, one-year contract that includes a club option for 2010. The 41-year-old righthander was a reliable setup man for closer Jose Valverde last season, going 7-5 with a 3.93 ERA . . . Ted Rogers, owner of the Blue Jays, died at his home in Toronto. He was 75.

The Revolution will play their first two games of the 2009 schedule on the road, opening at the San Jose Earthquakes March 21 and facing the New York Red Bulls March 28 in East Rutherford, N.J. New England's home opener is April 4 against FC Dallas . . . Five-time golf major champion Seve Ballesteros underwent more surgery, this time to drain fluid from his brain. Ballesteros, 51, was in stable condition in the intensive care unit of La Paz Hospital in Madrid after the operation to implant a valve in his brain. Doctors also repaired a bone defect stemming from one of the procedures he has undergone since his initial operation Oct. 24 to remove a malignant brain tumor . . . Michael Phelps, who broke Mark Spitz's record with eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics and is the winningest Olympian with 14 career victories, became the first swimmer honored as Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year . . . Former world and Olympic champion hurdler Liu Xiang will be operated on within weeks in the United States by Houston Rockets doctor Tom Clanton for a foot injury that forced him to withdraw at the starting line during the Beijing Olympics.