Injury may prompt Glavine to retire

April 15, 2009

Tom Glavine may retire if his sore left shoulder doesn't improve in two weeks. Glavine was told yesterday he must rest for at least two weeks after inflammation was found in his left rotator cuff. The 43-year-old had an MRI and was examined by Dr. James Andrews, who advised treatment and rest. Glavine said he's tired of rehabbing after elbow and shoulder surgery last August. He's willing to give the shoulder two weeks, but not much longer. "I'm willing to put in a little more time but I'm not willing to put in another six weeks or eight weeks because by then, you know what, I'm going to have to start all over again and I'm not interested in doing that," he said . . . Struggling Brewers righthander Jeff Suppan will have his next start pushed back a day to give him time to correct the problems he had in his first two outings this season. Suppan hasn't made it into the fifth inning in either of his two starts, giving up 11 earned runs in 7 2/3 innings . . . The Blue Jays placed righthander Jesse Litsch on the 15-day disabled list with a strained forearm . . . Mets closer Billy Wagner threw off a mound for what was believed to be the first time since elbow ligament replacement surgery last Sept. 10. The lefthander threw 10 pitches from flat ground, then took the mound in a 23-pitch bullpen session.

Off to an 0-7 start, the Nationals optioned starting center fielder and leadoff hitter Lastings Milledge to Triple A Syracuse. Milledge was hitting .167 with no extra-base hits, 1 RBI, 1 walk, and 10 strikeouts atop the batting order. "He is still a work-in-progress as a leadoff man," assistant general manager Mike Rizzo said . . . A memorial service for Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart will be held Friday at Williamsport (Md.) High School, where Adenhart played as a teen. The 7 p.m. ceremony will be closed to the media at the family's request. The 22-year-old rookie and two friends were killed last Thursday when a driver whom police say was drunk ran a red light and hit their car in Fullerton, Calif. . . . Authorities are awaiting autopsy results on Mark Fidrych and trying to figure out how the former All-Star pitcher died. The 54-year-old Fidrych was found dead Monday beneath a 10-wheel dump truck at his Northborough home. Although he appears to have died from an accident, state law requires that all unattended deaths be investigated . . . Autopsy results show that longtime Phillies' TV and radio broadcaster Harry Kalas died from heart disease.

Broncos owner Pat Bowlen said he's pleased with the trade that sent Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler to the Bears and that both sides got what they wanted. "We're happy with where we're at," Bowlen said. "I'm happy for Jay. I think he's going to a good organization." The trade ended a six-week feud that began when Cutler decided he didn't want to play for new coach Josh McDaniels. "He didn't want to be in Denver. He made that clear," Bowlen said. "He's going on with his career, and we're going on with our team." . . . Former NFL player Travis Henry has signed a plea deal with Billings, Mont., prosecutors in which he admits to a single cocaine conspiracy charge in exchange for two other charges being dropped. The 30-year-old Henry will admit to conspiracy to possess at least 11 pounds of cocaine with intent to distribute the drug. If the plea is accepted, Henry faces a mandatory minimum 10 years to life in prison, a $4 million fine, and at least five years of supervised release . . . A Duke spokesman said former basketball point guard Greg Paulus recently worked out for the Green Bay Packers in advance of the NFL draft.

Frank Lampard scored in the 76th and 89th minutes, and Chelsea withstood a Liverpool surge to advance to the European Champions League semifinals with a memorable 4-4 tie in London. Chelsea, which lost last year's final to Manchester United, advanced on 7-5 aggregate in the home-and-home, total-goals series and will next play Barcelona, which tied, 1-1, at Bayern Munich and advanced on 5-1 aggregate . . . Boston forward/midfielder Kelly Smith earned the Women's Professional Soccer player of the week award after collecting a goal and an assist in the Breakers' 2-0 victory over Saint Louis Athletica Saturday.

Nikolai Valuev and Ruslan Chagaev will fight for the World Boxing Association heavyweight title May 30, most likely in Helsinki. Chagaev (25-0-1, 17 KOs) won the title by beating Valuev in Stuttgart, Germany, April 14, 2007. He had to pull out of a rematch because of a ruptured Achilles' tendon. Valuev won the vacant title in August by beating Chelsea's John Ruiz, then defended it in December against former champion Evander Holyfield . . . Julius Erving watched his daughter Alexandra Stevenson play tennis for the first time in a first-round loss at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, S.C. Erving watched from the porch of the clubhouse as Stevenson lost on clay to Akul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan, 6-2, 6-4. Asked if it was the first time the basketball great had seen her play, Stevenson said, "Yes, that is true. And I actually didn't see him until the second set." It's been a decade since the 28-year-old Stevenson learned that Dr. J was her father, about the time she made the Wimbledon semifinals . . . Reigning US Amateur golf champion Danny Lee of New Zealand has turned pro and will compete in the PGA Tour's Zurich Classic of New Orleans next week.