Surgery shelves KC's Crisp for season

June 24, 2009

The season is over for Coco Crisp. The Royals center fielder, traded to Kansas City last November after batting .271 over three seasons with the Red Sox, will have surgery today to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Crisp, who has been on the disabled list since June 14, was hitting .228 . . . Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay (10-1), sidelined since June 12 with a mild groin strain, threw a bullpen session and is scheduled to return to the rotation Monday against Tampa Bay . . . MLB president Bob DuPuy denied the New York Yankees’ protest of Sunday’s 6-5 loss to Florida after the Marlins were a pitch late in replacing left fielder Chris Coghlan following a double switch.

Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg said former teammate Sammy Sosa does not belong in the Hall, even opposing a special section in the shrine for those who used performance-enhancing drugs. “They use the word integrity in describing a Hall of Famer . . . and I think there are going to be quite a few players that are not going to get in,’’ he told ESPN Radio 1000 in Chicago. Sandberg played with Sosa on the Cubs from 1992-97, retiring before the Dominican slugger’s three 60-plus-homer seasons. He said he was “blinded’’ to Sosa’s alleged doping. “I figured he was working out hard during the offseason to get bigger.’’ The New York Times last week reported Sosa was one of 104 players who tested positive in an anonymous 2003 survey . . . Athletics rookie Josh Outman will miss tonight’s start because of left arm tightness.

The Calgary Flames have cornered the market on the Sutter family. General manager Darryl Sutter hired his brother Brent as coach yesterday, raising the number of Sutters in the organization to five. Brother Duane is director of player personnel, brother Ron is a scout, and Darryl’s son Brett played for the Flames’ Quad Cities AHL affiliate last season. Brent Sutter, who resigned as coach of the Devils two weeks ago after New Jersey was upset in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight year, replaces Mike Keenan, who was fired May 22 . . . The Detroit Red Wings’ Mike Babcock will coach the Canadian men’s team at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, according to a person familiar with the decision that will be announced tomorrow.

The Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers opened some salary cap space and locked up a key member of their offensive line long term by signing franchise player Max Starks to a four-year contract. The 6-foot-8-inch, 345-pound left tackle had accepted a 2009 salary of $8.45 million, but the new deal will pay him a signing bonus of slightly more than that amount and reduce his annual salary . . . Former Patriots cornerback Fernando Bryant announced his retirement after 10 NFL seasons. Bryant, who joined Pittsburgh after being cut by the Patriots in training camp last season, started 109 of 112 games with the Jaguars, Lions and Steelers.

Top-ranked Alejandro Valverde will not compete in the Tour de France because his appeal of a two-year doping ban in Italy will not be heard before the race starts July 4. Valverde’s Caisse d’Epargne team said lawyers told the Spanish cyclist a decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport would not come early enough for him to start the Tour, which dips into Italy July 21 . . . Stephanie Kono of Honolulu took the medal at the US Women’s Public Links Championship at Red Tail GC in Devens, carding a 4-under-par 68 for a 138 total. Brittany Altomare (70 -141) of Shrewsbury and Sarah Whitney (74 -150) of Hingham qualified for match play . . . Candice Wiggins scored 18 of her season-high 25 points in the first half as the Minnesota Lynx rolled past the WNBA New York Liberty, 69-57, in Minneapolis . . . Belinda Snell came off the bench to contribute 21 points and the Silver Stars scored the final 8 points for a 91-87 win over the Phoenix Mercury in San Antonio . . . Jia Perkins capped a 22-point performance by sinking a jump shot with 44.4 seconds left that gave the Chicago Sky a 99-98 overtime victory over the Dream in Atlanta . . . Justin Mapp scored in the 35th minute and Jon Busch recorded his second shutout in SuperLiga play as the Chicago Fire beat Chivas USA, 1-0, in Bridgeview, Ill. . . . Andover’s Mark Vetere, who won the pole vault (14 feet 6 inches) and ran the lead leg on the triumphant 4 x 400-meter relay team at the All-State meet, was named Gatorade Massachusetts Boys’ Track & Field Athlete of the Year . . . Unbeaten junior welterweight boxer Danny O’Connor moves up to six rounds Saturday when the 2004 Olympic alternate faces Sebastien Hamel at the Roxy in Boston . . . Six Cannons - Ryan Boyle, Kyle Sweeney, Michael Levin, Greg Downing, Paul Rabil and Ray Megill - were named to the Major League Lacrosse all-star teams selected to play July 16 in Denver . . . Former Harvard safety Eric LaHaie won the Gobi March six-day, 156-mile ultramarathon in Kashgar, China.