Sports Log
Baseball
Outfielder Josh Hamilton will not play for the remainder of the season because of the pinched nerve in his back, the Texas Rangers announced yesterday. Hamilton, an All-Star last season while leading the American League in RBIs, hit .268 with 10 homers and 54 RBIs this season while missing long stretches with injuries . . . Colorado’s Clint Barmes’s sensational game-ending catch Monday night appears to not have been a catch at all. The second baseman made a tumbling catch of Ryan Ludwick’s one-out flare to shallow right field, followed by his strike to first base to double up Albert Pujols and seal the NL wild-card leading Rockies’ 4-3 win over the Cardinals. However, a fan, Craig Welling, posted images on his photo blog from his vantage point in right field, and one of the shots clearly showed the ball on the grass for a split second as Barmes rolled over. Barmes’s body blocked television angles as well as those of professional photographers. “When I popped to my feet, the ball was in my hand,’’ Barmes said. “I never said I caught it clean.’’ . . . Former major leaguer Chuck Knoblauch was charged with assaulting his common-law wife. Knoblauch’s wife told police he hit her in the face and then choked her at their Houston home last Friday . . . Rob Plummer, the agent for Dominican shortstop Miguel Sano, said the Twins have agreed to sign his client for a bonus of $3.15 million.WNBA
Pondexter helps Mercury take Game 1
Cappie Pondexter missed a game-winning tip-in at the fourth-quarter buzzer then scored 7 of her 23 points in overtime to help the Mercury escape with a 120-116 victory over the Indiana Fever in a wild opener of the WNBA Finals in Phoenix. Penny Taylor scored 23 points and newly crowned league MVP Diana Taurasi 22 for Phoenix in the highest-scoring game in WNBA history. Katie Douglas tied it with a 3-pointer for Indiana with 7.1 seconds left in regulation, then scored 8 in overtime to finish with 30 points.NBA
League set to go with replacement refs
The NBA told teams it’s going ahead with replacement referees, days after the league thought a deal had been reached with locked-out officials. The league sent a memo informing teams it had “no expectation of concluding a timely labor contract.’’ The leagues said the two sides had agreed in principle on a two-year deal Friday but the NBA Referees Association rejected the proposal Sunday . . . Troubled Cavaliers guard Delonte West, recently arrested for gun possession in Maryland, did not show up for Cleveland’s first practice and his absence was unexcused . . . The Bulls said third-year center Aaron Gray has a stress fracture in his left leg and will be out for 6 to 8 weeks.College football
Doctor: USC player fortunate to survive
Southern California senior tailback Stafon Johnson probably wouldn’t have survived his weightlifting accident without his muscular athlete’s neck, which helped maintain his airway when a weight bar crashed down on it, Dr. Gudata Hinika said. Johnson could communicate nonverbally with his family members and teammates yesterday morning, less than 24 hours after his bench-pressing accident in the Trojans’ weight room. The bar crushed his neck and larynx, which required seven hours of surgery. Johnson is unlikely to play again for USC . . . A bowl game will be played at Yankee Stadium starting in 2010. The game is expected to match teams from the Big East and Big 12 conferences.College basketball
UConn, Calhoun talking about new deal
Connecticut’s Jim Calhoun is talking to the school about a new multiyear contract. Kyle Muncy, a school spokesman, said the two sides have been in discussions on a contract that would be “more than one year.’’ Calhoun, 67, is set to make $1.6 million in 2009-10, the final season of a six-year deal . . . Tennessee sophomore forward Emmanuel Negedu was expected to remain hospitalized overnight as doctors continue to try to determine why he collapsed following a workout Monday.Miscellany
Penguins’ Crosby ready for opener
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby practiced for the first time since injuring his groin during a preseason game last Thursday and expects to play in the season opener Friday against the Rangers . . . The Coyotes signed veteran center Robert Lang to a one-year contract. Lang, 38, has 252 goals and 422 assists in 15 NHL seasons . . . Arnold Palmer said he has been selected to receive a Congressional Gold Medal, honoring distinguished achievements and contributions . . . Two-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson will play in next month’s Singapore Open . . . The 
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