Published:Monday, March 24, 2008 10:23 AM PDT
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Sports Briefs: Granderson to start season on DL
Monday, March 24, 2008 10:23 AM PDT

Curtis Granderson will miss opening day because of a broken finger and Scott Rolen might, too.

Granderson, the Tigers’ speedy center fielder, was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday. A finger on his right hand was broken Saturday when he was hit by a fastball from Philadelphia left-hander Travis Blackley in the fourth and final inning of a rained-out game.

Granderson and the team had hoped the injury was merely a bruise, but precautionary X-rays revealed the break. Granderson, who was wearing a splint on the hand Sunday, said he likely will miss a minimum of three weeks.

“It throbs a little bit,” he said.

Granderson batted .302 with 23 homers, 23 triples and 122 runs last year.

Rolen could be missing from Toronto’s lineup when the Blue Jays open their season at Yankee Stadium.

The team’s new third baseman broke his finger during a routine drill Sunday morning in Dunedin, Fla. He was taking grounders on a back field when a ball hit him on the tip of his right middle finger.

“It ripped his nail completely off his finger,” general manager J.P. Ricciardi said.

Rolen also broke the bone above his top knuckle, and it’s unclear how long he will be out. The Blue Jays begin the season March 31 in New York.

Cabrera gets big new contract

DETROIT — Miguel Cabrera and the Detroit Tigers have reached a preliminary agreement on a $152.3 million, eight-year contract, according to a person familiar with the deal.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Sunday because the contract was not yet final. The third baseman must pass a physical before the agreement can be finalized.

Cabrera agreed on Jan. 18 to an $11.3 million salary for this season. The new deal adds $141 million over the following seven seasons.

Cabrera will earn $15 million in 2009, when he would have been eligible for salary arbitration. He will average $21 million annually over the next six seasons, when he would have been eligible for free agency.

Cabrera’s average salary of $19,037,500 will be the fourth-highest in the major leagues behind those of New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez ($27.5 million), New York Mets pitcher Johan Santana ($22,916,667) and Boston left fielder Manny Ramirez ($20 million).

Sites chosen for 2009 Classic

TOKYO — Mexico City, San Juan, Tokyo and Toronto were selected Monday to host first-round games during the second World Baseball Classic in 2009.

The tournament, with the same 16 countries that played in the first WBC in 2006, will switch from a round-robin to a double-elimination format during the first two rounds. Japan won the first event, beating Cuba 10-6 in the final at San Diego.

Officials think the selection of four venues outside the continental United States to host the first round provides an opportunity to show baseball’s global appeal and help return the sport to the Olympics after it is eliminated following the 2008 Games in Beijing.

Unlike 2006, teams that advance from the second round will cross over for the semifinals and face opponents from the other side of the bracket.

GOLF

Ogilvy ends Tiger’s win streak

DORAL, Fla. — Tiger Woods’ unbeaten streak ended today, when Geoff Ogilvy won the rain-delayed CAChampionship.

Ogilvy finished at 17 under, one shot better than Retief Goosen, Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh, who all closed with 68s in the rain-delayed tournament. Woods was alone in fifth at 15 under.

A full story will appear in Tuesday’s edition of The World.

Kraft wins inaugural tournament

RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico — Greg Kraft won the inaugural Puerto Rico Open for his first official PGA Tour victory, closing with a 2-under 70 for a one-stroke victory over Bo Van Pelt and Jerry Kelly.

Kraft, who the unofficial Deposit Guaranty Classic in Mississippi 15 years ago, had a 14-under 274 total on the Trump International Golf Club course. Kelly, at No. 63 the highest-ranked player in the field, shot a 70, and Van Pelt had a 72.

AUTO RACING

Wimmer captures Nationwide race

GLADEVILLE, Tenn. — Scott Wimmer passed Richard Childress Racing teammate Clint Bowyer with 21 laps to go and held on to win the Nationwide Series’ Pepsi 300 on Saturday at Nashville Superspeedway.

The Childress cars took the top two spots, six days after the team swept the top three positions in the Sprint Cup series race at Bristol.

Wimmer edged Bowyer by 0.578 seconds for his sixth victory in 149 Nationwide Series starts and first since 2003. Carl Edwards was third, followed by Brad Keselowski and Kelly Bires. Bowyer took the series points lead from Kevin Harvick, the fellow Childress Sprint Cup driver who skipped the Nashville race.

Kyle Busch started on the pole and was the class of the field, leading a race-high 125 laps before spinning out with 62 laps left. The Sprint Cup points leader grazed Bowyer, who was passing on the inside, and was forced to pit for repairs. Busch finished 16th.

“It was just driver error,” Busch said. “I just messed up and lost it. I’m sure it’s going to bother me all week.”

TENNIS

Djokovic, Ivanovic win titles

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Novak Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic, 20-year-old Serbs who rapidly have established themselves among tennis’ top players, won Pacific Life Open titles Sunday.

No. 3 Djokovic ended American Mardy Fish’s string of upsets at Indian Wells with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 victory, and No. 2 Ivanovic cruised to a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Svetlana Kuznetsova in the women’s championship match.

The Serbian stars’ his and her championships came some two months after they just missed a sweep in the Australian Open. Djokovic beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for the men’s title, and Ivanovic lost to Maria Sharapova in the final.

Despite the loss, Fish had a remarkable run at Indian Wells. He had never beaten two top 10 players in a tournament before, but he upset No. 4 Nikolay Davydenko and No. 7 David Nalbandian before stunning top-ranked Roger Federer in the semifinals.

FIGURE SKATING

Canadians complete strong showing at World Championships

GOTEBORG, Sweden — The Canadians were the biggest winners at this year’s World Figure Skating Championships, taking home a medal of every color and capping the week with Jeff Buttle’s gold in the men’s competition.

It was Canada’s first world title since Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz won the ice dance crown in 2003, and the first for a Canadian man since Elvis Stojko in 1997.

Brian Joubert of France couldn’t defend his 2007 title, but he did win the silver medal. Johnny Weir won the bronze, saving the United States from going home without a medal for the first time since 1994.

That the American pairs and women struggled wasn’t a big surprise. But ice dancers Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto not only didn’t win the title most expected, they didn’t even get a medal, the first time they’ve gone home empty-handed since 2004. A rare fall in the compulsory dance knocked them way down in the standings, and they finished just a quarter point off the podium.

Mao Asada of Japan won her first world title. The French team of Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder took the dance crown, 18 years after they began skating together. And Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy claimed Germany’s first pairs title since 1997, when their coach Ingo Steuer won with partner Mandy Woetzel.

SKIING

CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Maine — Battling gusting, swirling wind, Stacey Cook and Kevin Francis claimed the super G titles at the U.S. Alpine Championships.

Cook collected her second national title when she edged teammate Leanne Smith by five hundredths of a second. Cook also won the super G crown on the same hill in 2006.

Katie Hitchcock was third, and World Cup overall champ Lindsey Vonn finished fourth.


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