SEATTLE — Washington quarterback Jake Locker will be out for up to eight weeks after breaking his right thumb, a damaging blow for a team looking at a possible 0-5 start for the first time in 39 years.

Locker had surgery Monday to repair the fracture. He was injured throwing a block in the second quarter of a 35-28 loss to Stanford on Saturday.

“Obviously, I think it’s a huge loss,” coach Tyrone Willingham said. “He adds so much to our team in so many ways. His presence, his running skills, what he’s done for us in the passing game.”

Locker has thrown for 512 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 180 yards and three scores this season.

With redshirt freshman Ronnie Fouch running the offense, the Huskies offense will change significantly. Fouch is an adequate runner, but isn’t a threat like Locker, who set a modern Pac-10 record for yards rushing by a quarterback last season.

Fouch is a more conventional passer, who hit on 13 of 27 attempts for 186 yards and a touchdown in relief against Stanford. He also directed a 95-yard touchdown drive in the closing minutes, capped with a 1-yard touchdown dive to pull Washington within 35-28 with 1:25 left. The ensuing onside kick went out of bounds, and Stanford ran out the clock.

“I’m the type of guy that if we lose a game, I put the blame on myself,” Fouch said. “Whenever we lose I feel like it’s my fault. I put the blame on myself for losing, and I want to go out against Arizona and do whatever to help this team win.”

YACHT RACING

America’s Cup spat now in appeals court

SAN DIEGO — San Francisco’s Golden Gate Yacht was back in a New York court Monday to begin its last-chance appeal to become the Challenger of Record and help set the rules for the next America’s Cup.

The GGYC met the deadline for filing its brief with the New York State Court of Appeals in Albany. The California yacht club, which backs Larry Ellison’s BMW Oracle Racing, wants the court to overturn a ruling by the New York Supreme Court’s Appellate Division that Spain’s Club Nautico Espanol de Vela, not GGYC, should be the Challenger of Record for the 33rd America’s Cup.

This is the latest step in the 16-month spat between the GGYC and Societe Nautique de Geneve, which backs two-time defending America’s Cup champion Alinghi of Switzerland.

GGYC filed its appellate brief two days after Ellison, the CEO of Oracle Corp., and Alinghi’s boss, Swiss tycoon Ernesto Bertarelli, met in San Francisco in an attempt to get sailing’s premier event out of legal gridlock and back on the water in its traditional format.

The Swiss group must file its brief by Nov. 13.

Both sides said they’d like to continue talks, but no new discussions have been scheduled.

Last week, GGYC offered to drop its appeal if Alinghi agreed to a multichallenger regatta under the rules used in the 32nd America’s Cup in 2007. Ellison reiterated that offer in his meeting with Bertarelli, BMW Oracle Racing spokesman Tom Ehman said.

In a statement, Alinghi lawyer Lucien Masmejan said the Swiss “have faith that the ongoing talks between all parties involved in the future of the America’s Cup will be productive. However, if GGYC continues to press its case, we are confident that the lower court ruling will be affirmed.”

BASEBALL

Pair of coaches leave Texas Rangers

ARLINGTON, Texas — Bench coach Art Howe and third-base coach Matt Walbeck are done with the Texas Rangers.

General manager Jon Daniels said Monday that Howe and Walbeck won’t be offered contracts for next season. Jim Colborn, who filled in as bullpen coach the past two months, will return to being the team’s director of Pacific Rim operations.

“We wanted to change the dynamic of the coaching staff to ultimately best impact the play on the field,” Daniels said.

Andy Hawkins, who became the interim pitching coach when Mark Connor was fired Aug. 1, will be a candidate to keep that job. Daniels said others will be interviewed as well.

WNBA

Shock reaches WNBAfinals with win

YPSILANTI, Mich. — Deanna Nolan scored 21 points and Taj McWilliams-Franklin added 19 to help the Detroit Shock reach the WNBA finals for the third straight season with a 75-73 win Monday over the New York Liberty.

The Shock won the best-of-three Eastern Conference finals and advanced to play San Antonio for the championship. Detroit beat Sacramento in 2006 for its second league title, then lost in five games to Phoenix last year.

The Shock led by 20 in the first half, but had to fight off the deeper Liberty in the second half. Sixth woman Plenette Pierson, who played well in Sunday’s Game 2 just seven days after dislocating her shoulder, was limited to two points in six minutes on Monday.