Holmes doubtful for Sunday's game
KANSAS CITY, Mo., Dec. 17 (UPI) -- A hip injury may cost Priest Holmes of the Kansas City Chiefs a shot at the NFL single-season touchdown record and another rushing title.
Holmes suffered the injury in the second half of Sunday's 31-24 loss to the Denver Broncos and will likely miss this weekend's game against the San Diego Chargers.
"I'd say he's very doubtful for the game," Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil said of Holmes' status for this weekend.
Holmes underwent an MRI exam on Monday, but results will not be known until Tuesday.
Vermeil said Holmes was initially hurt when he was hit late in the third quarter and aggravated the injury when he was dragged down from behind by Tyrone Poole after a 56-yard run early in the fourth quarter.
"That's probably why he was caught from behind and why it aggravated to the point where he couldn't go anymore," Vermeil said. "He just came out of the game and said 'I'm going in the locker room. I'm hurt. I can't play anymore.'"
After limping into the locker room, Holmes left the stadium on crutches.
The Chiefs (7-7) are still in playoff contention, but trail Oakland (9-5), Denver (8-6) and San Diego (8-6) in the AFC West.
Holmes rushed for 161 yards in the loss to Denver to take over the rushing lead from Miami's Ricky Williams, but did not reach the end zone. He remains two touchdowns shy of tying Marshall Faulk's single season record of 26 for the St. Louis Rams in 2000.
The reigning NFL rushing champion, Holmes has 24 touchdowns - 21 rushing and three receiving.
Holmes leads the league with 1,615 rushing yards, 14 more than Williams. He has a team-leading 70 catches for 672 yards and his total of 2,287 yards from scrimmage is within range of Faulk's record of 2,429 yards.
Faulk's 26 touchdowns eclipsed the record of 25 set by Emmmitt Smith of the Dallas Cowboys in 1995.
The 29-year-old Holmes signed with the Chiefs as a free agent in April 2001. He rushed for 1,555 yards last season and also had 62 catches for 614 yards.
Holmes spent the first four years of his career with the Baltimore Ravens, primarily as a backup. He started 13 games in 1998 and rushed for 1,008 yards.
Lions QB to miss final two games
DETROIT, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- The Detroit Lions will sit out rookie quarterback Joey Harrington for the final two games of the season with an accelerated heartbeat.
Coach Marty Mornhinweg announced at his media briefing Monday that Harrington will not play again this season as a precautionary measure.
Harrington played only one series in Sunday's 23-20 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before being taken to the hospital for tests. Mornhinweg said Monday that Harrington was still in the hospital being tested.
The third overall pick in April's draft, Harrington completed 215-of-429 passes for 2,294 yards and 12 touchdowns with 16 interceptions in 14 games.
Without Harrington, the Lions (3-11) will likely start Mike McMahon in their final two games against Atlanta and Minnesota.
Cardinals sign Girardi to one-year deal
NASHVILLE, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Joe Girardi, one of the most respected backup catchers in the game, reportedly agreed Monday to a one-year, $720,000 contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.
It was reported that the former Chicago Cub has agreed to become the backup to Mike Matheny.
Last season, Girardi hit just .226 with a homer and 13 RBI in 90 games. However, he is considered one of the smartest catchers in the game. He threw out 20-of-65 basestealers last season.
A career .267 hitter with 36 homers and 421 RBI in 1,261 games over 14 years, Girardi was a member of the New York Yankees' world championship teams in 1996, 1998 and 1999.
Teams more active in Rule 5 draft
NASHVILLE, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- It may be one of the slowest winter meetings in memory, but Monday's Rule 5 draft featured plenty of player movement.
The annual process major league teams use to fill out their 40-man rosters took place at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, site of the 2002 winter meetings. With most teams looking for cheap talent, 17 of the 25 eligible teams selected a player.
The Milwaukee Brewers used the first pick on Enrique Cruz, a 21-year-old shortstop out of the New York Mets' organization. Cruz spent the 2002 season with Class A St. Lucie, hitting .291 with six homers, 45 RBI and 33 stolen bases in 124 games.
Tampa Bay used the second selection on Hector Luna, a 22-year-old shortstop from the Cleveland Indians organization. Luna hit .276 with 11 homers, 51 RBI and 32 stolen bases in 128 games for Class A Kingston in 2002.
San Diego took righthander Carl Hernandez with the third pick, Detroit selected Wilfredo Ledezma next and the Chicago Cubs' choice of Derek Thompson rounded out the top five.
Among the more recognizable names was Marshall McDougall, who once hit six homers in a college game. McDougall, a utility infielder, was selected by the Texas Rangers out of the Indians organization.
Cincinnati took righthander Luke Prokopec from the Dodgers' organization, weeks after he was signed to a minor league contract by Los Angeles.
Also getting selected was Adrian Brown, a 28-year-old outfielder who spent parts of the last six seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Boston took Brown, who hit .315 with the Pirates in 2000, a month after he joined the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' system.
Organizations that were hit hardest were the the Arizona Diamondbacks, who lost three players in the first round, and the Cleveland Indians, who lost four players overall.
Players selected in the Rule 5 draft must remain on their new team's active 25-man roster the following season or be offered back to the original club for $25,000.
Knee surgery for Bure
NEW YORK, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- The New York Rangers Monday announced that star right wing Pavel Bure undergone successful knee surgery.
Team officials said he does not have damage to the ACL in either knee, and may return as soon as late January.
An exploratory arthroscopic surgery conducted on the right knee revealed no damage to the ACL as well.
Bure was injured in the second period of a 4-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Dec. 6. Two days later, the team issued a statement saying that Bure suffered a torn medial meniscus in his left knee and a Grade I MCL sprain. However, some New York newspapers reported that Bure had torn his left ACL and would miss the remainder of the season.
Bure tore cartilage in his right knee during a preseason game against the New Jersey Devils and underwent surgery on Sept. 26.
After a slow start, Bure had scored five goals in three games entering the game with Buffalo, giving him a team-high 14 to go with seven assists.
Arizona remains No. 1 in basketball poll
ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Arizona remained the unanimous No. 1 pick and Maryland slipped seven spots in the latest college coaches' basketball poll released on Monday.
Even without preseason All-American Luke Walton, Arizona (5-0) was able to beat Texas, 73-70 on Sunday. Point guard Jason Gardner, another preseason All-American, hit two jumpers and a pair of free throws down the stretch to spark the Wildcats, who again collected all 31 first-place votes and 775 points in the nationwide panel.
The loss dropped Texas (5-2) from seventh to ninth.
The top six is unchanged with Duke (4-0) at No. 2 with 721 points followed by Pittsburgh (6-0), Alabama (7-0), Oregon (6-0) and Indiana (8-0).
Oklahoma (5-1) and Connecticut (6-0) capitalized on Texas' loss, each moving up one place to seventh and eighth, respectively. Missouri (6-0) rounds out the top 10.
Xavier (5-2) slipped nine spots to No. 20 after losing to Mississippi State, 71-61 on Saturday.
Maryland (4-3) fell again after its third loss of the season - a 69-64 defeat to Florida on Saturday - but remained in the poll at No. 23.
Notre Dame (9-1), which was unranked two weeks ago, rose four more spots to No. 11 and was followed by Illinois (7-0), Florida (7-2) and Marquette (6-1).
Michigan State (5-2) posted a 71-67 win at Kentucky (5-2) on Saturday and moved up six places to No. 15. Kentucky slipped four spots to No. 16.
Mississippi State (6-1) ascended five places to No. 17 and is followed by Kansas (5-3) and Creighton (7-0). Stanford (5-1), Tulsa (5-1), Maryland, North Carolina (5-2) and North Carolina State (5-0) complete the poll.
Minnesota (6-1) was the only team to drop out despite winning both its games last week.
Pirates drop Anderson, send two to Detroit
NASHVILLE, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Lefthander Jimmy Anderson was given his unconditional release Monday by the Pittsburgh Pirates to make room on the 40-man roster for righthander Matt Roney.
After making the last of his 25 starts on Aug. 13, Anderson was sent to the bullpen, where he allowed eight runs in four innings during three appearances. The 26 year old finished the season with an 8-13 record and a 5.44 ERA.
Spanning four seasons, Anderson made 102 appearances with the Pirates, including 89 starts, and posted a career mark of 24-42 with a 5.17 ERA.
Roney, who was selected from Colorado in Monday's Rule 5 Draft, hours later was shipped to Detroit for cash considerations.
The Pirates also sent righthander Roberto Novoa to the Tigers as one of the two players to be named in the Nov. 25 deal that sent first baseman Randall Simon to Pittsburgh.
Nails out with torn Achilles
MIAMI, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Miami Dolphins left guard Jamie Nails will miss the remainder of the season with a torn left Achilles' tendon.
Nails, who has helped pave the way for star running back Ricky Williams, suffered the injury late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 23-17 victory over the Oakland Raiders, ironically while blocking for Williams on a running play.
Miami Coach Dave Wannstedt said Monday that Nails will undergo surgery in the next few days, and likely need "five-to-six months of rehabilitation."
After being out of football last season, Nails signed with the Dolphins as a free agent in March. The 6-6, 335-pounder has helped Williams rush for 1,601 yards, which is second in the NFL.
Miami (9-5) is in first place in the AFC East, one-half game ahead of New England. The Dolphins close the regular season with road contests against Minnesota and New England.
Eagles switch punters
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- The NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles switched punters Monday, releasing Jason Baker and signing 41-year-old Lee Johnson.
Johnson is second all-time with 1,212 punts and 51,456 yards to Sean Landeta. He has played in 257 games, more than any punter in NFL history.
In 17 seasons, Johnson has played for Houston, Cleveland, Cincinnati, New England and Minnesota. He has averaged 42.5 yards per punt.
Baker was last in the NFC with an average of 34.2 and a net of 29.8 on 13 punts.
The Eagles are 11-3 and are trying to claim home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
McFarland done for 2002
TAMPA, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Tampa Bay starting defensive tackle Anthony McFarland will miss the remainder of the NFL season with a broken right foot.
McFarland suffered the injury in the first half of Sunday's 23-20 victory over the Detroit Lions.
Earlier this season, McFarland missed four games with a broken forearm. In 10 games, he had collected 1 1/2 sacks and 31 tackles.
The Buccaners (11-3) lead the NFL in total defense and allow just 12.6 points per game. Tampa Bay is tied with Philadelphia and Green Bay for the NFL's best record.
Continental Tire Bowl sells out
CHARLOTTE, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- The football game between Virginia and West Virginia on Dec. 28 is sold out.
Officials of the Continental Tire Bowl made the announcement Monday. The game, to be played at Ericsson Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., will be the game's inaugural. For that reason, and the fact the two schools are fairly close to each other, many analysts thought ticket sales would be slow.
With total ticket sales numbering 73,258, the Continental Tire Bowl has far exceeded expectations for a first year bowl game.
Virginia, one of the nation's youngest teams, went 8-5 this year, 6-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Cavaliers also finished second in the league after being predicted to finish seventh, and had an impressive, late-November victory over nationally-ranked ACC foe Maryland.
West Virginia completed the regular season with a 9-3 overall record, and finished second in the Big East with a 6-1 league mark. After an early season shellacking at the hands of Maryland, the Mountaineers had big wins over Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech, and suffered their only conference loss to top-ranked Miami.
Orioles sign Cruz
NASHVILLE, Tn., Dec. 17 (UPI) -- The Baltimore Orioles have signed veteran shortstop Deivi Cruz, who likely will be their starter in 2003.
The Orioles need to fill a hole in their middle infield after the recent release of popular but aging Mike Bordick.
Cruz, formerly with San Diego, batted .263 for the Padres last season with seven homers and 47 RBI. He also committed just 15 errors in 151 games, and has a career fielding percentage of .978.
Cruz spent his first five seasons in virtual anonymity with the Detroit Tigers, having a career-best season in 2002, when he hit .302 with 10 homers and 82 RBI.
In his six big league seasons, including one with San Diego, Cruz has a batting average of .270 with 44 homers and 324 RBI.
