Redskins put Brandon Noble on IR
ASHBURN, Va., Sept. 22 (UPI) -- The Washington Redskins Thursday placed defensive tackle Brandon Noble on injured reserve.
Noble missed the team's first two games after hurting his surgically repaired left knee just before the season opener against Chicago. He later underwent arthroscopic surgery, which was projected to cause him to miss another 4-5 weeks. That's when the Redskins decided to shut him down for the entire year.
"Brandon's super important to us and what we decided was it was probably best for the team and for him to put him on IR instead of rushing him back," said Coach Joe Gibbs on the team's Web site.
The move means the 6-foot-2 inch, 305-pound Noble, a six-year veteran, will miss a season for the second time in three years. He had to sit out in 2003 because of a similar injury.
Miami Heat signs Gary Payton
MIAMI, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- In a surprise move, the Miami Heat Thursday signed veteran point guard Gary Payton to a reported one-year contract.
The team did not release contract details.
Payton, 37, started 54 games for Boston last season before being dealt to Atlanta. He was then waived by the Hawks without playing a game and re-signed by the Celtics.
Over the entire season, he averaged 11.3 points, 6.1 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 77 games for the Celtics.
The former NBA Defensive Player of the Year and eight-time All-Defensive First Team choice likely will be the primary backup for rising superstar Dwayne Wade.
Payton, who was a second round pick by Seattle out of Oregon State in 1990, has played for four teams. He has career averages of 17.6 points, 7.2 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.97 steals per contest, in nearly 1,200 games over 15 years.
U.S. trails at Presidents Cup
GAINESVILLE, Va., Sept. 22 (UPI) -- The United States trails the Internationals, 3½-2½, after Day One of the Presidents Cup at Gainesville, Va.
Thursday's biggest surprise in the foursomes came when two-time U.S. Open winner Retief Goosen and Adam Scott beat world No. 1 Tiger Woods and Fred Couples, 4 & 3. Couples struggled throughout the match, hitting only one fairway over 18 holes.
Elsewhere, Jim Furyk and Fred Funk and the Internationals Vijay Singh and Mark Hensby halved their match, and Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco eased past Nick O'Hern and Tim Clark, 1-up, giving the U.S. a full point.
Justin Leonard and Scott Verplank easily beat Peter Lonard and Stuart Appleby, 4 & 2, Michael Campbell and Angel Cabrera beat the duo of Davis Love III and Kenny Perry, 2 & 1, and Mike Weir and little-known Trevor Immelman trounced Stewart Cink and David Toms, 6 & 5.
There will be six four-ball matches on Friday.
LSU-Tennessee contest moved to Monday
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Sept. 22 (UPI) -- The college football game between third-ranked LSU and No. 11 Tennessee, scheduled for Baton Rouge on Saturday, has been moved to Monday night.
The decision, announced Thursday by Southeast Conference Commissioner Mike Slive, was because of the likely impact of Hurricane Rita.
"After reviewing all of the information I felt this was the best decision for the game," said Slive. "The safety of our student-athletes, coaches and fans is our priority. I understand this puts a burden on LSU and its administration. However, the travel safety issues necessitate this decision."
"We've had a good week of preparation," said Tennessee Coach Phillip Fulmer on UT's Web site. "We're looking forward to playing the game, whenever it's played. Our kids are going to handle it. Everything we've asked of them they've done so far."
The contest at Tiger Stadium is a sellout and will be televised by ESPN2.
