Florida quarterback Tebow not cleared for LSU
GAINESVILLE, Fla., Oct. 5 (UPI) -- Quarterback Tim Tebow of No. 1 Florida has not been cleared to play at No. 4 LSU Saturday and did not practice Monday, Coach Urban Meyer said Monday.
Meyer said Tebow, who suffered a concussion Sept. 26 against Kentucky, looks better and is continuing to work with the team's doctors. He said the star quarterback is able to read and watch television, something doctors prevented him from doing just last week.
"His headache has been gone for several days and he looks good," Meyer said.
Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, was sacked late in the third quarter of Florida's 41-7 win over Kentucky and his head struck the knee of teammate Marcus Gilbert.
Sophomore John Brantley finished the Kentucky game and would likely get the start if Tebow is unable to play Saturday.
Giants QB Eli Manning bothered by heel injury
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Oct. 5 (UPI) -- New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is listed as day to day because of a foot injury, the team said Monday, but Manning said he hopes to practice Wednesday.
Manning was hurt in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game against Kansas City. Monday, the Super Bowl MVP was walking without the aid of a boot or crutches.
The Giants said an MRI examination Monday showed Manning has an injury to the plantar fascia, along with soreness and swelling in the heel/arch area on the bottom of his foot.
"Eli will continue to receive treatment, and he will be day to day as we prepare for Sunday's game," Giants Vice President of Medical Services Ronnie Barnes said.
"I don't think it's nothing to be worried about," Manning said Monday. "It's just going to be getting rid of the soreness. I think I've always been a pretty quick healer. I'm looking forward to tomorrow and hope it feels better."
Manning completed 20-of-34 passes for 292 yards with three touchdowns and one interception in Sunday's 27-16 victory over the Chiefs. His last pass was a 54-yard touchdown throw to Hakeem Nicks.
Minnesota Twins share AL Player of Week
NEW YORK, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- Minnesota Twins teammates Jason Kubel and Delmon Young shared the American League Player of the Week for the last week of the season.
Kubel and Young led the Twins' late surge, which saw the team go 5-2 to finish its regular season tied for with Detroit for the American League Central division lead.
The Twins and the Tigers will play a one-game playoff in Minnesota Tuesday to determine the division champion, with the winner playing the Yankees in New York in the American League Divisional Series.
Young hit safely in all seven games last week and went 13-for-29 with six runs scored. In a weekend sweep of the Royals, he hit three home runs and had 10 RBI.
Kubel was 11-for-26 and hit a pair of three-run home runs Sunday. His six-RBI game pushed him over the 100-RBI mark for the first time in his career.
Djokovic advances to China Open second round
BEIJING, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- No. 2-seeded Novak Djokovic advanced to the second round of the $3.3 million China Open tennis tournament in Beijing with a straight-set win Monday.
Djokovic got past Victor Hanescu 6-3, 7-5 despite having his serve broken three times. His defense was sharp and he won 52 percent of the points on Hanescu's serve.
Eighth-seeded Marin Cilic also advanced out of the first round Monday, stopping Igor Andreev 6-4, 6-4. Cilic was in total control in the first set -- losing just five points on serve -- and staggered only slightly in the second before finishing off the win.
Tommy Robredo posted the day's most lopsided score, winning 6-2, 6-1 over Benjamin Beck, while Juan Carlos Ferrero took a tight 7-5, 7-6 (7-3) decision from Nicolas Almagro.
Philipp Kohlschreiber defeated Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 6-1, despite Karlovic's 27 aces; and Julien Benneteau earned a second-round match against Cilic with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Marcos Daniel.
Four of the world's Top 10 players, including No. 2-ranked Rafael Nadal and defending champion Andy Roddick, have matches scheduled Tuesday in Beijing.
