Sports Desk

GOLF

WOODS HAS RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY ON LEFT KNEE

Tiger Woods had reconstructive surgery on his left knee yesterday in Utah to repair a torn ligament, and doctors said it was "highly unlikely" there would be any long-term effects. It was the second time in 10 weeks Woods had surgery on his knee, this time on his anterior cruciate ligament.

"We were confident going into this surgery, and I am pleased with the results," Dr. Thomas D. Rosenberg said in a statement released by IMG, Woods's management company.

"There were no surprises during the procedure, and as we have said, with the proper rehabilitation and training, it is highly unlikely that Mr. Woods will have any long-term effects as it relates to his career."

The surgery came one week after Woods went 91 holes at Torrey Pines to win the U.S. Open.

FOOTBALL

IMUS SAYS HE WAS MAKING 'SARCASTIC POINT'

Don Imus said yesterday morning on his radio show that he was trying to "make a sarcastic point" with his latest on-air remarks about race, but that they had been misunderstood. Imus resurrected his radio career six months ago with a pledge to mend the wounds caused by a racist and sexist comment he made about a women's basketball team. Yesterday, he said he was following the spirit of that promise by calling attention to the unfair treatment of blacks — in this case the arrests of suspended Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam Jones.

"What people should be outraged about is that they arrest blacks for no reason," Imus said yesterday. "I mean, there's no reason to arrest this kid six times. Maybe he did something once, but everyone does something once."