Sports Desk

Baseball

Hank Steinbrenner: Girardi will return in 2009

The Yankees plan to retain Joe Girardi as manager next year.

"Joe will be back," co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner said yesterday at the club's spring training complex. "He's done everything he could. That's the bottom line."

Girardi is in his first season managing the Yankees after agreeing to a three-year contract last October. The team is likely to miss the playoffs for the first time since 1993, but Girardi wasn't expected to be fired.

New York has been hit hard by injuries to ace Chien-Ming Wang, catcher Jorge Posada, pitcher Joba Chamberlain and slugger Hideki Matsui. The offense has struggled and the back end of the rotation has been largely ineffective.

Carpenter could be Cards closer, when available

With Chris Carpenter limited to relief duty the rest of the season, the St. Louis Cardinals may be calling on their ace to get the final outs. Whenever he's available, perhaps once a series, manager Tony La Russa said the 2005 NL Cy Young winner will be his first choice as the closer.

"I'm looking forward to giving it to Carp," La Russa said Sunday, echoing remarks from the previous day. "We'd have some fun."

Football

Seahawks WR Burleson out for season

Matt Hasselbeck knows of one proven, healthy Seahawks wide receiver still standing.

"Steve Largent," Seattle's quarterback deadpanned Monday, referring to the team's first Hall of Fame player, after hearing the surprising news wide receiver Nate Burleson is out for the season with a knee injury.

An MRI yesterday showed Burleson tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee while trying to cut outside on a pass pattern on a rain-slicked, synthetic field in Buffalo on Sunday during Seattle's 34-10 loss in its season opener. The non-contact injury occurred midway through the third quarter when he appeared to trip over his own feet — or the 20-yard line.

Strahan's super bowl pick gets Giants' attention

Even in retirement, Michael Strahan is motivating the New York Giants.

The gap-toothed, seven-time Pro Bowler raised eyebrows in his former locker room yesterday for his prediction the Dallas Cowboys would end the Giants' reign as Super Bowl champions.It marks the second straight year a former Giants star moved from retirement to a nationally televised football show and took a shot at the team. Last year, Giants all-time leading rusher Tiki Barber created a bigger stir when he characterized quarterback Eli Manning's attempts to become a team leader as "comical."

Strahan got noticed by picking the Giants to win the NFC East during the Fox Sports pregame show Sunday, and then choosing the Cowboys to win it all.

"I have to be realistic and I have to be objective here," Strahan said in justifying his pick. "The Dallas Cowboys are the best team in the league."

College Football

Ike may force change of stadium for LSU-North Tex.

LSU's athletic director says he wants the North Texas game to be played in Tiger Stadium on Saturday night as scheduled, but adds that other venues are being considered in case Hurricane Ike forces a change. Joe Alleva said yesterday that LSU has contacted officials at Texas Stadium in Dallas, Independence Stadium in Shreveport, the Georgia Dome in Atlanta and the Superdome in New Orleans.