Sports Desk
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
FOOTBALL
SAINTS TO PLAY IN BATON ROUGE, SAN ANTONIO
The New Orleans Saints will head back to their home state for four games at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La., and will play three others in San Antonio’s Alamodome, their headquarters since being displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
While the team and league settled that matter yesterday, most of the specifics are still being determined. Ticket plans are being worked out, too, as are ways to tie proceeds to the relief effort. Many of the Saints are living in a hotel across an interstate from the Alamodome. So they’ll have a short commute for games October 2 or 3 against Buffalo, October 16 or 17 against Atlanta, and December 24, 25, or 26 against Detroit. The team will travel to the LSU campus for games October 30 or 31 against Miami, November 6 or 7 against Chicago, December 4 or 5 against Tampa Bay, and December 17, 18, or 19 against Carolina.
KNEE INJURIES CLAIM WALKER, JENKINS
The Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers already have serious injury problems after one week of the season. The Packers lost their top wide receiver, Javon Walker, for the year, and the Panthers will be without their best defensive tackle and run stopper, Kris Jenkins. Both tore knee ligaments in losses Sunday.
Walker will need an operation once the swelling subsides to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament and will require between eight and 12 months of rehabilitation. He was hurt in the third quarter of the Packers’ loss at Detroit.
Jenkins missed all but four games last season with a shoulder injury that required surgery. Now, the 2003 All-Pro is gone again, with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
BASEBALL
YANKEES WIN TIEBREAKER COIN TOSS
The Yankees won a coin flip yesterday and will host the Boston Red Sox if a one game playoff is needed to break a tie for the AL East title. The Yankees, who trail the Red Sox by three games, end the regular season with three games at Fenway Park. If the teams finish with identical records and the wild-card club comes from another division, the Yankees and Red Sox would shift to New York for the tiebreaker game. In the event a tiebreaker is needed for the wild card, New York and Oakland would play at Cleveland, and Oakland would play at New York.
TENNIS
SHARAPOVA RETAINS TOP RANKING
Maria Sharapova regained her no. 1 ranking yesterday after reaching the U.S. Open semifinals, and Mary Pierce re-entered the top 10 for the first time in more than four years.
Sharapova reached no. 1 for the first time on August 22, bumping Lindsay Davenport from the top spot for the first time since October. But Davenport, who missed much of the summer with a back injury, went back to no. 1 the following week after winning at New Haven, Conn.
With Davenport back at no. 2, U.S. Open champion Kim Clijsters moved up a spot to no. 3, trading places with France’s Amelie Mauresmo, on the strength of her win. Justine Henin-Hardenne moved up two spots to fifth, and Venus Williams jumped from no. 10 to no. 7. Elena Dementieva is no. 8, followed by Serena Williams and Nadia Petrova.
– Associated Press