Memphis Grizzlies' Pau Gasol will be sidelined for four months after the Spanish center underwent a toe surgery, said the NBA team on Friday. Gasol, who broke his toe last week in Japan during Spain's semifinal win over Argentina at the world championship, will travel home on Monday for recovery and will return to Memphis to begin rehabilitation in two weeks. "We were very pleased with the surgery

Seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher has made a 'difficult' decision on his future, his manager Willi Weber said. Reports in Germany say Schumacher will announce his end-of-season retirement after Sunday's Italian Grand Prix. The 37-year-old German kept his cool, however, as the retirement rumors heated up at the eve of the race. He called for understanding on Thursday when reporters jammed the Ferrari motorhome

Los Angeles - The US Olympic Committee (USOC) has banned athletics coach Trevor Graham from using any of its training facilities. Graham is the coach of disgraced 100m world and Olympic champion and co-world record holder Justin Gatlin, who recently tested positive for testosterone. The Jamaican-born coach will not be allowed to use any USOC training facilities

Chase Utley's legs, along with a reconsidered official scoring call, helped him extend his hitting streak to 34 games. Utley kept the longest streak in the major leagues this year alive when the scorer changed his call on an eighth-inning grounder, then added a single in the ninth to help the Philadelphia Phillies rout the St. Louis Cardinals, 16-8, on Wednesday. Utley was 0 for 4 when, with the Phillies leading, 11-7, he hit a bouncer to the third-base side of the pitcher's mound

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has accused rebel William Gallas of showing him and his team-mates a lack of respect. The French defender, who has just a year left on his contract, did not report for training in the United States as the Barclays Premiership champions prepare for the new season. Gallas claims he is tired after his World Cup exertions, with France reaching the final before losing on penalties to Italy

Justin Gatlin's coach could face a two-year suspension if the Olympic and world champion sprinter is found guilty of a second doping violation, the sport's international governing body said yesterday. "Once we have enough evidence to prove it, then we have the power to prosecute him," spokesman Nick Davies said of Gatlin's coach, Trevor Graham. The International Association of Athletics Federations would act only if evidence links Graham to any doping violations and the U.S

David Ortiz hit a game-ending, three-run home run in the ninth inning Monday night to give the Boston Red Sox a 9-8 victory over the Cleveland Indians that kept them in sole possession of first place in the American League East. Ortiz, who also hit a home run in the third, got his second game-ending hit in three days and fifth of the year. It was his 12th in four seasons with Boston, most in the majors during that span

England midfielder Michael Carrick joined Manchester United on Monday in an 18.6-million-pound transfer from Tottenham. The 25-year-old Carrick completed the move after passing his medical at Old Trafford. He was United's first new signing of the summer break. United was able to meet Tottenham's asking price after it sold striker Ruud van Nistelrooy to Real Madrid for a reported 10 million pounds

Williams announced on July 27th that the team and Toyota have reached a three year engine supply partnership, starting in 2007. The deal comes as no surprise as Williams has long been expected to join forces with the Japanese manufacturer. Williams will run the same spec engines as the Toyota F1 team next season. “This agreement is the cornerstone of Williams’ challenge for the world championship,” he said

Brian McBride, the only US footballer to score in more than one World Cup, Thursday announced his retirement from international football. The 34-year-old McBride, who plays for Fulham in the English Premier League, is the second-leading scorer in U.S. national team history with 30 goals in 95 games. McBride’s decision brought an end to a 13-year international career that included appearances in the World Cup in 1998, 2002 and 2006