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Bring out the brooms

K.C. ALFRED / Union-Tribune

Padres reliever Treveor Hoffman is congratulated by catcher Nick Hundley afetr closing out a 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks on Wednesday afternoon at Petco Park. The Padres swept three from NL West-leading Arizona. Hundley's two-run homer off Randy Johnson sparked a rally after the Padres fell behind 4-0.

Injured Merriman opts to play

Aug. 27 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman has decided to begin the season despite two torn ligaments, the PCL and LCL, in his left knee, he said this morning.

"I'm going to play," Merriman said via text message to the Union-Tribune. "I'll deal with it when it's time to get surgery."

Columnists
For Merriman, lights out now is a bright idea	The challenge will now be to keep up with the Chinese

Chargers

Injured Merriman opts to begin season: Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman has decided to begin the season despite two torn ligaments in his left knee, he said this morning.

Padres

Padres complete sweep of D'backs: The Padres battle back from a 4-0 deficit with three in the seventh off Randy Johnson and two in the eighth off Chad Qualls for a 5-4 win and a three-game sweep of the NL West leaders.

2008 Olympics

Americans establish Olympic camp for Iraqi girls: During the next Summer Olympics in 2012, Sarah Hillyer hopes to be rooting for the Iraqi women's basketball team.

Del Mar Races

Gomez does bicoastal bounceback: Before the triumphs for Garrett Gomez came the fall. Sixth race, one week ago today. Gomez had to make a crash landing on the Polytrack at Del Mar when his mount, Bella Dancer, decided to take a sharp left a short way out of the gate, sending Gomez airborne.

SDSU Aztecs

Say goodbye to multiple losses vs. BCS teams: San Diego State finally has a nonconference dance card it can deal with. Now all it need do is exit the floor without falling on its face.

USD Toreros

Top-ranked USC beats USD on botched play: USD goalkeeper Brittany Cameron watched her teammates defend and remain focused at Torero Stadium last night.

High School Sports

Back in the saddle: Kari DiGiulio's definition of “a decade” apparently differs from that of most people.

Page 2

The 'Cardiff Kook' statue is gaining acceptance: The intersection at the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Manchester Avenue in Cardiff by the Sea is a busy one any day of the week, but on weekends it is particularly hectic.

Outdoors

Pair make hasty work of PCT trek with nary a spat: One of the amazing things about Scott Williamson and Tattoo Joe Kisner's recent speed hiking record on the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail is that they never had one disagreement.

Other Sports News

2:27 p.m. Aug. 27 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
San Diego triathlete dies from bike accident injuries: Barbara Warren, one of San Diego's most accomplished endurance athletes, died Tuesday night in a Santa Barbara hospital after being paralyzed in a bike accident. She was 65.

8:46 a.m. Aug. 27 (AP)

Dixon closing in on 2nd championship: If Scott Dixon can hang on and win the championship, he's going to appreciate this one a whole lot more than the title he took six years ago as an IndyCar Series rookie.

BRISTOL, Tenn., 11:24 a.m. Aug. 27 (AP)

Biffle the unheralded driver lurking in top 10: Most drivers near the top of the Sprint Cup points standings get more attention than Greg Biffle these days.

Aug. 27 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Merriman visits another specialist: Linebacker Shawne Merriman will be back at Chargers Park today after seeing a specialist yesterday in Coral Gables, Fla.

Aug. 27 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Rocket-armed 9-year-old hoping for a legal curve: The question of whether a 9-year-old can be barred from pitching in the Youth Baseball League of New Haven (Conn.) because he's too fast is headed to court. Attorney John Williams tells the New Haven Register he plans to take legal action this week if the league doesn't back down.

Aug. 27 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

On the air / local events:

9:04 p.m. Aug. 26 (AP)
BMW Oracle Racing sailors tri-high over new boat: It's big enough to fill the diamond of a major league baseball field and is just a few feet shorter than an NBA court.

NEW YORK, 7:39 p.m. Aug. 26 (AP)
Ivanovic rallies, avoids major upset at U.S. Open: Ana Ivanovic raised her racket, ready for an easy overhead slam in what was shaping up as an easy match.

DES MOINES, Iowa, 6:45 p.m. Aug. 26 (AP)
Olympic gold medal-winner returns home: The story, as told by Shawn Johnson, goes like this: She was headed to David Letterman's show Monday from Chicago when the airline reported a problem.

NEW YORK, 6:07 p.m. Aug. 26 (AP)

Tennis stars going glam at Grand Slams: Models have the runway, actresses the red carpet and – when it comes to showing off their latest styles – tennis players have center court.

SAN FRANCISCO, 5:46 p.m. Aug. 26 (AP)

Report: Jones in Bay Area during Graham trial: Federal prosecutors briefly moved disgraced sprinter Marion Jones from a Texas prison to the San Francisco Bay area three months ago in case they needed her to testify against her former track coach on trial for lying to investigators, according to a published report.

5:08 p.m. Aug. 26 (AP)

U.S. Open at a glance: A look at Tuesday's play at the $20.657 million U.S. Open tennis championships: WEATHER: Sunny and beautiful. High of 79.

SAN ANTONIO, 4:54 p.m. Aug. 26 (AP)

Hammon reflects on Olympic journey with Russia: Back in the U.S. with a gleaming bronze medal in hand, Becky Hammon said the controversy surrounding her decision to play basketball for Russia in Beijing has given her fresh perspective on life and humbled her.

4:28 p.m. Aug. 26 (AP)

Sorenson to join Gillett Evernham Motorsports: Reed Sorenson isn't waiting for Chip Ganassi Racing to figure out the Car of Tomorrow. The 22-year-old driver signed a multiyear contract to join Gillett Evernham Motorsports next season, where he'll join Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler.

NEW YORK, 4:19 p.m. Aug. 26 (AP)

Safin and Safina, siblings starring at Open: It's do as I say, not as I do when it comes to Marat Safin and his up-and-coming sister Dinara Safina.

NEW YORK, 12:22 p.m. Aug. 26 (REUTERS)

Ivanovic stays alive by winning ugly: Ana Ivanovic needed every scrap of her youthful ebullience on Tuesday to narrowly avoid the humiliation of becoming the first top-seeded woman to lose in the opening round of the U.S. Open.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., 12:12 p.m. Aug. 26 (AP)

Super Bowl hero David Tyree on PUP list: Wide receiver David Tyree was placed on the physically-unable-to-perform reserve list by the New York Giants on Tuesday, meaning the player who made a game-saving catch in the Super Bowl won't be making any for at least the first six weeks of the season.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., 12:08 p.m. Aug. 26 (AP)

Format change for Shootout at Daytona: The Budweiser Shootout at Daytona will be around at least three more years with a new format that places the emphasis on the four manufacturers in NASCAR's Sprint Cup series.

CLEVELAND, 11:56 a.m. Aug. 26 (AP)

Browns' Jurevicius to miss first 6 weeks of season: Cleveland Browns wide receiver Joe Jurevicius will miss the first six weeks of the regular season while he recovers from knee surgery.

RUIDOSO DOWNS, N.M., 11:47 a.m. Aug. 26 (AP)

New Mexico horse goes for record win Sunday: Peppers Pride trainer Joel Marr will use Lincoln Handicap at Ruidoso Downs on Sunday to try for a North American record 17th victory in 17 starts.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga., 11:36 a.m. Aug. 26 (AP)

Falcons move Foster, Lewis off active roster: The Atlanta Falcons reduced their roster to 75 players by moving offensive tackle Renardo Foster and defensive tackle Trey Lewis off their active list on Tuesday.

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y., 9:02 a.m. Aug. 26 (AP)

Mangini likely to sit Favre vs. Eagles: Jets coach Eric Mangini says he's leaning toward not playing quarterback Brett Favre in the team's preseason finale at Philadelphia.

Aug. 26 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

San Diego Tennis Hall of Fame comes to life: The San Diego Tennis Hall of Fame began with an idea and three cabinets. The idea was Larry Belinsky's who, then being in the furniture business, also came up with the cabinets.

Aug. 26 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

San Diego second-worst city to be a sports fan: According to Forbes.com, America's Finest City has the dubious distinction of being America's second-worst city in which to be a sports fan. Miami gets the honor of the worst city.

Aug. 26 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Giants want Strahan back from retirement: The New York Giants are interested in luring Michael Strahan out of retirement after losing Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora to a season-ending knee injury Saturday night.

Aug. 24 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
No bad apples in New York: “The Grapple in the Apple.” Go to your corners, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, and come out winging backhands and forehands.

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In the newspaper:

All's fairly well that ends well

For Merriman, lights out now is a bright idea

Padres walk off winners in ninth

What we (dread or) await in college football '08

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Sports Blog

Chicago Muscle: Wayne Catalano made his first trip to Del Mar a big one yesterday by winning the Grade II Pat O'Brien Handicap with Frank Calabrese's 5-year-old horse, Lewis Michael. Now Lewis...

Baseball

Baseball to start using instant replay Thursday: Replay ball! Umpires will be allowed to check video on home run calls starting Thursday after Major League Baseball, guardian of America's most traditional sport, reversed its decades-long opposition to instant replay.

NFL

Romo looking ahead to Cowboys' regular season: Tony Romo is already talking about the preseason in past tense. Romo doesn't expect to play in the Dallas Cowboys' preseason finale Thursday night at home against Minnesota. Instead, the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback is focusing on the season opener at Cleveland.

NBA

Former Trail Blazers Kevin Duckworth dies at 44: Former Portland Trail Blazers center Kevin Duckworth, a “gentle giant” with a feathery touch from the paint, has died. He was 44.

Golf

Taking a less vehement look at the Olympics: The phone rang a couple of Tuesdays ago and the vaguely familiar voice on the other end of the line was that of PGA Tour Vice President Ty Votaw.

Soccer

Top-ranked USC beats USD on botched play: USD goalkeeper Brittany Cameron watched her teammates defend and remain focused at Torero Stadium last night.

College Football

What we (dread or) await in college football '08: The rest of the college football world is willing to wait 15 more weeks before announcing the winners of major awards, including the Heisman Trophy.

College Basketball

Larry Hennessy, Villanova hoops great, dies at 79: Larry Hennessy, an All-American at Villanova who played in the NBA, has died. He was 79. Hennessy died Wednesday in Williamsburg, Va., according to a statement from the school.

Other Columnists

Musically speaking, this one's a home run: Music and baseball have always seemed to go together. And now, at a CD outlet near you, comes “The Baseball Project: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails” on Yeproc Records.

Manny could reverse curse of the Dodgers' bad moves: On so many levels, the big deal really was a no-brainer. The franchise that's gone from brilliant to brainless just made a trade for a player who often seems to act like he doesn't have a brain in his head.

Paul Brown would frown at son's move: It must have occurred to you as it did to me after Mike Brown stunningly, and I think wrongly, returned Chris Henry to the good graces of the Cincinnati Bengals: his father would not have done that.