In Brief

BASEBALL

MLB hands Tigers' Young seven-game suspension

Delmon Young was suspended by Major League Baseball on Monday for seven days without pay following his arrest on a hate crime harassment charge last week in New York.

The commissioner's office said the suspension is retroactive to Friday, when Young was arrested after a late-night tussle at his hotel during which police say he yelled anti-Semitic epithets.

"Those associated with our game should meet the responsibilities and standards that stem from our game's stature as a social institution," commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. "An incident like this cannot and will not be tolerated. I understand that Mr. Young is regretful, and it is my expectation that he will learn from this unfortunate episode."

The statement from the commissioner's office also said that Young would be required to participate in a treatment program. He is eligible for reinstatement from the restricted list May 4.

Also: New York Mets starter Mike Pelfrey will have season-ending Tommy John surgery on his right elbow today.

The team announced the news after Pelfrey, who is 0-0 with a 2.29 ERA in three starts this season, was examined by Dr. James Andrews. Andrews determined that Pelfrey needed the surgery despite the ligament only being partially torn.

A federal court jury in Washington saw snippets of pitcher Roger Clemens denying steroid use at a now-famous 2008 congressional hearing, then listened as Clemens' lawyer tried in fits and starts to declare that proceeding to be "nothing more than a show trial" that shouldn't have taken place.

The perjury retrial of the seven-time Cy Young Award winner entered its third week, which unfolded as yet another session was bogged down by objections. The day ended, however, with a cliffhanger that could prove crucial to the outcome.

The judge appears on the verge of deciding whether the government can broaden its case by bringing in witnesses such as former Clemens teammate Chuck Knoblauch, who has acknowledged use of human growth hormone, as stated in the Mitchell Report on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball. The Clemens team doesn't want such testimony to reach the ears of the largely baseball-ignorant jury, but prosecutors argued it's a necessary rebuttal if Clemens' lawyer continues to question the motive behind the hearing.

PRO BASKETBALL

Bobcats dismiss Silas after record losing season

Paul Silas is out as Charlotte Bobcats coach after the worst season in NBA history.

Silas just completed the final year of his contract, and the decision was made not to bring him back after Charlotte finished 7-59 for the worst winning percentage in league history (.106).

"We have been talking internally about what is best for us going forward," Bobcats president of basketball operations Rod Higgins said at a news conference. "The record speaks for itself. When you look at the youthfulness of this roster, we just all felt collectively that change was something we wanted to do at this time."

The 68-year-old Silas told The Associated Press late in the year he wanted to "see things through" and coach one more season.

Also: Jeremy Lin took part in another practice with the New York Knicks, and the team said it hopes to know more later this week about when the guard might be able to return to the lineup.

Lin participated in the team's game-day shootaround before its playoff matchup with the Heat, the fourth straight day that Lin did some on-court work in Miami.

The guard who was the biggest story in the NBA after putting up big numbers in February had surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left knee four weeks ago.

Los Angeles Lakers forward Jordan Hill faces a felony assault charge after an incident with his girlfriend in Houston.

Hill is charged with allegedly shoving and choking 28-year-old Darlene Luna, about 1 p.m. on Feb. 29 at his Houston apartment. Luna told police that the two had been dating for about two years. He was charged by Harris County prosecutors in March.

Los Angeles Clippers forward Caron Butler is likely out for the rest of the playoffs after breaking his left hand in Game 1 against Memphis. The team said Butler is expected to be sidelined four to six weeks after getting hurt late in the third quarter of the Clippers' 99-98 win Sunday night.

Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo was suspended for Game 2 of the opening-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks. The NBA announced its decision less than 24 hours after Rondo stuck out his chest to bump referee Marc Davis while complaining about a call in the final minute of Boston's 83-74 loss in Game 1 on Sunday.

MISCELLANEOUS

Trainer unsure of running Mark Valeski in Derby

Trainer Larry Jones is still debating whether to run Mark Valeski in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.

Even a solid workout by the colt didn't settle things. Named for a longtime friend of owner-breeder and former Kentucky governor Brereton C. Jones, Mark Valeski went five furlongs in 1 minute, 0.20 seconds, equaling the fastest of 28 drills at that distance at Churchill Downs in Louisville.

Jones said he is playing it cautiously, waiting to see how the colt responds over the next two mornings. Mark Valeski was runner-up in his last two races, missing by a nose in the Risen Star Stakes and by a half-length in the Louisiana Derby.

Also: The New York Racing Association placed its top executive on unpaid administrative leave pending a state investigation into $8.5 million in winnings that weren't paid out to bettors on horse races.

Hours after the state Racing and Wagering Board's interim report on the unpaid winnings was released, NYRA's executive committee put CEO Charles Hayward on unpaid leave for an unspecified amount of time. Hayward's annual pay is $475,000.

Boise State standout quarterback Kellen Moore agreed to a free-agent deal with Detroit, giving the Lions someone to develop behind starter Matthew Stafford and backup Shaun Hill.

Athletes First spokeswoman Savannah Wall confirmed the agreement after Moore wasn't picked in last week's NFL Draft. Moore is represented by David Dunn, chairman of Athletes First.

Moore won 50 games in college, a Football Bowl Subdivision record for a starting quarterback, but wasn't among the 253 players taken in the draft.

Record-setting Houston quarterback Case Keenum said he will sign as an undrafted free agent with the Houston Texans, the team he was hoping would give him his shot.

At Houston, Keenum became the Football Bowl Subdivision's career leader in yards passing (19,217) and touchdown passes (155). He's the only FBS quarterback to throw for more than 5,000 yards in three seasons.

The United States will play Argentina, France and Tunisia in the first round of the Olympic men's basketball tournament in London.

The U.S. was drawn into Group A, which will include two more teams from a last-chance qualifying tournament in Venezuela in July.

Spain, runner-up to the U.S. in the Beijing Games, was drawn into Group B along with Australia, Brazil, China and Britain. The third qualifier from the Venezuela tournament will also be in Group B.

The American women's team was drawn into Group A along with China and Angola. The first, second and fourth teams from a June qualifying tournament in Turkey will also join Group A. Group B has Australia, Brazil, Britain, Russia, and the third and fifth qualifiers from the June tourney.

The UNLV women's golf team qualified for its 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament and will be the No. 16 seed in the West Regional at Erie, Colo., May 10 through May 12.

Centennial High School girls basketball junior Breanna Workman made an oral commitment to Arizona last weekend, Bulldogs coach Karen Weitz said.

Workman, a 6-foot-1-inch forward, was a second-team all-state pick as a junior after averaging 9.3 points and 6.6 rebounds to help Centennial (29-3) win the Sunset Region title.