Off the wire

LITTLE ROCK — FOOTBALL

Jones has sprained knee

Dallas Cowboys running back Felix Jones (Arkansas Razorbacks) has a sprained posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and his status for Sunday's game at Denver is uncertain. A magnetic resonance imaging taken Tuesday showed Jones hurt his ligament during the Cowboys' 21-7 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Monday night. He gained 94 yards on eight attempts, including a 40-yarder on his final carry when he likely was hurt already. He also gained 20 yards on a reception. Coach Wade Phillips said Jones probably hurt his knee in the first half, but had enough adrenaline to keep going. After cooling off at halftime, he probably felt it more after the long run. He rode a stationary bicycle on the sideline and returned for two more snaps but didn't get the ball, and then was done for the night. Jones hurt a thigh in the opener and last year, as a rookie, he was limited to six games because of hamstring and toe problems. Starting running back Marion Barber missed Monday's game with a strained left thigh.

The NFL suspended St. Louis Rams linebacker David Vobora without pay for four games for violating its policy on performance enhancing substances. Vobora was the last overall pick of last year's draft. He became a starter this year.

The Miami Dolphins placed Chad Pennington on the reserve injured list, ending his season and creating a roster spot for quarterback Tyler Thigpen, who was acquired Tuesday from the Kansas City Chiefs for an undisclosed draft pick. Pennington hurt his right shoulder Sunday at San Diego, an injury that leaves his career in jeopardy. At 33, he likely faces a third operation on the shoulder since 2005.Thigpen shores up depth behind second-year pro Chad Henne, who is expected to make his first NFL start Sunday against Buffalo. Rookie Pat White is the Dolphins' other quarterback. Thigpen, a third-year pro, went 1-10 as a starter for the woeful Chiefs last year and threw for 2,608 yards with 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Kansas City acquired Matt Cassel in the offseason, and Thigpen lost a battle this year with Brodie Croyle for the No. 2 job.

Four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, 32, is back for a third run with the Philadelphia Eagles. He signed a one-year contract after spending a year out of the NFL. The Eagles released quarterback Jeff Garcia to make room for Trotter. Garcia was signed as an emergency backup after Donovan McNabb cracked a rib in the season opener. Trotter had been working part time as a talk-show host at WIP-AM.

BASKETBALL

Taurasi WNBA's MVP

Phoenix Mercury start Diana Taurasi was the runaway winner for MVP in the WNBA. It's the first MVP award for the four-time WNBA all-star, who led the league in scoring at 23.8 points per game in her sixth pro season after being drafted No. 1 out of Connecticut in 2004. Taurasi, a member of two gold medal Olympic teams, helped the Mercury post the best record in the WNBA at 23-11 and reach the WNBA final. "In my career you get a lot of awards, like first team all-star, but this really means a lot," Taurasi said. Taurasi received 27 first-place votes and 323 points overall in ballots cast by a panel that included representatives of every WNBA market and members of the national media. Runner-up Tamika Catchings of the Indiana Fever got three first-place votes and 163 points. Katie Douglas of Indiana got five first-place votes and128 points, and Taurasi's teammate Cappie Pondexter got one first place votes and 99 points.

Cappie Pondexter missed a game winning tip-in at the fourth-quarter buzzer then scored seven of her 23 points in overtime to help the host Phoenix Mercury escape with a 120-116 victory over the Indiana Fever Tuesday night in the opener of the best-of-5 WNBA Finals. Penny Taylor scored 23 points and DianaTaurasi 22 for Phoenix in the highest-scoring game in WNBA history. Katie Douglas tied it with a three pointer for Indiana with 7.1 seconds left in regulation, then scored eight in overtime to match her career playoff high 30 points. Ebony Hoffman scored a career-high 27 points on 12 of 14 shooting as the Fever set a franchise scoring record in just the second 100-point game.

The NBA told teams it's going ahead with replacement referees, days after the league thought a deal had been reached with locked-out officials. The league informed teams it had "no expectation of concluding a timely labor contract." According to a league memo, the sides had agreed in principle on a new two year deal Friday. But the National Basketball Referees Association rejected the NBA's proposal Sunday. The NBA held referees training camp with replacements over the weekend. The first preseason game is scheduled for Thursday. The contract between the league and its officials expired Sept. 1 and they have been unable to reach a new deal.Negotiations broke down at least twice as the sides remained apart on the league's proposed changes to the referees' pension and severance packages, as well as a plan to develop younger officials.

GOLF

Bay Hill changes par

As owner at Bay Hill in Orlando, Fla., Arnold Palmer doesn't want to see PGA Tour players light up the scoreboard. As one of the game's great entertainers, Palmer also appreciates that the fans like to see birdies. Bay Hill will return to being a par 72 for the Arnold Palmer Invitational after the tournament host reluctantly agreed that fans would rather see players score below par, and that a par 5 on the finishing holes could make the PGA Tour event more exciting. The club switched to a par 70 the past three years by converting two par 5s into par 4s, including the 16th hole, which often is pivotal in deciding the tournament. It returns to a par 5 at 511 yards. The fourth hole also will be changed back to a par 5. The course played at 7,162 yards as a par 70. Palmer said it would be about 7,400 yards as a par 72. The 18th tee also has been moved back, although only about 10 yards.

Pro Football Hall of Fame-nominated wide receiver Jerry Rice is making his professional golf debut as a tournament host and player at the Nationwide Tour's Stonebrae Classic at the TPC San Francisco Bay at Stonebrae in Hayward, Calif., on April 15-18. The Jerry Rice 127 Foundation has been named the primary receiver of the tournament's charity proceeds. Rice agreed to be tournament host, and he received a sponsor's exemption.

SOCCER

U.S. wins at under-20 Cup

The United States defeated Cameroon 4-1 in Suez, Egypt, at the under-20 World Cup, rebounding from an opening 3-0 loss to Germany. Bryan Arguez scored in first-half injury time, Tony Taylor scored in the 47th minute, Dilly Duka scored in the 73rd minute and Brian Ownby scored in second-half injury time. Germany (1-0-1) leads Group C with four points.The United States (1-1) and Cameroon (1-1) have three points each.

TENNIS

Sharapova wins in Japan

Maria Sharapova, the former top-ranked player who has been struggling since returning from a 10-month injury layoff, beat Samantha Stosur 6-0, 6-1 in the second round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. Third-seeded Elena Dementieva lost to qualifier Kateryna Bondarenko 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-1.

Marat Safin defeated fifth-seeded Philipp Petzschner 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 in the first round of the Thailand Open in Bangkok. Safin avenged a loss to Petzschner in the first round last year.

Wild-card Joachim Johansson beat Lleyton Hewitt 7-6 (7), 6-3 in the first round of the Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur.

GOLF Palmer to receive Congressional Gold Medal

ORLANDO, Fla. - Arnold Palmer is going back to the White House to meet another president and collect another medal.

Palmer, who turned 80 on Sept. 10, said Tuesday that he has been selected to receive a Congressional Gold Medal, an honor that has been around since the American Revolution and recognizes distinguished achievements and contributions.

Beyond his seven major championships, Palmer used his charisma and hard-charging style to make an elite sport popular with the masses. In golf circles, he is known simply as "The King."

Palmer was scheduled to go to the White House today, where President Barack Obama was to sign the Arnold Palmer Gold Medal Act.

He also received the National Sports Award from former President Bill Clinton in 1993, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from former President George W. Bush in 2004.

Palmer is the second golfer to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, which must be co-sponsored by two-thirds of the House and Senate.

Byron Nelson received the medal shortly after his death in 2006. The medal has been presented 141 times, the first one to George Washington in 1776.

"I didn't know George Washington," Palmer said with a grin. "But if I did, I would shake his hand and say, 'You're the first, and I won't be the last.' "