Off the wire

— BASEBALL Fisk charged with DUI

Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk has been charged with driving under the influence and other misdemeanors after being found asleep in his pickup in a cornfield, police in suburban Chicago said Tuesday. New Lenox Deputy Chief Robert Pawlisz said officers found Fisk, 64, behind the wheel late Monday with an open bottle of vodka on the truck’s floor. Fisk was taken to a hospital for treatment and released from custody after posting bail, Pawlisz said. He has a court appearance scheduled for Nov. 29 in Will County. Besides the DUI charge, he faces charges of lane-use violation and illegal transportation of alcohol. New Lenox is about 35 miles southwest of downtown Chicago.

FOOTBALL Sources: Lee done

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee is facing surgery on his right big toe. According to several reports Tuesday night, including one on the team’s own website, Lee has ligament damage in his toe that will require surgery and could end his season. Lee, the team’s leading tackler with 58 stops, got hurt in the second half of Sunday’s victory at Carolina. He was on crutches after the game. Coach Jason Garrett said Monday that the team was still awaiting results of a magnetic resonance imaging on Lee’s toe. There was no availability Tuesday when the team had its normal off day.Dan Connor, a free-agent addition during the offseason, would likely replace Lee in the lineup.

The Washington Redskins have released running back Ryan Grant and brought back running back Keiland Williams. Grant was signed last month after a pair of injuries left the backfield depleted behind starter Alfred Morris. The former Green Bay Packers back appeared in only one game with Washington, rushing once for 5 yards. Williams was signed Tuesday. He started three games and rushed for 261 yards as an undrafted rookie with the Redskinsin 2010. He spent last season and the first part of this season with the Detroit Lions before being released last week.

HORSE RACING

Churchill gets September

Churchill Downs crossed the finish line a winner Tuesday in its quest for September racing, as Kentucky horse racing regulators awarded the track a third meet next year for the first time in its history. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission approved a 2013 racing calendar that sets aside 12 days of September racing at the home of the Kentucky Derby. Races will run Fridays through Sundays, and Churchill holds an option to add four Thursdays of racing if business is good. September racing dates traditionally went to Turfway Park in northern Kentucky, but the struggling suburban track conceded those prime dates to Churchill. Turfway couldn’t compete with thehigher purse money Churchill can award horsemen. Churchill Downs President Kevin Flanery told reporters that daily purses will average between $200,000 and $240,000 during Churchill’s September meet. By contrast, Turfway’s purses averaged $97,000 per day during its meet last month.

New York’s top court has rejected Kentucky Derby-winning thoroughbred trainer Rick Dutrow Jr.’s appeal to overturn his 10-year ban by state regulators because of what he claimed were substantial civil rights issues. In asking the Court of Appeals to hear Dutrow’s case, attorney Michael Koenig said it should decide whether the appearance of bias by Racing and Wagering Board Chairman John Sabini cost the trainer his right to a fair proceeding over drug violations. He argued Sabini had a conflicting role as an officer of the Association of Racing Commissioners International, which advocated revoking his license. Tuesday’s dismissal says there is “no substantial constitutional question involved.” The ban has been stayed pending appeals.

TENNIS

Williams opens with victory

In her first match since winning the U.S. Open in September, Serena Williams defeated Angelique Kerber 6-4, 6-1 Tuesday in Istanbul to start round-robin play in the season-ending event featuring the top eight players in the world. In White Group matches, Agnieszka Radwanska defeated titleholder Petra Kvitova 6-3, 6-2, and Maria Sharapova defeated Sara Errani 6-3, 6-2 in a repeat of the French Open final. Sharapova’s victory means she can still wrestle the No. 1 ranking from Victoria Azarenka, who plays today.

Sam Querrey of the United States defeated Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 7-6 (4) Tuesday at the Valencia (Spain) Open. Top-seeded David Ferrer edged Olivier Rochus 7-5, 7-5 to reach the second round, and Nicolas Almagro stopped Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-3, 7-6 (4) to help his chances of reaching the ATP World Tour Finals. He’ll play Querrey next. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga retired with a back injury trailing 3-1 against Xavier Malisse. Tsonga holds the eighth and final qualifying spot for the ATP Finals ahead of Janko Tipsarevic, who also retired because of injury trailing 5-4 against Gilles Simon.

SOCCER U.S., Germany tie

Abby Wambach scored for the 23rd time this year, but the United States had to settle for a 2-2 tie with Germany on Tuesday in East Hartford, Conn., the teams’ second draw in four days. Dzenifer Marozsan scored twice for the Germans, including the tying goal in the 85th minute. Tobin Heath gave the U.S. a 2-1 lead in the 68th minute on an assist from Alex Morgan, who had two in the match. Goaltender Hope Solo made six saves for the Americans, who are on a celebration tour after their Olympic victory. The Germans had ended a 14-match winning streak for the Americans with a 1-1 draw in Chicago on Saturday.

GOLF Harrington takes two-shot lead in Bermuda

SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda - Padraig Harrington, a playoff loser the two times he qualified for the PGA Grand Slam of Golf, gave himself a chance Tuesday to win as an alternate.

Harrington, who skipped the BMW Masters in Shanghai to play in Bermuda, made seven birdies for a 5-under-par 66 at Port Royal to take a two-shot lead over Masters champion Bubba Watson going into the final round of the 36-hole exhibition for the year’s four major champions.

U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson had a 69. Keegan Bradley, who replaced PGA champion Rory McIlroy, rounded out the four-man field with a 72.

Harrington was asked three days ago to fill in for British Open champion Ernie Els, who has a minor ankle injury. Despite a three-putt for bogey on No. 3, the Irishman regained some momentum with a birdie on the nexthole and kept it going.

Harrington took the lead with a birdie on No. 10 when Watson made double bogey. Harrington made birdies on the 14th and 15th, and then bounced back from a bogey on the 16th with his last birdie of the round at No. 17.

Watson held himself back with three-putts, but produced the shot of the day on the par-4 15th. From deep rough on the edge of a cliff, he hit 8-iron to 6 feet to reach 3 under for the round.

Bradley wasn’t bothered by being the only player over par, even being six shots behind. He was five shots behind with three holes to play in the PGA Championship last year in Atlanta and wound up winning a playoff over Jason Dufner.

The winner gets $600,000 from the $1.35 million purse. Harrington is trying to become the first European winner since Ian Woosnam of Wales in 1991.

Sports, Pages 24 on 10/24/2012

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