Off the wire

LITTLE ROCK — BASEBALL

Matheny has ruptured disk

St. Louis Cardinals Manager Mike Matheny has a ruptured disk in his back. Matheny, a major-league catcher from 1994-2006, is scheduled to have an epidural injection today to reduce inflammation and get a particle off a nerve. If the injection doesn’t help alleviate pain, he said surgery would “have to be something we would consider.” Starting his second season as the Cardinals’ manager, Matheny has had back issues for several years. “I’ve had problems for a long time, off and on,” he said Sunday. “I’ve been on a program to kind of strengthen it, but ... something set it off in a bad direction. I don’t know exactly what it was. Matheny did not travel with the team to Kissimmee, Fla., on Friday, citing back pain and food poisoning. He returned to manage the Cardinals on Saturday in Jupiter.

Jeff Samardzija will be the opening-day starter for the Chicago Cubs, who said Matt Garza will start the season on the disabled list because of an injured muscle in his side that is preventing the right-hander from throwing. Cubs Manager Dale Sveum said Sunday that Samardzija will start at Pittsburgh on April 1. He was 9-13 with a 3.81 ERA last season, when he had a 2.39 ERA in his last seven starts. Samardzija will be joined in the rotation by Travis Wood, Carlos Villanueva, Edwin Jackson and Scott Feldman.

Baseball players’ union head Michael Weiner said toughening penalties for drug violations will have to wait until the 2014 season. The current sanctions have been in place since the 2006 season: 50 games for a first offense, 100 for a second and a lifetime ban for a third. Selig said Saturday that he wanted increased penalties as soon as possible. Weiner said “it’s going to be a 2014 issue” and “we’re not going to change the rules of the game in the middle of the season.” He spoke Sunday after meeting with the Baltimore Orioles as part of his tour of the 30 spring-training camps.

Detroit Tigers officials said reliever Brayan Villarreal is not expected to leave spring training after his family escaped unharmed from a kidnapping attempt in Venezuela on Friday night. Villarreal, 25, has remained with the team. Manager Jim Leyland did not want to comment further about the matter, saying Sunday that “the less said, the better.” Villarreal went 3-5 with a 2.63 ERA last year in 50 appearances. The right-hander struck out 66 hitters in 54 2/3 innings.

ATHLETICS

Leer, Cain win mile races

Will Leer ran the fastest indoor time run “at altitude” in winning the men’s mile at the USA Indoor Track & Field Championships on Sunday in Albuquerque, N.M. His winning time was 3 minutes, 58.79 seconds. In track and field, altitude is defined as 3,281 feet and Sunday’s race site is 5,085 feet. Leer also won the 3,000-meter run Saturday, giving him his first two national championships in a weekend. Also, 16-year-old Mary Cain, a high school junior, won the women’s mile and became the first high school student to win a national indoor or outdoor championship since Allyson Felix in 2003. Cain used a big kick, taking off with 200 meters to go to build a big lead, then held on to the finish. Jeremy Wariner won the men’s 400 meters in a time of 45.82. It was his first indoor race since 2004. Ryan Whiting won the men’s shot put with a throw of 71 feet, 6 1/4 inches.

TENNIS Gulbis wins 2nd title

Qualifier Ernests Gulbis beat Edouard Roger-Vasselin 7-6 (3), 6-3 on Sunday for his second title at the Delray Beach International Championships in Del Ray Beach, Fla. The 109th-ranked Gulbis, who also won this tournament in 2010, is the first qualifier to reach a finalthis season. The last qualifier to win an ATP World Tour title was Jarkko Nieminen of Finland at the 2012 Sydney tournament. This also was the first time since 2007 in Houston that two players ranked outside of the top 100 reached the final. Then 108th-ranked Ivo Karlovic defeated then 156th-ranked Mariano Zabaleta in that final.

GOLF

Jacket sale subject of suit

The green jacket awarded to the winner of the Masters is at the center of a lawsuit over whether one of them can be sold at auction. Dr. Steven Pyles, a Tampa, Fla., collector of golf memorabilia, bought a green jacket he believes was worn by Art Wall, Jr. when he won the tournament in 1959. After paying $62,000 for it, he wants to sell it through Heritage Auctions of Dallas for a profit. Five days before the auction was scheduled to begin, Augusta National Incorporated moved to halt the sale. A hearing in the case is scheduled for today in Dallas. The collector told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the jackets and any memorabilia from the premier tournament are in high demand and sell for thousands of dollars. He contends that winner’s jackets are available for sale. A green jacket belonging to the famed Bobby Jones sold at auction in 2011for $311,000. Augusta National Incorporated claims in its lawsuit that all green jackets are the property of Augusta National and that this particular jacket was stolen from its clubhouse. Mark Senter, the attorney for Pyles and Heritage Auctions said there is no police report to back up a claim of theft.

BASKETBALL AD, 3 others arrested

West Liberty University Athletic Director James Watson and three others are facing misdemeanor charges following a disturbance at a Charleston, W. Va., hotel. Charleston police tell media outlets the incident occurred Saturday night after West Liberty won its third consecutive championship at the West Virginia Conference men’s basketball tournament in Charleston. Watson, 66, is charged with obstructing an officer and battery of an officer. His 28-year-old son, Brian Watson of Wheeling, is charged with public intoxication, disorderly conduct, fleeing and obstructing an officer. Tyler Tucci, 22, and Gabrielle Davis, 21, are charged with obstructing. According to the school’s website, Tucci is a football player and Davis is a volleyball player. West Liberty President Robin C. Capehart said in a statement that he and the university fully support James Watson.

HOCKEY Zolnierczyk suspended

The NHL has suspended Philadelphia Flyers forward Harry Zolnierczyk four games for charging Ottawa defenseman Mike Lundin, who sustained a concussion. The play happened Saturday midway through the first period of the Flyers’ 2-1 victory. Zolnierczyk launched himself into Lundin as the Ottawa forward was cutting into the Flyers’ zone. Zolnierczyk received a major penalty for charging and a game misconduct on the play. He will be fined just under $13,000.

FOOTBALL Mayor: Stadium details soon

Mayor Kasim Reed said details for a proposed stadium deal for the Atlanta Falcons should be on the desks of Atlanta City Council members by the end of March. Reed’s remarks came during a recent special work session called by the council, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The newspaper reported that the current version of the deal calls for the city issue $200 million in bonds backed by hotel-motel tax revenue to partly fund a $1 billion stadium. The council would have to approve a funding deal. Reed is in talks with the Falcons and the Georgia World Congress Center because the lease on the Georgia Dome ends in 2017. The team has said it wants a new stadium or it may look to locate outside of Atlanta.