Knee Problems

NEW YORK - Knicks forward Amar'e Stoudemire is expected to miss the start of the regular season and be out two to three weeks because of an injured left knee. He returned to New York on Sunday for another evaluation, and an MRI exam revealed a ruptured benign cyst, the team said. Stoudemire had played in only one preseason game, sitting out the first two because of a bruised left knee. He scored 18 points Friday against Toronto in 27 minutes, then sat out again Saturday against Boston in Albany.

WHILE THE anticipation for the upcoming 76ers season has been filled with excitement and high expectations, one of the first words to come out of the mouth of coach Doug Collins was "disappointing. " That's because earlier during Monday's media day at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, the team announced that center Andrew Bynum, focus of much of the excitement, will miss the first 3 weeks of training camp. Bynum, who has had a series of knee problems throughout his 7-year career, is being shut down to maximize the effects of the Orthokine therapy he had on both knees in late September in Germany.

BY NOON ON Wednesday afternoon, the National Constitution Center seemed primed to explode. Hundreds of Sixers fans flooded the building, exuding an energy that no doubt had been bottled up since news of the team's acquisition of Andrew Bynum broke last Thursday. As Bynum and Jason Richardson made their way through the crowd, chants of "Beat LA" echoed throughout the center's halls. It was the Philadelphia version of a red-carpet reception, and Bynum, in his first public appearance as a 76er, needed only one sentence to blow the top off the building.

Defending Olympic champion Rafael Nadal pulled out of the London Games on Thursday, leaving the tennis competition without one of its leading stars and robbing Spain's team of its flag bearer for the opening ceremony. Nadal won the French Open for a record seventh time this year but has struggled with left knee problems at times during the season. Shortly after winning his 11th Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, he lost to 100th-ranked Lukas Rosol in the second round at Wimbledon. Nadal has not played since.

Their old legs may still cost the Boston Celtics this series against the younger, fresher Sixers. For a night, though, old heads prevailed over young legs in a big way. "This was a team that you could see did not want to be down two (games) to one, playing Game 4," Sixers coach Doug Collins said. "You could just see. They've been in a lot of these kinds of games. They know how important a swing game is to get that home court back. And they played great. " The Celtics may have knee problems and foot problems and ankle problems.

WHILE THE Phillies get set to start the season in Pittsburgh, Chase Utley is in Arizona taking the next step in his return from knee trouble. In consultation with the Phillies and their medical staff, Utley will work with his personal therapist in Phoenix beginning Wednesday. The hope, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said, is that Utley would join the team some time during its trip out West. The 10-game swing begins April 16 in San Francisco and also includes stops in San Diego and Arizona.

While the Phillies get set to start the season Thursday in Pittsburgh, Chase Utley will be in Arizona taking the next step in his return from knee trouble. In consultation with the Phillies and their medical staff, Utley will work with his personal therapist in Phoenix beginning Wednesday. The hope, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said, is that Utley will join the team during its trip to the West Coast. The 10-game swing begins April 16 in San Francisco and includes stops in San Diego and Arizona.

JUAN PIERRE led off by slapping a 200-foot double that clanked off the glove of lunging Pirates leftfielder Alex Presley, moved to third on a fly ball to center by Placido Polanco, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jimmy Rollins. So, small ball lives. But what of John Mayberry Jr.? Phillies manager Charlie Manuel insisted last night that he is not in the process of burying Mayberry, whom everyone thought was going to be given every opportunity to be the everyday leftfielder.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Already, the pronouncements have begun. The Phillies would be quite confident with 22-year-old Freddy Galvis in their Opening Day lineup. They do not feel any pressure to add a seasoned veteran. They have more than enough weapons to field a championship-caliber lineup. If all of this sounds remarkably familiar, it is probably because you spent the first few months of the offseason hearing similar statements about the shortstop position. And what you should do right now is what you did back then, which is trust that little voice inside of you that says that Ruben Amaro Jr. and his cadre of personnel men can't possibly believe what they are saying in public.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - They wore green on the field and in the stands Saturday, the annual spring sign that meaningful baseball is less than three weeks away. The crowds on the concourse at Bright House Field tested fire codes. The Phanatic did an Irish jig with two umpires. And the Phillies' aging infield suffered another blow. "Happy St. Patty's Day," Charlie Manuel said. These are the scenes that begin to sting as the calendar inches toward April: Ryan Howard again hobbled to the dugout in a boot.