Turf Toe

The turf toe that sidelined tight end Jeremy Shockey for the last two games might keep the New York Giants' rookie out of Monday night's game against the Eagles and bother him the rest of the season. The Giants' first-round draft pick didn't practice yesterday, and he said his playing status in the NFC East showdown will be a game-time decision by coach Jim Fassel. "If he says I can play at game time, I'm going to play," Shockey said. "If he says not to, I'm not going to play.

Deion Sanders will not return to the Dallas Cowboys until September, and even that might be a bit optimistic, team owner Jerry Jones said yesterday. "I know we won't see him in a preseason game," Jones said, confirming for the first time what had long been suspected. Sanders is in training camp but not practicing with the team as he rehabilitates his left big toe. He underwent surgery to fix an extreme case of turf toe in April. There had been no estimate of when the All-Pro cornerback might suit up until Jones said, "I see him really trying to push himself sometime in September.

Eagles tight end Mark Bavaro, a key ingredient in the team's pass- protection scheme, probably won't play in tomorrow's game against the Falcons because of a sprained (turf) toe, coach Rich Kotite said yesterday. "(Bavaro) didn't practice today," Kotite said, "and I'm not optimistic that he'll be available on Sunday. Injuries are a reality. You can't do anything about it but move on. " Former Temple Owl Maurice Johnson, the backup tight end, who played in all 16 games last season, will likely start in place of Bavaro.

Villanova senior guard Corey Stokes will miss his second consecutive game tonight when the 15th-ranked Wildcats (19-6, 7-5 Big East) try to break a two-game losing streak, at Seton Hall (11-14, 5-8). The team's second-leading scorer (14.6 points a game) and best three-point shooter (41.5 percent), Stokes is suffering from turf toe in his left foot. He also missed Saturday's three-point home loss to Pittsburgh, Villanova's first at the Pavilion in 47 games. In Wednesday's last-second loss at Rutgers, he wasn't a factor in the second half.

Nothing special is planned if Roberto Alomar plays in Baltimore's March 17 exhibition game, the first Orioles game that umpire John Hirschbeck is scheduled to work this year. Veterans often don't make trips during spring training, so it's not certain that the second baseman and Hirschbeck will be on the same field at Fort Myers, Fla., where the Orioles play the Red Sox that afternoon. "Robbie and the Orioles are trying to put this behind us," Baltimore assistant general manager Kevin Malone said yesterday at Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "He apologized and is looking ahead.

Jim Harbaugh yesterday apologized for punching NBC sportscaster Jim Kelly last week, although the Indianapolis Colts quarterback stopped short of admitting he had done anything wrong. The incident took place Saturday night in San Diego, where Kelly was to broadcast Sunday's game between the Colts and Chargers for NBC. Kelly, a former Buffalo quarterback, earlier had described Harbaugh as a "baby" who lacked courage and who "overdramatized" his injuries. "First, I'd like to thank the people of Indiana for their continued support through what has so far been a very disappointing season," Harbaugh said during taping for this week's Jim Harbaugh Show.

Do-it-all wide Villanova receiver Matt Szczur will don another hat when the Wildcats host Towson in their home opener on Saturday. With backup freshman quarterback Dustin Thomas out due to a throat infection, Szczur will slide into that spot behind starter Chris Whitney. Szczur, who also returns kicks and leads Villanova in all-purpose yards, is second on the team in both rushing and receiving. "I'm hoping Whitney can last through the game," said Villanova coach Andy Talley, whose team is ranked No. 1 in the Football Championship Subdivision.

This could be it for Ricky Williams. He just doesn't want to play football. The 2002 NFL rushing champion rejected a deal to serve a four-game drug suspension this season and return to the field next season. He'll stay retired instead, and his lawyer, David Cornwell, doesn't believe Williams will play again. "Ricky indicated to me that he is no longer interested in resuming his career at this time," Cornwell said in a statement e-mailed to the Associated Press yesterday. The 1998 Heisman Trophy winner needed to let the league know his decision by yesterday so he could be moved from the retired list to the suspended list by the deadline.

A day after skipping practice following his arrest on a drunken-driving charge, Washington Redskins rookie safety Sean Taylor was granted an excused absence yesterday. In fact, the team told him to stay away until Monday. Taylor will be inactive for tomorrow's game against the Green Bay Packers, the fallout from being charged with driving under the influence and refusing a sobriety test after being stopped by a Virginia state trooper early Thursday. Taylor was not at Redskins Park for yesterday's practice.

The last time Alphonso Ford wore a 76ers uniform, he brought the ball upcourt the way Lonnie Smith used to run the bases for the Phillies. The nickname "Skates" would have applied to Ford, too. Each inbounds play by the Sixers under the other team's basket led to an adventure in getting the ball across the half-court line. Although Ford could flat-out score when he kept control of the ball, it was no surprise when the Sixers cut the second-round draft choice at the end of their 1993 training camp.

KEVIN KOLB had his right foot in a walking boot yesterday to protect a turf-toe injury and the Arizona quarterback said he had "no idea" whether he would be able to play in Sunday's home game against the St. Louis Rams. Kolb was injured early in Sunday's 30-27 loss at Baltimore but stayed in the game. "I did some things to help with the pain a little bit," he said, "then just tried to gut it out and try to come up with a victory. " If Kolb can't go, second-year pro John Skelton probably would get the start.

Alex Reber remembers the Penn Relays crowd. It was huge and loud last April when the Cherry Hill East anchor took the baton from Marcus Phillips in the South Jersey Large Schools 4x400-meter relay. Reber figures that he was trailing Larry Porter of Washington Township by 20-25 meters. He had to make up space and time in a hurry, and he did. "I passed him at the last part of the second curve," Reber said. "I had 70 meters left. I beat him by two, three seconds. " When Reber crossed the finish line, the Cougars won in 3 minutes, 21.42 seconds.

Alex Reber remembers the Penn Relays crowd. It was huge and loud last April when the Cherry Hill East anchor took the baton from Marcus Phillips in the South Jersey Large Schools 4x400-meter relay. Reber figures that he was trailing Larry Porter of Washington Township by 20-25 meters. He had to make up space and time in a hurry, and he did. "I passed him at the last part of the second curve," Reber said. "I had 70 meters left. I beat him by two, three seconds. " When Reber crossed the finish line, the Cougars won in 3 minutes, 21.42 seconds.

After missing the last three games with a sprained left big toe, or turf toe, Corey Stokes could be back in the lineup Monday night when 15th-ranked Villanova takes on No. 17 Syracuse at the Wells Fargo Center. Stokes, the Wildcats' second-leading scorer with a 14.6-point average, has not played since midway through the second half of a Feb. 9 game at Rutgers. He shot with his teammates before Saturday's game at DePaul and Sunday during a light practice. Villanova coach Jay Wright said Monday is the first day Stokes could go through a full workout, and he will be tested in drills to see if he can play without pain.

NEWARK, N.J. - With Villanova handling the basketball as if it had been soaked all night in soapy dishwater, the Wildcats needed someone - anyone - to come to the rescue against another pesky opponent from the lower reaches of the Big East. Tuesday night, with senior Corey Stokes out with an injury, and Corey Fisher and Maalik Wayns combining for six baskets and 12 turnovers, an unlikely freshman by the name of James Bell provided some important baskets that enabled the 15th-ranked Wildcats to gain a 60-57 victory over Seton Hall at the Prudential Center.

Villanova senior guard Corey Stokes will miss his second consecutive game tonight when the 15th-ranked Wildcats (19-6, 7-5 Big East) try to break a two-game losing streak, at Seton Hall (11-14, 5-8). The team's second-leading scorer (14.6 points a game) and best three-point shooter (41.5 percent), Stokes is suffering from turf toe in his left foot. He also missed Saturday's three-point home loss to Pittsburgh, Villanova's first at the Pavilion in 47 games. In Wednesday's last-second loss at Rutgers, he wasn't a factor in the second half.

It's hard to imagine a team suffering any worse of a kick to the stomach than Villanova absorbed at Rutgers on Wednesday. This kind of thing can linger. So that becomes the issue. As tough as it was, it's over. No one can do anything except move on. Speaking of which, fourth-ranked Pittsburgh is up next, tomorrow night at the Pavilion on ESPN. "In the Big East, you get to respond quickly," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "So the good news is you can get it out of your mind.

Depending on whether you cheer for Villanova or for Rutgers, you could call the Scarlet Knights' improbable last-second win over the Wildcats a comeback for the ages, or a collapse for the ages. But defining his team's 77-76 loss Wednesday in Piscataway, N.J., did not interest Jay Wright. The Villanova coach tried to get his players past the mind-numbing defeat and focused on No. 4 Pittsburgh, which will visit the Pavilion on Saturday night. To help the Wildcats prepare for Pitt, however, Wright had to endure watching the Rutgers tape again.

It's been a tough month for Corey Stokes, Villanova's top three-point shooting threat. He suffered a pulled hamstring on Jan. 9 against Cincinnati and played through the injury. Then on Jan. 29 against Maryland, he was diagnosed with turf toe, defined as a sprain at the base of the big toe. Again, he is playing through that. If the injuries aren't bad enough, however, Stokes is now confronting opposing defenses that are determined not to let him shoot, nor even handle the basketball.

Villanova senior Chris Whitney knows how to play quarterback only one way - as if he were a linebacker and it's the last game of his life. Which might explain why, even though he's played hurt all season, he's the guy who won't go down, even when several defenders have a hold of him. He just can't help himself. It's part of his DNA. "I can't change the way I do it," said the 6-2, 230-pound product of St. Joseph's Prep. "In high school, I played both sides of the ball. I'd be feeling sore Monday through Thursday.