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Jeter ruled out for 3 games

NEW YORK: New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is expected to miss at least three games with a strained upper left quadriceps, the team said on Tuesday.

"He probably won't play in this series and we'll shoot for the Red Sox series," Yankees manager Joe Girardi told Major League Baseball's official website (MLB.com) in Kansas City, where the Yankees began a three-game series.

Jeter felt the strain in Monday's 6-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Yankees' three-game series at Boston begins on Friday.

"We'll see where he's at after a couple of days and try to make a real evaluation," Girardi added. "We feel that it's not going to be two weeks. We're hoping sometime in the Boston series he'll be ready, but we'll have to see how he progresses."

Utility man Wilson Betemit started at shortstop in Tuesday's 5-2 loss at Kansas City.

Girardi said the Yankees had not discussed using Alex Rodriguez at shortstop while Jeter recovers, but the idea has not been ruled out.

Rose looks to sharpen short game

AUGUSTA, Georgia: A razor-sharp short game is a prerequisite at the US Masters and Britain's Justin Rose has decided to repeat the build-up that helped him into a tie for fifth place last year.

As he did 12 months ago, Rose used only two wedges and a putter for nine holes of practice on Tuesday in a bid to improve his touch on and around Augusta's slick, heavily contoured greens.

"It's a routine that serves me well at the majors where the premium is around the greens, and especially here at Augusta National," the 27-year-old Englishman said. "That's the part of the golf course that is really the most different to general play that we face week-in, week-out."

Rose, who clinched the European Tour Order of Merit for the first time last year by winning the season-ending Volvo Masters, spent two-and-a-half hours on Tuesday working on his short game.

"I was just trying to manage in where potential pin placements are and chipping and putting to those areas," he said after practicing with a sand wedge, a lob wedge and putter.

Pizarro denies indiscipline

LIMA, Peru: Peru striker Claudio Pizarro, banned from playing for his country for 18 months for alleged indiscipline, said Tuesday that he was innocent and accused the country's federation of bad management.

"I want the truth to see the light of day and I want to prove that I'm innoncent," the Chelsea player told RPP radio.

"I want the public to realize that I haven't committed any breach of discipline, above all, to be aware of the bad management of this football federation."

Pizarro has been suspended along with fellow strikers Jefferson Farfan and Andres Mendoza and defender Santiago Acasiete following alleged incidents at the team hotel in November after a World Cup qualifier against Brazil.

The bans were handed out last month but back-dated to November. The Peruvian federation has said that its case was based on evidence provided by a television station and hotel employees.

Venus cagey over withdrawal

AMELIA ISLAND, Florida: Venus Williams refused on Tuesday to elaborate on her reasons for pulling out of the Amelia Island Championships.

After losing in the Sony Ericsson Open quarterfinals last week, she announced that she was withdrawing from the Amelia Island tournament for medical reasons.

"I've been having some issues that I need to resolve, so I'm working on that at the moment," Williams, the world No 6 and a six-time Grand Slam winner, told reporters at Amelia Island.

"I'm aiming to be back playing as soon as possible. I love this tournament and it's important for me to come and say 'hi' to the fans and be a part of it.

"I'm not going to get any further into it. I love the sport and want to be back as soon as possible. I'm going to evaluate things week by week. Of course I want to be in Europe, I don't want to be at home watching on TV.

(China Daily 04/10/2008 page22)