LPGA: Wie given exemption into Samsung World Championship

Palm Desert, CA (Sports Network) - Michelle Wie has accepted a sponsor's exemption to the LPGA Samsung World Championship.
The prestigious 20-player event will be held from October 11-14 on the Canyons Course at Bighorn Golf Club in Palm Desert, California.
"It's an honor to be invited to play in the Samsung World Championship," Wie said in a release. "There is nothing like going back to where my professional career started, and playing against the best players in the world. I'm excited for the opportunity."
Wie will play in the event for the fourth time. She played first in 2004 as a 14-year-old amateur, finishing tied for 13th, then made her debut as a pro the next year when she was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard following an incorrect drop during the third round.

WTA: Craybas, King bow out in Morocco

Fes, Morocco (Sports Network) - Fifth-seeded American Jill Craybas and sixth-seeded Vania King were among Wednesday's second-round losers at the $145,000 Moroccan Grand Prix tennis tournament.
Nineteen-year-old Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak ousted the 32-year-old Craybas in 6-7 (2-7), 6-0, 6-3 fashion at this clay-court French Open tune-up, while Romanian Ioana Raluca Olaru downed King 6-4, 6-2.

ATP: Federer, Nadal reach third round in rainy Hamburg

Hamburg, Germany (Sports Network) - Top-seeded and three-time titlist Roger Federer was tested in the second round, while clay-court wizard Rafael Nadal advanced easily at the Masters Series Hamburg tennis event. Rain forced the suspension or postponement of six second-round matches here on Day 3.
Playing under the canvas roof on center court at Rothenbaum, the world No. 1 Federer snuck past Argentine qualifier Juan Monaco 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 to reach the third round on the red clay here. The Swiss great was the back-to-back Hamburg titlist in 2004 and 2005 and also titled here in 2002.

Boxing: Even at 53, Kalule may get title shot

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - A word of advice to the handlers of ex-WBA 154-pound champion Ayub Kalule: Get your guy ready. He might have a title shot in his future.
Oh sure, the native Ugandan - best known for giving Ray Leonard a tough go in "Sugar's" final tune-up for Thomas Hearns in 1981 - is 53 years old and hasn't fought since 1986, but assuming all goes well for WBC/WBO middleweight title- holder Jermain Taylor on Saturday, a subsequent call to Kampala hardly seems out of the question.

Horse Racing: Street Sense to face eight in Preakness Stakes

Baltimore, MD (Sports Network) - Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense is the 7-5 morning line favorite for Saturday's $1 million Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. The 1 3/16 mile race is the middle jewel of racing's Triple Crown.
Street Sense, who will be ridden again by Calvin Borel, will take on eight challengers, including Kentucky Derby second place finisher Hard Spun. Also returning from the Run for the Roses is the show horse Curlin.

Football: Wong won't return to Houston

Houston, TX (Sports Network) - The Houston Texans have announced that linebacker Kailee Wong will not return for the 2007 season.
The nine-year veteran said he is not retiring, but gave no word as to why he won't be back.

Baseball: Tigers place Bonderman on DL

Boston, MA (Sports Network) - The Detroit Tigers placed pitcher Jeremy Bonderman on the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday. The move is retroactive to May 9.
Bonderman, who has a blister on his right middle finger, is 2-0 with a 4.20 earned run average in seven starts.
To take Bonderman's place on the roster, Detroit will recall pitcher Andrew Miller from Double-A Erie on Friday and he will start against St. Louis at Comerica Park.

MLB: Nats' Williams headed back to DL

Washington, DC (Sports Network) - One day after being activated off the disabled list, Washington Nationals pitcher Jerome Williams was put back on the 15-day DL on Wednesday with a right shoulder strain.
On Tuesday, the Nats activated Williams, who had been on the shelf since late April with a sprained left ankle. He started against Atlanta, but was ineffective in defeat.

MLB: Cardinals try and slow Furcal down at Chavez Ravine

(Sports Network) - The St. Louis Cardinals will try and cool off the red-hot Rafael Furcal tonight when they conclude their three-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.
Furcal knocked in three runs and turned in his third straight four-hit game in the Dodgers' 9-7 win over the Cardinals in the set's second game on Tuesday. He also scored twice in the victory.

NBA did the right thing

(Sports Network) - The ruling was right, but the law is wrong. The Phoenix Suns were hurt more than the San Antonio Spurs when the NBA handed down its suspensions for an incident in Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinal series.
San Antonio veteran forward Robert Horry was suspended for two games, while Phoenix forwards Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw both received one game for their actions late in the fourth quarter on Monday night.

NHL:Sens aim to sweep East finals against stunned Sabres

(Sports Network) - The Ottawa Senators will try to complete a shocking sweep of the top-seeded Buffalo Sabres tonight, when the teams meet for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals at Scotiabank Place.
The Senators have jumped out to a 3-0 lead in this best-of-seven series and are now just one win away from their first-ever trip to the Stanley Cup finals.

WTA: Hingis to miss French Open

Paris, France (Sports Network) - Five-time Grand Slam champion Martina Hingis will miss the 2007 French Open due to a hip injury.
The former world No. 1 was the Roland Garros runner-up in 1997 and 1999. She still needs the French Open to complete a career Grand Slam.
The 26-year-old Hingis' last major title came at the 1999 Australian Open. She retired from the WTA Tour following the 2002 season, but returned from a three-year hiatus in January of last year. The "Swiss Miss" reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros in 2006.

NBA: Lakers' Odom undergoes successful shoulder surgery

El Segundo, CA (Sports Network) - Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom underwent successful surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder on Tuesday.
The arthroscopic procedure, which lasted 40 minutes, was performed by Dr. Lewis Yocum at the Kerlan Jobe Surgery Center in Los Angeles.

NFL: Bears sign draft pick

Lake Forest, IL (Sports Network) - The Chicago Bears signed running back Garrett Wolfe to a four-year contract on Tuesday. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Wolfe, who was selected by the Bears in the third round (93rd overall) out of Northern Illinois, was the first of the 255 overall selections in the 2007 NFL Draft to reach a contract agreement.
A three-year letter winner at Northern Illinois, Wolfe finished 11th all-time in NCAA Division I-A history with a school-record 5,164 rushing yards.

Soccer: Twellman named Player of the Week

Foxborough, MA (Sports Network) - New England forward Taylor Twellman was named Major League Soccer's Player of the Week following his two-goal performance in a 3-2 win over Los Angeles on Saturday.
Twellman leads MLS with six goals this season, helping the Revolution (4-1-2) to the top spot in the Eastern Conference. New England is unbeaten in its last six games.

MLB: Nats activate Williams

Washington, DC (Sports Network) - The Washington Nationals activated starting pitcher Jerome Williams from the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday.
Williams, who was placed on the DL on April 29 with a sprained left ankle, is slated to start Tuesday's game against Atlanta

Auto Racing: This Week in Auto Racing May 18 - May 20

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - NASCAR puts on its annual All-Star showcase this Saturday night with more than $1 million on the line. Meanwhile, IndyCars will attempt to fill out its 33-car field for the 91st running of the Indianapolis 500.

NBA: Does Nowitzki deserve to be MVP?

(Sports Network) - Because the Dallas Mavericks had a disappointing showing in the playoffs, questions regarding Dirk Nowitzki's selection as the NBA's MVP have started to pop up. But, the fact remains it is an award based on the regular season, not the postseason.

Granted, Nowitzki did not come through in the first round of the playoffs for the Mavericks, who were stunningly eliminated by Golden State in six games. Once again, playoff performances do not figure into the voting for the NBA's awards.

MLB: Tribe look to overcome sluggish week

(Sports Network) - With losses in four of their last five games, the Cleveland Indians look to rebound this week against the struggling Minnesota Twins and Cincinnati Reds.

All hardships aside, the Indians still stand at 21-14 and just a game back of the Detroit Tigers in the American League Central standings. And they have a 2 1/2-game lead over the third-place White Sox. Cleveland's only move is to look ahead, because a look back at the week that was is the kind of thing that can cause a stomach ulcer.

PGA European: Clarke out of Irish Open

Limerick, Ireland (Sports Network) - Darren Clarke withdrew from the Irish Open on Tuesday due to a lingering hamstring injury. Clarke hurt his right hamstring playing football with his sons. It forced him to withdraw after the first round of the Wachovia Championship two weeks ago on the PGA Tour and after six holes of last week's Players Championship.