COLLEGE: USC back emerges from surgery
Southern California tailback Stafon Johnson could communicate non-verbally with his family members and teammates yesterday morning, less than 24 hours after his bench-pressing accident in the Trojans’ weight room. The bar crushed his neck and larynx, which required seven hours of surgery. “He’s not talking, but he was doing his wave and writing,” coach Pete Carroll said.
* Florida coach Urban Meyer went through balance and memory tests with QB Tim Tebow because he was curious about the post-concussion process. Meyer said Tebow still has a headache and isn’t allowed to watch television or read.
* UConn coach Jim Calhoun, 67, is talking to the school about a new multiyear contract.
MLB: Red Sox’s Beckett gives thumbs-up
Red Sox right-hander Josh Beckett yesterday said he felt a lot better after getting scratched Monday night because of back spasms. His next start is scheduled for Saturday. He is 16-6 and has pitched a career-high 207 1/3 innings.
* The Rangers shut down outfielder Josh Hamilton for the rest of the season to rest the pinched nerve in his back.
ETC.: Phoenix wins Game 1 of WNBA finals
Cappie Pondexter missed a game-winning tip-in at the fourth-quarter buzzer, then scored seven of her 23 points in overtime to help the Phoenix Mercury post a 120-116 victory over the Indiana Fever in Game 1 of the WNBA finals last night in Phoenix. Diana Taurasi, the newly crowned league MVP, had 22 for Phoenix in the highest-scoring game in WNBA history.
* Wide receiver Jerry Rice is making his professional golf debut next year as a tournament host and player at the Stonebrae Classic, a Nationwide Tour event in California.
* Penguins captain Sidney Crosby practiced for the first time since injuring his groin on Thursday. Crosby expects to play in the season opener Friday against the Rangers.
* Cavaliers guard Delonte West, who was recently arrested for gun possession in Maryland, did not show up for Cleveland’s first practice and his absence was unexcused.
* Arnold Palmer will receive a Congressional Gold Medal from President Obama during a ceremony today at the White House.
* Formula One driver Felipe Massa got behind the wheels of a kart in Sao Paolo, practicing for the first time in public since sustaining skull fractures in a crash on July 25.
* Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird completed his first workout at Santa Anita, galloping five furlongs in preparation for the $350,000 Goodwood Stakes on Oct. 10.