Three-time All-Star Chase Utley, who anchored the middle of the lineup for the World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies, will have surgery and is not expected to be ready for the start of the 2009 regular season.
Utley will have surgery next week to repair any bone or cartilage damage he might have in his right hip. He will be able to begin baseball activity in three to four months. But depending on the extent of the damage, full recovery could take until May, team officials said Thursday.
Utley was bothered by the injury during the season but still batted .292 and led all second basemen with 33 home runs and 104 runs batted in. Although his season numbers were impressive, Utley started the season well and tailed off in the last four months.
Utley had 18 home runs and 47 RBIs through the end of May but hit only 15 home runs the rest of the season.
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George Steinbrenner's 35-year reign as boss of the New York Yankees ended Thursday when he passed control of the team to his youngest son, Hal.
The elder Steinbrenner has gradually withdrawn from the Yankees' day-to-day operations in recent years, and brothers Hal and Hank were appointed co-chairmen in April.
"I realize it's a great responsibility," said Hal Steinbrenner, who turns 40 on Dec. 3. "My dad is, needless to say, a tough act to follow."
George Steinbrenner, now 78, headed a group that bought the club in January 1973 for an $8.7 million net price and became one of the highest-profile owners in all of sports.
Steinbrenner is baseball's longest-serving current owner but has been in declining health following fainting spells that required hospitalization in December 2003 and October 2006.
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Commissioner Bud Selig announced that baseball will enact a rules change stating that postseason games cannot be shortened because of bad weather.
Selig said the change also will apply to tiebreaker games that decide division titles and wild-card berths.
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As expected, New York Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina retired after 18 seasons and 270 wins.
"I lied to all of you," Mussina told reporters in a conference call. "I knew that that was going to be my last year since the first day of spring training. I just didn't want it to be part of the season."
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The name of the new spring-training complex in Glendale, Ariz., for the Dodgers and Chicago White Sox will be Camelback Ranch, the teams announced.
SOCCER
