Knee

Most athletic types would rather spend a month watching "Teletubbies" while reading Snooki's blog than suffer an injury. And when it comes to getting hurt, the knee is one of the worst things you can damage. The most commonly injured knee ligament is the anterior cruciate ligament in the middle of the joint. The ACL is responsible for keeping the knee stable by preventing the shin bone from sliding in front of the thigh bone. If torn, it usually requires surgical intervention, according to Dr. Robert Bray, an orthopedic surgeon at Calgary's Peter Lougheed Hospital.

AT MINNESOTA When: 5 PDT. Where: Target Center, Minneapolis. On the air: WNBA.com. Records: Sparks 2-0, Lynx 2-0. Record vs. Lynx (2011): 1-4. Update: Sparks guard Sharnee Zoll sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee during Monday's practice and is expected to miss the remainder of the season. Zoll, who played in Europe the last four seasons before the Sparks signed her in February, averaged seven assists in the team's two exhibition games but did not play in the team's season opener Friday.

Baltimore running back Ray Rice may not play when the Ravens take on the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday … because of a bruised knee? Don’t let the innocuous-sounding injury fool you -- there’s some concern that the damage could go to the bone, further delaying his return to the field. What may seem like a bruised knee could actually be a more serious injury -- earlier this month, Arizona Cardinals running back Beanie Wells apparently had surgery for a torn meniscus while publicly calling it a bruised knee.

NFL players will be required to wear knee and thigh pads, beginning in 2013, in accordance with a rules change adopted Tuesday at league meetings. Team owners voted in favor of the change, although input from the NFL Players Assn. is still required. The league dropped the idea of requiring players to wear hip pads as well. Many players are resistant to wearing extra padding, feeling it slows them and doesn't look as sleek and fashionable. "By the time you get to the league, you do whatever you can that's going to make you comfortable but you're still keeping within the integrity of the rules," said Roman Oben, a longtime NFL offensive lineman, told The Times in 2008.

Mariano Rivera tore a ligament in his right knee before the New York Yankees lost, 4-3, to the Kansas City Royals on Thursday night. The 42-year-old right-hander was carted off the field at Kansas City after twisting his right knee shagging fly balls during batting practice. Manager Joe Girardi revealed the severity of the injury after the game. Royals team doctor Vincent Key diagnosed a torn anterior cruciate ligament after looking at the MRI. Baseball's career saves leader was tracking down a ball hit by Jayson Nix in deep center field when his right knee appeared to buckle a step before the wall.

Reporting from Washington — At last, Andre Ethier's long and painful season is over. Before the Dodgers' 7-4 win over Washington Nationals on Thursday, he was already on his way to Alabama. That's where on Friday an orthopedic surgeon is scheduled to examine Ethier's long-ailing right knee. A minor operation is a distinct possibility. The right fielder will not play again this season. "It sounds like this is it," Manager Don Mattingly said. The decision marked the end of a largely disappointing season for Ethier, who batted .292 but hit only 11 home runs and drove in a modest 62 runs.

Laker fans can take a deep breath. Andrew Bynum has some good news to share about his health. "My knee feels really, really good right now," he said after posting 13 points and 13 rebounds in the Lakers' 104-85 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday. Bynum said he felt discomfort in his surgically repaired right knee after it was hit by Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant during last week's loss to the Thunder. That prompted Bynum to "ice the heck out" of his knee to minimize swelling before undergoing a lubricating injection Friday.

Carlos Beltran is going on the disabled list, an enormous blow to a struggling New York Mets team already devastated by key injuries. The All-Star center fielder was put on the 15-day DL on Monday because of a bone bruise on his right knee -- the same injury that sidelined him for a couple of games in late May. An MRI exam Monday showed the bruise has gotten worse. Beltran could be out longer than 15 days.

Ricky Rubio's rookie season has come to an abrupt end. The Minnesota Timberwolves point guard will sit out the rest of the season because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, the team announced Saturday. Now the upstart Timberwolves will have to keep chasing a playoff berth without one of the players who was most responsible for the franchise's resurgence. "I feel bad for Ricky having to miss the rest of this season," team President David Kahn said in a statement.

As a three-time Super Bowl champion and former NFL most valuable player, New England quarterback Tom Brady is used to having fans fall at his feet. The big question: Can he get comfortable with players doing the same? Brady, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first quarter of last season's opener, says he feels fine now and is looking forward to showing his recovery is complete. "I've kind of made a concerted effort to move on," he said. "That was last season and this is this season."

By the 2013 season, all NFL players will be required to wear knee and thigh pads. Or will they? NFL owners voted Tuesday to make those pads mandatory, but the NFL Players Assn. quickly responded that changes such as those need to be collectively negotiated, opening another of several battlefronts between the league and the union. "While the NFL is focused on one element and health and safety today, the NFLPA believes that health and safety requires a comprehensive approach and commitment," the union said in a written statement.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — He tried. As best he could, Blake Griffin tried to give the Clippers what he had, what he could summon in Game 7 of the Western Conference first-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday afternoon. But Griffin's knee wouldn't cooperate the way he wanted it to, his sprained left knee refusing to hold up all game. So Griffin gave the Clippers 28 minutes 17 seconds and eight points, four rebounds and two blocked shots. "There just were movements I couldn't do and I wanted to do," Griffin said.

Six weeks into the season, Andre Ethier can report his surgically repaired right knee is holding up fine. "Everything feels good," he said. Ethier entered Saturday as the National League leader in runs batted in with 32. While teammate Matt Kemp's home run prowess has gained national attention, Ethier has quietly driving in runs on a consistent basis. "I know what my job is here hitting fourth - giving Matt protection," he said. "Not too many people want to pitch to him no matter what protection is behind him, but I'm just there to pick him up. " Opposing pitchers are becoming increasingly hesitant to pitch to Kemp, who went into Saturday as the National League co-leader in home runs with 12. Kemp walked once every 7.5 plate appearances last month.

It wasn't the best news, but it wasn't the worst news either. The Clippers announced Thursday afternoon that Blake Griffin and Chris Paul will be game-time decisions for Friday's Game 6 of the NBA first-round playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies because of their injuries. Griffin had an MRI exam on his sprained left knee Thursday that the Clippers said revealed no structural damage. The All-Star power forward was injured during the third quarter of Game 5 Wednesday night in Memphis.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Scott Downs has had some tough breaks this season, suffering a bruised right ankle on April 12 at Minnesota and a bruised left knee Sunday against Toronto in Anaheim, both injuries putting the reliever on crutches. The 36-year-old left-hander has also been very fortunate. The April injury looked serious -- he twisted the ankle as he covered first, was stepped on by the base-runner and had to be helped off the field -- but Downs avoided the disabled list and missed only three games.

The bullpen, the Angels' weakest link, may have been weakened even further in the ninth inning Sunday when in the span of three pitches two relievers were injured by line drives. First up was Scott Downs , who hasn't given up a run in 11 appearances this season. He appeared to tweak his left knee trying to avoid a single up the middle by Toronto's J.P. Arencibia and had to leave in favor of LaTroy Hawkins . Then Hawkins, who has given up only one earned run in 10 games, saw Omar Vizquel line a shot that the pitcher caught, but not before the ball got a piece of the little finger on his pitching hand.

UCLA has lost for at least a few games starting F-back Anthony Barr , who had knee surgery Friday, and the availability of 10 other players remains murky. Barr underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair cartilage in his right knee and will be out at least three weeks. The situation for six other starters won't be determined until later this week. Cornerback Sheldon Price (knee), safety Tony Dye (neck) and linebacker Glenn Love (hamstring) sat out Saturday's 45-19 loss to Stanford.

MINNEAPOLIS -- There was bad news and some not-so-bad news for the bullpen Monday, a day after the team lost its two best relievers to injury within a three-pitch span of the ninth inning. Set-up man LaTroy Hawkins , who has a 1.08 earned-run average in 10 appearances, will be out four to six weeks because of a broken pinky finger on his right (throwing) hand. He was injured when he fielded Omar Vizquel's game-ending line drive in a 4-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Mariano Rivera tore a ligament in his right knee before the New York Yankees lost, 4-3, to the Kansas City Royals on Thursday night. The 42-year-old right-hander was carted off the field at Kansas City after twisting his right knee shagging fly balls during batting practice. Manager Joe Girardi revealed the severity of the injury after the game. Royals team doctor Vincent Key diagnosed a torn anterior cruciate ligament after looking at the MRI. Baseball's career saves leader was tracking down a ball hit by Jayson Nix in deep center field when his right knee appeared to buckle a step before the wall.