Woods commits to St. Louis event

ST. LOUIS -- Tiger Woods officially entered the American Express Championship next week in suburban St. Louis, the final World Golf Championship event for official money this year.

The WGC event, to be played at Bellerive Country Club in west St. Louis County, is for the top 50 players in the world ranking, plus top money-winners from six tours around the world.

Woods won the inaugural American Express two years ago at Valderrama in Spain. The defending champion is Mike Weir, who won by two strokes over Lee Westwood at Valderrama.

One of the four World Golf Championship events, the tournament marks the return of the world's top male golfers to St. Louis, last seen in the Gateway City at the 1992 PGA Championship -- played at Bellerive.

San Diego, Philadelphia protests denied

NEW YORK -- Protests filed by San Diego and Philadelphia over separate losses last week were denied Wednesday by the commissoner's office.

The Padres protested their 16-14 loss to St. Louis on Aug. 29, claiming umpires should have called interference when Bobby Bonilla's bat sailed down the third-base line on a strikeout with two runners trying to steal.

Third baseman Phil Nevin ran into foul territory to duck the bat, catcher Ben Davis' throw sailed into left field and Rickey Henderson bobbled the ball for a second error. Two runs scored on the play.

The Phillies protested their 5-1 loss to Montreal last Friday, claiming Vladimir Guerrero should have been ejected for taking a few steps toward the mound after he was hit by a pitch in the first inning.

Leaf fails physical, doesn't sign with Dallas

IRVING, Texas -- Ryan Leaf never saw the welcome the Dallas Cowboys had planned for him. He failed a physical because of a wrist problem and remains one of the NFL's many unemployed veteran quarterbacks.

In Tampa Bay, the wrist problem caused Leaf pain but only forced him to miss two practices, said Bucs coach Tony Dungy.

Ivan Rodriguez our for season with knee

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Texas catcher Ivan Rodriguez will have surgery on his left knee and miss the rest of the season.

The 10-time All-Star made the decision Wednesday after traveling to Los Angeles to get a second opinion from orthopedist Dr. Lewis Yocum, the team doctor for the Anaheim Angels.

The surgery is scheduled for next week. Club officials said the length of his recovery won't be know until after the surgery.

NFL ups its offer; officials to consider it

NEW YORK -- The NFL Referees Union has a day to consider a new offer by the league before replacements are assigned to work the opening week of the regular season.

The NFL increased its offer to the locked-out officials Wednesday but rejected a call by the union for arbitration in a meeting that lasted just a half-hour.

Then union negotiator Tom Condon flew home to Kansas City. He was due to discuss the offer in a conference call late Wednesday night with the union's four-member executive committee -- Ed Hochuli, Bill Carollo, Jeff Bergman and Ben Montgomery.

The NFL offer includes a 60 percent increase in salaries this year, compared with the 40-percent jump in the NFL's last offer. But the rest of the package remains the same, with officials' salaries doubled by 2003.

-- From wire reports