Sports in 2 Mintues

From The Associated Press

Oden likely to miss rookie season
PORTLAND, Oregon—Greg Oden, the top pick in this year’s NBA draft, likely will miss his first season with the Portland Trail Blazers after surgery on his right knee yesterday.

Doctors found cartilage damage during an exploratory procedure, and team physician Dr. Don Roberts performed microfracture surgery to repair the damage.

“There are things about this that are positive for Greg. First of all, he is young. The area where the damage was is small and the rest of his knee looked normal,” Roberts said in a statement. “All those are good signs for a complete recovery from microfracture surgery.”

The 7-foot (2.13-meter) center is expected to be on crutches for up to eight weeks. Full recovery likely will take six to 12 months, the team said.

Oden was the top pick in the June draft after playing for Ohio State in college, where he averaged 15.7 points and 9.6 rebounds.

Belichick still won’t comment on Patriots’ alleged spying
FOXBOROUGH, Mass.—New England coach Bill Belichick awaited word on the NFL’s investigation Thursday and spent a second day trying to shift focus to the next opponent instead of the Patriots’ alleged spying.

“I’ll make a comment when it’s over,” he said.

The team practiced Thursday for Sunday night’s game against the San Diego Chargers, the team the Patriots beat in last season’s playoffs.

New England beat the New York Jets in last Sunday’s season opener in which an on-field video camera allegedly focusing on Jets coaches was confiscated from a Patriots employee.

Belichick sidestepped questions asking him to clarify Wednesday’s prepared statement in which he said he spoke with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell “about a videotaping procedure during last Sunday’s game and my interpretation of the rules.

“I said that I don’t have anything to add to that. When they give a decision, I’ll make a comment,” said Belichick, who has won three Super Bowls.

U.S. faces Sweden at Women's World Cup
CHENGDU, China—U.S. national team coach Greg Ryan knew Group B was the toughest in the Women's World Cup.

After rallying for a disappointing tie with North Korea, his squad faces a crucial test against No. 3 Sweden.

"I think this group is like playing a semifinal and final in our first two games," Ryan said.

Anything less than a victory against Sweden on Friday, and the top-ranked Americans and two-time World Cup champions (1991, 1999) could miss the quarterfinals of a tournament they are expected to win.

Unbeaten in 47 games, the U.S. team drew 2-2 in its opener Tuesday against No. 5 North Korea thanks to Heather O'Reilly's late goal.

Abby Wambach, the leading scorer for the U.S., is recovering from a cut to the back of her head that required 11 stitches after a collision with a North Korean defender. She scored the opening goal, despite a sore right toe, which she injured three weeks ago.

Cardinals game to be televised in Southern Arizona
PHOENIX—This Sunday’s game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Seattle Seahawks is a sellout, and the Cardinals say it will be televised live in the Phoenix area on FOX-10.

NFL rules require a sellout 72 hours before game time in order for local TV stations to carry the game. The Cardinals have now sold out all 13 home games they’ve played since moving into the new University of Phoenix stadium last year.

Kickoff is set for 10:05 a.m.