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From The Associated Press

WNBA suspends Mahorn, 10 players

The WNBA punished so many players for their roles in this week’s skirmish that the league is staggering the suspensions by alphabetical order.

“None of us can recall an incident like this,” WNBA president Donna Orender said Thursday during a conference call.

The league suspended Detroit assistant coach Rick Mahorn and 10 players after the dustup between the Shock and the visiting Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday.

Shock forward Plenette Pierson was suspended for four games, the harshest penalty, for initiating and escalating the altercation.

“In our opinion, Plenette was the aggressor,” said Renee Brown, the WNBA’s chief of basketball operations and player relations

Mahorn was suspended for two games, as were Shannon Bobbitt and Murriel Page of the Sparks, for the incident at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

“As a team, we’re incensed that Rick Mahorn was suspended,” Detroit coach Bill Laimbeer said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press from Houston, where the Shock were scheduled to play the Comets. “He was trying to be a peacemaker and now he’s being thrown under the bus.”

Brown said Mahorn only started off as a peacemaker before he shoved Sparks star Lisa Leslie.

“Then he took it a step too far,” she said. “When he pushed Lisa, it escalated the situation.”

Players suspended for one game included Detroit’s Kara Braxton, Tasha Humphrey, Elaine Powell and Sheri Sam, along with Los Angeles’ Leslie, Candace Parker and DeLisha Milton-Jones.

Pierson was also fined $1,500 and Mahorn was docked $1,000. The rest of the players involved were fined $500 each.

IOC bans Iraq from Olympics

BAGHDAD—Just two weeks before the start of the Olympics, Iraq was told Thursday it’s not welcome in Beijing because of a political feud in Baghdad that angered the games’ guardians and exiled a country that arrived to a roaring ovation at the opening ceremony four years ago.

The International Olympic Committee told Iraqi sports officials in a letter that it would uphold its ban imposed in June after the government in Baghdad replaced its national Olympic panel with members not recognized by the IOC.

The IOC had called the move unacceptable government interference.

In Iraq, it also smacked of the lingering sectarian bitterness between the new Shiite power brokers and the Sunnis who were once favored under Saddam Hussein — whose son, Odai, ran the nation’s Olympic committee as a personal fiefdom and was accused of torturing athletes who came up short.

“Clearly we’d very much like to have seen Iraq’s athletes in Beijing,” said IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies. “We are very disappointed that the athletes have been so ill-served by their own government’s actions.”

But Davies suggested there was still a possibility for last-ditch talks to salvage Iraq’s place before the games open Aug. 8.

“If there can be some movement and if a resolution can be found, that’s still an open door,” she told CNN. When asked if there’s a window of about a week, she said “Correct.”

Norman shoots 75 at British Open

TROON, Scotland—Four days after nearly making history at the British Open, Greg Norman labored to a 4-over 75 Thursday in the opening round of the Seniors British Open to finish seven shots behind co-leaders Bruce Vaughan and Eduardo Romero.

In sunny conditions at Troon, Norman bogeyed six of the first 10 holes and was 6 over before he finally birdied the par-4 13th. He birdied the final hole with a pitch to 3 feet.

“Things just weren’t going my way early on,” Norman said. “I just had to hang in there and guts it out the best I could. The ball just wasn’t rolling my way.”

The Australian said windy conditions, similar to the British Open, had an impact on his game.

“I got to the first tee and I never played this golf course in this wind before,” Norman said. “I didn’t feel that confident with some of the tee shots.”

The 53-year-old Norman led the British Open at Royal Birkdale with nine holes to play Sunday and appeared on course to become the oldest winner of a major before he finished third behind Padraig Harrington.

While Norman struggled, playing partner Tom Watson made every green and missed only one fairway in a bogey-free 70. Andy Bean, John Cook and Kirk Hanefield and Nick Job were one shot off the leaders.

Mets take over first in NL East

NEW YORK—Carlos Delgado hit a tiebreaking, two-run double in the eighth inning and Oliver Perez stifled the Philadelphia Phillies again, helping the New York Mets earn a 3-1 victory Thursday that gave them sole possession of first place in the NL East.

The Mets took two of three in the series after blowing a three-run lead in the ninth inning of the opener, putting them alone in first place for the first time since April 19.

“I’m very proud of the way this team bounced back after that game the other night,” said Manager Jerry Manuel, who has led New York to a 21-12 record since Willie Randolph was fired last month. “We’ve been resilient for a long period of time.”

Eric Bruntlett, subbing for a tardy Jimmy Rollins, tied a season high with three hits for the Phillies, who rallied for an 8-6 win Tuesday night but struggled to score after that. Philadelphia has lost four of five and will host Atlanta in the opener of a three-game series Friday night.