NFL to eject for helmet hits

The NFL has told its officiating crews to start ejecting players for flagrant helmet-to-helmet hits.

The new policy was outlined Saturday in a memo from supervisor of officials Mike Pereira, which was obtained by the Associated Press. It followed two fines last weekend for what the officiating department had determined were hits against players in defenseless positions.

One fine was against Washington Redskins safety LaRon Landry, who will forfeit a game check of $16,764 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on New York Jets quarterback Kellen Clemens. The other was against Philadelphia defensive tackle LeJuan Ramsey, who was fined his game check of $21,176 for spearing Dallas’ Julius Jones.

Two weeks ago, San Diego cornerback Drayton Florence was fined $15,000 for a helmet-to-helmet hit that gave Houston quarterback Matt Schaub a concussion.

“Officials will be reminded this week to pay strict attention to these rules and disqualify the fouling player if the action is judged to be flagrant,” Pereira wrote in the memo sent to the 32 NFL teams. “Actions that involve flagrant helmet-to-helmet contact are the likely acts that will include disqualification. Our commissioner and this office remain very focused on the safety of our players.”

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Grieving Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Troy Williamson will get his last paycheck after all.

Vikings Coach Brad Childress announced the change of heart after a weekly meeting with veteran players on his leadership committee.

The Vikings withheld Williamson’s check after he missed the game against San Diego last week to remain in South Carolina following the death of his grandmother.

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Concerned over the status of Vinny Testaverde, the Carolina Panthers promoted Drew Olson to the 53-man roster to possibly serve as the backup in today’s game against Atlanta. If Testaverde, who has a sore right Achilles’ tendon, can’t play against the Falcons, undrafted rookie Matt Moore would start.

Olson was signed to the practice squad Tuesday and has never played in an NFL game. The former UCLA quarterback spent last season on Baltimore’s practice squad.

TENNIS

It’s Henin vs. Sharapova for the WTA title

Defending champion Justine Henin will play Maria Sharapova in the WTA Tour Championships final today in Madrid.

Top-ranked Henin defeated fourth-ranked Ana Ivanovic, 6-4, 6-4, and Sharapova defeated No. 7 Anna Chakvetadze, 6-2, 6-2, in the semifinals of the round-robin tournament that features the top eight players.

Henin can become the first player to go unbeaten post-Wimbledon since Steffi Graf in 1989. A win would equal Graf’s 25-match run and make Henin the first player to win 10 or more titles in a season since Martina Hingis in 1997.

Henin and Sharapova last played in 2006 in the semifinals of the WTA’s season-ending tournament. Henin won, 6-2, 7-5 (5), to clinch the year-end No. 1 ranking.

WINTER SPORTS

Schild wins World Cup slalom

Marlies Schild won a World Cup slalom at Reiteralm, Austria, despite losing time after losing control of her ski on her second run.

Austria’s Schild, the defending World Cup champion who was third after the first run, edged Nicole Hosp by 0.06 in difficult conditions because of heavy snowfall on the Gasselhoehe course. Chiara Costazza, who led after the first run, was 0.30 behind Schild to finish third. Resi Stiegler, of Jackson Hole, Wyo., finished fourth in 1:55.94.

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Johnny Weir and ice dancers Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto rallied for wins at the Cup of China in Harbin. Weir edged Evan Lysacek in a duel between the former and current American champions, earning his first Grand Prix victory since 2004. Belbin and Agosto won in the final free dance, taking advantage of lift penalties by Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin of Russia.

Weir had eight triples, including a triple axel-triple toe loop combination, tying a personal best of 146.20 points set three years ago.

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Speedskater Pekka Koskela of Finland set a world record in the 1,000 meters at Kearns, Utah, bettering the mark by .03 of a second. Koskela’s time of 1 minute 7 seconds broke the record held by American Shani Davis.

Italy’s Enrico Fabris then set a mark in the 5,000 meters, finishing in 6:07.40, beating the record of 6:07.48 by Sven Kramer, set March 3 in Calgary.

GOLF

Creamer increases lead at Mobile

Seeking her second victory of the year and fourth in three LPGA Tour seasons, Paula Creamer shot a four-under-par 68 to increase her lead to six strokes in the Tournament of Champions at Mobile, Ala., the event for tournament winners from 2004 to 2007 and active Hall of Famers.

Five strokes ahead after opening rounds of 67 and 65 at Magnolia Grove, Creamer’s second consecutive bogey-free day pushed her to 16-under 200.

U.S. Solheim Cup teammate Pat Hurst (68) was 10 under, and Jin Joo Hong (70) followed at nine under. Suzann Pettersen shot a 68 to join Annika Sorenstam (70) and Birdie Kim (66) at eight under.

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Phil Mickelson had a 35-foot birdie putt on the 15th hole and a tap-in birdie on No. 18 en route to a four-under 68 and a two-stroke lead over Ross Fisher going into today’s final round of the HSBC Champions tournament at Shanghai.

Fisher also shot 68 for a 12-under 204. Paul Casey had a 66 to trail Mickelson by three. Kevin Stadler, who had a one-stroke lead after two rounds, slipped to a 73 and fell four behind Mickelson.

MISCELLANY

Young’s homer leads U.S. past Japan

Delwyn Young hit a three-run homer in the first inning to lead the U.S. to a 5-1 victory over Japan in the 37th Baseball World Cup at Taiwan. The Dodgers’ minor league outfielder helped the U.S. improve to 3-1.

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DNA from the recently exhumed body of college football hero George Gipp shows he was not the father of a child born shortly after his death, quelling longstanding rumors, relatives said.

Gipp’s remains were taken Oct. 4 for testing from a cemetery near the Upper Peninsula village of Laurium, Mich. Rick Frueh, whose grandmother was Gipp’s sister, said in a statement he authorized the exhumation.

Gipp died in 1920 from pneumonia and a strep infection during his senior year at Notre Dame, where he was the school’s first All-American and set a school career rushing record that stood for more than 50 years.

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Free-agent reliever J.C. Romero re-signed with the Philadelphia Phillies, agreeing to a three-year, $12-million contract.