Wambach breaks leg, out of Olympics

On a night when the United States women’s soccer team should have been eyeing the upcoming Olympics, they were dealt a crushing blow to their gold medal hopes when Abby Wambach broke her left leg.

Wambach, the team’s leading scorer, was carted off the field after a violent collision in the first half of a 1-0 win over Brazil at San Diego. Wambach is expected to be out for 12 weeks and will miss the Olympics, which start in three weeks.

Wambach broke her tibia and fibula and will have surgery today to have a titanium rod inserted into her leg.

Wambach went down hard after a collision with Brazilian defender Andreia Rosa. Wambach began signaling the sideline almost immediately for help. Rosa wasn’t injured.

Morgan Hamm’s spot on the U.S. Olympic team is secure. USA Gymnastics said that a warning Hamm received earlier this month for getting a prescribed anti-inflammatory shot without proper clearance from anti-doping authorities did not affect his qualification to the team.

USA Boxing reinstated Luis Yanez to the Olympic team more than two weeks after the light-flyweight was kicked off the Beijing roster for missing several weeks of workouts.

Yanez was expected to rejoin his teammates in Colorado Springs today.

Dirk Nowitzki scored a tournament-high 35 points to lead Germany to an 89-71 victory over New Zealand at a men’s basketball qualifying tournament at Athens.

Chris Kaman of the Clippers scored 20 points for Germany but sat out the fourth quarter with a sore ankle.

Double-amputee South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius fell short of the 400-meter qualifying time he needed to make the Olympics, though the personal best time could still get him to Beijing in the relay.

Pistorius finished third in his heat in 46.25 seconds, outside the Olympic individual qualifying standard of 45.55.

PRO FOOTBALL

Packers accuse Vikings of tampering with Favre

The Green Bay Packers have filed tampering charges against the Minnesota Vikings alleging that the team made inappropriate contact with Brett Favre, a person familiar with the Packers’ complaint said Wednesday night.

The person, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, said Packers officials expressed their belief that interest from the Vikings was driving Favre’s sudden change of heart about playing football in 2008.

“They feel like Favre had something [in place], and that’s why he was so anxious to get his release all of a sudden,” the person said.

The tampering charges were first reported by Foxsports.com on Wednesday.

The person said team officials believe a league examination of telephone records will indicate more than “normal contact” between Favre and Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, a former Green Bay assistant.

According to the person, Packers officials also believe the contact began before Favre and his agent, Bus Cook, formally asked the Packers to release him.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league had no comment on the report.

The Baltimore Ravens have agreed in principle to a five-year deal with first-round draft pick Joe Flacco on a contract with a maximum value of $30 million that includes $8.75 million in guaranteed money for the quarterback.

TENNIS

Serena Williams has tough time but wins

Off her game and rattled by a teen 11 years younger, top-seeded Serena Williams rallied from one set down to beat hard-hitting Michelle Larcher de Brito, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, in the second round of the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford.

Williams, playing her first match since losing the Wimbledon final to big sister Venus, committed eight unforced errors in the initial 12 points.

Gilles Simon used a simple serve-and-volley game to beat Benjamin Becker, 7-5, 3-6, 6-0 and reach the quarterfinals of the Indianapolis Tennis Championships.

HOCKEY

Kings re-sign Ersberg, Gauthier, two others

The Kings re-signed restricted free-agent forward Gabe Gauthier to a two-year contract; goaltender Erik Ersberg to a one-year contract; forward Matt Moulson to a one-year contract; and defenseman Joe Piskula to a one-year contract.

The Kings announced that they will open the 2008-09 regular-season home schedule on Sunday, Oct. 12, against the San Jose Sharks at 6 p.m.

The Ducks’ home opener also will be Oct. 12, against the Phoenix Coyotes at 5 p.m.

MISCELLANY

Swarbrick is named Notre Dame’s new AD

Jack Swarbrick, a lawyer who helped draw numerous sporting events to Indianapolis, including the 2012 Super Bowl, is the new athletic director at Notre Dame.

Swarbrick succeeds Kevin White, who left the school May 31 to become the athletic director at Duke.

Former Arizona State football coach Bruce Snyder, 68, has cancer. Snyder issued a statement through the university confirming that he has cancer, though he wasn’t specific about the kind or severity.

Dodgers farmhand A.J. Ellis hit a two-run double to cap a ninth-inning rally by the Pacific Coast League and it held off the International League, 6-5, in the triple-A All-Star game at Louisville, Ky. . . . Florida State catcher Buster Posey won USA Baseball’s Golden Spikes Award, honoring as the nation’s top amateur player.