Wizards starters Young, Howard out

Washington coach Flip Saunders says Young is out because he has the flu, and Howard will sit because of a pulled left hamstring.

Young leads the Wizards with 17.9 points a game. Howard missed 21 games in January and February due to a sore left knee, but has averaged 8.9 points and 4.3 rebounds in 16 games.

Minnesota's Wes Johnson was also out for the second straight game with flulike symptoms. The Timberwolves' Darko Milicic missed his third straight game for personal reasons, and Martell Webster was out for the seventh game in a row due to a sore back.

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Utah Legislature passes immigration reform package

The immigration measures approved by both chambers Friday night would allow illegal immigrants to get a permit to work in Utah. But they also include a requirement that police check the immigrant status of anyone stopped for a felony or serious misdemeanor.

Supporters say the entire package balances economic needs and compassion, while opponents argue it will likely encourage more illegal immigration.

Lawmakers initially balked at the enforcement measure, HB 497, because of what some viewed as a likely backlash. But sponsor Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, R-Orem, garnered enough support for passage after amending it to focus on more serious crimes.

The Arizona law approved last year drew nationwide controversy over provisions requiring police, while enforcing other laws, to question a person's immigration status if they have reasonable suspicion they're here illegally. That aspect of the law was put on hold by a federal judge.

The Senate sponsor, Sen. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem, said it was a "Utah effort" that distanced the state from criticisms leveled at Arizona's law.

Rep. Bill Wright, R-Holden, the sponsor of the bill creating the guest worker program, HB 116, said if the state can secure a federal waiver the program could become a model for the entire country.

It would allow illegal immigrants to get a permit to live and work in Utah with their families.

The most vocal critic, Rep. Chris Herrod, R-Provo, said a guest worker program would draw more illegal immigrants to Utah.

"People think we'll be seen as compassionate," Herrod said. "People will actually see us as weak. They will see we don't care about the rule of law."

Other measures in the package easily passed the two chambers.

___

Associated Press reporter Chi-Chi Zhang contributed to this report.

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Yanks C Cervelli out indefinitely with broken foot

Cervelli was hurt when he fouled a ball off his foot Wednesday against Houston, and the break is above the toes. Yankees manager Joe Girardi announced the extent of the injury before Friday night's game against Boston.

Test results will be reviewed by a foot specialist. It's not known how long it will take for Cervelli to complete a rehab program once the boot is removed.

"How long it would take after, if it was healed, you don't know," Girardi said.

Girardi said there are no current plans to use Jorge Posada, who is moving from catcher to designated hitter this season, behind the plate in spring training games.

"I can't tell you 100 percent, exactly, what's going to happen over the next four weeks," Girardi said. "I can't. Just like I wouldn't have predicted this, but right now I don't plan on having him really catch in a game. We'll see what the other guys can do."

Jesus Montero, Austin Romine and Gustavo Molina are the top contenders to back up starter Russell Martin, who had offseason surgery to repair a minor tear in his right knee.

"We still have plenty of guys here that could earn that spot," Girardi said. "Basically what it does, it eliminates a catcher from the opening day competition."

Cervelli does not have much luck in spring training. Last season he was sidelined with a concussion and in 2008 he broke his wrist in a collision at the plate.

"He's had a rough go at spring training," Girardi said. "I feel for him. You could see the disappointment when we walked over to tell him."

Montero played at Triple-A last season and Romine was in Double-A. Molina has 23 games of major league experience, including four with the Red Sox last season.

"When you look at Montero and Romine, the one thing they're lacking was the big league experience," Girardi said. "But, they're not lacking in talent. We're not sure, if it's one of the kids, how they're going to handle it, but we might find out."

NOTES: RHP Rafael Soriano, the former Tampa Bay closer who be the primary eighth-inning setup man for closer Mariano Rivera, threw 20 pitches during his first batting practice session. Bradley Suttle and Daniel Brewer put the ball in play in just three of 11 swings. "Probably as many swings and misses in a batting practice session as I've ever seen," Girardi said. Soriano could be ready for his first game action after one more BP outing.

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AP revenue exec takes job on Martha's Vineyard

Seagrave, 56, played a key role in AP's efforts to mine new sources of digital revenue as it brought in less money from financially struggling newspapers and broadcasters during the past two years. Last year, she helped negotiate new licensing agreements with two of the Internet's biggest companies, Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc.

Fee reductions for U.S. newspapers and broadcasters contributed to declines in AP's revenue in 2009 and 2010, marking the first time that the 165-year-old cooperative has suffered back-to-back reductions in annual revenue since the Great Depression. AP CEO Tom Curley has predicted that revenue will increase again this year.

In an e-mail Friday to co-workers, Seagrave described the move as an irresistible opportunity to return to her New England roots. She grew up in Darien, Conn., and has spent parts of the summers in a family house in Maine, where she also attended Bowdoin College.

"AP is in excellent hands, and ready for its own next evolution," Seagrave wrote in the e-mail.

The Gazette said Seagrave will start her job there in early April.

The Gazette serves Martha's Vineyard, an affluent island community off the coast of Massachusetts. According to the newspaper, circulation ranges from about 10,000 in the winter to 15,000 in the summer. Retired financier Jerome Kohlberg and his wife, Nancy, bought the newspaper late last year. Kohlberg is best known as a co-founder of the buyout firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.

Seagrave first worked as an AP reporter beginning in 1980 in New Mexico. She left the AP in 1986 to go to graduate school at Harvard University and later worked at legal publications and a business technology news service before rejoining the company in 2003. She has been focused on digital media since she returned to the AP and was promoted to chief revenue officer last year.

Curley praised Seagrave in an internal memo. "Her elegant thinking has helped steer us through very choppy waters as media business models change and evolve," he wrote.

The AP, based in New York, said it has no immediate plans to replace Seagrave. Her duties will be divided among seven other members of AP's management team.

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Match Play offers snapshot of golf scene

Europe looked as strong as ever.

Martin Kaymer showed why he is No. 1 in the world ranking. Lee Westwood made people wonder why he was.

Bubba Watson and Rickie Fowler, when they're not making videos for Twitter, offered more evidence that their homemade golf swings are just as compelling as their fashion accessories.

And has anyone seen Tiger Woods?

Europe has been the strongest continent in golf over the last year, and Dove Mountain was no exception. Luke Donald of England and Kaymer (Germany) reached the championship match, the second straight year for an all-European final.

Donald was so good that he never trailed after any hole in any of his six matches, and wound up playing fewer holes (89) than the winner of the Bob Hope Classic (92). Who would have guessed that?

After winning, Donald said European golf was going through a "purple patch."

For the Americans, it's more black-and-blue.

Only two Americans have reached the championship match in the last five years — Woods and Stewart Cink in 2008. One year ago, Americans were Nos. 1-2-3 in the world ranking. Europe now occupies the first four spots in the ranking for the first time in nearly two decades. Woods is the highest-ranked American at No. 5, his lowest position since the week before he won the 1997 Masters.

Before anyone writes the Americans off too quickly, they have had six winners on the PGA Tour this year. Then again, their average ranking when they won was No. 171. Watson at Torrey Pines was the only winner inside the top 75.

The best American at the moment? Good question.

Mark Wilson has won twice, at the Sony Open and Phoenix Open, which doesn't exactly make him a favorite at the Masters, where he will be playing a major for only the fourth time.

Wilson advanced to the second round of the Match Play, and that was noteworthy for whom he beat — Dustin Johnson.

There was little debate that Johnson was the most promising young American going into 2011, if not one of the emerging talents in the world. Two months into the season, however, he has only made news because of Natalie Gulbis and Jim Gray.

He was linked romantically to Gulbis until the LPGA star said that Johnson was handling their PR. Meanwhile, Gray was sent home by the Golf Channel for asking Johnson in the middle of his round why he was late to the tee for a two-shot penalty.

Speaking of tardiness, the Match Play Championship renewed talk about the pace of play.

One week after Kevin Na nearly turned Riviera into a five-day tournament, J.B. Holmes took some of the shine off a riveting match because he was so deliberate. Watson rallied from 5 down with eight holes to play to square the match on the 18th and win it on the 19th. But the match took nearly five hours to play, and not all of that is down to rulings from the desert on the final two holes.

The opening match of the tournament between Cink and Ian Poulter took over four hours before it reached the 18th hole. Part of the delay was when they each made double bogey on the par-3 sixth, prompting rules official Stephen Cox to tell Poulter on the next fairway, "Look, I realize you've both taken a trip to In-N-Out for a double-double, but I'd appreciate it if you would pick up the pace."

Watson and Fowler won't get accused of slow play.

Both of them bring old-school qualities to the game, and both are reaching the point where they can move the needle.

Watson, with the pink shaft in his driver and a $525,000 watch he sported from a Richard Mille endorsement, came within one hole of winning the PGA Championship last year. He held off Phil Mickelson to win at Torrey Pines, and showed off his tremendous shotmaking at Dove Mountain. He's always had raw talent. Now he is getting comfortable with the spotlight.

Fowler, dressed in pink from his shoes to his cap, hit two of the most impressive shots all week with his 4-iron to 15 feet for eagle on the 11th and a 4-iron to 2 feet for eagle on the 13th to hand Mickelson is worst loss ever in the event.

Fowler went down the next day, not unusual at this tournament. He has all the tools to be a star except the most important asset, which is a trophy. But as Mickelson said in defeat, "I think he's going to do a lot for American golf."

Mickelson remains an enigma. He played six straight weeks, from Abu Dhabi to Dove Mountain, with only one chance at winning.

That's still one more chance than Woods, who remains the biggest mystery in golf.

There is not much to say about the former No. 1, although that didn't stop TV commentary from gushing that swing coach Sean Foley said Woods' spin rate and launch angle were leveling out. Good to know.

He lost on the 19th hole to Thomas Bjorn with a swing Woods had to rehearse too many times and a 3-wood into the desert. It wasn't as awful as it looked, for the right side of the fairway is the best angle to make birdie. Even so, he would have been better off missing the 8-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that forced overtime than losing the way he did.

Johnny Miller compared Woods with Mike Tyson, not because of Iron Mike's criminal behavior and outrageous comments, but because he was never the same after losing to Buster Douglas.

The longer Woods goes without winning, it's not unreasonable to wonder about that.

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