Sprained Knee

Ravens first-round pick Ben Grubbs is questionable for Saturday's scrimmage against the Washington Redskins at M&T Bank Stadium because of a sprained knee. Grubbs, only the second offensive lineman in franchise history to be selected in the first round, did not practice yesterday at McDaniel College in Westminster after spraining the medial collateral ligament in his right knee during special teams practice Tuesday afternoon. "It's just day-to-day," said Grubbs, who watched practice in his jersey and black shorts and wore a knee brace.

Terrell Suggs practiced for the second consecutive day - albeit on a limited basis - but the Ravens' three-time Pro Bowl linebacker-defensive end sounded cautious about reading too much into the progress of his sprained right knee. "I'm trying to feel it out," Suggs said Thursday. "I don't really want to go before it's ready. It's not ready. We're just trying to see how it feels in game situations. I guess we've just got to wait and see Sunday." Suggs hadn't missed a game in his seven-year career until Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn hit him low during an interception return by Chris Carr on Nov. 16. Suggs has sat out the past three games, giving the sprained ligament in the knee time to heal.

Saturday night: The Spirit improved to 3-0, dealing its former coach, Kenny Cooper, a third straight loss with his new team, Tampa Bay, 14-9, at the Baltimore Arena.What's ahead: At Harrisburg, Saturday night.Injuries: G Cris Vaccaro (strained elbow), F Brad Smith (sprained knee) and D Omid Namazi (sprained ankle) are doubtful.They said it: "Close isn't good enough. When we got close [12-9] in the fourth quarter, we were right where we needed to be. We had great opportunities, but their experience took over."

NBA Pistons@Wizards 7 p.m. [CSN] If you've had your fill of meaningless bowl games, how about an NBA game? OK, many of them are meaningless, too, but here are the story lines: The Pistons are hot, having won nine consecutive games, and are coming off a 114-69 blowout of the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night. The Wizards won their last game, 96-74, over the Miami Heat on Saturday and are expecting point guard Antonio Daniels to return to the lineup after he missed seven games with a sprained knee.

NBA Pistons@Wizards 7 p.m. [CSN] If you've had your fill of meaningless bowl games, how about an NBA game? OK, many of them are meaningless, too, but here are the story lines: The Pistons are hot, having won nine consecutive games, and are coming off a 114-69 blowout of the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night. The Wizards won their last game, 96-74, over the Miami Heat on Saturday and are expecting point guard Antonio Daniels to return to the lineup after he missed seven games with a sprained knee.

VS. SAN DIEGO SOCKERS* WHERE: Baltimore Arena.* WHEN: Tomorrow, 7:35 p.m.* RADIO: WCAO-AM 600.* OUTLOOK: Baltimore native Tim Wittman will be making his first visit in a San Diego uniform tonight, hoping to impress his hometown fans. Meanwhile, the Blast (1-4) will be trying to knock off the Sockers, who embarrassed them in San Diego last Sunday, 7-2. San Diego is 2-2 going into tonight's game at Cleveland.The Sockers are healthy as they begin this road trip. For the Blast, defender David Eise (sprained knee)

Quote: "By Monday, I'll be in the lineup. I'm getting a little frustrated sitting around waiting, but we have to do what's best for the team." - Mariners shortstop Alex Rodriguez, on the DL with a sprained knee, who did some fielding, hitting and running It's a fact: . Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra, who batted .196 in interleague play last year, hit .468 this year. Who's hot: The Twins' Mark Redman leads all AL rookie pitchers in victories, strikeouts and innings pitched. Who's not: Devil Rays starter Esteban Yan faced 20 batters, allowing 10 hits and one walk.

Thumbs up: Lamont Brightful had a 45-yard kickoff return for the White team, drawing the largest ovation of the afternoon. The players all signed autographs afterward despite the heat. Thumbs down: The White team gave up a Jeff Blake-to-Ron Johnson 20-yard touchdown with less than two minutes left in the game. Quotable: "[Yesterday] was more about the administration of the game as opposed to what physically went on." Ravens coach Brian Billick. Injuries: Linebacker Peter Boulware (ankle)

Last game: 31-8 victory over Chicago Bears on SundayRecord: 5-4Highlights: The Redskins scored touchdowns on their first three possessions and never looked back at Soldier Field. Washington's troubled run defense limited Raymont Harris to 43 yards rushing and the Bears to 62 yards on the ground. Gus Frerotte completed nine of 11 for 113 yards and one touchdown in the first half. Frerotte wound up with 14 of 20 for 192 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Terry Allen returned to form after missing two games with a sprained left knee.

PHILADELPHIA -- The timing couldn't be worse for the Washington Redskins.Facing a stretch of three games in nine days and 22 hours, the team was left wondering who their starting quarterback was after last night's 28-14 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles."

Ravens first-round pick Ben Grubbs is questionable for Saturday's scrimmage against the Washington Redskins at M&T Bank Stadium because of a sprained knee. Grubbs, only the second offensive lineman in franchise history to be selected in the first round, did not practice yesterday at McDaniel College in Westminster after spraining the medial collateral ligament in his right knee during special teams practice Tuesday afternoon. "It's just day-to-day," said Grubbs, who watched practice in his jersey and black shorts and wore a knee brace.

Rookie strong safety Dawan Landry said yesterday that his sprained right knee is improving, but he wasn't sure whether he would be able to play when the Ravens take on the host New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Landry, the team's fifth-round draft pick, was present during the portion of yesterday's practice that was open to the media, but he did not participate in drills and did not bring his helmet. "I'm just taking it one day at a time," Landry said. "I'm just hoping for the best and hopefully I'll be out there.

Ravens wide receiver Derrick Mason and cornerback Chris McAlister declared themselves healthy and available for the team's regular-season opener at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday. Both players missed Thursday's preseason finale against the Washington Redskins, but Mason (left knee bruise) and McAlister (sore right thigh) practiced yesterday and said their injuries shouldn't prevent them from suiting up against the Buccaneers. "It's feeling fine," Mason said. "It was just one of those things where just a little rest [was needed]

LANDOVER -- Keydrick Vincent and Tony Pashos might have a case for filing for overtime pay. While the majority of the first-team offense played just the first two series of last night's 17-10 preseason victory over the host Washington Redskins at FedEx Field, starters Vincent, the right guard, and Pashos, the right tackle, participated in two more possessions. After the game, neither player seemed bothered by the coaching staff's decision to send them in with quarterback Kyle Boller and the second-team unit.

Both Haloti Ngata and his coach expressed optimism about the rookie defensive tackle's availability for the preseason opener against the visiting New York Giants on Friday night. Ngata, the 12th overall selection in April's draft, sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee during a scrimmage with the Washington Redskins on Saturday. But Ngata, who did not practice during a closed session at McDaniel College yesterday, said his knee was improved. "It's loosening up a little bit, and the swelling's down," he said.

LANDOVER -- The Ravens' first live action of the 2006 season also yielded their first scare. Rookie defensive tackle Haloti Ngata sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee during an 11-on-11 drill in a scrimmage against the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field yesterday. But the 12th overall selection in April's draft said that the injury was not serious and that he should be back to practice by Tuesday or Wednesday. "It feels good," Ngata said. "It's just a minor sprain.

Ravens wide receiver Derrick Mason and cornerback Chris McAlister declared themselves healthy and available for the team's regular-season opener at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday. Both players missed Thursday's preseason finale against the Washington Redskins, but Mason (left knee bruise) and McAlister (sore right thigh) practiced yesterday and said their injuries shouldn't prevent them from suiting up against the Buccaneers. "It's feeling fine," Mason said. "It was just one of those things where just a little rest [was needed]

Mark Brunell's sprained right knee is not as serious as initially feared, and the quarterback might be healthy enough to play in the Washington Redskins' regular-season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Coach Joe Gibbs said a magnetic resonance imaging exam yesterday morning revealed no severe damage to the sprained medial collateral ligament in Brunell's right knee, which was injured during the third quarter of Washington's 35-20 victory over the NFC East-leading New York Giants on Saturday.

Ashburn, Va. -- Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs said he erred in his criticism of officials and instant replay after the team's 36-35 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. Gibbs, who vented on Monday, was particularly incensed that officials did not overturn Mike Alstott's game-winning, two-point conversion with 58 seconds left and would not allow him to challenge a ruling on Joey Galloway's 34-yard catch that led to Tampa Bay's first touchdown. "If we disagree on something, I should just say, `Hey, we're going to turn it in, and see where we go,'" Gibbs said yesterday after practice at Redskins Park.