BETTMAN: BANNING HITS TO HEAD WOULD BE END OF CHECKING

» NHL commissioner Gary

O TT AWA

Bettman hit back Wednesday at the notion of banning any kind of head contact, telling a Canadian parliamentary panel that such a rule would be impossible to enforce and lead to the end of hitting.

The league has faced calls to penalize any head contact in the hope of eliminating potentially debilitating concussions. Those calling for a strict rule include Ken Dryden, the former Montreal Canadiens goalie and cabinet minister in Paul Martin’s Liberal government.

In sometimes combative testimony, Bettman said such a rule at the NHL level would mean larger players would inevitably land blows on smaller players’ heads in the normal course of play, leading to penalties. Ultimately “there would be no more body checking” — something that players and fans feel is an “exciting, appealing, entertaining” and important part of the game.

Olympic runner Semenya loses fight over testosterone rules.

» The sports world’s highest GENEV A court ruled Wednesday that Olympic gold medalist Caster Semenya and other female runners like her with unusually high testosterone must take medication to reduce their levels of the male sex hormone if they want to compete in certain events — a landmark decision with far-reaching ramifications for other women’s sports.

The IAAF argued that high, naturally occurring levels of testosterone in athletes like Semenya with “intersex” characteristics that don’t conform to standard definitions of male and female give them an unfair competitive advantage, and it decreed a maximum level for females.

NASCAR throws the flag on trying to liven up qualifying.

C H A RLOTTE,

» NASCAR abandoned its yearslong

N .C. bid to add excitement to qualifying and announced Wednesday it will return to single-car laps after the current format became a laughingstock.

All three national series will make the change at all oval tracks, starting this weekend at Dover.

NASCAR for more than five years has used a group qualifying format, but a new rules package this season created an unintended consequence: drivers could game the system.

Giants advise mourning rookie Ballentine to skip rookie camp.

» The Giants

. . told Corey Ballentine to skip the team’s upcoming rookie minicamp to mourn the death of a Washburn University teammate who was killed in a shooting that also wounded New York’s sixth-round pick just hours after being taken in the NFL draft.

Draft choices and rookie free agents were to report Thursday.

“We have encouraged Corey to stay in Kansas this week to be with his family and friends as they mourn the loss and celebrate the life of his good friend and teammate Dwane Simmons,” the statement said.

Giants prospect suspended for performance-enhancing drug.

» San Francisco Giants pitching prospect Logan Webb was suspended 80 games for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. The commissioner’s office announced the punishment without pay for the Double-A pitcher.

The 22-year-old Webb says he doesn’t know how Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone got into his urine sample. He says he is “heartbroken” over the situation and apologized to his family, friends and the Giants.

AP source: Timberwolves hire Rockets exec Gersson Rosas.

A person with knowledge of the process tells The Associated Press that the Minnesota Timberwolves have decided to hire Houston Rockets executive Gersson Rosas as president of basketball operations. Rosas has been a finalist for the top job with several other NBA teams.