Sports

SPORTS SHORTS

NFL: Vinny gets another start

In Charlotte, N.C., the old man will get another chance for the Panthers.

Coach John Fox yesterday named 43-year-old Vinny Testaverde the starting quarterback for tomorrow’s game against the Colts.

Testaverde got the nod ahead of David Carr, who is recovering from a back injury.

“It’s not an indictment on David Carr by any stretch. I don’t feel he’s 100 percent,” Fox said. “He’s healthy enough to play, but I don’t think he’s 100 percent.”

Carr practiced yesterday and is listed as probable.

* In San Diego, chased from their homes and practice fields by deadly wildfires, the Chargers will return home to play the Texans at Qualcomm Stadium tomorrow as scheduled.

The game’s date and time had been in doubt because Qualcomm was used as a major evacuation center during the wildfires that swept San Diego County.

GOLF: Estes tied for lead

In Port St. Lucie, Fla., Bob Estes and Tommy Armour III shot 5-under 68 to share the lead in the suspended second round of the rain-soaked Ginn sur Mer Classic.

Estes and Armour opened with identical 64s Thursday, leaving them at 14 under. Daniel Chopra was another stroke back after a 66 at Tesoro Club.

* In Pattaya, Thailand, Suzann Pettersen holed a 115-yard wedge shot for eagle on the par-4 13th and birdied the 18th to maintain a two-stroke lead in the Honda LPGA Thailand, her fourth straight tour round atop the leaderboard.

* In Sonoma, Calif., Eduardo Romero took the second-round lead in the Champions Tour’s season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship, shooting a 4-under 68 for a one-stroke advantage over Denis Watson and Jim Thorpe.

BLOTTER: Griffin autopsy

Former NBA player Eddie Griffin had more than three times the legal alcohol limit in his system when he crashed his sport utility vehicle into a moving train and died this summer, according to an autopsy report released yesterday.

The Harris County Medical Examiner’s office said the 25-year-old Griffin, who played at Seton Hall, died of “multiple blunt force injuries.” The medical examiner’s office performed tests on Griffin’s bile and blood from his heart and liver and determined his blood-alcohol level was 0.26. The legal limit in Texas is 0.08.

Tests found no traces of cocaine, amphetamines or any other narcotics.

Griffin, 6-foot-10, was killed about 1:20 a.m. on Aug. 17. His injuries from the fiery crash included two collapsed lungs, a lacerated liver and kidney and four broken ribs.

HOCKEY: Draper extended

Detroit forward Kris Draper, a winner of three Stanley Cups with the Red Wings, signed a three-year contract extension. The 36-year-old has five goals through the first 10 games of his 14th season with Detroit.

NASCAR: Biffle captures pole

In Hampton, Ga., Greg Biffle won his first pole in more than a year, nipping Kurt Busch for the top spot in NASCAR Nextel Cup qualifying last night at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Biffle turned a fast lap of 192.453 mph, while Busch had a 192.427 on the 1.5-mile oval.

TENNIS: Davydenko fined

In St. Petersburg, Russia, Nikolay Davydenko, already at the center of a betting investigation, was fined $2,000 for lack of effort a loss at the St. Petersburg Open.

The ATP said the fourth-ranked Russian was fined for lack of “best effort” in his 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 loss Thursday to Marin Cilic.