Injured umpire Young out 2-3 weeks

Umpire Larry Young will miss two to three weeks after being hit inthe face by a throw during the Arizona-St. Louis game Monday at BuschStadium.

Young, of Rockford, suffered a non-displaced fracture of the nasalbone and bleeding into the upper eye after taking a throw in the facefrom Diamondbacks second baseman Jay Bell, said Mark Letendre, MajorLeague Baseball's director of umpire medical services.

Bell hit Young, 47, with a blind throw after ranging into shallowcenter field in pursuit of an Albert Pujols grounder. Young wasescorted from the field and taken to a hospital for observation.

He received stitches to close a cut on his forehead and wasreleased today. He returned to Rockford, where he will recuperateunder the care of an ophthalmologist, Letendre said.

MCGWIRE TO DL? The pain in Mark McGwire's right knee might forcehim to go on the disabled list.

Dr. George Paletta of the Cardinals is leaning toward recommendingthat McGwire be placed on the 15-day disabled list to facilitatehealing. McGwire experienced more soreness in the knee during theweekend. He did not play Monday or Tuesday against Arizona.

"All I know is, I'm not myself," McGwire said. "I have to play ata certain level, and I'm not there. If I don't play at a certainlevel, I think I'm embarrassing myself and I'm no good to aballclub."

McGwire is 2-for-21 (.095) with one home run and one RBI.

GRIFFEY OUT INDEFINITELY: Ken Griffey Jr. will be out of the Reds'lineup indefinitely because of a partially torn left hamstring thatis healing slowly.

A magnetic resonance imaging test found the partial tear in thelower part of the hamstring, which Griffey pulled during a spring-training game one week before Opening Day.

Although Griffey could aggravate the injury by running, the teamplans to continue using him as a pinch hitter.

The Orioles placed right-hander Sidney Ponson on the 15-daydisabled list with tendinitis in his right elbow.

A-ROD DRILLED: Seattle fans are intensely mad and passionatelyangry.

All over Alex Rodriguez and a little thing like $252 million.

They showered Rodriguez, a Mariner from 1994 to 2000, with boosevery time he came to the plate and even booed him when he made aplay at shortstop on his return to Safeco Field on Monday.

The Mariners won for the third time in four games againstRodriguez and the Rangers, improving their AL West-leading record to10-3.

A sellout crowd of 45,657 threw fake money from the upper deckswhen Rodriguez came to the plate, showing its displeasure overRodriguez's departure Dec. 11 to take Texas' $252 million contract,the biggest in sports.

"I've been in this game 15 years, and that is the hardest thingI've seen a player go through," Rangers teammate Rafael Palmeirosaid. "I don't know how he did it. Those were the same people whocheered him last year when he took them to the playoffs."

The four-time All-Star shortstop refused to criticize Seattle'sfans.

"I think it's all in fun," Rodriguez said. "That's why they'resome of the greatest fans. They were in postseason form. If I waswearing a Mariners' uniform, they would have been cheering for me."

CONE MAKES PROGRESS: Boston Red Sox pitcher David Cone threw allof his pitches during a bullpen session for the first time sincegoing on the disabled list with tendinitis in his right shoulder.

Cone threw approximately 50 pitches during his fourth bullpensession before the Red Sox played the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He couldbegin throwing batting practice by next week.