Etherton to Be Sidelined 4-6 Months

Right-hander Seth Etherton of the Cincinnati Reds will be sidelined four to six months after arthroscopic surgery Tuesday to remove bone spurs from his shoulder and repair a torn labrum.

Etherton, 24, came to the Reds in a Dec. 10 trade that sent infielder Wilmy Caceres to the Angels. He was one of several candidates for the starting rotation, but weakness in his right shoulder sidelined him early in spring training.

Dr. Timothy Kremchek performed the surgery in Cincinnati. Etherton planned to return to Sarasota, Fla., today to start rehabilitation.

Etherton went 5-1 with a 5.52 earned-run average in 11 starts as a rookie last year until tendinitis in his right shoulder forced him to finish the season on the disabled list.

Red General Manager Jim Bowden said he had no qualms about making the trade for Etherton, even if he had shoulder problems.

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Drew Henson appears headed back to the New York Yankees, a move that could lead the Michigan quarterback to choose baseball over the NFL.

The Reds tentatively agreed to trade the third baseman to the Yankees along with outfielder Michael Coleman in exchange for outfielder Wily Mo Pena.

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The Chicago White Sox took back one of the injured pitchers they sent to the Toronto Blue Jays in January and sent a sound one.

The Blue Jays sent Mike Williams, who is sidelined because of a right shoulder injury, back to Chicago for Matt DeWitt.

Chicago traded three pitchers--Williams, Mike Sirotka and Kevin Beirne--and outfielder Brian Simmons to Toronto on Jan. 14 for David Wells and DeWitt.

Sirotka and Williams have been unable to pitch this spring because of shoulder injuries, prompting the Blue Jays to ask Commissioner Bud Selig to rescind or alter the deal.

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Bobby Higginson rejected a contract offer from the Detroit Tigers, moving one step closer to testing the free-agent market after the season. Higginson was asking for a little more than $40 million over four years, but the Tigers’ counteroffer was worth less than $36 million over four years.

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The Green Monster will no longer be the major leagues’ most imposing wall.

Major league baseball told the Reds that their new center-field wall will have to be 40 feet tall so hitters can see the ball, eclipsing the famous left-field wall at Boston’s Fenway Park by three feet. The entire wall will be in play.

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The Knoblauch Experiment began with about 50 fans watching on a practice diamond at Legends Field in Tampa, Fla.

Chuck Knoblauch stood with Lee Mazzilli, listening as the New York Yankee coach gave him tips on his new job.

“We’ll try to fashion a course in Left Field 101 as fast as we can,” Mazzilli said.

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President Bush will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Milwaukee Brewers’ new stadium before the home opener against the Reds on April 6. . . . Houston Astro Shane Reynolds threw off a mound for the first time since undergoing an operation on his left knee in December.