Minnesota Twins closer Joe Nathan has a "significant" ligament tear in his right elbow. Nathan left a spring training game on Saturday and went back to Minneapolis for tests, which revealed damage to the ulnar collateral ligament. The Twins said the veteran reliever will rest the elbow for two weeks to allow swelling in the area to subside. He will then try to strengthen the elbow before trying to pitch. If rehab does not work, surgery will likely be necessary. Nathan faced one batter Saturday in a spring training game against Boston and left the mound after experiencing tightness in the elbow. The 35- year-old right-hander is coming off a franchise-record 47-save season in 2009.

Three more NCAA Tournament bids are up for grabs tonight with conference tournament championship games in the Horizon League, Sun Belt and Summit League. The Horizon final will pit 12th-ranked Butler against Wright State. The Bulldogs would still earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team if Wright State pulled off the upset tonight on Butler's home floor, but that scenario would devastate teams on the proverbial bubble. The Sun Belt title game will pit North Texas against Troy, while Oakland and IUPUI will decide the Summit championship.

The Connecticut women's basketball team will try for a Big East title tonight against West Virginia in Hartford after setting a women's NCAA Division I record with its 71st consecutive victory in the tournament semifinals on Monday. The Huskies posted a 59-44 triumph over No. 6 Notre Dame to eclipse the old mark of 70 straight wins, set by a UConn team from 2001-03. The only longer winning streak in NCAA Division I basketball history is the 88-game run UCLA had from 1971-1974.

The Kansas City Chiefs announced the signing of free agent running back Thomas Jones on Tuesday. Terms of the signing were not released. Jones was released after three productive seasons with the Jets upon the opening of free agency last week. The 31-year-old ran for a career-high 1,402 yards in 2009 and established a franchise record with 14 rushing touchdowns, after setting that mark in 2008 with 13 scores.

The New England Patriots officially announced the signings of defensive tackle Vince Wilfork and guard Stephen Neal on Tuesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but a report from a Boston paper last Friday, citing Wilfork's agent, revealed his deal is for $40 million over five years with $25 million guaranteed and an $18 million signing bonus. Wilfork has played in 90 regular- season games for the Patriots, including 80 as a starter, since the club selected him with the 21st overall pick of the 2004 draft.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have re-signed safety Ryan Clark to a new four-year contract and brought back wide receiver Antwaan Randle El to the Steel City with a three-year contract. Terms of Clark's deal were not disclosed, but a Pittsburgh newspaper reported it to be worth $14 million over four years. The Steelers also announced a one-year contract for offensive tackle Jonathan Scott. Clark was an unrestricted free agent who spent the past four seasons in Pittsburgh and has also played for Washington and the New York Giants. Randle El joined Washington after Pittsburgh's Super Bowl winning season in 2005 and spent the last four years with the Redskins. He started just three of the team's 16 games in 2009 and finished with 50 receptions for 530 yards.

Carl Edwards avoided suspension but received a three-race probation period from NASCAR after intentionally wrecking Brad Keselowski in last Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. NASCAR President Mike Helton addressed the seriousness of the Edwards-Keselowski incident, in which Keselowski's car went flying upside down into the frontstretch wall after Edwards deliberately hit him from behind in the closing laps at Atlanta. Helton also said NASCAR officials had several discussions internally as well as conversations with the stakeholders of the situation, including team owners Jack Roush (Edwards) and Roger Penske (Keselowski), before making their decision to place Edwards on probation for the upcoming races at Bristol, Martinsville and Phoenix. Edwards was neither fined nor penalized with a points loss for the incident.

The National Basketball Association on Tuesday levied one-game suspensions without pay against Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger and Phoenix Suns center Channing Frye. Both men were hit with the penalties for their actions during the third quarter of the Suns' victory over the Pacers in Phoenix on Saturday. Frye, who won't serve his suspension until Friday, threw a punch at Granger, who retaliated and will sit out tonight's game against Philadelphia. In addition, the league dished out a $30,000 fine to Pacers guard Earl Watson for escalating the incident on the court, and $25,000 fines to Indiana's Roy Hibbert and Jason Richardson of Phoenix for adding to the escalation of an on- court incident.