UW’s Polk could miss EWU game

College football: Washington star running back Chris Polk could miss the Huskies’ Sept. 3 date against Eastern Washington in Seattle after having an arthroscopic procedure to clean up the meniscus in his knee.

When coach Steve Sarkisian was asked Thursday night whether Polk’s injury leaves the opener in jeopardy, he said: “It potentially could be. We don’t know. It depends on his body and how it recovers. But I think for the long haul, with this thing, (the surgery) was the right thing to do.”

Polk felt something in his knee during the latter stages of Wednesday night’s practice, Sarkisian said, and team doctors looked at the knee shortly thereafter. The decision was made to have a scope on Thursday morning.

Polk appeared to be favoring his left knee while walking the sideline at practice, but Sarkisian would not reveal which knee was injured.

Polk, who is a junior this season, was the second-leading rusher in the Pac-10 Conference last season.

• Miami A.D. tries to reassure fan base: Speaking out for the first time since Miami football players were accused of getting cash, gifts and prostitutes from an ex-booster, athletic director Shawn Eichorst vowed that “a better day” would be coming for the Hurricanes.

Those messages came as the attorney for Nevin Shapiro, a convicted Ponzi scheme architect, defended her client’s accusations that he bankrolled a wild lifestyle for Hurricane players.

In a statement, Eichorst said the subjects of the NCAA and university investigation have his unconditional support. He urged a skeptical fan base to remain patient with a process that went on quietly for five months, then burst into the public eye Tuesday when Shapiro’s claims were published by Yahoo Sports.

But Perez said the allegations were not made up and speculated more could be triggered by Shapiro’s story. The attorney said Shapiro, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for masterminding a $930 million Ponzi scheme, is aware of the fallout from his claims made to Yahoo Sports.

Quinney, Gainey share Wyndham lead

Golf: Jeff Quinney and Tommy Gainey shot 7-under 63s to share the lead after one round at the Wyndham Championship at Greensboro, N.C. Spokane native Alex Prugh shot a 73.

• Sluman leads Senior Players: Jeff Sluman shot a 6-under 65 to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Senior Players Championship, the Champions Tour’s final major of the season. Sluman had seven birdies and a bogey on Westchester Country Club’s West Course in Harrison, N.Y. Gary Hallberg and Peter Senior opened with 66s.

Jay Haas, the 2009 winner, and Corey Pavin and Michael Allen were two strokes back.

Montana team wins in LLWS debut

Baseball: The first team from Montana to advance to South Williamsport, Pa., overcame a shaky start and three solo homers by the sluggers from Rapid City, S.D., as Billings won its Little League World Series debut, 6-4.

A five-run fourth inning for Montana was highlighted by Connor Kieckbusch’s two-run single and Cole McKenzie’s two-RBI double with two outs.

Mexicali, Mexico, shut out Kaoshiung, Taiwan, 3-0 in the series’ first game behind a two-hitter by flame-throwing righty Jorge Jacobo.

Hamamatsu City, Japan, beat Oranjestad, Aruba, 12-1, and Lafayette, La., shut out Warner Robins, Ga., 2-0.

NHL could test shallow nets soon

Hockey: Nets used in NHL games could be changing as soon as this season.

While the size of the nets isn’t going to be altered, the depth is likely to undergo a makeover. After using a shallower model over two days at the research and development camp, NHL executive Brendan Shanahan indicated that the new nets might be tested during the preseason.

The new design is 40 inches deep as opposed to the traditional 44 inches. It also features a clear plastic strip along the top, thinner mesh and a built-in high definition camera – changes intended to make video review decisions easier.

Shanahan also is in favor of a new verification line that runs 3 inches behind the goal line and can be used in video review to help determine if a puck completely entered the net.

Wieber takes lead in gymnastics

Miscellany: Jordyn Wieber overcame a shaky start to take a solid lead at the U.S. gymnastics championships in St. Paul, Minn.

Wieber, who established herself as the next big U.S. star when she beat world champion Aliya Mustafina in March, scored 59.850, putting her almost two points ahead of Alexandra Raisman going into Saturday night’s final.

• U.S. romps in University Games: Elena Delle Donne and Devereaux Peters each had 17 points for the United States in a 96-30 basketball win against Finland in the quarterfinals of the World University Games in Shenzhen, China. The U.S. (4-0) will face unbeaten Australia in the semifinals. Taiwan will face Sweden.