Fast Break

Football

Big pain for Big Ben

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had an emergency appendectomy after becoming ill before practice Sunday and will miss Thursday night’s season opener against Miami.

Coach Bill Cowher said Roethlisberger will be evaluated each week, and he is not certain how long the quarterback will be out.

Charlie Batch, the former Lions starter who was 2-0 as a fill-in last season when Roethlisberger hurt his knee, will start against the Dolphins in the NFL’s first game of the season.

The appendix attack is yet another medical setback for Roethlisberger, who nearly died in a June 12 motorcycle accident only to make a remarkably fast recovery.

Football

Mullins honored

Mississippi celebrated the memory of Chucky Mullins, retiring his number in a ceremony Sunday before the Rebels’ nationally televised game against Memphis.

Mullins was paralyzed in a game in 1989 and died in 1991 after returning to school in a wheelchair to pursue his degree.

Mullins’ guardians, Carver and Karen Phillips, participated in the ceremony about 20 minutes before kickoff.

“He would love it,” Carver Phillips said when asked about the celebration of Mullins’ legacy. “He would say that’s a way to get the team and the guys fired up, knock heads and get ready to play some football.”

The Rebels won 28-25.

Mullins’ No. 38 joins Archie Manning’s No. 18 as the only jerseys retired in the 111 years of Ole Miss football. Manning’s number was retired 20 years ago.

Coming Tuesday

New life for Spokane boxing

The spiffy new Howard Street Boxing Gym doesn’t look like a typical dark and dingy boxing gym. But what the room lacks in boxing history is more than made up for by the 100-odd years of experience shared by the men who oversee training therein.

Correspondent Steve Christilaw visited the new gym and the men behind the effort to keep boxing alive in Spokane. Look for his story in Tuesday’s paper.