Holliday not willing to take holiday

Baseball: Matt Holliday said he had been having stomach pains for several days before undergoing an appendectomy last week. He also told the St. Louis Cardinals he didn’t need to go on the 15-day disabled list.

“I told them I’d like to not go on the DL,” Holliday said Monday. “That I think I can play.”

The Cardinals could have their cleanup hitter back by the weekend. Three days after the surgery, Holliday said he was feeling better each day.

St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said he had no new timetable on Holliday, adding that the All-Star slugger was “taking it easy.”

Holliday expects to travel with the team, which begins a 10-game West Coast trip on Friday.

• Feds uncover new recording in Bonds’ case: A juror called in sick at the Barry Bonds perjury trial in San Francisco, forcing testimony to be postponed, while the government tried to get new evidence admitted that could abruptly turn the case in its favor.

Federal prosecutors told U.S. District Judge Susan Illston that a secretly recorded conversation between Bonds’ orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Arthur Ting, and the slugger’s former business manager, Steve Hoskins, had been located this weekend.

Depending on what that recording contains, and whether the jury hears it, the discovery could be a setback for Bonds.

• Kendrick’s Washington home burglarized: Police are searching for suspects who burglarized the Mount Vernon, Wash., home of Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Kyle Kendrick and took his World Series ring.

• Royals sign Suppan: Jeff Suppan, a 16-year major league veteran who was Kansas City’s best pitcher 10 years ago, has signed a minor league contract with the Royals.

Sharks clinch division with win over Kings

NHL: Joe Thornton had a goal and an assist to give him 999 career points and help the San Jose Sharks clinch their fourth straight Pacific Division title with a 6-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings in San Jose, Calif.

Kyle Wellwood added a goal and two assists, and defensemen Dan Boyle and Marc-Edouard Vlasic also scored for the Sharks.

• Rangers make unlikely comeback: Brandon Dubinsky and Michael Sauer scored 51 seconds apart late in the third period, and the Rangers turned a likely crippling defeat into their most stirring victory of the season by rallying to beat the defensive-minded Boston Bruins 5-3 in New York.

The Rangers, who trailed 3-0 in the second period, seemed beaten by the Northeast Division-champion Bruins when the game suddenly turned without warning.

Men’s basketball: A judge in Stillwater, Okla., says Oklahoma State player Darrell Williams will stand trial on rape and other felony charges alleging he inappropriately touched two female students.

Payne County Special Judge Michael Stano issued his ruling Monday and set a May 13 trial before District Judge Phillip Corley. Williams has pleaded not guilty and remains free on bond.

• Haith takes Missouri job: Missouri announced that Frank Haith has agreed to leave Miami and take over the Tigers. The Hurricanes said earlier in the day that Haith had resigned to take the Missouri job, but the Tigers were quiet until the university curators met in a closed session.

• Johnson leaves Princeton for Fairfield: Sydney Johnson, who led his alma mater Princeton to a share of the Ivy League championship and a berth in the NCAA tournament, has been hired by Fairfield.

Chiefs’ veteran Vrabel arrested for theft

NFL: Kansas City linebacker Mike Vrabel was arrested and charged with theft from a riverboat casino in Vevay, Ind.

The Switzerland County sheriff’s department said Vrabel, 35, was arrested at 5:30 a.m. and released about 5 hours later on $600 cash bond. He was charged with a class D felony.

“It was an unfortunate misunderstanding, and I take full responsibility for the miscommunication,” Vrabel said in a statement issued through his agent. “I feel comfortable that after talking with the appropriate parties, we will resolve this matter.”

• Judge combines requests to halt lockout: A federal judge in Minnesota has decided to combine two requests to halt the NFL lockout.

U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson said that she will hear arguments from attorneys for Tom Brady, Drew Brees and other current players, as well as attorneys for retired players. The current players and retirees have filed similar antitrust lawsuits against the league in addition to their requests for an injunction to stop the lockout.

The arguments will be heard Wednesday.

Absent Serena saves American tennis

Tennis: Serena Williams somehow managed to move up two spots to No. 10 in the latest WTA rankings, making her the only tennis player from the United States – male or female – in the top 10.

Williams hasn’t played since winning Wimbledon nine months ago and it’s unclear when she will return to the court. But she’s alone when it comes to Americans among the elite players because her sister, Venus, slipped from ninth to 15th, while Andy Roddick dropped from eighth to 14th in the ATP rankings.

Americans have never been absent from both top 10s at the same time.

Southern A.D. cited on solicitation charge

Miscellany: Southern University athletic director Greg LaFleur is free after posting $500 bond following his arrest in Houston on a charge of soliciting a prostitute.

University spokesman Edward Pratt says Southern officials will investigate, then “will determine what action or actions are necessary.” He declined further comment.

LaFleur has been Southern’s athletic director for six years.

• Bobcats not expecting Jackson: Charlotte Bobcats leading scorer Stephen Jackson says he’ll miss a third straight game at Cleveland with continued pain in his left hamstring.