Mission accomplished, albeit without a dunk or fantastic play.

The Detroit Shock – and assistant coach Rick Mahorn – were involved in a skirmish Tuesday night with the Los Angeles Sparks, making the WNBA a hot topic on TV, sports-talk radio and blogs.

“A lot of people are paying attention to the WNBA right now that have probably never followed it,” Shock guard Katie Smith said yesterday. “Is it the right kind of attention? No. But I don't think the publicity hurts. In hockey, people live for the fights.

“Who knows, maybe we'll meet in the WNBA finals and there will be even more interest.”

Now, the league is left to decide which of the participants will be punished; its decisions are expected today before Detroit plays at Houston and Los Angeles travels to face Connecticut.

“The WNBA is reviewing the incident in its entirety,” spokesman Ron Howard said yesterday.

The melee at The Palace of Auburn Hills – also the site of the infamous brawl between the Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers and fans in 2004 – broke out Tuesday night with 4.6 seconds left in a game won by the Sparks.

Detroit's Plenette Pierson and Mahorn were ejected, along with Los Angeles players Candace Parker and DeLisha Milton-Jones.

Parker and Pierson got tangled up and fell to the court. Detroit's Deanna Nolan tackled Parker, and Mahorn appeared to push LA star Lisa Leslie to the court. Milton-Jones responded by punching Mahorn in the back.

Mahorn and Sparks did not return messages seeking comment.

The fracas started moments after Parker and Detroit's Cheryl Ford had to be separated after Ford fouled Parker.

After Ford tried to restrain Pierson, her right knee buckled. The team said the forward will miss the rest of the season and playoffs because of a torn knee ligament.

When order was restored, Parker, Pierson, Milton-Jones and Mahorn were ejected, and Nolan and Los Angeles' Shannon Bobbitt received technicals.

Leslie seemed to believe Mahorn intentionally pushed her.

“I don't even know why he was pushing me down,” she said Tuesday night. “I wasn't swinging or hitting anybody. I was just going to go help my teammate up.”

Mahorn insisted he was trying to protect the integrity of the game and the league.

“I would never push a woman,” he said after the game.

Shock coach Bill Laimbeer – who teamed with Mahorn to form the core of the Pistons' “Bad Boys” clubs that won championships in 1989 and 1990 – and Los Angeles' Michael Cooper also came to Mahorn's defense.

“Rick Mahorn is known as a peacemaker, from even the brawl we had here with Indiana,” Laimbeer said. “He went out there to get people off the pile and to get people to stop the confrontation. That's who he is; that's what he does.”

CYCLING

The 2009 Amgen Tour of California will finish in Escondido, the event's first appearance in San Diego County. The third annual tour will start Feb. 14 in Sacramento and end Feb. 22 with the ninth stage, from Rancho Bernardo to Escondido. Santa Rosa resident Levi Leipheimer has won both previous California races. He finished third in the Tour de France last year.

SWIMMING

Swimmer Jessica Hardy's trip to the Beijing Olympics could be in jeopardy after she tested positive for a banned substance, according to a source.

Hardy's “A” sample from the recent U.S. Trials tested positive, someone familiar with the results who is not authorized to speak publicly told The Associated Press last night.

Mark Schubert, head coach and general manager of the U.S. team did not immediately return phone messages.

Hardy finished first in the 100-meter breaststroke at the trials and second in the 50-meter freestyle. She also qualified for the 4x100 medley relay and 4x100 freestyle relay.

NFL

St. Louis Rams defensive end Claude Wroten was suspended without pay for the season for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.

Wroten, entering his third season with the Rams, was suspended for four games last season. His draft stock fell in 2006 when he was stopped for speeding and police discovered marijuana in his vehicle.

Pro Bowl kick returner Devin Hester was absent from Chicago's first training camp practice.

Hester was placed on the Bears' Did Not Report list. The reason for his absence was not immediately known.

Hester has 11 kick returns for touchdowns in his first two NFL seasons, which is two short of the league record. He also plays wide receiver.

The NFL's security department interviewed Minnesota Vikings officials on Tuesday regarding tampering charges the Green Bay Packers filed against their division rival over Brett Favre, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

The newspaper cited people with knowledge of the situation in reporting that the league's security arm had visited the Vikings' facility in Winter Park, Minn. The Packers filed the tampering charge complaint last week, claiming “inappropriate dialogue” between the Vikings and Favre, the retired Packers quarterback who now wants to play again and wants out of Green Bay. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Tuesday that according to a source, Favre continued to use a Packers-issued cell phone after his retirement announcement – and that a team check of phone records showed repeated calls to Vikings coach Brad Childress and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.

Favre has asked to be released from his contract, a request the team has no plans to grant.

GOLF

Encinitas' Danielle Frasier was beaten 3 and 2 by Kristina Wong of Vestal, N.Y., and San Diego's Katie Sylva lost 5 and 4 to Marina Alex of Wayne, N.J., in the first round of match play at the U.S. Girls Junior Championship in Hartford, Conn.

Jorge Fernandez Valdes of Argentina needed 19 holes to defeat Cory McElyea of Santa Cruz to advance at the U.S. Boys Junior Championship at Shoal Creek, Ala., a day after the second round was suspended by rain.

Greg Norman said he has until today to decide whether to accept an invitation to play in the final major of the year, the PGA Championship.

Norman's third-place finish at the British Open has given him a place in the field for the final major.

– FROM NEWS SERVICES