Crocker-Phelps duel ends with a whimper

Ian Crocker's chance to beat Michael Phelps was gone in a flash.

The anticipated renewal of their rivalry in the 100-meter butterfly Thursday was upstaged by an inadvertent strobe light that went off just before the start, causing Crocker to flinch and eventually be disqualified at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.

Phelps pulled away from Crocker in the final 25 meters to win in 51.39 seconds and break his own long-course record.

PENNER JOINS OILERS The Anaheim Ducks cut ties with Dustin Penner when the team didn't match a five-year, $21.25 million offer sheet from the Edmonton Oilers.

The Ducks will receive picks in the first, second and third rounds of the 2008 draft from the Oilers as compensation.

ARENA WILL TAKE TIME The Pittsburgh Penguins will wait until the 2010-11 season to open their new arena instead of opening it during the 2009-10 season as initially planned.

BLATCHE ARRESTED Washington Wizards forward Andray Blatche, a restricted free agent, was arrested on sexual solicitation charges in Washington.

Blatche and a man identified in court documents as Gregory Palmer tried to solicit sex from an undercover police officer.

BECKHAM STILL SORE David Beckham's left ankle likely will cause him to miss his scheduled Major League Soccer debut when the Los Angeles Galaxy plays at Toronto FC on Sunday night.

NOONAN BOOSTS REVOLUTION Pat Noonan's fifth goal of the season helped the New England Revolution to a 2-0 victory against the Kansas City Wizards in Foxborough, Mass.

RODDICK PUSHES AHEAD Andy Roddick saved three break points in the third set to beat Radek Stepanek 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington.

VENUS WILLIAMS ADVANCES Venus Williams beat Daniela Hantuchova 6-0, 6-3 at the Acura Classic in Carlsbad, Calif. Williams, seeded 10th, beat Hantuchova for the ninth time in a row.

Also, Maria Kirilenko earned the biggest victory of her career with a 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 win against No. 3-ranked Jelena Jankovic.

WOJCIK GETS EXTENSION Tulsa extended the contract of men's basketball coach Doug Wojcik by two years after he pulled the program out of a run of three straight losing seasons.

MERCURY RISES Diana Taurasi scored 24 points to help the Phoenix Mercury to an 84-79 victory against the San Antonio Silver Stars.

In another WNBA game:

• Cathrine Kraayeveld scored 16 points to help the New York Liberty to a 71-66 win against the Minnesota Lynx.

SUSPECTED HACKER COLLARED A man has been arrested on suspicion he hacked into Danish cyclist Michael Rasmussen's e- mails and tried to sell them to a newspaper, Copenhagen police said.

Rasmussen was kicked out of the Tour de France by his Rabobank team while leading the race, for allegedly lying about his whereabouts to evade drug testers.

In other doping-related developments in cycling:

• Police raided the Wiesbaden, Germany, residence of Patrik Sinkewitz, who admitted using a testosterone gel before failing a doping test in June during training for the Tour.

• Italian time-trial champ Luca Ascani tested positive for erythropoietin and was suspended by Italy's Olympic committee.

• Italian cyclist Alessandro Petacchi will return to racing this weekend after being cleared of doping charges.