MELBOURNE, Australia - David Nalbandian has denied throwing water at a doping control official during the Australian Open and says he plans to appeal his US$8,000 fine. ... Raanta . The 30-year-old Argentine outlined his version of events in three Twitter posts on Saturday. He was penalized Friday for unsportsmanlike behaviour following a five-set, second-round loss to American John Isner two days earlier. Official details of the alleged misconduct were vague, but Nalbandian elaborated in his Spanish-language tweets. "I emphatically deny throwing water on an ATP staff member after the match against Isner," the 2002 Wimbledon finalist wrote. "During the antidoping control while I was washing my hands the doctor unbelievably accused me of throwing water at him. "With this fine, they would be carrying out two injustices, one on the court and one off. I will appeal the sanction." During the match, Nalbandian had been upset when umpire Kader Nouni declined his request to challenge a line call because he had taken too long. Isner was facing break point at 8-8 in the fifth set when he hit a serve down the middle that was called out. Nouni overruled the call, saying it was an ace. Nalbandian claimed he didnt realize the call had been overruled until he had walked to the umpires chair. By the time he tried to challenge, Nouni said it was too late and gave the point to Isner. He later said it was "ridiculous playing this kind of tournament with this kind of umpires." Nalbandians fine, confirmed by the International Tennis Federation on Friday, is easily the highest at the 2012 Australian Open. Julien Benneteaus $2,500 penalty for verbal abuse is the next highest. Marcos Baghdatis was fined $1,250 for smashing four rackets on Wednesday. Down two sets and a break, Baghdatis sat in his chair at the changeover and whacked his racket on the court seven times until it was almost unrecognizable. ht... Jersey/ . Ryan Bolta (@TSNBolta) and the case for Ohio State: If in fact Ohio State completes an undefeated season and wins the Big 10 title on Saturday, they deserve to play for the BCS National Championship. jerseys from china . The regular season has not even begun and the Ottawa Senators are already answering questions about whether or not theyve got the offence to compete. Mike Reilly Jersey . In their latest slugfest, it was the Thunder who came out swinging but Zach Randolph and the Grizzlies got the win. Rudy Gay scored a season-high 28 points, Randolph added 20 points and 11 rebounds before getting ejected along with Oklahoma Citys Kendrick Perkins during a late-game altercation and Memphis beat the Thunder 107-97 on Wednesday night. Ryan Braun Brewers Jersey . -- The Denver Nuggets have proved they can win regularly at home.LOS ANGELES -- Hanley Ramirez will start for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the NL championship series despite a broken left rib. "Id do anything for this team," he said. Ramirez was set to bat third and play shortstop Monday night against the St. Louis Cardinals, and Andre Ethier was slated to hit fifth and play centre field. Ramirez, who sat out Game 2 in St. Louis, wore a lightweight flak jacket as he took swings during batting practice and fielded grounders before Game 3. The Cardinals entered with a 2-0 series lead. "Its just for protection. They told me that if I want to play, Ive got to wear it," Ramirez said. "They dont want anything worse to happen, so Im just going to wear it." The three-time All-Star said team medical director Stan Conte left it up to him whether to play. "Im not feeling 100 per cent, but I feel good enough to go out there tonight and get our first win," Ramirez said. "I took some painkiller to make it feel batter." Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said a CT scan revealed Ramirez has a hairline fracture of his ribcage. "Its not dangerous if he tries to play," Mattingly said. Custom Cavaliers Jersey. "Its just a painful thing and it could be a week, it could be two weeks before this thing is gone." Mattingly said it was a busy 48 hours trying to do everything possible to get Ramirez on the field, including talking to the NFL about using the kind of padded protective gear worn by running backs. Ramirez said he couldnt sleep Sunday night. "I know its going to be a tough game," he said. "Im going to keep everybody relaxed, and keep Mattingly relaxed. He needs to laugh." Ramirez got hit by a pitch in Game 1, but stayed in for the entire 13 innings as the Dodgers lost 3-2. He missed a 1-0 loss in Game 2 on Saturday. Ramirez batted .500 with six RBIs in the NL division series against Atlanta and tied the clubs post-season record with six extra-base hits. Ethier, put in the lineup following a batting practice evaluation, has been bothered by shin splints and was limited to pinch-hitting duty in Game 2. Ethier has a .300 career batting average against Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright. ' ' '