on the SIDELINES

INDIANAPOLIS -- Qadry Ismail, who led Baltimore in receiving last season but became a victim of the NFL's salary cap, agreed to terms with the Indianapolis Colts on Monday.\nA second-round draft pick by Minnesota in 1993, Ismail came to the Ravens as a free agent in 1999, when he had his best season with 1,105 yards receiving.\nLast season, he had a career-high 74 catches for 1,059 yards and a career-high seven touchdowns, but he was among several players released in order for the Ravens to get under the NFL-mandated $71.1 million spending cap.\nTerms of his agreement with the Colts were not disclosed.\nStuart released after wreck\nDARLINGTON, S.C. -- Tony Stewart was released from a hospital Monday, a day after he hurt his back in a wreck at Darlington Raceway.\nStewart underwent an MRI exam on Monday morning before doctors released him from a Florence hospital, track spokeswoman Cathy Mock said. Results of the test were negative, she said.\nStewart, 30, was injured in a crash while he was leading Sunday's Carolina Dodge Sealers 400. He was approaching Buckshot Jones to make a pass on lap 227, Jones' car bobbled and moved into Stewart's path. The two collided, sending Stewart's Pontiac into the wall. Jeff Gordon hit him from behind.\nAfter hitting the wall, Stewart's car went back down the track as cars continued to collect behind him and he was hit hard on the passenger side by Jimmy Spencer. He was briefly knocked unconscious and when he came to was complaining of lower back pain and numbness and tingling in his left foot.\nHe was airlifted to the hospital and tests Sunday night were negative, but he was held overnight for observation.\nAnkiel pitches in simulation game\nJUPITER, Fla. -- There were no unwelcome surprises Monday when Rick Ankiel pitched to batters for the first time since March 3, when a bad outing against the Expos helped reveal elbow tendonitis.\nOn one of the practice fields behind the Cardinals spring training clubhouse, Ankiel threw some warm-up pitches before throwing five pitches each to Kerry Robinson, Mike Coolbaugh and So Taguchi. He stopped for a few minutes to talk mechanics with pitching coach Dave Duncan and catcher Mike Matheny, then threw five more pitches each to Coolbaugh, Taguchi and Coolbaugh again.\nDuncan and manager Tony La Russa both said Ankiel was a little out of sync, but that was expected.\n"It was a workout, that's all it was supposed to be," La Russa said.