NHL

– The Canucks are still interested in free agent F Mats Sundin. Sundin played for the Canucks last season garnering 28 points in 41 games and eight points in eight post-season contests. The Canucks still need a top-six forward, and while Sundin will fit in nicely, they cannot afford to pay him anything close to the $5.625M he received for half a season last year. Sundin still has to decide if he wants to return to the NHL for another season.

– The Edmonton Oilers are still interested in Sens F Dany Heatley. Heatley has refused a trade to Edmonton twice this week, so Oilers president Kevin Lowe and GM Steve Tambellini flew to Heatley’s home in BC on Wednesday to meet with the disgruntled Senator. Lowe and Tambellini were believed to have stayed overnight so their talks with Heatley may prove to be fruitful. Stay tuned as the troublesome Heatley is still one of the best goal scorers in the NHL.

Meanwhile, Ottawa GM Bryan Murray told reporters that the price for Heatley just went up. Heatley was given his $4M bonus Wednesday night, and the Senators would want more back in a trade with that payment gone through. Heatley officially nixed a deal to the Oilers Wednesday, which would have seen F Andrew Cogliano, D Ladislav Smid and F Dustin Penner coming back to Ottawa for the sniper. Murray also recently hinted at no longer shopping the sniper. Although it is hard to imagine Heatley in a Senators uniform next season, knowing that he wants out and all his teammates knowing the same thing would cause a locker room distraction.

– The Columbus Dispatch is reporting that the Columbus Blue Jackets and F Rick Nash are close to a new deal. Nash still has one year left on his old contract but the Blue Jackets want him signed, sealed and delivered as quickly as possible. Rumours have him signing a seven-year/$8-9M per season, or possibly a ten-year/$75-85M deal. If Nash signs, there will be a lot of disappointed teams in the NHL who were hoping that he would hit the unrestricted free agency market next season.

– The Leafs have signed F Mikhail Grabovski to a three-year/$8.7M deal.

– The Kings have signed D Rob Scuderi to a four-year/$13.6M deal.

– The Thrashers have signed F Nik Antorpov to a four-year/$16M deal.

– The Bruins have signed F Mark Recchi to a one-year/$1M deal.

– The Coyotes have signed D Adrian Aucoin to a one-year deal/$2.25M deal.

– The Thrashers have re-signed F Chris Thorburn.

– The Hurricanes have signed F Chad LaRose to a two-year/$3.4M deal.

– The Panthers have signed D Jordan Leopold to a one-year/$1.75M deal.

– The Stars have signed D Karlis Skrastins to a two-year/$2.75M deal.

NBA

– The Celtics have offered F Rasheed Wallace a two-year contract. Wallace is coming off a five-year contract with the Pistons, earning $13.68M last season. The teams courting Wallace would be offering the midlevel exception, worth between $5.6-5.8M.

– G Allen Iverson has told the Grizzlies that he’d like to play in Memphis. The high-scoring veteran is a free agent for the first time in his professional career. Iverson, 34, reportedly has only had mild discussions with the Heat since the free agency period began Wednesday. There were also internet reports Thursday that the Bulls have interest in AI. While no deal is imminent and conversations have been only exploratory, Griz brass are said to be weighing the pros and cons of adding Iverson to the team’s youth movement, according to the Commercial Appeal. Iverson would certainly have to take a major pay cut from the $21M he earned last season with Detroit. It is believed that the Griz would only entertain Iverson at what they’d deem a reasonable price, and if the 13-year veteran agreed to play off the bench.

– The Lakers have signed F Ron Artest. David Bauman, Artest’s agent, said the final details are still being worked out, but could be finished as early as Thursday night. ESPN.com reported that Artest had agreed to a three-year/$18M deal, while the LA Times reports a five-year/$32M deal.

– According to the AP, the Rockets have signed F Trevor Ariza to a multi-year deal. He will reportedly make $5.6M his first year.

– The Knicks are expected to offer G Jason Kidd a three-year deal worth roughly $18M, while the Mavs have offered a three-year/$25-30M deal. Kidd would love to play for Mike D’Antoni and favors NYC because his children live there. $12M is a lot of cash, but at this point in his career, Kidd could very well decide to play where he’ll be happiest.

– The Mavericks are expected to sign F Marcin Gortat to an offer sheet on Wednesday, which the Magic will have seven days to match if they want to keep the big man. Dallas is reportedly offering him their full mid-level exception - which could be for five years starting at about $5.6M. If the offer is for five years, there’s a decent chance the Magic will choose not to match it due to the luxury tax penalties that would follow. And after also losing F Tony Battie and F Hedo Turkoglu, the Magic could be pretty thin in the front court.

– Despite what was being reported by a Spanish newspaper on Thursday, Wolves G Ricky Rubio has still not made up his mind about where he will play next season. Yesterday’s report said Rubio was heading back to Spain for two years, but that now looks like speculation on the part of the media. The simple fact is that Rubio and his people are still trying to decide the best course of action to take. That could easily mean he returns to Spain for two years, it could mean that he plays this season for the Wolves, or it could mean he’s traded to the Knicks or some other team. As usual, stay tuned.

– A day after jumping to Detroit, Pistons G Ben Gordon told a Chicago radio station Thursday that the Bulls never made a contract offer even though GM Gar Forman claimed re-signing him was their No. 1 priority. “I mean they didn’t pursue me at all. They didn’t even make an offer so it was pretty much a one-man race.” Gordon agreed to a five-year/$50+M with the Pistons on Wednesday after leading the Bulls in scoring the past four seasons. Under league rules, that deal can’t be announced until next week.

– The Bucks have met with F Josh Childress who signed a three-year/$20M deal with Olympiakos. A sign-and-trade would have to be worked out, as his NBA right are still with the Hawks.

NFL

– A league spokesman has denied speculation that the NFL has already approved the mass production of QB Brett Favre Vikings jerseys. Reebok is believed to have produced screens of the No. 4 jerseys, but they could be destroyed if Favre doesn’t end up with the Vikings. He’s almost certain to, though, and the merchandise could threaten the single-season record for jersey sales.

MLB

– If Angels RHP John Lackey tests the free agent market at season’s end, the Rangers are expected to make him an offer.

– The D’Backs are shopping 1B/3B Chad Tracy. The Red Sox are interested.

– The Phillies are considering offering RHP Paul Byrd a contract.

– The Marlins have signed RHP Luis Ayala.

WWE

– While at RAW this week, Batista was telling people that his physical rehabilitation is going well, according to PWInsider.com. The Animal had surgery last month to repair a torn tendon in his arm and he’s on schedule to get back in the gym in about four-to-six weeks. Batista is hoping to return by November’s Survivor Series PPV, which takes place from his hometown of Washington D.C. As reported earlier this week, he’s keeping busy during his time off - as he’s set to star in a new “martial arts comedy” film with boxing champion and fellow Filipino national hero, Manny Pacquaio.

– Former WWE Diva Torrie Wilson was interviewed by Kevin Eck of The Baltimore Sun to discuss her second place finish in NBC’s I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here and she had some interesting things to say regarding WWE. Highlights from the interview are as follows:

Whether having a snake on her face was worse than kissing Vince McMahon: “Oh, making out with Vince, for sure [laughs]. I’ll take the snake any day.”

Embarrassed over taking part in the Miss WrestleMania Battle Royal: “I’m very mad at myself and embarrassed that I agreed to be a part of something like that. A lot of people in the audience didn’t even know that I was in that match because they didn’t even announce it. For me, that whole experience at WrestleMania was kind of like closure. I feel like maybe I’m not appreciated like I would have hoped. They just wanted all these girls there. Now I can understand why Trish [Stratus] decided not to do it; she was smart. Going into it I trusted them that they would use me in the right way and I should have known better. All in all, I learned a valuable lesson.”

Whether she thinks she’s done with professional wrestling: “I do. I just didn’t appreciate that experience and I felt very unappreciated after all of the years that I put in for them. You combine that with the fact that I asked them to do a little thing on wwe.com to “vote for Torrie” and they just ignored me. So, my feelings are hurt.”

– Tony Atlas’ future with WWE is very much in doubt following the transfer of his associate, Mark Henry, to the RAW brand this past Monday. Company officials plan on pushing the “World’s Strongest Man” as a top babyface, which as a result, has left Atlas to fend for himself as he is not being brought alongside him. As of this week, he is still considered a member of the ECW roster, but creative has no idea on how to use him. His contract may be coming due as early as next week as he returned to the company on July 8, 2008 and signed a deal (more than likely a one-year deal) shortly thereafter.

– Roddy Piper was bailed out of jail earlier today on $5K bond and will have to appear before a court in Los Angeles for his DUI charges on 7/23.

NHL

– The Blue Jackets and captain F Rick Nash appear to be further apart in their contract negotiations than either side would have expected. According to a report in the Columbus Dispatch, the club and winger, who can become a free agent at the end of the 2009-10 season, met on Wednesday night and the Blue Jackets’ offer fell well short of what Nash and his agent, Joe Resnick, were expecting. Nash said, “Things didn’t line up the way I anticipated them lining up. I thought we had a solid chance of getting (a contract) done, especially with all the interest they said they had going into this. If this doesn’t happen in the next week, and we can’t hit a number where we’re both satisfied and we both feel it’s fair … if they want me that bad, they’ll get it done.”

According to a source, Nash received a five-year deal that he was very unhappy with. Resnick will likely make a counter offer to the Blue Jackets on Thursday, and that Columbus GM Scott Howson is looking forward to. In 2008-09, Nash was fifth in the NHL with 40 goals.  He also tallied 39 assists in 78 games played.

– The Canadiens reportedly have re-signed top-line F Alexei Kovalev to a two-year/$9M contract. Kovalev led the Canadiens in scoring with 65 points in 78 games despite being sent home for a few days during the season by General Manager Bob Gainey. The season was a drop-off from Kovalev’s resurgent 2007-08 output, when he had team-highs of 34 goals and 84 points, and led the Canadiens to the best record in the Eastern Conference. No word yet on whether he was offered captaincy.

– The Wild have signed F Martin Havlat to a six-year/$30M deal. In 81 games with the Chicago Blackhawks last season, Havlat registered 29 goals and 48 assists for 77 points - the Blackhawks’ leading scorer last season. Havlat said on his Twitter, “Excited to be in Minny where I was welcomed and appreciated by management. The real story about what happened in Chicago [will] come out.”

– Sens F Dany Heatley once again refused to waive his NTC to go to the Oilers in a deal that would see the Sens acquire F Andrew Cogliano, F Ladislav Smid and F Dustin Penner. The Sens are now on the hook for his $4M bonus.

NBA

– The Raptors are said to be preparing to offer F Hedo Turkoglu a five-year/$60M contract, while the Blazers are looking at an offer of five-years/$50M for the swingman. The Blazers appear to be closer to being a championship-caliber team, but money talks in free agency. Toronto would need to renounce the rights to F Shawn Marion, G Anthony Parker, G Carlos Delfino, F Patrick O’Bryant and G Quincy Douby in order to make that kind of offer to Turkoglu, so it’s anyone’s guess as to which team he decides to deal with.

– ESPN reports that free agent F Trevor Ariza is close to leaving the Lakers, possibly to sign with the Cavaliers. The Lakers offered him $5.6M over an unknown term, while Ariza, 24, was looking to ballpark $7-8M annually. F Lamar Odom, 29, on the other hand, Odom, is believed to be seeking $10M a year, though it was unclear what the Lakers offered him. The Lakers and the Cavs are both interested in Ariza, who is unhappy with LA’s attitude toward his free agency. Other interested teams include the Rockets, Clippers, Raptors and Blazers.

– Besides Hedo Turkoglu, the Raptors plan on offering F Trevor Ariza, Nuggets F Linas Kleiza and Knicks F David Lee offers.

– According to OregonLive.com, Blazers G Rudy Fernandez is “unhappy” with the team. Fernandez has scouted teams in Europe and is very open to playing there next season.

– F Ron Artest met with Cavaliers F LeBron James in Los Angeles on Wednesday to discuss Artest’s future as a free agent. The Cavs, Lakers and Celtics are all reportedly interested in Artest. The Rockets may not want to give him a large contract now that F Yao Ming’s season is in jeopardy and F Tracy McGrady is a shell of his former self.

– The Spurs and Celtics are preparing offers for F Rasheed Wallace. The Spurs have also been in touch with F Antonio McDyess and Mavericks F Brandon Bass.

– The Jazz plan to match any offer made for F Paul Millsap. The Thunder are the lone team expressing interest.

– Sixers G Andre Miller is asking for a three-year/$30M deal from the 76ers. The Blazers and Pistons are rumoured to be interested.

– Doug Collins has withdrawn from consideration for the Pistons’ vacant head coaching job, leaving Avery Johnson as the apparent front-runner. ESPN reports that Johnson had his first substantive discussion with Dumars about the position earlier on Wednesday. Dumars wants to name a new coach within a week, and barring something unexpected it looks like Johnson will get the job.

– Magic GM Otis Smith said on Wednesday that Orlando is prepared to pay a stiff luxury tax to keep RFA F Marcin Gortat. “The owner said we can go into tax so that changes things. At this point, we’re matching everything that comes back to us on him.” The Rockets are doing everything they can to attract Gortat, and the Thunder, Pacers, Knicks and Pacers are also interested.

WWE

– TMZ.com is reporting that WWE Hall of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper was arrested for suspicion of Driving Under the Influence (DUI) early this morning in Hollywood, California. Law enforcement sources said that the 55-year-old wrestling legend, real name Roderick Toombs, was stopped by police at around 1 AM — he was given field sobriety tests, which he failed. He was then arrested. Piper’s bond is currently set at $5K.

MLB

– The Cubs have acquired SS/3B Jeff Baker from the Rockies for a player to be named later. Baker went on the 15-day DL retroactive to April 27 and was transferred to the 60-day DL on May 24. He began a minor league rehab assignment June 19.Mariners are taking a “wait-and-see” approach to trades and “will probably wait about two weeks before moving definitively on the trade market.”

– According to Fanhouse.com, the Pirates have been fielding offers for LHP John Grabow and RHP Matt Capps.

– According to FOXSports.com, the Mariners and Padres have “engaged in preliminary discussions with the Padres about 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff, according to one source with knowledge of the talks.” With 3B Adrian Beltre on the DL, a deal for a third baseman would make sense for the Mariners.

– White Sox OF Carlos Quentin is on track to return after the All-Star break.

– The Mets still like Nats 1B Nick Johnson.

– The Pirates have released OF Craig Monroe.

– The Twins have released RHP Luis Ayala.

NBA

– Lakers F Kobe Bryant, who did not exercise the early-termination option in his contract, is expected to sign a three-year extension with the Lakers in the next month. Bryant should make a guaranteed $47.8M over the next two years and could then earn another $90M with the extension, depending on salary-cap figures. Now the Lakers will set their sights on retaining free agents F Lamar Odom and F Trevor Ariza.

– The Pistons have signed G Ben Gordon and F Charlie Villanueva.

Gordon signed a five-year/$50M deal, but it cannot be officially announced until July 8. Gordon finally gets the contract he couldn’t pry out of the Bulls, and the Pistons get an explosive two-guard just entering his prime. It’s still unclear where Gordon will fit into a backcourt with G Rodney Stuckey and G Rip Hamilton, but the Pistons undoubtedly have big plans for him.

CV, on the other hand, inked a five-year contract worth at least $35M. At 24 years old, Villanueva is a solid long-term replacement for departing power forward F Rasheed Wallace. Last season, CV set career-highs in points (16.2), three-pointers (1.1), rebounds (6.7), and assists (1.8), despite playing less than 27MPG. Needless to say, he should thrive in increased minutes as a featured player in Detroit.

– The Clippers have agreed to trade F Zach Randolph to the Grizzlies in exchange for F Quentin Richardson. The move allows LA to clear space for No. 1 draft pick F Blake Griffin while unloading Randolph’s contract, which pays $33.3M over the next two seasons. Richardson’s deal expires next summer, giving the Clippers financial flexibility to pursue 2010’s bumper crop of free agents. The deal won’t be official until July 8.

– The Mavericks have reportedly offered G Jason Kidd a three-year/$9M deal. The Knicks won’t be able to come close to that offer and it appears that Kidd is likely to stay with the Mavericks.

– Yahoo! Sports is reporting that the Grizzlies are ready to offer Knicks RFA F David Lee anywhere from $40-50M. While a sign-and-trade is still possible, it’s looking more likely that the Knicks might lose Lee for nothing in return.

– Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan is flying to Orlando Wednesday to have dinner with free agent F Hedo Turkoglu.  Turk is then expected in Oregon on Thursday for a tour of the Blazers’ facilities and meetings with Portland management. All signs are currently pointing to Turkoglu signing with the Blazers, but it is still far from a done deal.

– Celtics GM Danny Ainge and assistant director of basketball operations Leo Papile visited free agent F Rasheed Wallace just after midnight Wednesday to make their recruiting pitch.  The C’s are also said to be interested in Raptors free-agent G Anthony Parker.

MLB

– After visiting three different specialists, D’Backs RHP Brandon Webb has decided against having surgery on his ailing right shoulder. All three of the doctors examined MRIs and put the D’Backs ace through strength tests. “They all said pretty much the same thing, that they would not recommend surgery right now. They told me this is something that should get better.” He’s hoping to return to action by September, but he’s yet to pick up a baseball.

– Royals SS Mike Aviles has decided to undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. The typical recovery time for position players is nine months to a year. Aviles, 28, hit .325 with 10 homers and 51 RBI in 102 games last year as a rookie, but was off to a disappointing .183/.208/.250 start in 120 at-bats this season. Hopefully we’ll see him back in a Kansas City uniform by May of 2010.

– Orioles RHP Koji Uehara’s arthrogram Tuesday revealed a partially torn flexor tendon. He’s expected to miss up to eight weeks. Orioles manager Dave Trembley said, “Koji is going to be out for awhile. He has a partial tear in his elbow and will rest for three to five weeks. Surgery is not required. … It could be seven or eight weeks before he’s in a game again. He’s going to get a second opinion, which everyone does now, but Dr. Wilckens and Dr. Cosgeria are confident that’s what it is.” The Japanese import had a 4.05 ERA and 48/12 K/BB ratio through 66 2/3 innings this season.

WWE

– Taz’s 90-day no-compete clause with WWE expires today.

He has also answered another set of questions on his Facebook account. When asked why he left ECW to return to commentating on Smackdown, Taz wrote: “It happen because I was in a very tough spot on ECW, calling 1 match on PPV’s and stuck in quicksand with Adamle and VKM & K Dunn knew I wanted to get back where I belonged on one of the bigger brands! So when the opportunity popped up Kevin Dunn did what he said he would do and he moved me back up. See, the plan for the re-birth of ECW and for the ECW brand was for it to be on par with Raw & SD….but it just didn’t have a chance because half the people in creative wanted the brand to represent what the brand use to be and the other half of the Powers That Be wanted it to be Raw or SD “LIGHT”…so it became the red headed step child in my opinion (no offense to any actual red headed step children). I wanted off the show….i wasn’t challenged anymore on that show.”

– During his time away from the ring, WWE superstar Batista will be filming a new movie with boxing champion Manny Pacquiao titled “Wapakman,” according to ManilaStandardToday.com. The movie is said to be a “martial arts comedy” similar to the film Kung Fu Hustle. Pacquiao will play the role of the hero and Batista, the villain. Nicole Szcheringer, lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, will also be part of the cast. The three stars all share Phillapino heritage. Batista accompanied Pacquiao into the ring for his May 2nd showdown against Britain’s Ricky Hatton.

– During Tuesday’s episode of Wrestling Observer Live radio show, it was reported that WWE Diva Rosa Mendes was told by management to slim down. It was said that she took the comment to heart and has dropped weight in recent weeks.

As reported last week, former WWE Diva Candice Michelle’s weight gain was said to be a big factor in her recent release.

– According to the PWTorch, WWE Vice-President of Talent Relations John “Johnny Ace” Laurinaitis has a lot more heat than usual from the locker room right now. His position with the company is notorious for being a heat magnet, but the feeling of multiple wrestlers is that he’s being disingenuous with them. Reports indicate that one wrestler swears he and Laurinaitis agreed to a specific merchandise percentage during contract negotiations, yet when the official WWE contract came, the percentage was lower. Laurinaitis reportedly would not make changes to the merchandise percentage, even after assuring the wrestler that if he signed, the merchandise figure would be corrected. The wrestler vented to friends and coworkers, and several claim to have had similar issues.

Another reason for Johnny Ace’s heat is over the way he handles wrestlers who are being released. He’s famous for telling wrestlers he cuts that the decision was made because the creative team doesn’t have anything for him or her. However, one former WWE creative member says that creative isn’t given any warning 99% of the time when a wrestler is about to be released. When Laurinaitis was called on this, he told people that his predecessor Jim Ross told him this as standard protocol. This also rubbed people the wrong way because they felt he was trying to pass the buck onto Ross.

TNA

– Mick Foley recently updated his MySpace blog. Here are some highlights:

On Daffney: “Daffney’s got it going on. That’s what I think whenever I see her on TV, doing promos, in the ring, etc. Which is my way of saying that she’s really hit her stride; everything seems to be coming together simultaneously. I’ve always thought that anything that’s different is good, and man is this chick different. [...] Plus, she’s read one of my novels like 4 times, and that’s a little scary. “

On a mistake he made at an iMPACT taping: “I am a big believer in doing promos that are not heavily scripted. Just a few bullet points and a little emotion, and I’m usually fine. Occasionally, however, these type of promos will yield a verbal faux pas that rolls off the tongue right before you can catch it - you know it’s wrong the moment you say it, but by that time, it’s too late. For example on an upcoming “Impact” episode, I state that it’s been 18 years since I’ve said “I Quit”, which is obviously not correct. I did in fact say those exact words three years ago in a match with Ric Flair. As a matter of fact, to make sure there was no confusion, I repeated the words five times. What I meant to say was that it had been 18 years since I’d tapped out, which is, to the best of my recollection, the truth.”

Foley confirms his opponent for Victory Road: “I hope everyone enjoys the buildup to “Victory Road”. I think there is some good stuff between me and Kurt to build up the match I’ve been dreading.”

By: Beth Drews

WWE The Bash, June 28, 2009, LIVE from Sacramento, CA

So this little gem used to be The Great American Bash, a mediocre name stolen from WCW. Now, instead of being a patriotic, flag-waving tribute to our country, it’s now just a random weird comic book-y sound effect. Next month’s event will be called The POW, and then The SMASH in August.

Anyway, this PPV looked really good on paper, which kind of made me dread it, considering that usually means it’s not going to be very good in practice. But hey, I figured we’re watching it at The Bar, which entails alcohol–lots, if needed–so I went into this with a medium level of excitement.

On with the show!!
Championship Scramble for the ECW Championship
Christian VS Jack Swagger VS Tommy Dreamer (Champion) VS Mark Henry VS Finlay

So before the match we got a nice shot of Tard Grisham (who is newly engaged, by the way) and Matt Striker, who was wearing a creepy smile and probably no pants. Seriously, ever since those nude photos of him were leaked, that’s all I think about. Half of me thinks he has his camera phone underneath the commentary table, snapping pics of his johnson and sending them to various Divas. Ugh.

Quick rules. Five participants, two start out, another enters every….couple minutes. (Not sure of the exact number). Anyway, as soon as all of the entrants are in, a five minute timer starts. The title can change hands by pinfall or submission ANY AMOUNT OF TIMES within this five minutes. Whoever has scored the last pinfall or submission when the time expires is the champ.

This match was a tad confusing, and I almost tore a hole in the paper scribbling so fast. Christian and Swagger start this thing off, nothing spectacular or anything. Headlocks, facelocks…did I lapse into the Orton match already? Only joking.

Finlay’s in next, and proceeds to cleans house. Duh, when DOESN’T someone “clean house” upon entering a match? That would be totally hilarious though…comes in all revved up, the crowd is cheering, and you’re leveled by a clothesline and out for three minutes. Ha.

But that didn’t happen of course, and after this Finlay house-cleaning, the first pinfall is scored by Swagger. So before the champion even enters the match the title isn’t his anymore.

Cut to the back, where Tommy Dreamer is elbow-deep in an entire lasagna. Poor guy is too oblivious to know he just lost his title. Sad, sad story.

So Swagger, Christian, and Finlay trade technical moves while they wait…inverted DDT here, suplex there. Dreamer enters third, wiping the marinara and mozzarella off his chin as he runs (okay, lumbers) toward the ring. Geez, I’m so mean to poor Tommy.

More fighting. Really, this was too hard to follow. Finlay hits the Celtic Cross on SOMEBODY, and scores a pinfall, therefore making HIM the temporary holder of the big ugly ECW title.

Right about at this time Finlay is getting checked on by the referee, so I’m assuming he hurt himself somehow. Or his dentures slipped, either way. Henry finally enters, and hits the big spot of the match, super duper suplexing EVERYONE except Finlay down off the turnbuckle. Pretty cool. He then gives Dreamer the World’s Strongest Slam and pins him. So now HENRY is the champ.

I’m gonna wrap this up, because this match moved faster than Dreamer at a Cheesecake Factory grand opening. Swagger got another pinfall, then it looks as if Christian is going to score a pinfall after hitting the Unprettier. Dreamer pulls Christian off of the pin and takes it himself, and then HE becomes champ.

The time slowly ticks down, and instead of something climactic happening, the time expires without incident, and Dreamer retains his title. BO-RING, but cool I guess. Dreamer’s not that bad. The match was strange though, and I’m not sure I was too fond of the Scramble premise, at least with these participants.

Winner, and STILL ECW Champion: Tommy Dreamer

Cut to Teddy Long in the back, who basically appears after EVERY match, doing something lame in his office. WWE must have really implemented that equal opportunity employment thing.

Next up…

WWE Intercontinental Title Match — Belt VS Mask
Chris Jericho (Champion) VS Rey Mysterio

This feud has been a pretty good one, at least in the ring. I loved that little thing on SD a while ago when Jericho posed as a fan and beat the crap outta him. His promos are getting a little tedious and repetitive, and Mysterio sucks on the mic, but they do certainly know how to work a match.

They start by trading blows, and Mysterio gets a few moves in, then Jericho basically takes over the match. He sets Mysterio up under the ropes and hits him with a catapault, nailing his neck painfully on the bottom rope. Jericho then hits a vertical suplex, and gets a two count. He then puts Mysterio in an awkward looking bastardization of the Cross Face Chicken Wing. This whole match kind of looks like an adult beating up a child. I dig it.

Jericho puts little Rey on the turnbuckle and tries removing his mask, which doesn’t work. He then basically manhandles him around the ring and tosses him to the outside. When they finally get back into the ring, Mysterio finally looks as if he’s going to get some offense, but Jericho shuts that down quickly and puts him into a DOUBLE Chicken Wing. Maybe it’s not the little tights that make him look fat…it’s his obsession with chicken.

My notes are choppy on this one too, there was so much going on. Rey gets some offense back and apparently hits a tornado slam, then a moonsault. Jericho catches him (maybe?) and flips him into the Walls of Jericho. Mysterio tries to get to the ropes, and when that doesn’t seem to be working, he starts spanking Jericho. Literally. Talk about a reversal on the child abuse thing going on here, huh? Creepy.

Rey finally filps out of the Walls, and then knocks Jericho back against the ropes, facing the middle of the ring. Rey then tries a reverse 619, and misses. He then tries a hurricanrana, and Jericho catches him and slams him down hard. Jericho then misses a Lionsault, and Rey gets a two count. He then tries a REGULAR 619 and Jericho catches him and tries a tornado slam, which Rey reverses into a super-sweet DDT.

The match then takes an intermission so Mysterio can have a juice box and a nap.

Mysterio tries a springboard SOMETHING off the ropes, and Jericho catches him in the FREAKIN’ AWESOMEST Codebreaker I’ve EVER seen. Mysterio looked legitimately hurt. The match was getting all exciting so I don’t remember the precise moment, but Jericho rips off Mysterio’s mask only to find…a face riddled with acne! Just kidding, he had another one underneath.

Mysterio FINALLY hits the 619, then splashes Jericho for the win. BOOOOOO!!

Winner and NEW Intercontinental Champion: Rey Mysterio
This outcome was expected, but still disappointing. I love Jericho and hate Mysterio, so it’s understandable. But stay tuned…there is a surprise in the works!!

Cut to the back, where we see more of Teddy Long. Snore.
No Holds Barred Match For No F’N Reason
Dolph Ziggler VS Khali

Seriously. SERIOUSLY? This seems like a nightmare, but it can only be worse for people like Shelton Benjamin, Charlie Haas, John Morrison….you know, people with talent.

How can someone book this match with a straight face? Ziggler’s okay, I guess, but does he really deserve a PPV match over the people I listed above? Definitely not. And even though he’s a great athlete there’s no way in hell anyone can make a match with Khali entertaining.

So it was basically a squash, until all of a sudden….BOOM!! No, unfortunately that wasn’t the sound of someone shooting Khali dead from the crowd, but a pyro. KANE enters the arena and comes down to beat up Khali. I’m not sure why, maybe cuz they’re both tall. Or because they both wear red, who knows. I guess I didn’t even know Kane was gone, probably because he’s just an oversized jobber.

Anyway, Khali gets his ass kicked by Kane and Ziggler gets the pin. Who cares?

Winner, thanks to The Big Red Jobber: Dolph Ziggler

More Teddy Long, this time with our senile leader himself, Vince McMahon. Vince apologizes for being a douchebag, but unfortunately that apology is directed at Long and not at the fans. Maybe next month.

Exciting time now…A TAG TEAM MATCH!! On pay-per-view?!?! FINALLY!!

Tag Team Match for the Unified Tag Titles
The Colons VS Legacy

So, apparently the WWE stopped lying to itself and dropped the “Priceless” monniker for DiBiase and Rhodes. Um, duh. They must have realized that “priceless” entails that something is good and valuable and awesome, and considering these two couldn’t BUY a win even if Ted’s dad chipped in, it was about time the name went.

So they get ready to rumble here, and Teddy Long (SERIOUSLY, ENOUGH TEDDY LONG!!!) comes out and announces that ANOTHER team will be added to this already-good match. Edge’s music hits, and I almost pee my pants. Not because of Edge, or because of incontinence, but because I was half-expecting and ALL hoping that CHRISTIAN would be his partner. But instead, we get an equally-good partner…CHRIS JERICHO!!! Awesome.

This match is ALL Legacy and Colons. It was a good match, lots of tags, too much to keep track of, so I don’t have any moves really written down here. I wish it would have been longer (TWSS), but it was one of the shorter matches of the night.

Edge hits a blind tag on Rhodes, and not realizing this, Carlito gets off an AMAZING backcracker on CAWdy. Guess he won’t be unlocking a new moveset tonight. Carlito goes for the pin, and the ref doesn’t count, because Cody’s not the legal man. Ha, funny when these rules only apply SOMETIMES.

Anyway, Carlito’s pissed and turns around just in time to be SPEARED by Edge. Spear him? I barely know him! Edge gets the three count and, just like that, and without any assistance from his partner, Edge and Jericho win!!

Winners, and the NEW Unified Tag Team Champions: Edge and Chris Jericho

So awesome. I was marking out hardcore for that.
So we go to the back and see Randy Orton, accompanied by his massive, bear-choking thighs. Mmm. Ted and Cody roll up looking like the losers they are, and Orton tells them not to worry about their loss because it “doesn’t matter” and they have to focus on HIS title. Ha.

CAWdy falls in line like the little loser lackey he is, and besides, he really wants to get enough points to unlock those new tights. Ted, though, apparently doesn’t realize who he is and starts mouthing off to Orton. Orton then tells him he doesn’t care whether or not Legacy wins the tag titles because it doesn’t matter. Ted then storms off, and Cody promises he’ll talk some sense into him. He certainly better!!
WWE Women’s Title Match
Melina (Champion) VS Michelle McCool

This was a good match, but I didn’t take many notes. Call me a sexist, but it’s just a women’s match. Besides, the whole time McCool is in the ring all I can think about is her having sex with the Undertaker. Sick.

McCool works on Melina’s knee, up until the point that I think she might be truly hurt. She isn’t, but it’s nice to see people actually sell.

Melina finally gets some offense, and hits some big move, but Alicia Fox (who does NOT live up to her last name) puts McCool’s foot on the ropes just in time for the ref to stop the count. McCool then eventually hits her super-awesome finisher, which is a Styles Clash, but I don’t know what she calls it.

No jokes or quips or anything interesting here, after all…it’s just a women’s match.

Winner and NEW WWE Women’s Champion: Michelle McCool
So FINALLY comes the match I’ve been waiting for the whole time…

World Heavyweight Championship Match
CM Punk (Champion) VS Jeff Hardy

So Jeff didn’t have any paint on his face, which was strange. Apparently someone finally told Jeff that he looked like a drug addict with that stuff on. Not that he isn’t a drug addict, but you don’t have to go out there and advertise it all the time. The pink hair coloring and fishnet is obvious enough, Jeff. Thanks. Ha, I just thought how funny it would be if they based this rivalry around drugs. Pepsi and competition is Punk’s addiction, and Jeff’s is crystal meth.

Anyway, this match was freakin’ amazing. I’m a huge Punk mark now, ever since he cashed in on Hardy at the last PPV. Since then he’s been playing the tweener, and slowly been teasing a heel turn.

We start with a classic collar and elbow tie-up. I think it’s funny that two men come into a match, hell bent on beating the crap out of each other and taking the title, and they start with a collar and elbow tie-up.

Anyway, they break out of that, then Hardy slaps on a headlock. Punk reverses it. Punk sends him in for the ride and hits a shoulderblock, then puts Hardy in a rear waistlock. Hardy reverses into a hammerlock, then hits a snapmare takeover, then slaps on a headlock. Geez, since when does Hardy even KNOW a technical move, let alone use one?

Anyway this goes on for a while, then they tumble to the outside, where they have some fun with the barricade. Hardy almost gets counted out after frisking the people in the front row for a rock. He gets in at the count of nine, where he gets worked over by Punk and put into a head scissors leg lock submission thingie. Too bad Punk wasn’t Orton, he could have broken Jeff’s neck with his thighs.

Things got a little more exciting at this point, when Punk hits a bodyslam then misses a legdrop and a splash. Hardy hits him with a Whisper in the Wind, then a series of clotheslines. Hardy takes over from here with a reverse atomic drop, a front suplex, and a couple kicks. The dumb marks think the match is going to end here as Jeff goes up for the Swanton, but he misses.

Punk teases the GTS a couple times, and Jeff wiggles out of it. I hear when drug addicts miss a fix they get the shakes. Punk assaults Jeff’s legs with kicks, and Hardy gives him a cutter. No, not a thirteen year old Emo kid, that would not make a good gift. I mean, like, a diamond cutter.

Jeff misses ANOTHER Swanton, then Punk tries ANOTHER GTS. These guys apparently aren’t getting that their finishers aren’t working. Hardy finally decides to use his brother’s finisher instead, then tries the Swanton again…and it works. The ref counts…1….2….3!! Hardy wins!!

But wait!!

Punk’s foot was under the ropes, and after the match the referee realizes this and decides to re-start the match. Punk begins to play possum and pretend that his eye is bothering him, and the ref is checking on him. Punk feigns confusion, then hits a nice high kick to the referee’s back!! The ref has no choice but to disqualify him.

I love it! I guess Punk’s heel turn is complete now…perfect. Everytime Hardy marks get disappointed I feel a little happier about life. Punk gets hotter and hotter to me every day. He’s the type you’d screw in his double-wide trailer after he had just got done fixing his motorcycle and was covered in oil. Mmm.

Winner by disqualification: Jeff Hardy
So once AGAIN we cut to Teddy Long in the back, who is talking to a pair of angry Colons. Also we see Randy in his locker room, attempting to call Cody on his cell phone. Don’t worry, Randy. They were both in their freakin’ underwear, I highly doubt they left the arena.

Pointless Match
John Cena VS The Miz

I’m not sure how Cena and Miz somehow deserved to go on AFTER the title match, but they did. I never ever thought I would actually like the Miz, but I kind of do now.

This match was very disappointing, considering it was basically a squash. Cena made him look ridiculous as I assumed he would. Miz got a couple punches in, but that’s about all. Cena hit the stupid 5-knuckle shuffle, then the Attitude Adjustment, then if he hadn’t insulted him enough, hooked him in the STF where he tapped after two seconds. Man, it’s so lovely how WWE refuses to push any new young stars.

Winner and STILL Huge Douchebag: John Cena
Finally, we move on to the most Russo-fied match on the card: The Three Stages of Hell. Stage One is a night of sex with Stephanie, Stage Two is staying at a Holiday Inn WITHOUT trashing the room, and Stage Three is trying to get through a five minute match without using a facebuster or a chinlock. It’s gonna be difficult!

Three Stages of Hell Match for the WWE Championship
Randy Orton (Champion) VS Triple H

So my genius brother had a theory: If Triple H lost, he would NOT be pinned and would STILL look golden.

Stage One: Traditional Wrestling Match

Well this oughta be tough for them…doesn’t a traditional wrestling match require some technical skill? Ah, I kid. But seriously, what a boring stipulation. You couldn’t come up with anything better than that? Maybe they SHOULD have called Vince Russo. He’d probably do an Aurora Rose On A Pole Match or something like that.

So this match is pretty standard, and since you’ve all seen Orton/Trips a hundred times I won’t bore you with a play-by-play. Orton works a bit on Triple H’s wrapped up knee, but his kicks are actually more directed to his quad. Good thinking here, ignore what’s kayfabe injured and go for what he always ACTUALLY injures. Anyway, nobody nails a big move or anything here, instead Trips pulls out a chair and SLAMS Orton in the head, thus ending the first stage in a DQ.

Winner of Stage One: Orton
Stage Two: Falls Count Anywhere Match

So since everybody knows a falls count anywhere match is no DQ by default, Trips just takes the chair and continues beating the piss outta poor Randy. He then pulls him up into the Pedigree, because as everyone knows, a steel chair cannot do the damage that hooking someone’s arms behind their own back can.

Winner of Stage Two: Triple H

Stage Three: Stretcher Match

So this stage went longer than I thought it would, actually. Orton and Trips fight in the crowd quite a bit, and throw each other around, and use the steel steps. Orton does his awesome DDT, tanking Trips while his feet rested on the stretcher. Awesome.

Anyway they each have a turn ALMOST pushing each other over the line on the stretcher, and neither of them do it. So far Eric’s theory about Trips having a picture-perfect loss is holding water. Just as he is about to roll Orton over the line, CODY COMES OUT and stops him! And, of course, Trips destroys Cody. He then tries another time to push Orton, then TED COMES OUT and stops him…and I bet you can guess what happened to poor Teddy.

So Trips pulls a panel out of the stage and digs out a sledgehammer. WTF? Anyway, Trips takes it to poor Legacy, and just as he begins murdering fans with a simple glare and curing cancer, Orton lays him out with the very piece of the stage Trips removed! Now that’s irony. Legacy helps him load Hunter onto the stretcher and push him across, thus making RANDY the winner, and completely avoiding making Triple H look at ALL weak. Sigh.

Winner and STILL the WWE Champion: Randy Orton

And if that wasn’t enough, Trips staggers to his feet and nails the celebrating Randy with the sledgehammer. Thanks a lot, Vince.
FINAL GRADE

This PPV was pretty good, mostly because of Jericho/Mysterio and Punk/Hardy. I could have done without Ziggler/Khali and Miz/Cena, but hey, it wasn’t too bad. It was worse than Extreme Rules but better than Judgment Day. Hell, I think the ACTUAL day of judgment is going to be more enjoyable than that PPV was.

I give this one a C+

***REFRESH PAGE FOR LIVE UPDATES - SCROLL FOR DEALS AND RUMOURS***

TRADES AND SIGNINGS

– The Coyotes have signed G Jason LaBarbera to a two-year deal.

– The Flames have signed F Fredrik Sjostrom to a two-year/$1.5M deal.

– The Blackhawks have signed F John Madden to a one-year/$2.75M deal.

– The Senators have re-signed F Chris Neil to a four-year/$4M deal.

– The Canadiens have signed F Brian Gionta to a five-year/$25M deal.

– The Rangers have signed F Marian Gaborik to a five-year/$37.5M deal.

– The Blue Jackets have signed G Mathieu Garon to a two-year/$4.5M deal.

– The Blue Jackets have signed F Sammy Pahlsson to a three-year/$7.95M deal.

– The Predators have re-signed F Steve Sullivan to a two-year/$7.5M deal.

– The Bruins have signed F Steve Begin to a one-year/$850K deal.

– The Leafs have signed D Mike Komisarek to a five-year/$22.5 deal worth $4.5M per season.

– The Coyotes have signed F Vern Fiddler to a two-year/$2.2M deal worth $1.1M per season.

– The Leafs have traded D Pavel Kubina and F Tim Stapleton to the Thrashers for D Garnett Exelby and F Colin Stuart. The Leafs saved roughly $2M.

– The Canadiens have signed F Mike Cammalleri to a five-year/$30M deal.

– The Wild have signed D Greg Zanon to a three-year/$5.2M deal.

– The Avalanche have signed F David Koci to a one-year/$575K deal.

– The Sharks have re-signed D Kent Huskins to a two-year/$3.4M deal.

– The Canadiens have signed D Hal Gill to a two-year/$4.5M deal.

– The Penguins have signed F Mike Rupp to a two-year/$1.65M deal worth $825K per season.

– The Hurricanes have re-signed F Erik Cole to a two-year/$2.8M deal.

– The Flyers have signed F Ian Laperierre to a three-year/$3.5M deal.

– The Panthers have signed G Scott Clemmensen to a three-year/$3.6M deal.

– The Flames have re-signed D Adam Pardy.

– The Oilers have signed G Nikolai Khabibulin to a four-year/$15M deal.

– The Hurricanes have signed F Erik Cole to a two-year deal.

– The Canadiens have signed D Jaroslav Spacek to a three-year/$11.5M deal.

– The Flyers have signed G Brian Boucher to a two-year/$1.85M deal.

– The Ducks have signed D Scott Niedermayer to a one-year/$6M deal plus bonuses. No word yet on F Rob Niedermayer. Ducks dealing Pronger was a direct influence of Niedermayer’s impending return.

– The Predators have re-signed F Joel Ward to a two-year/$3M deal worth $1.5M per season.

– The Canucks have signed D Aaron Rome to a one-year/$525K deal.

– The Lightning have re-signed D Lukas Krajicek to a one-year deal.

– The Capitals have signed F Mike Knuble to a two-year/$5.6M deal worth $2.8M per year.

– The Rangers have signed F Donald Brashear.

–  The Sabres have signed D Steve Montador to a two-year/$3M deal worth $1.55M per season.

– The Islanders have signed G Dwayne Roloson to a two-year/$5M deal. Turned down one-year/$3M from Oilers. Oilers refused two-year deal.

– The Blackhawks have signed F Tomas Kopecky to a two-year deal.

– The Blackhawks have signed F Marian Hossa to a 12-year/$62.4M deal. Cap hit of $5.23M per year. The deal is front-loaded, as the first 8 years of the deal are worth $59.3M and the remaining four are worth $3.5M.

– The Blues have signed G Ty Conklin to a two-year/$2.6M deal worth $1.3M per season.

– The Avalanche have signed G Craig Anderson to two-year/$3.6M deal. I guess the Avs are out of the Gustavsson sweepstakes…

– The Lightning have signed D Matt Walker to a four-year/$6.8M deal worth $1.7M per season.

– The Panthers have re-signed F David Booth to a six-year/$25.5M deal.

– The Devils have re-signed D Andy Greene.

– The Leafs have signed F Colton Orr to a four-year/$4M deal.

– The Lightning have signed D Mattias Ohlund to a seven-year/$26.25M deal. He will average $3.75M per season.

– The Panthers have re-signed F Radek Dvorak to a two-year/$3.4M deal.

– The Ducks have re-signed F Erik Christensen.

– The Canucks have re-signed F Daniel and Henrik Sedin to five-year/$30.5M deals worth $6.1M per season. Both have no-movement clauses.

– The Flames have signed D Jay Bouwmeester to a five-year/$33.4M deal. The contract is worth $6.68M per season.

– The Canadiens have acquired F Scott Gomez, D Tom Busto and F Tom Pyatt from the Rangers for F Chris Higgins, D Doug Janik, D Ryan McDonagh and D Pavel Valentenko.

– The Stars have re-signed F Jere Lehtinen to a one-year contract for the 2009-10 season. The deal includes a $1.5M base salary, and as much as $1M more in incentives.

– The Flyers have acquired D Chris Pronger and F Ryan Dingle from the Ducks for F Joffrey Lupul, D Luca Sbisa, a first-round pick (2009), a first-round pick (2010) and a conditional third-round pick in 2010 or 2011.

RUMOURS

– The Oilers continue to talk to Sens F Dany Heatley, but he has yet to waive his NTC.

– Trade talks between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins surrounding a deal involving D Tomas Kaberle and F Phil Kessel as principles, are *not* back on, despite rumours of the contrary.

– RDS reports that F Saku Koivu has heard from a couple of teams today but is waiting to see what the Canadiens do, as he would like to return to Montreal.

–  Sens F Dany Heatley has yet to decide on his future. The Oilers are still very much in play, as he has not 100% refused to be dealt to Edmonton. The Rangers remain a candidate.

– F Alexei Kovalev has not re-signed with the Canadiens - yet. They are working on an extension. Some say they’re close to signing, other say to grab a cup of Joe.

– The Sens are in a holding pattern until they get Heatley sorted out.

– Leafs GM Brian Burke is in Europe, believed to be trying to lure G Jonas Gustavsson to Toronto.

– The Flames are not looking for more big names after signing D Jay Bouwmeester. Re-signing RFA F Dustin Boyd is the team’s top priority.

– The Canucks have about $10.8M in cap space left.

– F Marian Gaborik has turned down a 10-year/$70+M deal from the Wild.

– It is not expected that G Jonas Gustavsson will make a decision today, but rather in the coming days.

– Nothing new on the Dany Heatley front. Edmonton’s top priority is finding a new goalie.

– TSN reports that Leafs GM Brian Burke wants to make a splash today. Burke might be looking at some of the players he had on the Ducks.

– The Blue Jackets have begun contract extension talk with F Rick Nash.

– The Capitals will begin contract negotations with F Nicklas Backstrom and F Alexander Semin.

– The Habs are targeting F Martin Havlat.

NHL

– F Daniel and Henrik Sedin have re-signed with the Vancouver Canucks. The Twins signed a five-year/$30.5M deal, worth $6.1M per season. The deals have no-movement clauses included.

The deals are a stark contrast from the twins’ original asking price, which - according to reports - were identical 12-year contracts worth $63M each. The brothers expressed an interest in remaining in Vancouver, while the Canucks always stated that it was a priority to re-sign the tandem.

Daniel and Henrik each earned $3.75M last season and were scheduled to become unrestricted free agents at noon on Wednesday. Daniel and Henrik entered the league as the second and third overall selections by the Canucks in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing side by side for the Canucks, the duo has amassed 288 goals, 634 assists, and 922 points in 1,288 games combined.

The 2008-2009 season was arguably their best year yet, with Daniel leading the Canucks in goal scoring with 31 - the second highest output of his career - while Henrik had a career-high 22 goals. Both finished with 82 points on the season.

Agent JP Barry said, “We spent the last 24 hours with Daniel and Henrik going over all the options that they have. The more they analyzed things, the more they truly wanted to remain in Vancouver. They’re happy that this deal got to the range that it was fair.”

– According to sources, the Heatley-to-Oilers deal is not dead yet. While Dany Heatley has exercised his no-trade clause to remain in Ottawa (Tuesday), the possiblity remains that he could waive it and accept the trade to Edmonton. The Oil and Sens had agreed to a deal that would send Heatley to Edmonton for F Dustin Penner, F Ladislav Smid and F Andrew Cogliano. Heatley was asked to waive his no-movement clause by the Senators but he didn’t oblige. Which is not the same thing as an outright or unequivocal rejection.

The Senators owe Heatley a $4M signing bonus, to be paid on July 1 (today). The widely-held belief was that if the Senators didn’t trade Heatley by July 1, or at midnight Tuesday night, they would be stuck paying it and the expenditure would drastically alter the dynamic of any Heatley trade and what the Senators expect to get in return.

The Senators are still on the clock in their window to trade Heatley without absorbing the cost of the $4M signing bonus and will be until 11:59 pm EST on Wednesday night.

The Rangers remain the other team in the mix for Heatley. The Sens had asked for D Marc Staal, but the Rangers, thus far, are not willing to part with him.

VoV

– Just wanted to say thank you all to the VoV.com peepulation for their continued viewership. June was the most successful month in VoV.com’s short history, and topped last May’s record of most traffic for the month. We increased not only in the number of hits the site received, but also in the number of unique visitors, pages viewed, and RSS subscribers. Finally, VoV.com has now surpassed the ONE MILLION HITS milestone! We accomplished this feat in late June. This is a true testament to the success and loyal viewership of a small website that is only a mere 6 months old. Thanks again everyone for making VoV.com what it has become today!

NHL

– The Blue Jackets have begun long-term contract discussions with F Rick Nash. Nash has one year left on his current deal worth $7M. The Leafs, along with about a half-dozen other teams are seriously interested.

– Caps F Nicklas Backstrom and F Alexander Semin have one year remaining on their contracts and would become restricted free agents 12 months from now. Wednesday is the first day the Caps officially can offer them extensions. Agents for both players said they have had preliminary discussions with the Caps’ brass but nothing is imminent. The 21-year-old Backstrom would remain a restricted free agent for four more seasons, while the 25-year-old Semin would have one more year left under restricted status.

– The Wild are expected to make a serious push for F Saku Koivu.

MLB

– The Angels have inquired about D’Backs RHP Danny Haren, who is not on the trade block. The Halos and D’Backs had discussed Haren in exchange for a package including a catcher(s) and middle infielder(s). According to Foxsports.com, The D-backs, viewing Haren as a critical part of their future, declined to engage in serious discussions with the Angels, who could have used their surplus of catchers and middle infielders to put together a blockbuster offer. The report indicated the talks could accelerate if the Angels overwhelmed the Diamondbacks with the right combination of players, one source said. But such a deal, for now, appears to be a longshot.

– According to the San Jose Mercury News, as one of the best pitchers in the game, Giants RHP Tim Lincecum can expect a massive payday when he goes to arbitration for the first time after this season. The Giants, however, could have saved themselves millions by keeping Lincecum in the minors for another month early in his rookie season.

He began the year by overwhelming the Triple-A competition, so the Giants called him up on May 6. That allowed him to collect extra service, so he’s now expected to gain Super Two status after the season. As a result, he’ll go to arbitration four times, instead of three. The Giants weren’t going anywhere in 2007; a more cautious approach would have saved them millions.

Lincecum and his agent, Rick Thurman, appear to be content to negotiate salaries year-to-year. The Giants haven’t discussed a long-term deal with their ace since the season began, but Lincecum’s representatives are open to a multi-year contract.

– According to the NY Daily News, former Yankees GM Gene Michael considered dealing RHP Mariano Rivera to the Tigers for LHP David Wells back in 1995. Rivera was still considered a starter then, and he was one of the players the Tigers had interest in. Michael, now a scout, says he held onto Rivera because of his control and mid-nineties fastball.

“But nobody ever could have foreseen him doing all of this - and really with just one pitch.“

The Tigers dealt Wells to Cincinnati, where he pitched to an ERA of 3.59 in 11 starts. The Yankees would ultimately sign him two different times as a free agent. Danny Knobler of CBS Sports caught up with Joe Klein, who was the Tigers GM at the time. Klein assures Tigers fans that he would have made the deal if Rivera had been available. Imagine if Mariano had been closing games for the Tigers in place of RHP Todd Jones, THP Troy Percival, RHP Matt Anderson and others.

– The Nats have acquired OF Nyjer Morgan and LHP Sean Burnett from the Pirates for OF Lastings Milledge and RHP Joel Hanrahan.

– According to the NY Post, the Mets had inquired about former Indians 3B Mark DeRosa. Mets ass-GM John Ricco thought the asking price for DeRosa - RHP Bobby Parnell - was too high.

– The Braves are shopping SS Yuniel Escobar for an extra bat.

– The Brewers are eyeing RHP Brandon Backe.

– Mets OF Carlos Beltran is expected to make his return sometime after the All-Star break.

– The Indians have released RHP Luis Vizcaino.

NBA

– Mavs owner Mark Cuban has confirmed that he will make an offer to FA G Jason Kidd. The deal is only expected to be worth $5.8M. Kidd is currently looking into signing with the Knicks. Adding Kidd, from the Knicks perspective, would increase their chances of adding F LeBron James or G Dwyane Wade next summer. Stay tuned.

– The potential deal involving Suns F Amare Stoudemire and the Warriors is all but dead. Amare can opt out of his contract at the end of the upcoming season, forgoing the more than $17M he is scheduled to make in 2010-11.

– The Bulls will make a serious offer to G Ben Gordon soon. Gordon has turned down a five-year/$50M deal and a six-year/$54M deal over the previous two summers. Gordon reportedly wants to stay in Chicago, but this says otherwise. The Bulls have roughly $63.9M worth of contracts committed for the 2009-10 season. This number doesn’t include the scaled rookie contracts of draft picks James Johnson and Taj Gibson, who combine for roughly $2.75M.

The league office will release the luxury tax threshold on July 8. Most league observers expect that figure to land somewhere near $69M. Barring a trade, that means the Bulls only would have approximately $2.5M to offer Gordon in the first year of a multiyear deal if they want to avoid incurring the luxury tax penalty.

– The Magic are expected to wait a while before offering F Hedo Turkoglu a new contract.

– Mavs F Devean George has exercised his player option to return to the team. He will make $1.6M next season.

– The Rockets are targeting a free agent centre to fill the void made by F Yao Ming.

– C’s G Eddie House has exercised his player option for next season. He will make $2.86M next season.

NHL

– The Oilers are officially unsuccessful in acquiring F Dany Heatley from the Sens for F Andrew Cogliano, F Dustin Penner and F Ladislav Smid. As of this morning, Heatley has exercised his full no-trade clause, keeping him in Ottawa for the time being. Heatley demanded a trade out of Ottawa earlier in the month as he was upset with Ottawa coach Cory Clouston as his ice time was cut significantly. I find it amazing that a player demands a trade, and then refuses to go when the team accommodates him. The Senators should call him out and not trade him at all, that should set him straight. If he refuses to report to training camp the Senators should suspend him and let him sit, even if he has scored 50 goals twice in his NHL career.

The other team in the mix for Heatley was the Rangers. The Sens were trying to pry D Marc Staal away from the Rangers, but NY was unwilling to part with him.

– Canuck GM Mike Gillis has left a serious offer on the table for the Sedin twins to mull over. Gillis travelled to the twins’ home in Sweden to present what is believed to be a five-year offer to both Daniel and Henrik. It might be Vancouver’s last attempt to ink the brothers to long-term deals preventing them from becoming unrestricted free agents on Wednesday. The twins’ agent JP Barry certainly feels that it is a serious offer worth consideration. Stay tuned for further developments.

– The Flames have signed D Jay Bouwmeester to a five-year/$33.4M deal. The contract is worth $6.68M per season. This is a significant signing by the Flames as Bouwmeester will team with D Dion Phaneuf to provide Calgary with a dynamic duo on the blueline. Needless to say, GM Darryl Sutter is very pleased. “Jay is one of the most complete defenseman in the game, and we are very pleased to have reached an agreement that will make him an important component of the Calgary Flames success. We identified Jay as the priority player where we were going to focus our money. We wanted an opportunity a few days in advance of the deadline, and that’s why we made the move we did this past weekend.” Bouwmeester also seemed very happy to playing in his home province of Alberta. We are confident that he will at least duplicate his 42-point performance of last season.

– The Canadiens have acquired F Scott Gomez, D Tom Busto and F Tom Pyatt from the Rangers for F Chris Higgins, D Doug Janik, D Ryan McDonagh and D Pavel Valentenko.

Ultimately, the Habs get a top-6 forward that they wanted. The Rangers free up a ton of cap room, likely to be used in an offer for Sens F Dany Heatley. This all but ends any chance of the Sedins coming to Montreal, so you can scratch them off your list. For those wondering, the Habs have not offered F Saku Koivu or F Alex Tanguay a contract. They have made last-chance offers on D Mike Komisarek and F Alexei Kovalev, with Komisarek already announcing he will test the open market.

– F Marian Hossa will become an unrestricted free agent after apparently turning down a 10-year contract offer from the Detroit Red Wings. Hossa will be able to command upwards of $7M per season on a new contract in free agency, while the Red Wings were offering $6M per season at most, on a long-term deal.

– The Stars have re-signed F Jere Lehtinen to a one-year contract for the 2009-10 season. The deal includes a $1.5M base salary, and as much as $1M more in incentives.

– The agent for G Jonas “The Monster” Gustavsson says his client will not make a decision on which team he’ll sign with until sometime after July 1. A decision was originally expected by today. The Leafs, Sharks, Avalanche and Stars are believed to be the teams in contention.

– Steve Bartlett, the agent for Hurricanes F Erik Cole, has told the team that his client will become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday. Cole could still re-sign with the Hurricanes, but wants to see what else is out there. Stay tuned.

– If unsuccessful in re-signing the Sedin twins, the Canucks will make an offer to F Mike Cammalleri.

– According to the Edmonton Sun, the Oilers have made a contract offer to G Dwayne Roloson. It is reported to be a one-year deal for about $3M. Roloson was 28-24-9 with a 2.77 GAA last season. Meanwhile, F Ales Kotalik has not received an offer from Tambellini and it looks like he will become an unrestricted free agent.

– The Habs are expected to make a hard push for F Marian Hossa, F Marian Gaborik or F Martin Havlat.

– F Chris Neil has turned down the Senators’ offer of $1.7M per year and will likely go to free agency unless there are further developments. Neil, 30, tied a career-low with ten points and set a career-low with a minus-13 in 60 games last season.

MLB

– The Yankees have acquired former AL Rookie of the Year OF Eric Hinske from the Pirates for a pair of minor leaguers. The 31-year-old Hinske hit .255 in 106 at-bats this season with nine doubles, one homer and 11 RBIs, playing right field, first base and third base. He was 8 for 24 as a pinch hitter and said to be unhappy with a lack of playing time.

– Mariners 3B Adrian Beltre is scheduled to undergo surgery Tuesday to remove bone spurs in his right shoulder. Beltre is expected to miss up to eight weeks once he goes under the knife. He decided to undergo the surgery after a meeting with team physicians last week. He won’t return in time for the July 31 trade deadline.

– The Red Sox have placed 3B Mike Lowell (hip) on the 15-day DL.

– A second opinion on the injured knee of Mets OF Carlos Beltran reportedly remains a bone bruise. Beltran visited noted surgeon Dr. Richard Steadman in Colorado on Monday and the New York Daily News is reporting that the doctor agrees with the initial diagnosis by the Mets. There was speculation that the injury could have been more serious, possibly a microfracture that would have required surgery.

NBA

– Lakers F Kobe Bryant has decided not to exercise an early termination option in his contract and will rmain in L.A. for the 2009-2010 season. Bryant, who will make $23M next season, also has a player option to opt out of his contract next summer. According to ESPN.com, the Lakers intend to talk to Bryant this summer about signing a long-term extension.

– Jazz F Carlos Boozer has opted to remain with the Jazz. He will make $12.7M next season. The Jazz haven’t heard from F Mehmet Okur yet, though Okur’s agent said he is “leaning toward” opting out. Boozer’s decision limits Utah’s financial flexibility and could make it harder to match any offers for restricted FA F Paul Millsap - losing Millsap this summer and Boozer next summer has to be a worst-case scenario for the Jazz.

– The Pistons have fired head coach Michael Curry after a 39-43 season.

– Yahoo! Sports is reporting that free agents G Ben Gordon and G Charlie Villanueva flew to Detroit to meet with Joe Dumars on Wednesday. Indications are that both players are going to sign with the Pistons, and you have to wonder if Dumars fired coach Michael Curry on Tuesday in an effort to make his team more desirable to the pair. Nothing has been finalized, but it looks like both players will be Pistons next season. I’m unsure how shooting guards Gordon and Rip Hamilton are going to play together, unless Detroit plans on using Gordon as the sixth man.

– ESPN’s Marc Stein is reporting that the Celtics may be the most likely destination for free agent F Rasheed Wallace. F Kevin Garnett got into the ear of Danny Ainge and the Celtics are now a very possible destination for ‘Sheed. The Magic, Spurs and Mavs are also likely to make a move for Wallace.

– F Anderson Varejao opted out of the final year of his contract on Tuesday, making him an unrestricted free agent. Varejao would have made $6.2M next season, which sets a pretty high bar for his salary expectations. The Cavs want to keep Varejao, whose ability to defend the pick-and-roll and knock down jumpshots could be more important than ever with F Shaquille O’Neal in Cleveland. The Pistons, Thunder and Grizzlies are also in a position to lure away Varejao with a big contract.

– Warriors F Corey Maggette had surgery to relieve pain in his right wrist on Monday, but he is expected to return to normal basketball activities in about one month. The Warriors said Maggette’s surgery will require “minimal rehabilitation”, and he should be 100% by the time training camp rolls around.

– F Ron Artest’s agent said on Tuesday that Yao Ming’s uncertain condition hasn’t changed Artest’s desire to re-sign with the Rockets. The Rockets are one of a handful of teams in a position to offer Artest more than the mid-level exception. Houston might not want to give Artest the contract he’s after, however, preferring to rebuild now that Yao’s career is in jeopardy and F Tracy McGrady is an afterthought.

– G Stephon Marbury told the New York Post Wednesday that NBA stars should avoid playing for the Knicks. He said, “I wouldn’t want to play in that system. That system can’t win championships. You can’t win championships if you don’t talk about defense. In Boston, the coaches even play defense.” Marbury also spoke about the mental anguish that resulted from the way he was treated by the team, but we doubt his comments will have too much of an impact on prospective Knicks.

– A judge sentenced Nuggets G JR Smith to 90 days in jail Tuesday night for causing an auto accident that killed his friend, though Smith will likely end up serving only 30.

WWE

– According to the PWTorch, the word going around the WWE locker room is that Vickie Guerrero was only being paid $500 per appearance, and on top of that she had to cover her own hotel expenses. There are some wrestlers who are understandably fired up over the rumor, feeling that the company could have done more to take care of the now-former RAW and SmackDown! GM.

Although, it is worth noting that WWE paid for Eddie Guerrero’s funeral, and friends suspect they did more to help out the family. So while the $500 per appearance rate looks horrible on the surface, the company may have quietly done more for Vickie and her children than the locker room is aware of.

– The following matches have been announced for the WWE “Night of Champions” PPV, which takes place July 26 in Philadelphia, Pa.; Randy Orton vs. Triple H vs. John Cena in a Triple Threat match for the WWE Title; Edge and Chris Jericho vs. Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase for the Unified Tag Titles; Maryse vs. Mickie James for the WWE Women’s Title.

– There was some confusion backstage over the “trade” storyline on RAW last night, and several wrestlers had trouble with the logic of how it played out on TV. PWInsider.com reports that the decision to switch the talent was made in the last week or so. The moves were done by WWE to make RAW and SmackDown! stronger. Tommy Dreamer was originally scheduled to lose the ECW title at The Bash to Jack Swagger, but this changed due to the last-minute decision to move Swagger to RAW.

NFL

– During an October, 2007 arrest for suspicion of DUI, Broncos RB Brandon Marshall told police that he hoped to get traded out of Denver. “I hate Denver. I hope I get traded. I hate this [expletive] city,” said Marshall according to an officer’s report. Reasons given for his recent trade request include concerns about direction of the team, mistrust of the Broncos medical staff and a desire for a new contract. It’s now clear, however, that Marshall’s issues are deep-seated and go back at least 18 months to the Mike Shanahan regime. Though the Broncos intend to stand firm, there’s no resolution in sight.

– Law enforcement sources have told the Miami Herald that WR Donte’ Stallworth tested positive for marijuana after fatally striking pedestrian Mario Reyes. Stallworth’s civil and criminal cases have already been settled, but he remains on indefinite NFL suspension. Commissioner Goodell is sure to take this new information under advisement when deciding how long to extend Stallworth’s suspension.

– The Lions have acquired WR Dennis Northcutt from the Jaguars in exchange for S Gerald Alexander.

TNA

– In a likely indication that they are through with the company, the official TNA website has removed the pictures of multiple wrestlers from its roster page. Among those removed from the page include Jacqueline, Raven, and Naito & Yujiro of the No Limit tag team. Jacqueline had not appeared on television in recent months, Raven was believed to be working on a pay-per-appearance deal, and the contracts of No Limit were set to expire soon. Shane Douglas was also recently removed from the roster page. He was working on a pay-per-appearance deal.

NHL

– Canucks GM Mike Gillis has left Sweden with a new offer on the table for the Sedin twins. The two sides, Sedins included, met with Gillis in person for two hours. Gillis presented his team’s offer before flying back to Vancouver. The Sedins and agent JP Barry are now analyzing and considering the offer, but won’t comment on either the term or money Vancouver has offered. Stay tuned.

– The Leafs currently have the Sedin twins at the top of their free agency list. If they are unsuccessful in signing them, the Leafs are expected to go after some big bodies, namely Rangers F Colton Orr or Sens F Chris Neil. The Leafs are still interested in Ducks G JS Giguere, but his $6M salary plus G Vesa Toskala’s $4M salary will be too much to have just between the pipes.

The Leafs, along with the Sharks, Stars and Avalanche, are awaiting word on whether free-agent Swedish F Jonas “The Monster” Gustavssson has made a decision on where he’ll sign. Originally, the decision was expected by today or tomorrow, but that may drift until later in the week.

– Sens F Dany Heatley could be traded before July 1, but it’s going to take a significant offer from the New York Rangers or the Edmonton Oilers - the two clubs seemingly most interested in the goal-scoring winger - to get it done.

According to a source, the Sens do not have a trade offer from those teams, or anyone else, that is deemed worth of acceptance and the list of suitors looks as though it’s getting shorter rather than longer. The Blues and Kings have pulled out, leaving only the Rangers, Oilers and Sharks.

Heatley is owed a $4M signing bonus on July 1. If the Senators pay it, and absent an improved trade they will have to, Ottawa may simply decide to hold onto Heatley in spite of his desire to play elsewhere or the post-July 1 acquisition price will go up accordingly and the team getting Heatley may have to take back other players in order for Ottawa to reconcile their accounts.

– The Habs continue to push for Bolts F Vincent Lecavalier, but things don’t look good for them. Assuming the Sedins walk away from Vancouver, the Habs are expected to make hard pushes to sign the twins. Failing that, they have been rumoured to be interested in Rangers F Scott Gomez, as well as Flyers F Daniel Briere and F Simon Gagne.

If F Martin Havlat doesn’t re-sign in Chicago, one would think that he would be sought after by the Canadiens. Havlat wants to stay in Chicago so badly that he’s willing to take a paycut from his $6M salary if it’s on a long-term deal, but the Hawks, so far anyway, have offered him a raise but on a one-year deal. With F Patrick Kane and F Jonathan Toews slated to come out of entry-level at the end of next season, Chicago doesn’t have a lot of long-term flexibility.

The Habs have cap space, and that’s presuming that they re-sign F Alexei Kovalev, F Tomas Plekanec and F Chris Higgins. It looks like F Saku Koivu, F Alex Tanguay and F Robert Lang are done in Montreal, but that may also depend on whether they land any big fish.

– Although no numbers have been discussed, the Flames are expected to make a formal contract proposal today to D Jay Bouwmeester. The team is hopeful they can re-sign him. The two sides met on Monday.

– The Hurricanes agreed to terms with F Jussi Jokinen on a two-year contract worth $3.4M. The deal will pay the Finn $1.5M next season and $1.9M in 2010-11. He had one goal and 11 points in 25 regular season games with the Hurricanes before exploding in the playoffs, netting seven goals and 11 points in 18 contests.

– The Blackhawks have re-signed F David Bolland to a five-year deal worth $3.375M per season.

– The Sharks made a qualifying offer to RFA F Ryan Clowe. The Sharks also extended qualifying offers to G Thomas Greiss, F Torrey Mitchell and F Brad Staubitz.

– The Red Wings would like to re-sign pending UFA F Mikael Samuelsson, but with their tight cap room, it may be too difficult a task, especially considering that Detroit is still pushing hard to re-sign F Marian Hossa. Samuelsson may become a salary cap victim for Detroit as he looks as though he will test the open market. Stay tuned.

Speaking of Hossa, the team is still talking with him. With the cap at $56.8M and Detroit having $53M already taken up, things don’t look good.

– The Leafs have made a qualifying offer to G Justin Pogge.

– The Penguins have inked F Bill Guerin to a one-year/$2M deal. GM Ray Shero said, “We are excited to agree to terms with Billy on this one-year deal. He made a tremendous impact on this team with his scoring ability, physical play and outstanding leadership and was a key factor in our drive to the Cup. I know our players, coaches and fans will be happy to have him back in Pittsburgh.”

– The Avalanche have signed G Peter Budaj to a one-year/$1.25M contract, up from $800K. Budaj is expected to play the role of backup.

– The Canadiens extended qualifying offers to six of their restricted free agents on Monday. F Tomas Plekanec, F Kyle Chipchura, F Christopher Higgins, F Guillaume Latendresse, F Matt D’Agostini and F Greg Stewart were offered deals. Plekanec was the leading scorer of the pack, earning just 39 points in 80 games last season. He was incredibly inconsistent in 2008-09 and will look to rebound next year.

– The Oilers have offered G Dwayne Roloson a one-year/$3M deal.

– The Wild have made qualifying offers to G Josh Harding, F Kyle Brodziak, F Robert Earl, F Benoit Pouliot, F Danny Irmen and D Clayton Stoner.

– The Blues have re-signed D Mike Weaver and F Brad Winchester. Terms were not disclosed.

– The Penguins have signed F Craig Adams to a two-year deal on Monday. Terms were not disclosed.

– The Panthers have made a qualifying offer to RFA F Daniel Booth.

– The Sharks have declined to make qualifying offers to F Marcel Goc, F Tomas Plihal and F Lukas Kaspar(notes).

– The Blues have bought out the remainder of D Jay McKee’s contract. McKee was slated to make $4M next season.

– The Thrashers have made qualifying offers to F Colby Armstrong, F Jordan Lavallee, F Jim Slater, D Scott Lehman, D Grant Lewis, D Boris Valabik and G Kari Lehtonen. F Chris Thorburn and G Dan Turple were not made offers, making them UFAs on Wednesday.

– The Bruins have waived F Peter Schaefer. The soon-to-be 32-year-old was scheduled to make $2.1M next season.

– The Sharks have signed D Rob Blake to a one-year/$3.5M contract extension. Blake was excellent for San Jose last season, compiling 45 points, a plus-15 rating and 110 penalty minutes in 73 contests.

– The Panthers have waived F Brett McLean. The 30-year-old was set to make $1.7M next season.

– Devils D Johnny Oduya is close to re-signing with the Devils. The two sides are close to putting the ink on a multi-year deal worth around $3-4M per season (up from $600K). Oduya had seven goals and 29 points last season and is turning into a solid puck-moving defenseman that is sound in his own zone.

The team is expected to allow their only Selke Trophy winner, F John Madden, and team-record single-season goal-scorer F Brian Gionta to walk as unrestricted free agents Wednesday. Other Devils headed toward unrestricted free agency tomorrow include backup G Scott Clemmensen and G Kevin Weekes, and F Mike Rupp, F Brendan Shanahan and F Barry Tallackson.

MLB

– According to the NY Post, Mets OF Carlos Beltran’s season, and possibly career, could be in jeopardy if he requires microfracture knee surgery. The 32-year-old Beltran has already required arthroscopic surgery on both knees, and the microfracture procedure is still rather experimental. NBA players Jamal Mashburn and Terrell Brandon were forced into retirement not too long after having it done. Stay tuned.

– According to the LA Daily News, Dodgers OF Manny Ramirez’s minor league rehab assignment has concluded. Ramirez went 1-for-3 with two K’s Monday for Single-A Inland Empire. He was going to play in Tuesday’s game as well, but the Dodgers have decided to scratch that plan. He’ll join up with his Dodger teammates Tuesday and return to the lineup Friday, July 3.

– The Nationals have offered OF Lastings Milledge to the Pirates for OF Nyjer Morgan in a one-for-one deal. Pittsburgh GM Neal Huntington apparently wants Nationals acting GM Mike Rizzo to add a second player before he would consider making the trade.

– Angels RHP Ervin Santana (triceps) returned to the Angels Monday after a three-inning rehab outing in the Arizona Summer League. Santana will stick around for the next few games. He’ll throw a bullpen session Wednesday and, if all goes well, could be slotted back into the rotation by the weekend. There’s a chance the Angels will ask him to make one final rehab start, but it’s doubtful.

– Orioles manager Dave Trembley acknowledged Monday that SS Cesar Izturis (appendicitis) might not return to the club until late July, at the earliest. Izturis jogged and sprinted in the outfield Monday and took 30 swings off a tee. He’s hoping to hit live pitching as early as Wednesday with an eye on beginning a rehab assignment right around the All-Star break.

– Red Sox RHP Jonathan Papelbon recorded his 132nd career save, tying Bob Stanley for the most in Red Sox history.

– The Giants are currently scouting White Sox OF Jermaine Dye and Indians C Victor Martinez.

– The Cards have placed SS Khalil Greene (anxiety) on the 15-day DL.

– A’s LHP Josh Outman will undergo elbow surgery Tuesday. Outman visited specialist Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham Monday, but the Athletics haven’t revealed whether he’s having Tommy John surgery or not. Either way, he’s done for a while and possibly for the season.

– The Astros have released RHP Brandon Backe.

– Indians RHP Rafael Betancourt, RHP Carl Pavano and OF Jamey Carroll are expected to be on the block, as all three are free agents at season’s end.

– The Pirates are unlikely to keep RHP Ian Snell through the remainder of his contract. Before last season, the Pirates signed Snell to a multi-year deal that guaranteed him $8.6M. They have the option of keeping him through 2012, but are unlikely to pick up the options on his contract.

NBA

– Jazz F Carlos Boozer will decide on Tuesday whether to opt out of the final year of his contract with the Jazz, which would pay him $12.7M. Boozer said in December that he would opt out “no matter what”, but only the Grizzlies, Pistons and Thunder are in a position to offer him a big contract. According to ESPN, neither the Grizzlies nor the Thunder intend to pursue Boozer, and the Pistons won’t offer him the $13-15M deal he wants. There is reportedly a “significant chance” that he will not opt out, but he has until 5 pm EST Tuesday to make his decision.

– The Bucks have made a qualifying offer to G Ramon Sessions and F Ersan Ilyasova, making them RFAs, but not to F Charlie Villanueva, making him a UFA. The Bucks have forfeited their right to match other teams’ offers, a move that maximizes their financial flexibility and increases Milwaukee’s odds of re-signing Sessions. They did extended a qualifying offer to F Ersan Ilyasova, however, who will help fill the PF spot along with F Amir Johnson, F Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and F Kurt Thomas. The Cavs and Pistons are interesteed in CV.

– The Knicks are seriously interested in G Jason Kidd. Stay tuned.

– According to a source, G Mike Bibby is expected to leave the Hawks as a UFA. Also, F Josh Smith’s name is the latest in the rumour mill involving Suns F Amare Stoudemire.

– The Pistons are expected to make serious pushes at F Charlie Villanueva and G Ben Gordon.

– The C’s will make a qualifying offer to F Glen “Big Baby” Davis.

– Speaking of the C’s, UFA G Stephon Marbury wants to re-sign with the Celtics.

– The 76ers are going to try to re-sign UFA G Andre Miller.

– Jazz F Kyle Korver has exercised his team option for next season, guaranteeing him $5.2M.

– The Raptors have extended a qualifying offer to F Pops Mensah-Bonsu.

– The Pacers will not exercise their team option on G Marquis Daniels.

– The Nets have exercised the option on the contract of F Jarvis Hayes.

– The Blazers will not give F Channing Frye a qualifying offer.

WWE

– Before Donald Trump’s removal as the owner of Monday Night RAW last week, he orchestrated more than a dozen Superstar trades, extending through all three WWE brands and including the following (as announced on WWE.com):

Moving to RAW: Alicia Fox, Evan Bourne, Gail Kim, Jack Swagger, Mark Henry.

Moving to SmackDown!: David Hart Smith, Finlay, Matt Hardy, Natalya, Tyson Kidd.

Moving to ECW: Brie Bella, Goldust, Nikki Bella, Shelton Benjamin, William Regal.

– As revealed tonight on on RAW, the second of the show’s special weekly guest hosts will be the legendary “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase.

TNA

– TNA president Dixie Carter recently spoke to TNAWrestling.com, here are the highlights:

On WWE & TNA’s ratings: “We want everyone’s ratings to go up. In order to succeed, we don’t think we have to take ratings away from anyone else. As a wrestling industry, we all have to grow the fan-base worldwide. We can’t just say we’re going to beat Raw (in the ratings). Right now, that’s unrealistic. We had to start with the more obtainable goal to beat the ratings of our competitor’s third-rated show, ECW - and we’ve done that. I have heard people say, ‘It’s not a big deal to beat their lowest rated show,’ but I disagree. It’s a huge success for TNA, which five years ago had just 300,000 viewers in a Friday afternoon timeslot on Fox Sports. So now we’re setting our sights on their second-rated show, Smackdown - and that gap has closed significantly over the past six months.”

Impact’s timeslot: “Thursday nights are tough. Besides being the most competitive night on TV for networks, we are always up against the biggest sporting events, including high-profile playoffs games. The recent NBA Playoffs had record ratings success, yet TNA held its own. As Spike officials have said, and I agree, ‘God Bless the TNA fans.’ Nothing is set in stone, but no move is being planned right now. Our goal has always been to be competitive and go head-to-head against one of our competitor’s programs. So we hope that might happen sometime in the future.”

On the current state of the wrestling industry: “The audience of 2009 is significantly different from the audience during the height of the WWF-WCW run. And we have to continue to change accordingly. Today’s fans are smarter, more involved. They don’t want their intelligence insulted, and we have been guilty of that at times in the past. Can we please everyone all the time? No, that’s not realistic. But you have to strive to please them much more than not.”

On TNA’s progress: “Until we are the biggest wrestling company in the world, we won’t be satisfied. [...] We have not been infused with hundreds of millions of dollars, nor had a parent company that is a network. We have fought hard for every bit of success we have attained. We’ve done it fan by fan, success by success. And that, to me, is what makes TNA special, because it truly is a company of the fans; they’ve been the ones who have allowed us to grow. [...] I think we have accomplished more in the last six- to 12-months than we have in the last several years. I look at our ratings over the last year, and they are up about 20 percent.”

On AJ Styles: “Simply PHENOMENAL. He has taken the in-ring product to another level and is really starting to embrace his own stardom, which is a big part of being a star. I am so proud when I hear the ovation he gets around the world when he enters the arena; it usually is the loudest of the night. He has helped build TNA. AJ is the first and only TNA Gland Slam winner, and his time is just beginning.”

NFL

– The Broncos reportedly intend to stand firm on their refusal to honour RB Brandon Marshall’s trade demand, unless they’re “blown away” with an offer. Team brass is currently on vacation and “not fretting” about the situation. They can only hope Marshall shows to Dove Valley on time. Since he wants a new contract and doesn’t trust team doctors to handle his hip rehab, however, Marshall doesn’t seem like a sure thing to be there on the first day of camp.

RAW

RAW # 840 comes to you live from San Jose, California.

Opener

Good Vince promo. Stupid that Vince is the Chairman, yet he’s still following rules from a guy no longer “employed” there. How does that work? Batista’s got pretty good range of motion in his arm considering he’s in a brace and just had biceps surgery. Batista’s still terrible on the mic, he hasn’t practiced at all during his time off.

Triple H d. MVP

Short match, with the obvious winner being H. He got zero offence in. What a waste.

Y2J & Edge d. Primo & Carlito

Great tag match. Edge and Y2J work well together as a heel tandem. Great close finishes, too.

John Cena d. The Miz

Typical Cena match. Not much else to say here.

Backstage

Nice to see DiBiase back for next week. I hope he laughs.

Mickie James d Kelly Kelly, Rosa & Beth Phoenix

Short match with little substance.

Big Show vs. Kofi Kingston ends in Double Countout

What a waste.

Randy Orton Gauntlet

RKO beats Evan Bourne, then Jack Swagger, but loses to Mark Henry. Nice heel play by Swagger to not enter the ring.

Final Thoughts

RAW sucked again. The tag match was the match of the night, but thankfully WWE traded some guys to freshen up each brand. Something like this needs to be done in addition to the WWE Draft.

Final Score: 4