WWE
– Matt Hardy has posted a blog talking about his brother Jeff’s departure from WWE. The full blog can be read at Matt’s WWE page. Some highlights:
Matt thanks Jeff for the sacrifices he’s made, calls out Internet writers who don’t give Jeff enough credit and says Jeff helped make CM Punk on his way “out the door”:
“I wanna thank Jeff for literally breaking his back for the sake of our business day in and day out. The fans should think him for all of the unselfish entertainment he has provided them in the past. Jeff would be the first person to admit he’s not perfect-but his love to make children happy, and to make adults “OHH” and “AHH” as he performs for them is second to none. And I mean NONE! Jeff has always been respectful towards his fans, and the majority of fans have respect for him. For any of those “know it all guys” of the IWC that don’t respect Jeff Hardy-you’re all hypocritical ****es. Period. Jeff made one of your favorites, CM Punk, a legitimate main-eventer on Jeff’s way out the door. So maybe you can at least find respect in that fact.”
Matt explains that Jeff’s body needs to rest and reflects on how much they’ve accomplished together in the business:
“Jeff has two herniated disc in his back, suffers from ‘Restless Leg Syndrome’-which makes it hard for him to sleep at night, and also has some nagging neck injuries. He needs time away to heal physically and mentally. As disappointing as it is, look at what Jeff said.. “It’s not goodbye forever, it;s goodbye until next time.” I thank every friend and fan that has supported myself and Jeff from day one, when we were just “extra talent” appearing on WWE programming. No one, and I mean NO ONE thought we would come as far as we did.. And contribute so much to this great business.”
I miss Jeff already. One of the few Attitude Era superstars has once again exited the WWE, this time, maybe forever. Hopefully he doesn’t go back to TNA, but once his injuries are behind him, I’d love to see him back in the big time.
– Rey Mysterio discussed his 30-day suspension from WWE in an interview with the newspaper Record in Mexico. Mysterio claimed he was suspended for a drug he was using for his both his knee and arm, which he has a prescription for. Mysterio said he was away on vacation and in the UK promoting SummerSlam, noting he was not informed of his drug test failure until Wednesday. He was told to provide proof of prescription by Thursday, but was unable to meet the deadline, thus resulting in a suspension. Mysterio will begin serving his 30-day suspension next Wednesday.
UFC
– At last night’s post UFC 102 press conference, it was announced that Randy Couture had signed a new, 6-fight, 28-month contract with the UFC prior to his loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
“I think the opportunity to stay with the organization was my motivation. I think with things being the way they are, this is the place to be. I intend to finish my career here in the UFC…I didn’t have the outcome that I wanted (against Nogueira), but I still had a good performance, overall. I did a lot of things that I trained to do for this fight. We’ll evaluate that, evaluate the training and see what fight is next and take it one at a time…It keeps the heavyweight division interesting, and maybe the light heavyweight division, too, depending on what [Couture] decides to do. I don’t care what he wants to do. He can do whatever he wants. He’s proven that he can stay in there and hang with the heavyweights if that’s what he wants to do. And I think he’s a beast at 205 pounds.”
– Here are the results from UFC 102 in Portland, Oregon:
Main Bouts:
- Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira def. Randy Couture by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Thiago Silva def. Keith Jardine by KO (Punch) at 1:35, R1
- Jake Rosholt def. Chris Leben by Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) at 1:30, R3
- Nate Marquardt def. Demian Maia by KO at :21, R1
- Brandon Vera def. Krzystztof Soszynski by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Preliminary Bouts:
- Aaron Simpson def. Ed Herman by TKO (Injury) at :17, R2
- Gabriel Gonzaga def. Chris Tuchscherer by TKO (Strikes) at 2:27, R1
- Mike Russow def. Justin McCully by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-26, 30-27)
- Todd Duffee def. Tim Hague by KO at :07, R1
- Mark Munoz def. Nick Catone by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
- Evan Dunham def. Marcus Aurelio by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
NBA
– The Knicks are still looking into a couple of sign-and-trade possibilities for RFA F David Lee. Newsday speculates that the Blazers and Jazz may both have interest, but Lee’s status as a base-year-compensation player makes the finances of a sign-and-trade incredibly complicated. If all else fails, Lee is prepared to negotiate a one-year deal and become a UFA next summer. Stay tuned.
NHL
– The Quebec government may loan the Molson brothers in order to help them with their purchase of the Canadiens. The Molson brothers ran into some financial issues last month when CIT Group walked away from a $225M loan. The report states that the government is willing to lend the brothers $75M to help complete their purchase of the rumored $550M price tag.
NFL
– According to the Boston Globe, Patriots QB Tom Brady’s (shoulder) is just fine after he fell on it in Friday night’s exhibition game. No need to worry, Pats fans.
MLB
– According to FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal, the Cubs may be willing to trade RHP Rich Harden to the Twins. Harden was claimed off waivers by Minnesota earlier this week and the two sides have until Monday at 1 p.m. EST to work out a deal. Dealing for Harden might make 1B Justin Morneau and C Joe Mauer more inclined to sign long-term extensions if the Twins show that they’re serious about winning. Harden is a Type A free agent at season’s end.
– Astros LHP Mike Hampton has opted to undergo season-ending operations on his left shoulder and both knees. Hampton, 37, hopes to return to baseball at some point down the road. “I’m going to have this surgery with every intent of continuing to play. During the off-season I’ll pick up a ball and start throwing. I’ll rehab and see if it’s going to be doable to be capable of playing.” Hampton was 7-10 with a 5.30 ERA over 21 starts this season.
– Add the Athletics to the list of teams interested in RHP Brad Penny. Penny is still likely to pick the team with the best chances of winning the World Series. Stay tuned.
– The Cardinals expect to exercise RHP Ryan Franklin’s $2.75M club option and then sign an extension with their closer for 2011.
– White Sox OF Jermaine Dye will more than likely not see his $12M option exercised. The team needs to keep an eye on the salaries of OF Alex Rios and RHP Jake Peavy, so there may not be enough money to go around.
– The Cubs are expected to deal OF Milton Bradley this offseason, even if it means eating the majority of his $21M contract.
– The Yankees are looking to re-sign OF Johnny Damon this offseason. They are also expected to make offers to soon-to-be free agents OF Jason Bay and OF Matt Holliday.
– The Mariners have placed 1B Russell Branyon (back) on the 15-day DL. Branyan’s MRI on Saturday revealed inflammation and a herniated disc in his back.
– The Dodgers are seeking a “left-handed power bat” for the postseason run.
– The Twins are looking to add another starter for the playoff run.
– The Red Sox have acquired OF Joey Gathright from the Orioles for a PTBNL or cash.
– The D’Backs have placed C Chris Snyder (back) on the 15-day DL.
TNA
– TNA is once again toying with doing a separate television series on the Knockouts. The company now has the ability to shop series to networks outside of Spike, hence the renewed interest in the idea. This is also one of the reasons the company launched the Knockouts Tag Team Championship tournament.
– Former TNA Knockout Roxxi will be returning to the company for the first time since her release at this week’s Impact tapings in Orlando. The initial belief is she is being brought back for the Knockouts Tag Team Tournament, but could get her job back if she performs well and garners a strong reaction from the crowd. Many within TNA noted how quick the company was to bring her back after Rhaka Khan fell out of favor politically due to the Kurt Angle situation. Roxxi was let go following a backstage issue with Khan earlier in the year.