NBA
– Raptors’ F Chris Bosh has narrowed in on a list of five preferred NBA teams, and his agent has relayed that list to the Raptors, according to a report on ESPN.com. The list of teams included the Raptors, Bulls, Lakers, Heat and Knicks. Sources said that list was given to Toronto management in case the Raptors want to construct a sign-and-trade deal if Bosh doesn’t re-sign with Toronto.
Sources said the Raptors prefer a sign-and-trade if Bosh is intent on leaving Toronto. Bosh reportedly likes that option as well. The Raptors likely would want a big man to replace the 6-10, 230-pound Bosh in the lineup. One source said that Bosh’s decision hinges on where LeBron James signs. If James leaves the Cleveland Cavaliers and opts sign with either the Knicks or the Bulls, Bosh may also land there along with James. Suns’ president Steve Kerr also was fined $10K for comments he made in a radio interview.
Bosh, 26, is a UFA. He averaged 24 points per game last season and has averaged 20.2 points per game for his career.
– Grizzlies’ owner Michael Heisley was adamant that the team will re-sign RFA F Rudy Gay this summer. “Here’s the No. 1 thing: The option on what we pay him is mine. So when I say we’re going to have Rudy next year, that’s a pretty good indication that we’re going to have him.” He said he’s not interested in sign-and-trade deals, and the Nets’ interest in Gay might all come to naught if Heisley is true to his word.
– Suns’ F Amare Stoudemire doesn’t know if he would re-sign with the Suns this summer even if they offered him a maximum contract. “I’m not sure only because I want to win a championship. Cash is one thing, but winning is the ultimate goal.” It sounds like he’s conceding that the Suns, down 0-2 in the Western Conference finals, aren’t built for a championship. According to a source close to Amare, he also feels “disrespected” by the Suns after they dangled him in trades for the past two seasons.
– The Nuggets and F Carmelo Anthony have scheduled a meeting to discuss a possible three-year contract extension. Denver is understandably eager to lock up their franchise player, who would otherwise become a free agent after the 2010-11 season.
– The AP reports that the Mavericks are willing to explore a sign-and-trade to try and acquire Cavaliers’ F LeBron James since the team his very little cap room.
– Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban has been fined $100K for his comments about Cavaliers’ F LeBron James’ impending free agency.
– Mavericks’ F Dirk Nowitzki will opt out of his contract in hopes of signing a bigger deal this summer. Stay tuned.
– The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports that Avery Johnson is interested in the VP of basketball operations for the Hornets, in addition to filling the vacant head coaching position. He also will supposedly only join the team if minority owner Gary Chouest becomes the man with majority ownership and buys George Shinn’s 75% share of the team.
– The Wizards continue to search for options to rid themselves of G Gilbert Arenas, including a massive buyout. Stay tuned.
WWE
– WWE has released Carlito (Carlos Colon) as of today May 21, 2010. According to WWE, “Carlito’s termination was due to his first violation of the WWE Wellness Program and his subsequent refusal to attend a rehabilitation facility.” According to 4FWOnline, company sources indicate Carlito did not actually fail a drug test. Rather, management felt he was unfit to perform after arriving to the Air Canada Centre on Monday for the evening’s Raw taping. He was told he needed to go to rehab, but refused, resulting in his termination from the company. As the story goes, Carlito denied he had a problem, forcing WWE to pull the trigger on his release.
Carlito, who had been under contract to WWE since 2004, developed a reputation of being a talented performer whose lack of motivation prevented him from rising above mid-card status. For years, he was rumoured to have been on the verge of leaving the company due to frustration over the direction of his character. The Puerto Rican native was most recently used as a mentor to NXT Rookie Michael Tarver, who was ousted in the first round of eliminations. He had also teamed up once again with brother Primo, helping Ted DiBiase beat-down R-Truth on last week’s Raw.
– WWE champion John Cena commented on Twitter about WWE’s decision to release Carlito this week:
“I am sad to hear the wwe has decided to release Carlito. I always thought he could, and should have accomplished more than he did. I wish him the best.”
WWE Hall of Famer also commented on Carlito’s release in his latest blog at JRsBarBQ.com. Ross wrote:
“I was disappointed to hear of Carlito being released from WWE for apparent wellness issues. I don’t know all the details of this situation by any means but it seems apparent WWE felt that Carlito needed some help and Carlito didn’t agree. It’s back to the old adage that if one can’t solve a problem one has no choice but to eliminate it. I’m one that certainly believes that Carlito has the ability to be a main event level performer but no one’s professional life should ever be prioritized over their personal life and I sincerely hope that Carlito adjusts to these recent challenges and takes the necessary steps to put these negative issues behind him.”
– According to the PWTorch, within WWE, Drew McIntyre isn’t the most popular wrestler among certain circles. The Intercontinental Champion been described as “a head case” and some veteran wrestlers have made it known they don’t want to work with him until he improves his in-ring ability. Fans weren’t the only ones questioning whether the angle temporarily stripping him of the Intercontinental title was done as a result of a drug testing violation. Although he doesn’t have the reputation of being a party guy, there was still a lot of speculation within the organization that a legit suspension may have been the cause. Ultimately, though, it was revealed as nothing more than a storyline.
– WWE revealed yesterday guest hosts for three weeks of the longest running weekly episodic television show in history starting with the Memorial Day edition of Raw on May 31.
Actor Ashton Kutcher will guest-host Raw on Memorial Day when it emanates from Austin, Texas. The notorious Punk’d prankster is promoting his upcoming action-comedy film Killers, which is set for release the subsequent Friday. The June 7 Raw from Miami will be guest-hosted by the cast of The A-Team, which includes UFC fighter Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Bradley Cooper and Sharlto Copley. Jackson, one of UFC’s top fighters, battles Rashad Evans the week prior on PPV. When Raw drops by Charlotte in June 14, the show will be guest-hosted by Mark Feuerstein, who stars in USA’s hit medical drama Royal Pains.
Khloe Kardashian, the elder sister of Kim Kardashian, and Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak are expected to be guest hosts of future episodes of Monday Night Raw.
– A Chris Jericho DVD set is currently in the works and expected to be released this September. This would be the first DVD set produced in honor of Jericho.
NHL
– The city of Glendale and the NHL have come to an agreement to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix for at least the 2010-11 season. Glendale has agreed to cover all losses up to $25 million if the NHL still owns the team, but the league is looking for local ownership. This is great news for Phoenix fans and bad news for the fine folks in Winnipeg.
– Bruins’ G Tim Thomas (torn labrum in left hip) and D Andrew Ference (sports hernia) have undergone successful surgery. F Vladimir Sobotka (left shoulder) will undergo surgery on Tuesday. Thomas will need three-to-four months to recover, while Ference will need two.
TNA
– Scott Hall was arrested last week on charges of disorderly intoxication and resisting arrest, according to the Orlando Sentinel. The Seminole County Sheriff’s office was called at 1:43 a.m. on May 14 with a call saying there was a disturbance at the Hitching Post Bar in Chuluota, Florida, located about 20 minutes outside of Orlando. When a deputy arrived, he found a bartender insisting Hall leave the bar, but the wrestling star cursed at him and other patrons. According to the police report, Hall appeared intoxicated, was slurring his speech and his eyes were bloodshot.
When Hall was told he was being placed in custody for intoxication, he resisted and swore at the officer, but the deputy managed to place handcuffs on him. Due to Hall’s inordinate size, the officer utilized two sets of handcuffs in tandem, and placed him in a patrol car. The bartender told the deputy that Hall had been “drinking heavily” and “became aggressive inside the bar,” the report states. He pushed a customer and argued with the female bartender and called her names, the report says. Hall was told never to return to the bar. When Hall was booked, he claimed he was unemployed.
NFL
– The Minneapolis Star-Tribune agrees thatFavre’s actions since the end of last season, “have made it clear he has every intention of playing a 20th NFL season.” Favre’s Friday morning surgery was designed to create a better range of motion in his ankle. He’ll soon begin a running program with a goal of being ready “either at the beginning of camp or shortly thereafter.” The next step is to see how Favre’s rehab goes. He’s had surgery on the same ankle three times now, and is no sure bet to heal quickly going on age 41.
– Patriots’ WR Wes Welker (knee, shoulder) reiterated Saturday that he doesn’t have a timetable to resume practicing football. “It’s a long process but I feel like I’m making a lot of strides. It’s gone as good as expected so far. Hopefully we stay on that track.” Welker is currently hosting a football camp, and was seen Saturday jogging around in drills and running routes “at a light pace.” For the most part, the Boston media seems to believe Welker will begin 2010 on the PUP list.
– Free agent QB JaMarcus Russell will train in Arizona in an effort to get back into the NFL. According to Yahoo Sports, Russell “apparently” is back up to 300 pounds and plans to drop at least 25 before attempting to latch on with a new team. He does not intend to try the CFL or UFL. “His mechanics are even completely screwed up,” a source close to Russell said. “There’s stuff they go over in high school that he hasn’t worked on the past three years.”
MLB
– Astros’ RHP Roy Oswalt has backed off his request for a trade, but did say that he felt like a deal might be the in the best interest of everyone. It’s certainly in his best interest to move on and a good deal could help the Astros jump start their inevitable rebuilding process, which is to their benefit as well. Still, especially given Oswalt’s contract, a deal could be hard to come by.
– The Cardinals have placed RHP Brad Penny (upper back strain) on the 15-day DL. Penny could recover in 7-10 days. The Cardinals had worried the right-hander might be lost for an extended period after getting pulled before the fourth inning of Friday’s start in which he allowed seven runs on 13 hits in five innings, that something felt wrong.
– Mariners’ LHP Eric Bedard (shoulder) played catch without pain on Saturday and is set to throw a bullpen session on Sunday. Bedard had felt some discomfort after a simulated game recently, which was disconcerting, but he appears to be back on track now. If all goes well for Bedard, he could be headed to Arizona to begin building up endurance for his rehab starts in the minors.
– Mets’ RHP John Maine finally acknowledged Saturday that there is something “not right” with his right shoulder. Maine was upset Friday when the Mets put him on the disabled list, but it was obviously the right decision if he indeed has a shoulder injury. “There’s still something going on back there,” the right-hander said. “Who knows what it is? It’s something that has to be found. But if everything comes back good, I’ll deal with it and pitch like I have been.”
– The Denver Post reports that OF Willy Taveras has been called by the Astros this week for a workout. Houston reportedly offered Taveras a minor-league deal this past winter so the team appears to still be interested in bringing him aboard.
– Astros’ OF Michael Boure has been suspended for one game. The suspension stems from Bourn’s confrontation with first base umpire Alfonso Marquez in the Astros’ 2-1 loss to San Diego on May 8.
– The Phillies have placed SS Jimmy Rollins (right calf strain) on the 15-day DL.
– The Nationals have placed LHP Scott Olsen (shoulder) on the 15-day DL.
– The A’s have placed 3B Eric Chavez (neck spasms) on the 15-day DL retroactive to May 21.
– The Yankees have transferred DH Nick Johnson to the 60-day DL.
– The Giants have transferred 2B Emmanuel Burris to the 60-day DL.
– The Brewers have placed C Gregg Zaun (shoulder) on the 15-day DL and have transferred RHP David Riske to the 60-day DL.
– The Giants have placed RHP Brandon Medders (right knee) on the 15-day DL retroactive to May 20.
– The Mets have transferred RHP Kelvim Escobar to the 60-day DL.
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