NBA
– The Raptors have reportedly traded G Jose Calderon and “at least one other player” to the Bobcats for F Tyson Chandler and F Boris Diaw. The Raptors will not have to use their $14.5M trade exception acquired last week from the Miami Heat in the sign-and-trade deal for Bosh. They also remain on the verge of trading F Hedo Turkoglu to the Suns for G Leandro Barbosa and F Dwayne Jones.
– Hornets’ G Chris Paul attended Carmelo Anthony’s wedding in New York City on Saturday, and during a speech he allegedly said “We’ll form our own Big 3? — referring to himself, Carmelo and F Amare Stoudemire all being Knicks. This is coming via the NY Post from “a person who spoke with wedding attendee Amare Stoudemire,” so take it with a grain of salt. The Knicks are eyeing Paul and Spurs’ G Tony Parker as possible point guards of the future, and they continue to pile up assets and cap space for future years.
– The Pacers and the city of Indianapolis have reportedly reached an agreement that will keep the team in Conseco Fieldhouse for at least three more seasons. According to the Indianapolis Star, the city will contribute $10M annually over the next three years in costs to help the Pacers run the operations of Conseco Fieldhouse and will pay at least $3.5M for improvements to the building. The Pacers, in turn, must remain in the city through the 2012-13 season or repay the entire $30 million. The contract with the city and the arena expires in 2019. If the team leaves after the initial three-year period and before 2019, it would also be responsible for paying back the city a portion of the $30M, plus the estimated $20M in termination fees called for in the contract. The Star said Pacers’ owner Sam Simon wants a long-term agreement with the city, despite the fact that the team loses an estimated $30M per year. Indiana was just 32-50 last season and missed the playoffs for a fourth straight year.
MLB
– Bob Sheppard, whose stylish, elegant stadium introductions of Yankees spanned more than a half century and earned him the nickname “The Voice of God,” died Sunday. He was 99. Sheppard, a gentle man who spoke with the sonorous authority of a giant, died at his Long Island home in Baldwin with his wife, Mary, at his side, the Yankees said.
– MLB has announced three additions to the American League All-Star roster in Tigers’ RHP Justin Verlander, Angels’ RHP Jered Weaver and A’s RHP Andrew Bailey. The trio of pitchers were named in light of MLB’s new rule that recognizes any All-Star pitchers who start games on the final day before the break ineligible to participate in the Mid-Summer classic. The Yankees’ LHP C.C. Sabathia and A’s RHP Trevor Cahill both started games Sunday, making them ineligible. It opened two spots for Verlander and Bailey, as Weaver also took the mound for Los Angeles Sunday ruling him out of participating.
– The Astros have named former 1B Jeff Bagwell their new hitting coach, moving Sean Berry to another position within the organization. Bagwell had been serving as a special assistant to the general manager since his retirement in 2006. He will begin his new duties after the All-Star break. Bagwell played for the Astros from 1991-2005 and set franchise records with 449 home runs and 1,529 runs batted in. A 4-time All-Star, he was named the NL Rookie of the Year in 1991 and was the league’s MVP in 1994. In 2,150 games, Bagwell hit .297 with 488 doubles, 32 triples, 202 stolen bases and 1,517 runs scored. He also had 2,314 career hits, 969 of which went for extra bases.
NHL
– The Oilers have signed F Ben Ondrus to a 1-year/2-way contract. The 6’0, 187-pound right winger spent the last four seasons shuttling between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.
– Country music star Carrie Underwood and Senators’ F Mike Fisher were married at a luxury resort in Georgia late Saturday afternoon, according to a People magazine report. Underwood, 27, and Fisher, 30, tied the knot before 250 friends and family in a ceremony featuring classical music and the couple’s favourite Bible readings, the magazine reported on its website. “We could not feel more blessed to have found each other and to have shared this day with our friends and family that mean so much to us,” the couple told People magazine in a statement, signing their names “Mike & Carrie Fisher.” Fisher has said on his website that his bride would legally change her last name, but would still be known professionally as Carrie Underwood. The couple were engaged on December 20 after dating for about a year.
VoV
Marc Valeri – captaincharisma@hotmail.com
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