MLB

– Padres’ CEO Jeff Moorad says that retaining 1B Adrian Gonzalez for the long haul “doesn’t appear to be practical from a financial standpoint.” The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Don Norcross writes that “only the most Polyanna of Padres fans think Gonzalez will be with the club beyond 2011.” A-Gone will be shopped this offseason, but the Pads might get more for him at the trade deadline after he’s proven that his surgically-repaired shoulder isn’t affecting him.

– According to the Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley, White Sox’ GM Kenny Williams will target disgruntled Cardinals’ OF Colby Rasmus this winter and might offer the Cardinals a package centered around OF Carlos Quentin. Cowley’s source says Cardinals scouts were “paying extra attention” to Quentin at the end of the season and also noted that Rasmus’ name had been brought up by the White Sox brass during the final weeks of the season. Rasmus’ relationship with manager Tony La Russa is frosty, at best. Unless the White Sox are offering additional significant parts in a deal, though, this deal would be a big win for the White Sox. Cards’ GM John Mozeliak has previously been quoted as saying “I can assure you, Colby’s not going to be traded.”

NBA

– The Spurs have signed G Tony Parker to a 4-year/$50M extension. Parker was rumored to want to play for the Knicks, but the Spurs appear to have been his first choice all along. “It’s great to have security, and not go through a whole season worried if I get hurt or if I play bad. Now I can just focus on the team and hopefully have a great season and win a lot of games.”

NFL

– The Chargers have signed RFA WR Vincent Jackson to a 1-year/$583K contract. Prorated over the final six games (Jackson will resume playing in Week 12), his salary will actually be $280,823 paid out in six game checks. GM A.J. Smith said, “I’m happy Vincent is here. I have no doubt he will go to work, work hard and quickly get into game-shape. Once he starts playing in games, I don’t think it will take him long for him to be a contributor.”

WWE

– William Regal has signed a 42-month contract renewal with WWE. Now 42, he would be under contract until 2014 (age 46), providing he isn’t released.

– According to the WO, WWE Studios’ Knucklehead drew virtually no business during its ‘limited engagement’ this past weekend. A chart listing the top grossing films, with the bottom movie making $75, did not rank the WWE produced film. Even further, numerous websites that feature histories of all theatrically released movies and how much business they did, including last weekend, don’t have it listed. The film was only scheduled for last weekend in select theaters – a total of six. It will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 9.

NHL

– Wild’ F Pierre-Marc Bouchard (concussion) has begun taking contact in practice with the team. Bouchard, who wants to participate in an AHL game soon, has shown some very positive signs. He has been out since March 2009 with a concussion. He should be sent to Houston in the AHL within the next few days.

TNA

– In an update on Daffney’s status with TNA Wrestling, she is being kept out of the ring due to post-concussion issues incurred during a dark match with Miss Betsy (aka Rosie Lottalove) in April. She was hospitalized following the bout and diagnosed with a deeply bruised sternum, a severe stinger, and a concussion. She last competed on June 14 for an Xplosion taping.

MLB

– According to CSN Philadelphia’s Jim Salisbury, Phillies’ GM Ruben Amaro Jr. made contact Friday with Scott Boras, OF Jayson Werth’s agent. It sounds like they didn’t get into too many details. “There’s really not much to say. Jayson is going to be out there as a free agent and we’ll see what happens.” Werth, 31, batted .296/.388/.532 with 27 home runs and 85 RBI in 554 at-bats this season and seems likely to depart Philly this winter. He should draw major bids from a variety of teams and the Phils can go with 23-year-old OF Domonic Brown, who may be as productive as Werth in a couple of years.

– Yankees’ manager Joe Girardi said the team knew early in the season about LHP C.C. Sabathia (right knee)’s injury and that it might have affects the left-hander’s mechanics. The injury apparently was never very serious, and Sabathia says he’ll be ready to begin throwing by December after having surgery Friday, but it still makes the southpaw’s stellar 2010 campaign all the more impressive.

– The Yankees officially announced a 3-year/$9M extension for manager Joe Girardi on Friday afternoon. He has some of the best job security in the majors because of the talent around him. He led the Yankees to their 27th World Series title in 2009, the ALCS this year, and he boasts a 287-199 record since taking over for Joe Torre in 2008. The Bombers will be stacked again heading into 2011.

UFC

– UFC President Dana White has been hyping a “major announcement” all week that some were speculating would have something to do with Brock Lesnar’s future and his confrontation with The Undertaker at last weekend’s PPV. While Dana White did touch on the Lesnar-Undertaker confrontation during his announcement, that wasn’t the big news. This coming January, UFC will be merging with its affiliate promotion, World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC).

As part of the merger, UFC will be adding two new divisions – featherweight (135 pounds) and bantamweight (145 pounds). It will also be adding the fighters from WEC’s lightweight division (155 pounds) to its own already-stacked roster. Jose Aldo will now be recognized as the UFC Featherweight Champion and make his first title defense of the newly branded championship at UFC 125 on January 1. The winner of the Dominick Cruz vs. Scott Jorgensen fight at WEC 53 will officially be recognized as the UFC Bantamweight Champion. The winner of Benson Henderson vs Anthony Pettis on December 16th will face the winner of Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard to unify the WEC and UFC lightweight titles.

NFL

– FOX Sports’ Adam Caplan reports that Rams’ WR Danario Alexander (left knee) will have his left knee scoped and is out at least “a few weeks.” He aggravated the injury in Friday’s practice, although Caplan reports that the operation is “not really related.” Still, it’ll be the 5th surgery on Alexander’s left knee of his football career. The timetable for return on “scopes” is usually 2-4 weeks, but Alexander’s history suggests he could be out for much longer.

NHL

– Wild’ F Antti Miettinen (concussion) is out indefinitely. He sustained the injury when he was hit in the head by the Kings’ F Dustin Brown on Monday. The Wild initially thought Miettinen was suffering from an inner ear infection, but he was experiencing vision problems on Thursday. Miettinen had two goals and six points in eight games.

– Avalanche’ G Craig Anderson’s agent, Justin Duberman, said his client’s knee injury is “nothing serious.” The Avalanche said Anderson is out indefinitely, but he won’t require surgery. “We hope that with treatments he will come back as soon as possible, but (we) do not know how long he will need,” Avalanche VP Jean Martineau said. Anderson was off to a rocky start this season, but he is the single biggest reason the Avs made the playoffs in 2009-10. He had a 38-25-7 record with a 2.63 GAA and .917 SV% in 71 starts last season.

– Sabres’ F Jason Pominville (concussion) will not play on Friday. Pominville has failed another neurological-psychological examination, which will prevent him from returning to the Sabres’ lineup. He has been practicing with the Sabres and reportedly isn’t experiencing any lingering effects from the concussion, but he needs to pass this examination before being cleared for contact. He’s also failed the test on Tuesday. The Sabres are in Atlanta, but Pominville has been sent back to Buffalo to be looked at by the team’s doctors.

– Wild’ F Martin Havlat’s agent is not happy with the way the team is using his client. Marty Walsh, Havlat’s agent, thinks the Wild are using Havlat as a secondary player, rather than a marquee player.

“When (GM) Chuck (Fletcher) reached out to Marty Havlat two summers ago after he led Chicago to the conference finals while leading the team in points in the regular season and playoffs, he shared a vision of building an up-tempo offensive team with Marty as a pillar to this strategy. That’s why he signed with the Wild. Since that time, Marty has been used in a purely secondary role. Look at this season, he’s played four straight games at about 14 minutes of ice time, he’s used on the second power-play unit, he sits for long stretches, he’s not used in the shootouts. At a certain point in time, one has to ask, ‘Why is he here?’ One has to ask, ‘Why pay this guy $30 million to not play?’”

Havlat and coach Todd Richards had a conversation on Tuesday with regards as to how he was being used. Both parties refused to comment, with Havlat saying the two had talked. “I know what my agent said, and I’m not going to comment on it at all,” Havlat said. Now, Havlat agent’s recent complaints about his client’s playing time may have created a rift between Havlat and Wild captain Mikko Koivu. According to Michael Russo of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune, “Koivu absolutely cursed him out for about 30 seconds on the bench during practice.” A number of other players reportedly aren’t happy with what Havlat’s agent said. However, Wild coach Todd Richards and Havlat had a good conversation on Thursday. It should be interesting to see how this unfolds. Stay tuned.

NBA

– The Rockets have signed F Erick Dampier to a 1-year/$2M deal. Damp will join Yao Ming, Brad Miller, and Chuck Hayes in a massive platoon.

WWE

– Former WWE & WCW star Bill Goldberg posted a few messages on Twitter this week and shared his thoughts on the Undertaker-Brock Lesnar confrontation, whether he’d fight either man, the chances of him working at WrestleMania 27 and called Edge’s spear “weak.” Regarding the Brock Lesnar – Undertaker confrontation at last weekend’s UFC event, Goldberg says it “looked weak.” He added, “it served it’s purpose” but was “ill timed.”

When asked by a Twitter follower if he’d wrestle Brock Lesnar again, he said he’d do it “in a second.” Lesnar and Goldberg had a memorable match at WrestleMania XX, which saw Goldberg get the pinfall victory on Lesnar. The match is probably best remembered for the very vocal Madison Square Garden crowd, which knew both men were leaving WWE after the match and practically booed them out of the building. After the match, both men were laid out with Stone Cold Stunners from guest referee Steve Austin.

Goldberg also said he’d wrestle The Undertaker “in a NY minute,” so he could be a possible opponent for the Dead Man next year. When asked if he would return at WrestleMania, he said “not really up to me right now.” WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross recently wrote the following about the possibility of Bill Goldberg appearing at WrestleMania 27 in April .. Ross seems to think that Goldberg would make a nice addition to the WrestleMania card as well as the WWE Hall of Fame:

“Yes I do think that Goldberg could be a nice edition to WM27 in Atlanta if all the stars were aligned correctly. Bill is still in good shape and certainly n adequate enough shape to go out and have a solid match with the right guy. (No, I don’t know who the right guy is but I do know that it isn’t the Undertaker.) I get asked Goldberg questions several times a week for the record. The second question is would Goldberg be a nice addition to the WWE Hall of Fame TV presentation in Atlanta? Absolutely and particularly if he were wrestling the next day.”

– THQ’s Bryan Williams discusses the release of WWE’s SmackDown vs. RAW 2011 on Monday Night Mayhem. The highlights:

The changes & improvements that THQ made from last year’s game SvR10 & why the HIAC Match was focused on the most: “Where do you start? We’ve added so much new content to 2011, which is a major feat, because SmackDown vs. RAW 2010 had a wealth of content as well. We added dynamic physics into the game for the first time and added it to all the objects in the game: tables, chairs, & all the objects that reside under the wrestling ring. It makes all the matches, like TLC or Chairs Match, or any match involving weapons that much more lifelike & representative of what you see on Pay-Per-View or weekly television. We also revamped the Hell in the Cell Match. Fans have been asking us for years to update that experience and for good reason. It was the match that needed the most attention. We enlarged the cell and made it more of the scope of the structure.”

Taking the Royal Rumble Match online for the first time ever: “We redid the Royal Rumble match in 2010, and this year we brought it online. You could have up to 12 human players in the match, and I gotta tell you, it’s fun as hell. Even if you get eliminated, you’ll still be able to control a Superstar coming in from the 30, so you never have that feeling like you’re just watching the match and waiting to play.”

The feedback THQ has received from SvR2011 thus far from the WWE superstars & which ones in particular will go as far to play the game as themselves: “Yes, they play as themselves. That’s why they get so upset when their attributes are on the lower side of things. There’s a couple of guys that I know for a fact play the game, Kofi Kingston plays the game a bit, Dolph Ziggler plays the game, Evan Bourne plays it. Those are the guys I know for a fact plays the game, and Kofi is pretty good at it.”

Which potential additions could be made as part of the DLC for SvR2011 + what’s being released later this fall + which one superstar he would love to see sooner vs. later into the game itself: “I can’t really say. There has been some talks about maybe doing another one, but a decision hasn’t been made one way or another. I think what we’re gonna do is take a wait & see approach and see how the first couple of packs do, and if there’s success, and we get a lot of people downloading the DLC’s, I think that will definitely help & urge us to do a fourth pack. I would like to do another so we could get Daniel Bryan in the game, but all these decisions are not mine to make. I could only voice my decisions and hope & pray.”

– According to a reliable source, there is some frustration in WWE that Vince McMahon’s top priority these days is the “Stand Up For WWE” campaign – and the television product is suffering as a result. WWE employees and superstars have been voluntarily “standing up for WWE” and recording video testimonials about how great the company is, but the overall feeling is that Vince’s time would be much better spent developing better storylines and feuds. People are optimistic that things will get better after Linda McMahon’s Senate campaign ends next week (Election Day is 11/2).

– Earlier this week, we reported that WWE Champion Randy Orton had taken a dig at former WWE star Matt Hardy on Twitter. Orton was asked if he planned to start a YouTube channel, to which he replied, Earlier in the week, a fan asked Orton if he was going to open a YouTube page. Orton took a shot at Hardy and replied, “And do what? Eat grapes?” This was a shot at Hardy, who was eating (and raving about) grapes in one of his recent YouTube videos. Hardy has already responded to Orton’s remark, who wrote the following (As Matthew):

“Make sure to check out the Matt Hardy brand youtube channel because their is going to be an entry on there, a can’t miss entry which is going to be about a current WWE champion, and actually one who might think about eating grapes for breakfast.”

– WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR said about:

King of the Ring Returning Next Month: “Good to see the return of the King of the Ring which will be the apparent focus of an upcoming, 3 hour Monday Night Raw. The concept will apparently start and end on one night which sets the premise for the night and then will deliver the pay off with the crowing of a King of the Ring. At least that is my uninformed impression. ”

Vickie and Shaul Guerrero: “I had a nice visit with Vickie Guerrero, who has lost over 30 pounds BTW, in Minneapolis Sunday about her daughter Shaul starting soon with WWE in Florida Championship Wrestling. Like any Mom, Vickie is anxious to see how this matter works out with her oldest daughter leaving El Paso and moving to Tampa. Who wouldn’t be? Vickie will find herself in the unique position of being the wife of a wrestler, the late, great Eddie Guerrero, an active performer and now the Mom of a potential WWE performer. Vickie is very supportive of her daughter’s dream to become involved in the ‘family business.’ I hope that Shaul will continue to take college courses on line which is extremely important for many reasons not the least of which is that the 20 year old beauty is an excellent student. Nothing is more powerful than education and I think that it would be tremendous some day if WWE strongly suggested that anyone seeking a career in a WWE ring have a college degree.”

Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker Buzz: “The buzz created by the seemingly impromptu ‘confrontation,’ and I use that term loosely, after the UFC event between the Undertaker and Lesnar seems to be subsiding. I do not know conclusively what actually occurred in those few seconds but one might ask, were the two, former business associates merely ‘fishing’ for a response? If so, the response from the WWE fan base, in particular, was significant. What then does that mean? I suspect that it means nothing as it relates to a future ‘dream bout’ between the WWE’s most prolific, active superstar, who has never lost at a Wrestlemania event, and the man formerly known in WWE as ‘The Next Big Thing.’” Could a one time, re-entry into the world of sports/entertainment be a lucrative move for Lesnar? Of course it could. Not only for the cash that he would earn for his Wrestlemania performance but also, potentially, for other ancillary income such as licensing, merchandise, and overall promotion of the Lesnar brand including Lesnar’s biography which comes out sometime in 2011.”

– It was reported last week by the PWT that MVP developed heat backstage for moaning about the company’s younger performers being promoted ahead of him. The WO is reporting this week that the SmackDown Superstar garnered heat for recent Twitter remarks complaining about his lack of a push with the organization.

– According to the WO, it was reported earlier that Chavo Guerrero is playing the role of Jack Swagger’s eagle mascot. Current creative plans call for the mascot’s identity to revealed on television.

– According to the WO, as reported here earlier this month, Hollywood actor Freddy Prinze Jr. has returned to WWE’s creative team. Prinze was at Sunday’s WWE Bragging Rights pay-per-view and will be working with talent backstage producing interviews.

– MVP recently announced on Twitter that he is working on new music and will be recording songs with none other than John Cena and R-Truth.

TNA

– TNA star Hulk Hogan is back with another video and is making some strong statements about the state of TNA Wrestling. Despite the fact that Hogan and Bischoff have had more than half a year to turn things around and bring real change to TNA, Hogan admits the company currently features”fake ass wrestlers” and “fake ass storylines.” Hogan now says things are “about to happen” in TNA and issues a “final warning.”

“We’re going to start shooting. This is about drawing money. And if you don’t draw money, then you don’t belong here. We’re going to blow the roof off this place. We’re going to do with TNA what should have been done all along – we’re going to make it interesting.”

– TNA Champion Jeff Hardy announced on Twitter this week that he and his girlfriend Beth are the proud parents of a healthy baby girl. This is most likely the reason why he missed the most recent iMPACT! tapings. Congratulations to the new parents!

- The Family Feud TV gameshow sent out an announcement this week announcing a special TNA edition of the show next week.

MMA

– Former WWE superstar Dave Bautista is currently training for his professional MMA debut some time in early 2011, but that doesn’t mean his days inside the ring are over. Japanese wrestling legend Antonio Inoki’s IGF promotion has announced that Batista will be wrestling on their December 3rd show in Japan. We’re looking into this story and hope to have more details shortly.

Q: Should The Miz cash in and lose his MITB at WM27?

A: The worst thing that could happen is for Miz to cash in on a vulnerable champ and lose looking stupid. I think if he announces it ahead of time, goes in and has a good, hard match that’s close and down to the wire, he can still lose and get over. I’ve said it all along, if WWE wants to turn John Cena heel, start the foundation of the feud now so that the program peaks at WM27.

Q: What are your thoughts on CM Punk’s colour commentary on Raw?

A: Punk has been awesome at the announce table. He’s still too young and too talented to push him out of the ring, but I think when he’s ready to take a break or needs time off to rehab an injury, the commentators’ desk is a perfect spot for him. I think Punk, JBL, William Regal and Big Show could all be standout commentators. I hate to say it, but Jerry Lawler needs to be replaced. He’s a 14A announcer, and his personality simply doesn’t work with what WWE is trying to do. I think this is a perfect time for WWE to transition Regal into a heel commentator’s role instead of Lawler, then have King work a backstage role.

Q: Is UFC’s merger with WEC good?

A: Absolutely. UFC President Dana White has been hyping a “major announcement” all week that some were speculating would have something to do with Brock Lesnar’s future and his confrontation with The Undertaker at last weekend’s PPV. While Dana White did touch on the Lesnar-Undertaker confrontation during his announcement, that wasn’t the big news. This coming January, UFC will be merging with its affiliate promotion, World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC).

As part of the merger, UFC will be adding two new divisions – featherweight (135 pounds) and bantamweight (145 pounds). It will also be adding the fighters from WEC’s lightweight division (155 pounds) to its own already-stacked roster. Jose Aldo will now be recognized as the UFC Featherweight Champion and make his first title defense of the newly branded championship at UFC 125 on January 1. The winner of the Dominick Cruz vs. Scott Jorgensen fight at WEC 53 will officially be recognized as the UFC Bantamweight Champion. The winner of Benson Henderson vs Anthony Pettis on December 16th will face the winner of Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard to unify the WEC and UFC lightweight titles.

Bottom line, a great move. UFC continues to grow and expand. StrikeForce probably won’t last much longer, so it’ll be interesting to see what Dana does with that.

Q: Thoughts on the NFL/NHL seasons?

A: I love how the Bills are 0-6. Hysterical. Sad to see the Cowboys and Vikings doing so poorly, but such is life. Speaking of the Vikings, Brett Favre…SMH. How are the Devils 2-7-1? Didn’t see that coming. Pittsburgh had a rough start, but they’re back atop the division. Being from Toronto, I naturally hate the Leafs, but I’m glad to see that since their 4-0 start, they’ve gone 1-3-1 and everything is slowly returning to normal. Nashville’s surprising a lot of teams, and look at the Central? Detroit is last with a few games at hand, and they’re still 7th in the West. Kinda surprised San Jose is off to such a bad start.

To be honest though, the NHL season doesn’t start for me until after the World Series trophy is awarded. All playoff sports take priority over everything – except for the NBA because it’s the worst of the big-4.

Q: Thoughts on SvR2011?

A: Picked up SvR11 the other day. Essentially the same game it’s been for years, but this one is far better than 2010. It’s still got a bunch of problems with their regular engine, but it’s worth the upgrade if you’re wondering whether or not to get it.

NBA

– Nuggets’ F Carmelo Anthony said Wednesday that he still doesn’t intend to sign the 3-year/$64M contract extension the Nuggets have offered him. Anthony has apparently made up his mind – one way or another, he’s leaving Denver. “They want to sit down and talk, but my thing is it’s way beyond this year. … For me, I feel it’s a time for change.” Anthony said. The Nuggets are trying to trade Melo instead of losing him for nothing after the season, but he reportedly will only sign an extension with the Bulls and Knicks. The Bulls don’t want to give up F Joakim Noah, and the Knicks don’t have the right pieces. So for now, Anthony is in a holding pattern in Denver.

– Heat’ F Chris Bosh told Toronto newspapers it was his desire for national exposure in the United States that helped fuel his move south.

“Really, it’s all about being on TV at the end of the day. Seriously. A guy can average 20 (points) and 10 (rebounds), and nobody really cares. If you don’t see it (on U.S. national TV), then it doesn’t really happen.”

“I didn’t want to go there (Toronto). It was different. All I knew was Vince Carter was there and I never saw him play on TV. It was a whole different country, and it was just different. I’m 19 years old, I didn’t know anything about culture and being away from home. All I know is the States. Toronto’s a great place, a fantastic city. It’s a metropolitan area, but you could tell you’re somewhere different. You could feel it, you could look at it, you can smell it. Everything. All your senses tell you you’re somewhere different.”

– Cavs’ owner Dan Gilbert, who harshly criticized Heat’ F LeBron James after the two-time MVP announced he was leaving as a free agent this summer, said Wednesday night before Cleveland’s season opener that he doesn’t regret calling LBJ out.

“I don’t regret it. That letter was to the fans and the supporters of the Cavaliers and it wasn’t to the player that left, it wasn’t to the rest of the world. It wasn’t to anybody but them. I wanted them to understand not only how I felt but how everyone felt in the entire organization.”

“There are some of the things everybody has to make their own personal judgment on. It’s a subjective judgment when you watch a game or watch a tape. You make those kinds of judgments. I’d rather not answer directly. I’d really rather not comment what my feelings are any more, but everybody has to make their own decisions on that.”

“You never know. Look, these things will play themselves out and we’ll see what happens. It was certainly something that put more emphasis on the future and put more pressure on everyone here to say, ‘Hey, let’s deliver as smart and efficiently as we possibly can.’ We’ll see what happens.”

“There’s a lot of nonsense that LeBron was asking for all these things and doing all these things and having all these privileges. It’s simply not true. None of that stuff happened, none of his friends flew on the plane. It’s simply not true.

“In respect to him, he didn’t ask for huge material things. There’s some people that had some tickets before we got here, which we honoured the five years we were here, but there really wasn’t that much stuff. People write about this in the big-picture sense, but you never hear what the details are because there aren’t any.”

– The Grizzlies have picked up the 4th-year options on G O.J. Mayo and F Darrell Arthur, as well as the 3rd-year option on F Hasheem Thabeet.

– The Hornets have exercised their option for 2011-12 on G Jerryd Bayless. Last season, he played in 74 games, starting 11, and averaged 8.5 points, 2.3 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 17.6 minutes.

NHL

– Bruins’ F Tyler Seguin will stay with the team for the remainder of the season. If the Bruins had decided to send Seguin back to the juniors before he played in his 10th NHL game, this wouldn’t count as the first season of his 3-year/entry-level contract. Seguin has been limited to just 13:10 MPG, but he still has two goals and four points in seven games.

– Blackhawks’ F Marian Hossa (arm/shoulder) is expected to miss “a couple of weeks.” Coach Joel Quenneville told reporters Thursday that Hossa would be out “likely up to a couple of weeks” with an unspecified injury that appears to be either an arm or shoulder ailment.  Hossa underwent surgery on his right shoulder prior to last season and missed the first 22 games of the year. Hossa left early in the second period of Wednesday’s game after what appeared to be a minor collision with Kings’ F Jarret Stoll.  He skated directly to the bench and later headed to the dressing room.

– Devils’ D Matt Corrente (left broken hand) is out indefinitely.

– There is no word yet on whether convicted sex offender Graham James will seek bail on the nine new charges he is facing. A lawyer for James appeared briefly in court this morning to have the case put over to Monday. James was not in court himself, and remains in custody in Winnipeg. The former junior hockey coach faces charges including sexual exploitation, sexual assault and gross indecency that date back as far as 1979. There are three complainants, including former NHL star F Theo Fleury, who says he is glad to see James taken off the streets. James, 58, pleaded guilty in 1997 to assaulting two teenage players, including former NHLer Sheldon Kennedy, and was sentenced to three and a half years in prison. He was quietly pardoned three years ago, a move which prompted the federal government to toughen Canada’s pardon system.

– Former Oilers’ owner Peter Pocklington was sentenced Wednesday to six months of home detention for making false statements in his Southern California bankruptcy case. U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips also ordered Pocklington, 68, to serve two years probation, pay $3,000 in fines and perform 100 hours of community service. Pocklington pleaded guilty to a single perjury count in May and could have received a maximum 10-year prison term. He was arrested last year at his Palm Desert home. Prosecutors said he concealed assets during bankruptcy proceedings in which he claimed to have about $3K and owed more than $19M, including nearly $13M in principal and interest from a loan the Alberta provincial government said it provided Pocklington’s meatpacking company in 1988.

NFL

– Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones confirmed Thursday that the Cowboys won-loss record could be in a factor in whether QB Tony Romo (broken left clavicle) returns late this season. Jones has stated earlier in the week that Romo would definitely play if his shoulder is ready, but he’s now backing off that stance. “I don’t know. We have to see what the circumstances are at that time. We have to see how well we are playing.”

– Vikings’ coach Brad Childress is leaning toward starting QB Tarvaris Jackson Sunday, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The sentiment in some circles all along has been that Childress is a bigger obstacle for Favre than the ankle injury. We’ll believe it when we see it, as it may be no more than gamesmanship to keep the Patriots guessing. Childress is taking it a “day at a time,” and Favre intends to try to get in some practice work on Friday. If Favre can’t do any on-field work before Sunday, it will increase the odds of Jackson starting.

– Saints’ RB Pierre Thomas (ankle) is now walking around in crutches, in addition to a walking boot Thomas says his ankle has “gotten a lot better,” and he’s only following his foot and ankle specialist’s orders to take pressure off. Although the swelling has gone down, Thomas is “upset” that he’s not making more tangible progress. “I really don’t know what’s the whole problem. Everybody keeps saying it’s a sprain or maybe a little tear there. I don’t know for sure if that’s true. I’m hearing so many different stories. I don’t know what to believe.” Don’t expect to see him in game action before Week 11.

– Nick Wright of 610 Sports KCSP in Kansas City reports that Chiefs’ WR Dexter McCluster (high ankle sprain) will miss multiple weeks. McCluster was listed as a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice, but beat writer Kent Babb noted that he was “just kind of standing around.” The rookie was on crutches with a walking boot earlier in the week.

MLB

– Peter Gammons of NESN and MLB.com told Boston-based WEEI.com on Thursday that the Red Sox are likely to go hard after OF Carl Crawford this winter. “There is no doubt in my mind that they are going to go really hard after Carl Crawford. That will be a matchup with the Angels, and you know there are some puffs of smoke coming out of New York that suggest the Yankees might go after him, even though their primary need is pitching.” Crawford, 29, hit .307/.356/.495 in 2010 with 19 homers, 90 RBI and 47 stolen bases. He will draw major bids from a variety of teams.

– According to Mark Feinsand and Bill Madden of the NY Daily News, the Yankees have come to terms with manager Joe Girardi on a 3-year/$9M contract extension. The deal also reportedly includes bonuses should the Yankees reach the ALCS and/or World Series. According to Feinsand and Madden, the two sides are putting the finishing touches on the deal, which could be announced as early as Thursday, though Friday could make more sense since it is an off-day of the World Series. Girardi, who led the Bombers to a World Series title last season, has a 287-199 record (.591) since replacing Joe Torre in 2008.

– RHP Pedro Martinez began training in the Dominican Republic for a possible return to pitching in this Caribbean nation’s winter league. Martinez, who did not pitch in the major leagues this year, said Thursday he wants to see how he feels before making a final decision on whether to join the Licey Tigers. The 39-year-old, three-time Cy Young winner went 5-1 with a 3.63 ERA during an abbreviated 2009 season with the Philadelphia Phillies. He lost in both his appearances against the New York Yankees in the World Series. In 18 Major League seasons, he built a record of 219-100 with a 2.93 ERA and 3,154 strikeouts. he has not announced his retirement. Martinez has not played winter ball in his home country since the 1995-1996 season.

– According to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com, rumoured conversations about a swap of OF Mike Stanton for White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen “never happened.” Stanton smashed 22 home runs in 100 games this past season as a 20-year-old outfielder for the Marlins and remains one of baseball’s most promising youngsters. Guillen is a fine manager, but no team would consider trading a major piece of its future for a new head coach. The Marlins are still on the hunt for a new skipper and are expected to speak with several candidates. Interim manager Edwin Rodriguez is in the running.

– Giants’ OF Jose Guillen is being investigated by the DEA and MLB for ordering shipments of HGH during the 2010 season. Guillen had boxes of PEDs sent to a Bay Area address that can be linked to his wife. He was also involved in PED investigations during the 2007 season, when it was discovered that he ordered over $19K of HGH from 2002-2005. All of this could lead to a 50-game suspension for the impending free agent.

– The Yankees declined 2011 options on 1B Lance Berkman, RHP Kerry Wood and 1B Nick Johnson on Wednesday. Berkman’s option was for $15M, Wood’s was for $11M and Johnson’s was for $5.5M. Berkman gets a $2M buyout because of Wednesday’s decision, and Johnson receives a $250K buyout. The team also exercised its option on pitching prospect RHP Andrew Brackman. He gets a salary of $400K in the minor leagues and $1M in the majors. Signed to a 4-year/$4.55M contract after being selected from North Carolina State with the 30th overall draft pick in 2007, Brackman receives a $1M bonus because the option was exercised. If it had been declined, his contract specified that the Yankees were required to release him.

Brackman’s career was slowed by elbow ligament replacement surgery in August 2007 and an appendectomy in June 2008. The six-foot-10 right-hander was brought up from the minors on Sept. 23 but the 24-year-old has yet to make his major league debut. He was a combined 10-11 with a 3.90 ERA last season between Class A Tampa and double-A Trenton. He struck out 126 and walked 39 in 140 2-3 innings.

– Twins’ C Joe Mauer (left knee) will not undergo surgery this winter. After consulting with a number of doctors, Mauer has opted for rest and rehabilitation to treat inflammation in the knee that hampered him over the final few weeks of the 2010 season. The 27-year-old former MVP wound up hitting .327 with nine homers and 75 runs batted in over 137 games.

– Phillies’ 3B Placido Polanco (left elbow) will undergo surgery Friday but is expected to be ready for spring training. Polanco will have bone fragments removed from his elbow, in addition to having his extensor tendon repaired. He is expected to need eight to 10 weeks of recovery. He hit .298 with six homers and 52 RBIs for the NL East champions.

– The Blue Jays have picked up the $1.2M option on C Jose Molina. The 35-year-old batted .246 with four doubles, a career-high six home runs and 12 RBIs in 57 games this year, but was used primarily for molding the younger pitching staff.

– Phillies’ LHP Jamie Moyer and 3B Greg Dobbs have elected to become free agents. Moyer suffered a season-ending elbow injury on July 20 in St. Louis and wound up the 2010 season with a 9-9 record and 4.84 earned run average in 19 starts. Dobbs struggled offensively throughout the 2010 season and ended up hitting just .196 with five home runs and 15 runs batted in. The 32-year-old left-hand swinger spent two stints in the minor leagues and was left off the Phillies NLCS roster in the postseason.

– The Phillies have declined their 2011 club option on LHP J.C. Romero. He spent parts of the last four seasons with the Phillies, including their 2008 World Series championship club. In 60 games for Philadelphia in 2010, the lefty went 1-0 with a 3.68 earned run average, though he walked one more batter (29) than he struck out (28) in 36 2/3 innings. In the 2010 postseason, Romero retired all three batters he faced. In 213 regular season games for the Phillies from 2007-10, Romero went 6-6 with a 2.60 ERA in 148 2/3 innings.

– The White Sox have picked up club options on all-star LHP Matt Thornton and C Ramon Castro, as well as having released RHP Carlos Torres. Thornton, who will have a base salary of $3M next season, went 5-4 with a 2.67 ERA with eight saves and 81 strikeouts in 61 relief appearances year ago, when he made his first AL all-star team. He limited left-handed hitters to a .175 average. Castro, who will get a base of $1.2M, batted .278 with eight homers and 21 RBIs in 37 games. He started 31 games, serving as the backup to A.J. Pierzynski, who is a free agent.

– Red Sox’ RHP Tim Wakefield received the 2010 Roberto Clemente Award on Thursday night, given annually to a major league player who gives back through community service and also excels on the field. Wake was presented the award by commissioner Bud Selig and Vera Clemente, Roberto’s widow, before Game 2 of the World Series at AT&T Park between the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants.

– The NY Post is reporting that Mets’ GM Sandy Alderson has reached out to former Blue Jays’ GM J.P. Ricciardi to offer him a job as a potential assistant in terms of player personnel. Alderson has previously worked with Ricciardi in Oakland when Alderson was general manager of the Athletics and Ricciardi was his assistant.  Ricciardi parlayed his experience with the A’s into the general manager’s job with the Blue Jays for eight seasons.

The report also suggests that former Jays’ manager John Gibbons is in the running for the Mets managerial position, vacated by Jerry Manuel at season’s end.  Manuel was told by the Mets that he would not be retained after a disappointing 79-83 season that saw New York finish fourth in the National League East.  The Post speculates that Gibbons is joined on the Mets shortlist for managers along with former Seattle Mariners’ manager Don Wakamatsu and Bob Melvin are on the Mets shortlist for managers. Both Ricciardi and Gibbons have connections to the Mets from their playing days.  Ricciardi was an infielder with the Mets minor league system in the early 1980s while Gibbons was drafted 24th overall by the Mets in 1980 and served as the team’s backup catcher in 1984 and 1986.

– The Mets are scheduled to introduce Sandy Alderson as the club’s new GM at a press conference Friday afternoon. The Mets searched high and low, but Alderson blew the team away in his interviews and carries a wildly impressive baseball resume. Fixing the Mets is a massive undertaking, but he’s plenty capable of getting the job done and bringing playoff baseaball to the new Citi Field.

– LHP Hisanori Takahashi’s new agent Arn Tellem confirmed to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com that he is in talks with the Mets to extend a negotiation deadline. When Takahashi signed a minor league contract in March, the Mets agreed to make the lefty a free agent if a new deal was not reached by October 31. Per MLB rules, the Mets would be unable to re-sign him until May 15, essentially shutting the door on a possible return. The fact that Tellem is trying to extend the deadline signifies that Takahashi may prefer to stay in New York.

NFL

– Vikings’ QB Brett Favre (ankle) said Wednesday that he will make every effort to play in Week 9 against the Patriots. “I’m willing to give it a try. I want to play, and I want to help this team win. I’m more committed today than I was before the injury. I’ve done it in the past, and I can do it again.” Favre sat out Wednesday’s practice and may sit Thursday as well, but at this point we’d bet heavily on him starting Sunday’s 4:15ET game in Foxboro.

– Vikings’ WR Sidney Rice (PUP, hip) was able to run at half-speed and catch passes on the side of Vikings practice Wednesday. He was working with Vikings WRs coach George Stewart. It’s the first “football activity” Rice has done since undergoing hip surgery in August. “Slowly but surely” is how beat writer Tom Pelissero described Rice’s progress. He’s still unlikely to play before Week 10 or so, but a late-season return is at least looking possible. Rice has yet to be activated from PUP.

– Raiders’ coach Tom Cable confirmed Wednesday that WR Louis Murphy is out “a couple of weeks” with a chest contusion near his lung. The injury is a bruised lung, as reported first by PFT on Tuesday. It can be a serious injury and Murphy hasn’t put anything substantial into the box score since Week 3.

NHL

– Avalanche’ G Craig Anderson (knee) is out indefinitely but will not require surgery. “It’s going to require some treatment and rehab, and we hope to have him back as soon as possible,” said coach Joe Sacco. Anderson was injured during the pre-game warm-up on Tuesday night in Vancouver. Peter Budaj is expected to handle the starting duties while he is out.

– Leafs’ F Colby Armstrong (finger) will undergo surgery and miss 4-6 weeks. He left Tuesday’s game against Florida early in the first period and did not return. Armstrong has one goal and 11 penalty minutes in eight games for the Maple Leafs this season.

MLB

– According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Yankees are closing in on a 3-year/$9-10M contract extension for manager Joe Girardi. He initially signed a 3-year, $7.5M contract to manage the club, so he’ll receive a slight raise with the new deal. He’s just one season removed from leading the Yankees to a World Championship, so he deserves to be up there with the highest paid managers in the game. Sherman reports that the contract could be finalized on Wednesday or Thursday.

– Major league sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com that the Tigers “are deeply interested” in soon to be free agent OF Carl Crawford. At 29, he will unquestionably be the most coveted position player in the free agent market this winter. He would make a huge difference for any team on both sides of the ball, but the Tigers will likely have to outbid the Angels and Red Sox, among others, for the outfielder’s services.

– Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com says that the Brewers are “definitely talking” to Bobby Valentine about the club’s managerial opening. A report by a Milwaukee radio station Wednesday said that a deal was nearly complete between the two sides. That report has since been shot down, but the Brewers are apparently still interested in Valentine, the ESPN analyst, and will consider him alongside several other candidates. Rosenthal suggests that Bobby V is asking for a 3-year/$10M deal.

WWE

– It’s been confirmed that the special 3-hour November 29 episode of RAW will feature the return of the King of the Ring tournament. The show will take place from Philadelphia, PA. This will be the first KOTR tournament since 2008, when William Regal was crowned king.

The King of the Ring tournament began back in 1998 and ran almost every year until 1993, when the event was turned into its own pay-per-view event. WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart was crowned King of the Ring in 1993 and the event ran on PPV until 2002. KOTR winners in that period included stars like Steve Austin, Triple H, Kurt Angle, Edge and Brock Lesnar. After the brand split, the show disappeared for 4 years, when it was revived on the SmackDown brand and won by Booker T, which kicked off his “King Booker” gimmick. There was no KOTR in 2007 and the following year, William Regal won the event. There was no KOTR last year. No word yet on whether the entire tournament will take place that night, but its likely.

In addition, themes for two other 3-hour episodes of the program have been announced. The Nov. 15 episode of Raw taking place in Hershey, Pennsylvania will feature an “Old School” theme with appearances by WWE Legends. Advertising for the show is as follows: “WWE throws it back Old School when Monday Night Raw takes place live from Hershey’s Giant Center! See your favorite Raw/SmackDown and WWE Legends Live in Hershey!” It has also been announced that the Dec. 13 Raw in New Orleans, Louisiana will feature the annual Slammy Awards show. Superstars from both Raw and SmackDown are scheduled to appear.

– The latest issue of WWE Magazine, which hits newsstands next Tuesday, features a candid interview with Randy Orton. The interview was formatted for the reigning WWE Champion to finish a variety of open-ended statements. Highlights from the interview are as follows:

The difference between a good match and a great match in WWE is always: How I leave the live audience and how they respond or react. At this past SummerSlam, Sheamus and I had what I consider to be a very good match—the crowd, however, was just kind of down. It was weird. If we contested that same match a month earlier or a week later, even in the same arena, the reaction might’ve been 10 times louder. Even though a match is technically good, if it’s the last one during a three-hour show…well, sometimes the crowd is spent.

The biggest improvement I have made in the ring since my debut is: That my confidence level has gone up. I’d have to say that that’s one of the most important attributes to have in this business. If you’re not confident in yourself and your abilities, as soon as you walk through the curtain, the fans can sense that right away.

The best part about Twitter is: It lets fans know who Randy Orton really is. There are a lot of fans out there who think I’m an arrogant jerk, or hard to talk to. It’s humanized me a little more, which may or may not be a good thing.

At WrestleMania XXVII I want to: Win. Hopefully I’ll still be the champion. I think I’d like to face John Cena. We started in OVW together 10 years ago and came up through the ranks. We have quite the history, of course. I think that the two of us going at it at ‘Mania would be epic. We have so many things in common and, at the same time, there’s so much contrast between us as well.

If I quit WWE tomorrow, on my last day I would: That’s impossible to answer, on the grounds that I’d never quit under any circumstances.

– Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Drew McIntyre revealed in an interview with WWE Magazine that his dream opponent is The Undertaker as he would put his cherished hair on the line for a chance to break his undefeated streak at WrestleMania.

“Undertaker and The Streak—a Hair vs. Streak Match. I would absolutely risk my hair for a chance to break ‘Taker’s record,” he replied in response to a question asking who he would put his hair on the line against and what type of match. “Even if I lost, I’d still have main-evented ‘Mania against ‘Taker. Either way it goes, I’m a winner. Maybe a bald winner, but it’d be worth it.”

– Former WWE Diva Serena recently took part in an interview with www.serena-deeb.com where she answered a variety questions concerning her time with World Wrestling Entertainment including why she went through with the angle to shave her head, working with CM Punk & Luke Gallows, whether she thought she would never make it to the main roster, her lone televised match, and much more. Regarding her future in professional wrestling, she commented:

“I still have many goals in wrestling that I haven’t fulfilled yet. Wrestling in Japan would be the biggest of those. The respect for wrestling over there is a precious thing and I would be honored to wrestle in front of those crowds. I also think it’s something that I want to prove to myself because not everyone can wrestle that style. The best times in my career so far were my times spent overseas, so I also would love to do more tours abroad. Mexico would be great because I am fluent in Spanish so I would be able to use that skill as well. I want to continue to focus on professional growth, as well as personal. I am still very young with a lot I haven’t seen in the world. We owe it to ourselves to become a better person with each day. The world hasn’t even seen how talented I am yet, but I promise that it will.”

When asked to comment on the story behind her head being shaved, she claimed to be unsure of the ‘whole story’, only noting that she was asked to do it and complied to fulfill her lifelong dream.

“I was approached with the idea of shaving my head and although it took some thinking (being a woman with long hair my whole life), when you are given an opportunity to live your lifelong dream, you will do almost anything. I have no idea if others were asked to do it or not.”

NBA

– Bulls’ F Carlos Boozer (fractured right hand) will get the hard cast and pins removed from his hand Tuesday. Boozer will wear a soft cast for four or five days and then begin rehabilitation. He says he has a return date in his head, but wouldn’t reveal it. Prior speculation had Boozer returning in late November/early December, with F Taj Gibson starting in his absence. Boozer a strong bet to average a double-double immediately upon his return.

– According to Michael Lee of the Washington Post, Wizards’ G Gilbert Arenas (strained right ankle tendon) will miss “at least” the first two games of the season. Lee reports that Arenas was in a walking boot at practice and is headed for a visit with a doctor. It may not quite be time to panic, but it’s troubling news for a player who has played a total of 47 games the past three seasons.

NFL

– After speaking with a top NFL team orthopedist, SI.com’s Peter King doesn’t believe Vikings’ QB Brett Favre (left ankle) will miss this week’s game. Take the doctor’s opinion with a grain of salt, as he hasn’t examined Favre, but he called the diagnosis of two ankle fractures “extremely misleading.” It’s essentially a “glorified ankle sprain,” and most NFL quarterbacks would play with the injury in a must-win playoff scenario. King believes Favre can play Sunday if he’s willing to play “medicated and/or with pain.” Favre is sure to push to play.

– Allison Torres, a “friend” of Jenn Sterger, told Steppin’ Out magazine that Sterger and Vikings’ QB Brett Favre regularly traded texts. “I just know they kept texting each other back and forth and that he wanted to hook up. I wouldn’t doubt she was enjoying the attention from him.” Torres also added that her and Sterger “laughed” when Favre texted the naked photo of himself. All of this would suggest that Sterger wasn’t sexually harassed, which means Favre wasn’t in violation of the Personal Conduct Policy and thus would not be suspended. Stay tuned.

– The Cowboys’ official estimation for QB Tony Romo (fractured left clavicle)’s return is 6-8 weeks. National NFL insiders are sticking with the Cowboys’ line of 6-8 weeks, but the Dallas Morning News and ESPN Dallas both have sources putting the timetable at closer to 8 weeks. Romo’s fracture is close to the shoulder joint, which means doctors can’t surgically implant a plate to help the healing process. Romo probably won’t play before Christmas night, and possibly not for the rest of the season.

– Ravens’ WR Derrick Mason (broken right pinky) revealed that he underwent surgery on Monday. Mason needed to have a pin inserted into the finger, but he fully expects to play in Week 9 coming out of the Ravens’ bye. His finger was listed on practice reports last week, so the injury may be an old one. Mason hasn’t missed a game in eight years.

– The Bengals have placed CB Pacman Jones (neck) on the IR, ending his season. The injury was originally deemed a “stinger,” but it turned out to be a more serious disc injury. Jones hasn’t been a factor on returns this season, though he had seen plenty of time as the nickelback. He’s signed through 2011 at a bargain, so he’ll be back with the Bengals as long as he stays out of trouble off the field.

– Cardinals’ QB Max Hall (concussion) has been cleared for practice after passing his neurological tests on Tuesday. Hall will have to avoid setbacks in practice this week, but he’s on course to start Sunday against the Bucs if he does so.

MLB

– According to Rangers’ LHP Cliff Lee’s agent, Kristen Lee’s poor experience at Yankee Stadium during the ALCS will have no affect on Lee’s free agency. His wife was apparently spit on by a group of Yankees fans and taunted throughout one of the ALCS games last week. Now, some are suspecting that the southpaw will shy away from New York because of that one incident. Lee’s agent said, “The story is not an issue to us. Her experience in New York is certainly a non-issue. She enjoys New York as much as anyone enjoys New York.” Lee is the biggest name in this winter’s free agent market and is expected to draw major bids from both the Yankees and Rangers, among other teams.

– Red Sox’ DH David Ortiz told the Boston Globe on Tuesday that he is confident he will remain with the team next season. The BoSox have until three days after the World Series to decide whether they will exercise his $12.5M option for next season. It’s probably a slight overpay to bring him back at that salary, but it would be better than ripping up this deal and re-negotiating a 2-year contract. Ortiz, who turns 35 in November, batted .270/.370/.529 with 32 homers and 102 RBI this past season. The two sides are expected to talk next week.

– According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, Yankees’ LHP C.C. Sabathia (torn right meniscus) will undergo surgery to repair a minor meniscus tear in his right knee. Sabathia was diagnosed with the injury Tuesday at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital and is expected to undergo the procedure in the next few days. Recovery time is around three weeks, so it shouldn’t have any impact on his ability to be ready for spring training. Sabathia went 21-7 with a 3.18 ERA during the regular season, but the knee injury could shed some slight on his struggles in the postseason.

– According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, the Mets are hiring Sandy Alderson as their new GM. Alderson is one of the most respected baseball executives in the game and brings a fresh perspective to an organization that has utilized internal candidates for entirely too long. The Mets could make an official announcement when the World Series has an off-day on Friday.

– Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com hears that Bobby Valentine is a finalist for the Brewers’ managerial vacancy. It’s not known whether the Brewers will be able to pay him enough in order to convince him to leave his cushy gig with ESPN, though. With the managerial vacancies around baseball beginning to close up, Bobby V may just decide to try again next winter. Rosenthal also names Bob Melvin and Joey Cora as finalists, while Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel believes that Angels bench coach Ron Roenicke may also be in the mix.

– Jim Riggleman will return as Nationals manager next season. The Nationals reserved the right to buy out the remainder of Riggleman’s deal. He led the Nats to a 69-93 record this season, which is the team’s best record since they won 73 games in 2007. Seriously.

– According to Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Marlins are leaning toward keeping Edwin Rodriguez as manager for at least one more year. Less than two weeks weeks ago, Rodriguez told Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald that he hadn’t heard anything from the Marlins’ front office in regards to his job. Gonzalez led the Marlins to a 46-46 record after taking over for Fredi Gonzalez in late-June, so he deserves consideration at the least.

– Baseball’s playoffs could be expanding in two years. The new head of the players’ union says his members are open to adding more wild-card teams for 2012 and possibly extending the division series to a best-of-7. Union head Michael Weiner says it’s also possible players would agree to cutting the regular season from 162 games, but that’s more problematic because it would cost teams revenue.

Eight of 30 baseball teams make the playoffs under the format that began in 1995, a year later than intended because of a strike that wiped out the postseason in ’94. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig appears to be increasingly in favor of proposing more playoff teams during collective bargaining with the union next year, which will determine the postseason format for 2012 and beyond. In the NFL, 12 of 32 teams make the playoffs. In the NBA and NHL, 16 of 30 teams advance to the postseason.

NHL

– Bruins’ F Marc Savard (concussion) spent some time shooting and passing on Tuesday. Coach Claude Julien said, “Steady, slow improvement, day by day. This is about taking care of Savvy the person before Savvy the player. We did that with Patrice (Bergeron) and it turned out really, really well because he’s healthy today.” Savard already rushed his recovery once, returning from the concussion to participate in the second round of the 2010 postseason. He’s been shutdown since training camp with post-concussion syndrome.

– Senators’ G Pascal Leclaire (groin) isn’t expected to return within the next week. Leclaire hasn’t played since October 14 because of the ailment. Coach Cory Clouston hasn’t ruled out the possibility of Leclaire still needing another couple weeks off.

– Predators’ D Ryan Suter (lower body) is expected to miss another week of action. Coach Barry Trotz was hoping to have Suter back on Thursday, but he is projected to miss the Predators’ next two games now.

– Stars’ D Stephane Robidas will be suspended for the Stars’ next game after earning his second game misconduct penalty for boarding in the last 41 games. He received a 5-minute major and a game misconduct for hitting Ducks’ F Matt Beleskey in the third period on Tuesday night. His other infraction occurred back on March 16 against San Jose last season, which earns him an automatic one-game ban. Robidas will miss Thursday’s game against the Kings.

NBA

– Bucks’ G Chris Douglas-Roberts (eye) will reportedly miss the first month of the season after undergoing surgery.

WWE

– WWE announced today that it is suing Connecticut’s Secretary of State after it ruled that any Connecticut voters who showed up to vote for Linda McMahon’s Senate campaign wearing WWE merchandise would be turned away. TMZ.com has picked up this story and released new details on the papers filed in federal court. Vince McMahon claims the ban will “threaten the constitutional rights and liberties of voters who have expressed a desire to wear WWE paraphernalia to their poling places.” Vince also says he “intends to wear WWE paraphernalia when he enters the polling place to cast his vote on November 2, 2010.” He argues that Linda McMahon is no longer a WWE employee and demands that a judge “immediately” reverse the ban on WWE merchandise at voting sites across Connecticut. In an update, though, the ban has now been lifted.

– WWE Diva Maryse was interviewed by the UK Sun last week and had some interesting things to say about her on-screen character, being a sexy Diva in today’s “PG” environment, whether she has a boyfriend and fans spitting at her. Here are some highlights of what Maryse said about:

Being a Sexy Diva in Today’s “PG” Environment: “We do wear revealing outfits but it’s not like wearing a g-string like in the past. I’d never wear that – I don’t think it would be very comfortable. Our outfits are sexy but not provocative to the point where people will say, ‘oh my God, my kids can’t watch this.’”

Her Personal Life – Does She Have A Boyfriend?: “I’m not married but I’m dating. I have a great boyfriend, he’s not a wrestler.”

The rigorous WWE travel schedule: “What we do is physical and very hard on the body. I travel 300 days a year which is tough. Sometimes we’re up at 4am for a flight. The show stays brilliant because all the stars compete to keep it interesting.”

Her on-screen character and fans spitting at her: “I would compare what I do to being a rock star, a movie star and professional wrestling star combined together. I don’t take anything seriously. But Maryse’s ring character is like, ‘you want to look like me, be like me, have everything I have but you can’t.’ I’d like to get my character to point where people really, truly want to fricking kill me.”

Fans Spitting On Her: “Fans know my hair is my thing – I flip my hair every time I get in the ring – and believe it or not some spit in my hair. They can’t touch to you so they spit on you. They get really into it.”

– The early PPV buyrate numbers are in for WWE’s Night of Champions 2010 pay-per-view and once again – the downward trend continues. According to early estimates, this year’s event drew 169,000 buys, down a sharp 36.7% from 267,000 last year. WWE will report the official number in its third quarter 2010 earnings report, which will be released on November 4. The preliminary buyrate expected to rise a bit before the final results are in, but it’s becoming more apparent by the month that WWE’s PPV business is in bad shape and big changes are needed. This year’s Night of Champions was $5 more expensive than last year and was headlined by Randy Orton winning the WWE title in a Six-Pack Challenge and the first match of the latest Undertaker & Kane feud.

– RAW Diva Melina is not very popular with WWE officials recently, according to F4W. No word yet on what caused the heat on her.

– Monday’s 10/25 episode of Raw drew a 3.1 cable rating, virtually even with last week. The show did hours of 3.06 and 3.08 with 4,641,000 viewers.

– WWE is planning on making changes to the format of “Tough Enough” before it hits the USA Network, although the nature of those changes is unknown at this time. WWE is talking with a few top production companies that specialize in reality television about running the show.

– Local advertising in Miami, Florida is hyping that Kane will defend the World Heavyweight title against Edge at Survivor Series on November 21.

So awesome. So. AWESOME! There’s something special about playoff baseball that just kicks so much ass. The intensity goes through the roof! It doesn’t matter which team is playing, the ante is always higher the later and later we get into Fall. Last round, I went 0-2, dropping me to 3-3 this season. Good, I’m glad. How unpredictable has this post-season been? Who knew the Rangers and Giants would be playing in the World Series as they send the Phillies and Yankees–the last two teams to win the Series, as well as the last two teams to participate in the last two seasons–home empty-handed? I sure as hell didn’t. I said from Day One, Phillies over Yankees in the WS. Glad I’m wrong. These playoffs have been incredible to watch. Fortunately, it’s the World Series. Unfortunately, playoff baseball is ending in 4-7 games.

Behold the schedule…in all its glory:

Game 1: TEX@SF – Oct 27 7:57pm
TEX: LHP Cliff Lee
SF: RHP Tim Lincecum

Game 2: TEX@SF – Oct 28 7:57pm
TEX: LHP C.J. Wilson
SF: RHP Matt Cain

Game 3: SF@TEX – Oct 30 6:57pm
SF: LHP Jonathan Sánchez
TEX: RHP Colby Lewis

Game 4: SF@TEX – Oct 31 8:20pm
SF: LHP Madison Bumgarner
TEX: RHP Tommy Hunter

Game 5: SF@TEX – Nov 1 7:57pm
SF: RHP Tim Lincecum
TEX: LHP Cliff Lee

Game 6: TEX@SF – Nov 3 7:57pm
TEX: LHP C.J. Wilson
SF: RHP Matt Cain

Game 7: TEX@SF – Nov 4 7:57pm
TEX: RHP Colby Lewis
SF: LHP Jonathan Sánchez

Game 1. Cliff Lee. Tim Lincecum. I’m not making this up. And if there is a god, we get to see this again in Game 5.

It’s going to be a *terrible* series for TV, but for baseball fans and enthusiasts, they’ve been salivating over it for days. Neither the Giants nor the Rangers were supposed to get this far, but both have proven they deserve it. The Giants are gunning for their first championship since 1954, while the Rangers are going for their first one ever. Both crowds are going to be bananas.

How’s this for karma? Coming into this season, the Giants have not won a World Series Championship in 52 seasons. The Rangers went 49 years without even a postseason series win, let alone a World Series appearance. These two teams account for two of the top four clubs with the longest World Series Championship droughts. Add them up, and what do you get? 101, the number of years the Cubs have been waiting. That damn goat!

We BeLEEve!

I’m going to throw some stats at you, just to show you how unfair this is. In eight postseason starts, Cliff Lee is 7-0 with a 1.26 ERA. Only Sandy Koufax and Christy Mathewson have a lower ERA among pitchers with at least five starts in the postseason. He’s the first pitcher ever with three straight postseason games of at least 10 strikeouts. He has five 10-strikeout games in his postseason career; one more and he’ll be the only one ever with six, passing legend Randy Johnson. Lee had 30 strikeouts in between walks, another postseason record. There have been eight postseason games in history in which a pitcher has struck out 10 and walked none; Lee has four of them.

This dude is dirty. He’s got a solid fastball, jams hitters inside, and has an outstanding curve and cutter. You know he’s throwing strikes, but you can’t do anything about it. Lee will be on more than full rest for Game 1 (as per all starts), but can he go on short rest if he has to, something he’s never done in the postseason?

Pitching

The Giants’ starting pitching is very good, but with one ‘Giant’ hazard (so to speak): Jonathan Sanchez: he lasted only two innings in Game 6. If he’s again caught up with the different release points of all his pitches, he’s going to be wild and will walk/hit a bunch. Such an issue is non-existent with the Rangers’ No. 3 starter, Colby Lewis, who dominated the Yankees twice in the ALCS.

Both teams had solid pens in the regular season, but the Giants get the edge in the postseason (the Rangers imploded against the Yankees, and the Giants relieved seven innings when Sanchez was pulled after two-plus). RHP Brian Wilson became the fourth pitcher to win or save four games in one postseason series. His postseason gameplan has been low, outside fastballs until he gets two strikes, followed by a breaking ball strike. He’s been lights-out. Both teams have great lefty relievers, but the Giants will need help from their righty setup men–they were good in the regular season, but were unsteady by the end of the NLCS, thus, Lincecum’s relief appearance in Game 6.

How did THEY get here?

Many people are asking how the Giants got here. Statistically, they don’t belong–they’re not a good defensive team. They aren’t patient at the dish, and they don’t steal. They’ve got good pop from No. 1-8 in the order, but is that it? They don’t get many hits, but the ones they do get are key, critical base knocks at exactly the right time. Proof? They’ve won six games by one run in this postseason, tying a record for the most one-run wins in a single postseason. But that’s exactly the way their team is built–the team is primarily composed of castoffs and misfits from other teams. As third-base coach Tim Flannery says, “they’re Street Fighters.”

Oh…well then, who invited THEM?

The Rangers’ offense has been the primary reason why they’ve gotten to the Fall Classic. In this postseason, they have hit 17 home runs and stolen 16 bases. They’ve homered in 11 consecutive postseason games, one short of the record set by the Astros in ’04 . They beat the Yankees four times by at least five runs, the second team ever to do that in a seven-game series. They’ve got a ton of pop, too–OFs Josh Hamilton hit four bombs in the LCS, and Nelson Cruz has five this postseason. The big thing that I’ve been stressing for years is finally being showcased–speed wins ballgames! Take Rangers’ SS Elvis Andrus for example. He runs constantly. Even if he doesn’t steal, his speed intimidates pitchers and throws them off their game, as they constantly have that stolen base threat staring right at them. Andrus even scored on an infield groundout while at second base. And it doesn’t end there: Cruz, Hamilton, Kinsler, Murphy, Francoeur and Young are all good-to-excellent runners, just to name a few. This team runs the bases exceptionally well, and they’ve even managed to turn C Benjie Molina into a (more) aggressive runner. And what does poor concentration lead to? Poor pitches. And what do poor pitches lead to? See Hamilton and Cruz, above.

Finally, the Rangers have scored 59 runs in 11 postseason games. They scored 36 runs against the Yankees in the ALCS. San Francisco has scored 24 runs this entire postseason.

Cody Ross 4 Prez

Fate, destiny. Whatever you want to call it, it’s thrown around a lot. But the Giants can certainly make a claim for being the team of destiny. It’s hard to explain, but sometimes when the bounces go your way, the bounces go your way. And when they don’t, they don’t–you can’t do much about either. The Giants have been lucky to get a lot of little benefits throughout the 2010 postseason. Case in point, Game 6 of the NLCS against the Phillies, where Andres Torres got a perfect bounce off the centre field wall to stop Jimmy Rollins from scoring. If you’re talking destiny, let’s look at Cody Ross’ story–he’s claimed on waivers because the Giants didn’t want him to go to the rival Padres, essentially a blocking claim. He drove in seven runs in 73 at-bats with an over-crowded Giants’ outfield. Then he hit four home runs, two in one game off Roy Halladay, and drove in eight runs, slugging .794 in the postseason with a .362 average against changeups. I defy you to explain this. Stories like Ross’ are so incredibly rare in every other sport–there’s no way the 11th man on an NBA team ends up as the best player in any playoff series–but in baseball, it happens constantly. But he’s been the reason why Giants have made it this far. Key hits at the right time. Oh yeah, Ross wanted to be a rodeo clown as a kid.

But, Cody Ross isn’t going to hit a home run every night. The unlikely NLCS star is great at breaking up no-hitters, but nobody else is getting on base in front of him. All four of Ross’ home runs have come with the bases empty.

Final Thoughts

The true winner: Benjie! The rotund backstop gets a World Series ring regardless of whether he wins or loses. Talk about having your ‘bases’ covered! He is about to become the first catcher in baseball history to appear in the Fall Classic against a team he played for earlier in the season. Molina, with the Giants since 2007, played 61 games for San Fran in 2010, was then dealt to Texas for RHP Chris Ray and a minor leaguer, then played 57 games for Texas during the regular season. He’s also been solid in the postseason, batting .333 with two homers and seven RBIs in nine games. He belted a three-run shot against the Yankees in Game 4 of the ALCS that helped propel them to the big dance. Ray, a reliever who pitched well for both teams, could also end up with a ring regardless who wins, although the Giants haven’t put him on their playoff rosters. Does Molina hold a wild card when it comes to knowing the Giants’ pitching tendencies?

The team of destiny is the Lone Star. I’ve doubted them from the beginning, and they continue to make me look stupid. This ends now. I keep looking for a reason to think the Giants are going to win, and I keep not finding one. This is going to be an outstanding series, an absolute thriller, but Texas comes out on top.

Pick: Rangers in 7

NHL
2007-08: 12-3 (80%)
2008-09: 10-5 (67%)
2009-10: 9-6 (60%)
Total: 31/45 = 69%

NBA
2007-08: 11-4 (73%)
2008-09: 9-6 (60%)
2009-10: 11-4 (73%)
Total: 20/30 = 67%

MLB
2008: 5-2 (71%)
2009: 4-3 (57%)
Total: 9/14 = 64%

NFL
2008-09: 9-2 (82%)
2009-10: 7-4 (64%)
Total: 16/22 = 73%

Brock Lesnar got *ruined*. I mean, he got destroyed. That was complete and utter domination.

For anyone who saw UFC 121, or UFC 116 against Shane Carwin, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge Brock Lesnar fan. I’ve loved him since his WWE days, and the fact that he’s kicking ass in the UFC is even more awesome. But his days as a truly feared competitor may be numbered.

Brock’s big thing coming into the UFC was that he was enormous. And he is. He’s incredibly strong and powerful and moves very well for someone his size. His problem is not physical. It’s mental.

Brock is the definition of a bully. He delivers beatings like none other, but as soon as the tables start to turn and the playing field begins to level, he’s a mere shell of his former self.

Watch the recording of UFC 121 versus Velasquez. Brock starts the fight gunning, sending knees everywhere. But as soon as Velasquez starts throwing punches and connecting, Brock cowers away. It seems as though everytime he’s hit, he doesn’t know what to do. He panics, runs, falls (or in this case, spins and rolls) away from his opponent. Essentially, Brock wants to be a UFC fighter, but he doesn’t want to get hit.

That sounds crazy, but his focus and concentration is immediately lost once he receives a big blow that connects. Now, in a sport such as MMA, you’re going to get your face reamed. It’s inevitable. It’s a sport where you fight, therefore, you will get hit.

Throughout his UFC career, I’ve called Brock a bully, but not because of his offensive strength. It’s because he’s never truly, legitimately been tested and fought back from being nearly finished. He’s never been down and nearly out, had to fight back, level the playing field and come out victorious. What Brock showed during his fight with Velasquez is the same critical flaw he showed during his fights with Mir and Carwin – once he’s hit, he almost seems to say, ‘Where am I? What happened?’ and for lack of a better word, panics and loses his game plan. He simply seems to unwind and lose everything once he receives a good shot.

It sounds stupid to say, ‘well, no one likes getting hit in the face.’ Of course not, especially with the strength these guys have. But I believe that being a true ultimate fighter is from within – it’s something that you either have or you don’t. Right now, Brock doesn’t have ‘it.’ Take Forrest Griffin for example. Forrest has said in many interviews that he *enjoys* being hit. In fact, he says he wants to be hit *first* because it gives him a wake-up call and sets something off inside that tells him it’s time to kick some ass. My point is this: in MMA, you can’t be afraid to get it. It’s like playing football but not wanting to be tackled – it’s going to happen, so you need to get used to it.

I hope for Brock’s sake that this is worked on for his next fight. He’ll have to beat some big-name heavyweights before being given a rematch for the title, especially considering how lopsided this beating was. I’m no professional in the field, but I think Brock needs to work on coming back from near-finishes where he’s pinned to the mat with nowhere to go. His camp needs to work on Brock getting his ass kicked, but still remaining focus on the task at hand and not trying to avoid getting hit in the face.

I do not think that this is the end of the road for Brock, but I do believe that he needs a change in psyche before he can become an elite heavyweight. He’s still fairly green, and he’ll make his mistakes (see: Mir kneebar submission, UFC 81), but that will change with experience…hopefully. Like I said, Brock’s biggest opponent is himself.

Finally, I thought I’d address these Lesnar/Undertaker rumours involving a potential main event match at WrestleMania 27. For those of you looking at me with a blank face, watch this:

“You wanna do it?”

Hell yes! Vince McMahon wants them to, but Dana White doesn’t.

“Brock Lesnar is still under contract with the UFC … he is not going to wrestle in the WWE. He cannot wrestle, box or fight anywhere else.”

The word right now is that Vince pitched the idea. He probably told The Undertaker to go to the show with his wife Michelle McCool and to go on-camera as a celebrity. Which, in itself is odd, since Undertaker rarely does public appearances or interviews because of his character. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, Vince has suggested an Undertaker/Lesnar rematch at WrestleMania 27.

I don’t think this will happen. Not just because Brock remains under UFC contract, but because he’s past wrestling and has moved on to MMA, he’s simply not going to take a giant step back. He’ll look like a total chump if he loses the Heavyweight Championship and then does a one-time deal with WWE for a big paycheck. Everyone already criticized him for coming in saying, ‘WWE is fake, this isn’t’. No matter what amount of money Vince were to offer Brock, it wouldn’t make a difference because Brock makes a killing in the UFC.

Whether or not this potential match is legit, I don’t think it happens. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see it, but it won’t happen. At least in my opinion it won’t. If you miss him that much in the WWE, you can always watch their Hell in a Cell match and subsequent feud to see what Brock was like with just a few years of wrestling experience under his belt.

The team was fortunate to come away with 85 wins last season, surprising just about everyone. They also surprised everyone by leading the league in homers. Fortunately, most of their core is locked up, such as LHP Ricky Romero, DH Adam Lind and 2B Aaron Hill. They also have a number of players under control who have yet to amass six seasons of big league experience, such as RHP Shaun Marcum, RHP Brandon Morrow, SS Yunel Escobar and RHP Jesse Litsch.

That said, this team is full of question marks. This can be broken down into three categories: the Bautista decision, the bullpen bind, their corner-infield predicament.

Bautista Bomb!

News flash: OF Jose Bautista has some pop. His 2010 breakout season was foretold by no one, but the 30-year-old’s future in Toronto is very much in the air. At the moment, it appears as though the Jays would like to work out a three- or four-year deal with the third baseman/right fielder stay in Toronto with a reasonable salary. Bautista, however, could take a 1-year deal or go through arbitration to see if he can get a bigger payday. Based on his numbers, Bautista would see somewhere around $6.5-7.5M from the arbitrator.

The potential contract offer will come down to whether both sides can agree on a number in both years and term that will land Bautista less than a 54-home run guy would normally be worth, but a lot more than a 17 home run-a-year player will make. If neither side is lenient, Bautista is as good as gone.

In all liklihood, Bautista will open the 2011 season with a Jays uniform. Where he plays is yet to be determined, as he’ll likely have to wait to see what GM Alex Anthopoulos does in the free agent market, if anything.

My question is this: is Bautista a fluke? There’s no question that he won’t come close to 54 homers again (my prediction is 25), but will there be a regression like there was for Hill and Lind? Both players still put up good homerun numbers, but that, as well as all their other stats, slipped significantly. Are Hill and Lind for real? Can they bounce back in 2011? Can we expect Bautista to have a similar slip statistically?

Infield Corners

Current 1B Lyle Overbay, 33, is a free agent coming off a disappointing season. Toronto is currently thin at first basemen, but all signs point to Lind, who played 11 games at first base, taking over the position. Luckily, their options are not limited, as the 2010 free agent pool is especially generous this year. Big names like Lance Berkman, Adam Dunn, Paul Konerko, Carlos Pena, Aubrey Huff, Adam LaRoche and Derrek Lee are all set to test the market. The Jays certainly won’t sign any of these players to a long-term deal, but some may accept a short-term deal to get see if they can bounce back statistically in the hopes of signing a bigger contract the following season.

Across the diamond, 3B Edwin Encarnacion sits at third base. The Jays hold arbitration rights over him, but the club could elect to walk away from the soon-to-be 28 year old, despite hitting 21 homers. Encarnacion is poor defensively, and it’s unclear if the club would be willing to pay him over $4M in arbitration, especially since they sent him down to Triple-A twice last season.

Letting Edwin walk, though, means that Bautista is stuck at third, whereas his value is higher in right field because of how strong his defensive play and throwing power/accuracy is. If they choose to keep Bautista, their best option is to try and groom a new third baseman, such as Brad Emaus. On the market, the free agent third basemen are headlined by Adrian Beltre, but aside from him and maybe Mark DeRosa, the pool is shallow.

The Bullpen Bind

Toronto’s three major relievers from last season – LHP Scott Downs, RHP Jason Frasor and RHP Kevin Gregg – all enter 2011 with doubt.

According to Cot’s contracts un-official Elias Rankings, both Downs and Frasor will be ‘Type-A’ free agents, meaning that teams that sign them would forfeit their first-round draft pick to Toronto, and the Jays would get a sandwich pick between the first- and second-round in the draft from MLB.  Gregg projects to be a ‘Type-B’ player, meaning that the Jays would only receive the sandwich pick.

Both Downs and Frasor will need to be offered arbitration for the compensation to be awarded, so it’s almost a guarantee that this will occur. Whether they accept it, however, is an issue on its own – they can either accept the one-year deal with the Jays or walk away and test the free agent waters.

Of the two, Downs is almost guaranteed to decline arbitration to become a free agent. His value is currently sky-high: a lefty reliever who can pitch equally well to lefty and righty bats, and also has the ability to save games is something that’s highly sought after. Few teams forfeit draft picks for a late-inning reliever, but many teams are currently just a solid bullpen arm away from becoming serious World Series contenders – namely, the Yankees and Red Sox. Downs will almost assuredly receive an offer from both clubs, as well as from about half the league as well.

Frasor, however, isn’t in the same boat. He’s coming off a below-average season and lost his job as the team’s closer early in the year. At the moment, his interest on the open market is unclear, and you can expect fewer teams to come calling if they’re forced to lose a draft pick to sign him. Because of this, Frasor is likely in Toronto for at least one more season.

Finally, we get to Gregg, in which the Jays have two options as to which route they can take – they can sign him for $4.5M for 2011 or lock him up for 2011 and 2012 which would cost the club $8.75M over the two seasons. Gregg saved 37 games last season, but isn’t the prototypical ‘closer’ that most teams look for. His ‘stuff’ isn’t great and is nowhere comparable with other closers who are in or around 30 saves. Until the Jays either sign or develop a closer in waiting, it’s hard to imagine the club at least not picking up one of the options.

Downs would be the best option in terms of getting key outs. That said, he’s too important to simply limit to ninth-inning duties. He needs to be available in the fifth, sixth or seventh when the Jays need a double-play ball or to get a lefty bat out with two on and two out. I’d like to see others get chances – guys like RHP Shawn Camp or RHP Casey Janssen could be given tries, and if all else fails, they can always go with a closer-by-committee.

WWYD?

I don’t claim to know everything about baseball, but these are just some ideas, but I’d really take a serious look at OF Carl Crawford and OF Jayson Werth. Both guys add power, speed and defensive ability to the lineup, a deadly combination. Take a look at teams like the Rangers, Rays, etc.. They’re all fast teams. Not all their players are fast, but they can, and know how to, run well. If you can put pressure on the pitcher and make him lose concentration by worrying about you, you’re halfway there. Adding Werth or Crawford means more steals, and allows the Jays to be more aggressive on the basepaths since they now have faster options. Neither player would come with a terribly high price tag either.

Speaking of price tags…

Mannywood North?

Oh God. Yes, Manny-to-Toronto rumours have started. Again. Manny told ESPNdeportes.com on Monday night that he’d be interested in playing for Farrell in Toronto.

“John has tremendous knowledge of the game, a very pleasant man and he trains ballplayers. Toronto has made a great acquisition. Farrell is a manager for whom I would like to play, and Toronto is a team I’ve liked since they had all those Dominican players in the ’80s…I still have a lot of baseball left in me. I think that I can still bat if I keep myself healthy, and it is less probable to have an injury playing as the designated hitter.”

Well, he’s not wrong. Personally, I can’t stand Manny. He’s slow, he’s dim-witted, he’s annoying, he hogs the spotlight and is a clubhouse cancer. I’d rather have Werth or Crawford over Manny any day of the week. But at the right price, Manny in Toronto (*only* as the DH) would be another great power bat to add to the lineup. He did hit .298, but the 38-year old slugger had a down season with just nine home runs and 42 RBI in 265 ABs because of knee and groin issues, which are now resolved after he underwent successful hernia surgery. He’s expected to resume baseball activities in mid-November.

It makes sense, though. If Lind plays first, Bautista third and Snider in the OF, the team needs a new DH. It doesn’t make sense for Toronto to use a DH-by-committee whenever someone needs some time off – if there’s a power bat available at a good cost, go for it. The Twins had this with Jim Thome this year, and he worked wonders when Justin Morneau was lost for the season. Manny still has a season or two of solid offensive numbers left, so maybe Toronto should use them. Since he’s coming off a down-year and recently had surgery, now might be the perfect time to offer him a one-year incentive-laden/performance-based deal to get him to step it up. Plus, he consistently *kills* the ball at the Rogers Centre.

Will Anthopoulos do it? Unlikely. He’s building the team wisely – a young foundation with added veterans where needed. The Jays have arguably the best young staff in the majors, so their starting-five is reasonably solid and young. They’ll need to add some bullpen help and a big stopper for late-innings. I think 2011 is a tad optimistic for the Jays to be seriously competing in the AL East, but 2012 is more reasonable to think they’ll make a splash.

These are the three biggest issues for Toronto. They still need to figure out what’s happening with All-Star C John Buck, as well as finding a fifth starter in the rotation (Marcum, Romero, Morrow and Cecil). This winter should be one to keep an eye on for Jays fans, as it could be the final steps before slugging it out with the Yankees and Red Sox in the AL East.

NFL

– Cowboys’ QB Tony Romo (fractured left clavicle) will miss 8-10 weeks, but will not require surgery. Some timetables have him returning closer to 8 weeks, meaning sometime around Christmas. The Cowboys will try to avoid placing Romo on IR, but if they’re out of contention, and it appears they will be at 1-5 and John Kitna as the new starting QB, there doesn’t seem much purpose to making him play the final two games.

– Eagles’ coach Andy Reid announced on his radio show Monday that WR DeSean Jackson (concussion) has passed his post-concussion test. Earlier in the day, Reid said the receiver had yet to pass the test but that he had a “pretty good chance” at returning after the team’s Week 8 bye. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff MacLane notes that the passed test doesn’t make Jackson a shoo-in to play, as Riley Cooper passed a test earlier this month but still subsequently missed two games with his concussion. All signs point to Jackson progressing ahead of schedule and starting against the Colts in Week 9.

– 49ers owner John York said he is committed to coach Mike Singletary through the duration of the season. York said that the reported “grumbling” from the owners after Week 7 was simply because they lost and it wasn’t directed at Singletary in particular. The preseason NFC West favourites are 1-6 this season, with the only win coming in ugly fashion against the Raiders in Week 6. Singletary is an unlikely bet to return for next season unless the Niners experience a turnaround.

– The Browns have waived RB James Davis. Davis was a healthy scratch in Week 7. The 2009 6th-round pick impressed during his rookie-year preseason, but has been injury prone and ineffective since. He managed just nine yards on four carries in his lone appearance as a ball carrier this season. Still, Davis might not pass through waivers with plenty of teams in need of young running back prospects. Keep an eye on the Packers.

WWE

– With all the buzz surrounding the Brock Lesnar/Undertaker confrontation at UFC 121 last weekend, its becoming more apparent that the chances of the two men actually wrestling in a WWE ring are virtually zero. The match would have been a blockbuster, but Lesnar is under UFC contract and UFC President Dana White says it ain’t happening.

There’s been a lot of discussion by WWE creative in recent months about who will wrestle the Dead Man at WrestleMania 27. Two names that have been rumored are John Cena and Sheamus. More recently, the front-runner is Nexus leader Wade Barrett. At Sunday’s Survivor Series PPV, Barrett’s Nexus group interfered in the Undertaker’s Buried Alive match, attacking him and costing him the victory. WWE is very behind Wade Barrett right now and are confident he’s on the verge of being solidified as a new heel main evener.

As reported earlier, Undertaker’s shoulder is injured and he is being evaluated this week to determine whether it will require surgery to repair. Surgery would keep him out of action for around 4 months and the feeling is that if surgery is needed – he should get it over with now so he can be back in time to kick off the Road to WrestleMania in a few months.

– Shaul Marie Guerrero, the 20 year old daughter of Vickie Guererro and the late Eddie Guererro, has reportedly signed a developmental deal with WWE. According to sources, Shaul Marie Guerrero has reportedly been telling fans at recent FCW live events that she’s signed to a deal and waiting to begin her training. Guerrero been seen at ringside at several WWE shows over the years, including the annual Hall of Fame ceremonies. Guerrero has since updated the “About Me” section of her MySpace page with a message that says she is moving from El Paso, Texas to Florida to pursue a professional wrestling career with WWE’s developmental territory, FCW.

– Randy Orton will defend the WWE Championship against Wade Barrett once again at WWE Survivor Series on November 21. Nexus member John Cena will serve as the special guest referee for the match. Barrett said that if he doesn’t win the WWE Title, Cena will be fired. If Cena makes sure Barrett wins, he will be relieved of all responsibilities he has with Nexus.

To update how long John Cena will be a part of Nexus, a commercial that aired during Monday’s Raw announced Randy Orton & Mark Henry are scheduled to face Sheamus & Wade Barrett in a tag team match at the Raw World Tour house show to be held in Biloxi, Mississippi on December 12. The ad stated John Cena would be in the corner of Sheamus and Barrett during the match. While these TV ads are always subject to change, it’s worth noting that WWE is advertising Cena as a member of Nexus as far off as December.

– Chris Jericho is now considered a former WWE Superstar as his profile on WWE.com has been moved to the Alumni section. Jericho, who has been touring Europe with his band Fozzy since his departure from the organization, will be taking parting in a WWE function this Saturday at Ringside Collectibles’ Ringsidefest this Saturday at Caroline’s on Broadway in New York City. He will be signing autographs and taking part in a Q&A session. Kane and The Miz are also scheduled to appear.

– Wade Barrett announced on RAW that Husky Harris and Michael McGillicutty are officially Nexus members.

– According to a fan seated behind the stage for the Buried Alive Match at Bragging Rights, a stairwell was built into the the faux cemetery at the convenience of Paul Bearer, who’s mobility is greatly limited these days due to his advanced age and large frame. The fan noted Bearer’s strenuous climb up the stairs — to hide behind a tombstone — as “beyond unintentionally hilarious.”

– There is talk of holding next year’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view at Madison Square Garden. SummerSlam has taken place from the Staples Center in Los Angeles the past two years and it had been reported that Los Angeles was going to be a regular host-city for SummerSlam, but nothing is confirmed at this time.

MLB

– Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Yankees are expected to give manager Joe Girardi a 3-year contract extension worth roughly $3M. Heyman adds that talks “shouldn’t take long.”. The Yankees won their 27th World Series title under Girardi in 2009 and went all the way to the ALCS in 2010.

– Braves’ 1B Freddie Freeman (sprained left thumb) has been shut down from the Arizona Fall League after being examined by team hand specialist Dr. Gary Lourie on Monday. He’s expected to spend the next two weeks in a splint before returning to Atlanta for further evaluation. There’s a chance he could be cleared to begin taking dry swings in about three weeks, so it doesn’t sound like anything serious. The 21-year-old is expected to be the Braves’ Opening Day first baseman in 2011.

– The Cardinals have re-signed hitting coach Mark McGwire to a 1-year contract.

– The Rockies will not sign LHP Jorge De La Rosa to a contract extension before he hits the free agent market. The Rox tried to work something out after the end of the regular season, but he has decided that he would rather field multiple offers and then make his decision. With a solid 1.32 WHIP and 113/55 K/BB ratio over 121 2/3 innings in 2010, he’ll be sure to have some calls. GM Dan O’Dowd said Monday that his club remains interested and very much in the running. Stay tuned.

– Marlins’ president David Samson said Tuesday that the club will announce its new manager soon after the World Series. The Fish are still in the early stages of discussions with most of their candidates and might still be tracking down options for the vacant position. Former D’Backs’ third base coach Bo Porter is believed to be the front-runner at this point, but the Marlins have also made contact with Yankees’ bench coach Tony Pena, former Padres’ bench coach Ted Simmons and longtime major league manager Jim Fregosi.

NHL

– Leafs’ GM Brian Burke says he has received what he calls two “solid” trade offers since the weekend. Speaking on Toronto’s AM 640 radio on Monday, Burke did not elaborate on the particulars of the deals. He did indicate that a move may not be imminent, and explained that the trade market is picking up some steam. The Leafs remain under the cap and are capable of taking on salary.

“It’s unlikely that someone is going to make the deal that we want after six or seven games. Nobody is desperate, and nobody has had a poor enough start that they absolutely have to move a key guy. You’re not going to get into a real deal probably for a bit yet. But we’re ready and we’re flexible when it does come through.”

“We have cap space and budget space, and I would say we hadn’t even gotten a sniff until the last two days, and now it’s finally starting to heat up. We’re encouraged that we’re finally starting to get something on the line. Everyone knew we had space and budget room, and nothing was happening. Now I’m a little more encouraged.”

“With each passing day, our cap space goes up. We’re in a good position to add a player that can make a difference. We’re not in a position where we have unlimited funds to spend. We do have some room, but we’re going to wait and make the deal that we think is best.”

– The Kings have placed D Drew Doughty (concussion) on the IR. He’s expected to return Saturday but has yet to be cleared to play.

– Bruins’ F Marco Sturm (knee) was on the ice for about 30 minutes Tuesday morning. “It was good, better than I expected. I’m just going to start rolling now. I’ll try to skate almost every day and then we’ll see what happens in the next 2-3 weeks.” That’s good news, but Sturm isn’t sure if he’ll return by late November, as was initially hoped.

– The AHL’s Hershey Bears’ D Sheldon Souray (broken hand) will miss the next two weeks. He suffered the injury Saturday in a game against Adirondack when he fought Matt Clarkson. The 34-year-old defenseman was assigned by the Oilers to their own AHL club in Oklahoma City, and was then loaned to the Bears before the start of the NHL season. Although Hershey is the top affiliate of the Washington Capitals, Souray has no official connection with the Capitals.

– Ducks’ F Dan Sexton (broken nose) will have surgery Thursday and will miss two weeks. Sexton suffered the injury when a shot off the stick of Detroit’s Ruslan Salei hit him in the face on October 23. Anaheim lost the game, 5-4. The second-year forward has nine goals and 10 assists in 48 career games for Anaheim.

NBA

– The Bucks have exercised the 3rd-year option on G Brandon Jennings worth $2.5M. He started all 82 games for the Bucks last year and finished third among rookies with 15.5 points, 5.7 assists and 1.3 steals. After beginning his NBA career with a four-year stint in San Antonio The 35- year-old Argentine played with the Washington Wizards last season, averaging 1.5 points and 1.8 rebounds over 57 games.

– The Knicks have cut G Patrick Ewing Jr.. It’s the second time in three years they made the Hall of Famer’s son their final roster cut. He averaged just 1.8 points and 6.0 minutes in four exhibition games

– The Blazers have signed F Fabricio Oberto.

– Wolves’ F Martell Webster (back) will miss 4-6 weeks after undergoing successful surgery.

– The Heat have released F Da’Sean Butler and G Patrick Beverly.

VoV

Marc Valeri – captaincharisma@hotmail.com
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