NBA
– Nuggets’ F Carmelo Anthony is expected to inform the Nets on Monday whether or not he would accept a trade to New Jersey and sign an extension. This will put an end to any speculation that there’s been a deal in place pending Anthony’s acceptance of a Nets’ extension. In all likelihood, he’ll say no to the Nets and get dealt to the Knicks. New Jersey is reportedly still optimistic after meeting with him on Sunday, though Mikhail Prokhorov seemed less hopeful when he said “I think we made a very good tactical decision to force (the) Knicks to pay as much as they can.” Stay tuned.
– Hornets’ G Jarrett Jack was arrested for DUI in the early morning hours of Sunday in Atlanta. There’s a chance he’ll beat the charges, as he blew a 0.79 90 minutes after being arrested after failing a field sobriety test. The police department’s Intoxilyzer was not working, meaning Jack couldn’t be tested until long after the arrest. Either way, he will possibly be suspended by the team or the league.
NHL
– According to the Denver Post, there’s a rumoured deal between the Avalanche and Kings that would see F Paul Stastny, F T.J. Galiardi and another player and/or draft pick going to L.A. for D Jack Johnson, G Jonathan Bernier and F Jarrett Stoll. Stastny has $6.6M annually remaining on the next four years of his deal. Don’t read too far into this, since this deal is very unlikely.
– According to TSN, the Penguins and Stars are discussing a deal that would see D Alex Goligoski getting traded for F James Neal.
– Wild’ F Mikko Koivu (broken left index finger) will miss at least 3 weeks. Koivu has already had an X-ray, but he’s scheduled to meet with a hand specialist on Monday. According to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune’s unnamed sources, Koivu could need surgery. He should return before the end of the season, though, even if he does have surgery. Koviu was unable to grip a stick on Sunday.
WWE
– Two matches have officially been set for WrestleMania 27:
WWE Championship Match
The Miz (c) vs. John CenaWorld Heavyweight Championship Match
Edge (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio
– At Sunday’s Elimination Chamber PPV, Trish Stratus made a surprise return to WWE, where it was announced she’ll be joining Booker T as one of the trainers on the new season of Tough Enough. Later in the show, Trish came to the aid of Kelly Kelly, who was getting beat down by LayCool. With Trish back in the mix and aligning herself with Kelly Kelly, there is talk that Trish and Kelly will team up to wrestle LayCool at WrestleMania 27.
– Christian (torn pectoral muscle), who returned to WWE at Elimination Chamber, wrote the following on Twitter after the pay-per-view:
“So Oakland was fun!!… I was in the area so I decided 2 stop in & say hello.”
Despite his return, Christian still has a more months of physical rehab.
– At Sunday’s Elimination Chamber PPV, WWE champion The Miz successfully defended the WWE Championship against Jerry Lawler. According to a WWE source, there was actually talk in creative meetings of Jerry Lawler winning the title from the Miz and then dropping it back to him on RAW tonight.
The main reason WWE decided against putting the title on Lawler for one day is because the company feels The Miz is still being established as a formidable champion and losing the title already would be damaging to his momentum. WWE has a track record of giving young superstars the WWE title or the World Heavyweight title for a short run (Randy Orton, Sheamus, CM Punk) and apparently they’ve realized a short title run can be damaging to their characters.
– Updating a previous report from radio host Eddie Trunk, a long time friend of former WWE superstar Chris Jericho, was teasing that Jericho’s next career move would be “shocking” and an announcement would be made soon. According to sources, Chris Jericho is being strongly considered to be a part of the next season of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars show. The cast of Season 12 will officially be announced February 28, with the first shows airing in March. If this report is accurate and Jericho does dance with the stars, he would likely be unable to return to WWE until the summer at the earliest.
– At Sunday’s Elimination Chamber PPV, former WWE diva Trish Stratus made a surprise appearance and was announced as one of the trainers for the upcoming season of Tough Enough. Later in the show, Stratus came to the aid of the Kelly Kelly, chasing off Michelle McCool and Layla. The multi-time Women’s champion commented on her return on Twitter:
“Wow good to be back in front of a live ppv crowd & the @wweuniverse! What did u think of my new catchphase?”
“Note to self: always pack wrestling boots when u go to a WWE event-cause u just never know.”
Jim Ross and Joey Styles commented on Trish’s return on Twitter.
Ross wrote, “JRsBBQ: Great Chamber Match! Lots of hard work by all. Congrats to Edge. Nice to see Trish back..or her front. Sorry had 2 go there. Good luck King!”
Joey Styles said, “Trish Stratus will be doing an exclusive photo shoot for WWE.com with an exclusive interview that will be online this week. Stratusfaction!”
The term “Trish Stratus” was a worldwide trending topic on Twitter during and after the pay-per-view.
MLB
– Phillies’ LHP Cliff Lee (strained side) insisted Monday in Phillies camp that he back to “100%.” Lee suffered a mild strain of his left latissimus dorsi while throwing on the side at home earlier this winter. It’s all better now and he should be able to catch up with the rest of the pitchers in Phillies camp. I didn’t throw for a few days. I built back up and here I am. I’m perfectly fine and right with everyone else. It’s not really a major issue.”
– Rangers’ RHP Brandon Webb (shoulder) threw long toss on Monday morning in Rangers camp. The club decided this weekend to keep Webb off a mound until his surgically-repaired right shoulder gains more strength. “It’s just precautionary to make sure I’m not going to hurt myself. I don’t think I’ll be set back too far. I threw 50 or 60 pitches off a mound before I got here and felt fine.” He is still probably questionable for Opening Day.
– Orioles’ RHP Alfredo Simon is expected to be cleared of his involuntary manslaughter charge in the next 7-10 days. Simon is still being held in his native Dominican Republic as a possible suspect in the New Year’s Eve shooting death of Michel Esteban Castillo. But a ballistics test earlier this month showed that the fatal bullet did not come from Simon’s gun and another piece of evidence is supposed to bust the case wide open this week. The Orioles have yet to comment publicly on the whole ordeal. Simon was placed on the restricted list late last week.
NFL
– Free agent SS Bob Sanders is visiting the Jaguars Monday. Sanders is free to sign with any team until the day before the March 4 lockout. Despite being a huge injury risk, the former Defensive Player of the Year would fit well in Jacksonville. They ranked 28th against the pass last season.
– Patriots’ TE Aaron Hernandez (hip) revealed Sunday that he recently underwent surgery. Hernandez was on crutches at a skills camp, but he added no other details. He began showing up on the Pats’ injury report with a right hip problem in mid-December, and the ailment dogged him until the season-ending loss to the Jets a month later. His playing time had already been cut back before Thanksgiving, so the injury didn’t play a role in his reduced snap count.
– Free agent FS O.J. Atogwe is scheduled to visit with the Redskins on Monday. Atogwe’s agent has been talking to “a few teams.” The Bills are reported to have interest, and Atogwe isn’t ruling out a return to St. Louis. Redskins’ DC Jim Haslett coached Atogwe from 2006-2008, so the two know each other well. Daniel Snyder’s team was also the first to meet with Shaun Rogers last week.
– The Browns say that RB Montario Hardesty (knee surgery) is close to 100%. If there are minicamps and OTAs this offseason, Hardesty is expected to take part in all drills.