NFL
– ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that “at least” three NFL teams are considering a trade for Eagles’ QB Kevin Kolb. The 49ers, Cardinals, Titans and Redskins are among the most likely suitors for Kolb, and Schefter confirms that “every NFC West team except St. Louis” should be in the mix. If a CBA is signed before the draft, the Eagles will have more than enough suitors to drive up Kolb’s price tag and will probably be able to land a top-1o pick.
– Sources tell NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora that free agent QB Marc Bulger looked “excellent” in practices as the Ravens’ backup last year. “The ball never hit the ground,” the spies tell La Canfora. A rejuvination is unlikely, but he may have just needed that extra year off to rest. Bulger, 34, is probably going to get a chance to start in a training camp this year.
– The Palm Beach Post expects the Dolphins to take a “good, long look” at free agent RB Darren Sproles this offseason. Sproles, 28 in June, isn’t an option as a primary ball carrier, but could add a spark on special teams and third downs. The Fins ranked 22nd in kickoff return average last season, and 27th in returns of 20 or more yards. Sproles is likely to receive a contract better than RB Chester Taylor’s 4-year/$12.5M pact signed last offseason with $7M guaranteed.
– Agent Drew Rosenhaus expects the Ravens to trade or release RB Willis McGahee. Rosenhaus confirmed that McGahee won’t be back unless the Ravens pay him his $6M salary, which won’t happen. Once a new CBA is reached, McGahee will likely be released and become a UFA entering his age-30 season.
– Ravens’ WR Derrick Mason (hernia, finger) confirmed that he has no plans to retire this offseason. Mason underwent sports hernia and finger surgeries back in January, a sure sign that he plans on playing in 2011. The Ravens will likely limit the 15-year veteran’s role next season. His 2.2 yards after the catch average a year ago was the worst mark of his career, and an age-37 bounce-back season is extremely unlikely.
– WR James Jones said Sunday that he was, in fact, extended an RFA tender by the Packers. He may end up landing bigger money and a starting job on the open market, but it’s not because the Packers sent him packing.
– The Charlotte Observer’s Darin Gantt predicts that Auburn’ QB Cam Newton will be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. “I think they were so set on Andrew Luck coming out, they’re not going to wait. They need a quarterback.” He also believes coach Ron Rivera “is going (to Auburn’s Pro Day) for a reason,” and that’s to meet with the Panthers’ next franchise quarterback.
– The Raiders have named Chuck Bresnahan as DC. Bresnahan, 50, was initially tabbed as a “defensive assistant,” but the oddball Raiders waited until now to announce him as coordinator. Bresnahan was also a defensive coordinator in Cincinnati in the mid-2000s, overseeing units that ranked 28th, 30th, and 25th in total defense before he was fired in 2007. He was out of football in 2008 and spent the last two years in the UFL.
NHL
– Flames’ F Jarome Iginla scored his 30th goal of the season in Calgary’s 3-2 win over the Predators on Sunday. By reaching the 30-goal plateau for the 10th consecutive season, Iginla is just the 10th player in NHL history to accomplish the feat–and the other 9 players are Hall of Famers.
– Flames’ F Brendan Morrison (knee) will miss 2-3 weeks.
– Senators’ F Peter Regin (shoulder surgery) will be sidelined 4-6 months, while F Milan Michalek (broken foot) will miss 4 weeks and is likely out for the remainder of the season. Finally, F Matt Carkner (knee scope) will miss 2-4 weeks.
– Capitals’ D Mike Green, who is suffering from a possible concussion, skated for the first time since February 25 on Monday. Coach Bruce Boudreau isn’t calling it a concussion, but he hasn’t ruled out the possibility either. What Boudreau did say is that the Capitals will err on the side of caution when handling Green’s injury. “We want to make sure that Mike is absolutely symptom-free of everything so this doesn’t happen again. So if we have to wait an extra long time we’ll wait an extra long time. It’s more about his future than it is about one game, two games or three games.” Green admitted that he’s still not 100%.
– Wild’ F Mikko Koivu (broken finger) took part in Minnesota’s practice on Monday. Koivu was expected to be re-evaluated Monday morning and the results were positive. The Wild are just a point behind the 8th place Los Angeles Kings and Koivu’s return would certainly provide them with a boost. Koivu, however, appeared to have difficulty gripping his stick Monday morning, so his return remains up in the air.
NBA
– Suns’ F Channing Frye (separated right shoulder) will miss 2-3 weeks. If Frye misses exactly two weeks, he will return for the final 14 games of the season.
– Kings’ G Tyreke Evans (foot) will undergo what coach Paul Westphal hopes will be his last round of shock-wave treatment for his plantar fasciitis on Tuesday, but there is still no timetable for his return. “I don’t think that anybody can say what is going to happen. I know he has what’s hopefully his last treatment I believe on Tuesday and then there’s recovery time and then there is a time of trying it out and conditioning.” In a best-case scenario the treatment works, he gets back on the practice court, and gets going sometime next week.
– Clippers’ G Eric Gordon (wrist) suffered no new serious damage to his wrist and is still expected to miss 7-10 days, a source tells Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski. There were some rumours that Gordon might have to shut it down for the season, but this report squashes that. Still, the aggravation of a shooting wrist is a major concern.
– Nuggets’ F Danilo Gallinari (toe) said he probably will not play in either of the Nuggets’ two games this week. His original timetable seemed optimistic. Now that he is looking at two full weeks off, conditioning will become a concern.
WWE
– On Monday’s RAW, it was announced tonight that the WrestleMania showdown between The Undertaker and Triple H will be a No Holds Barred match – with no disqualifications or countouts (anything goes).
Also on RAW, JBL returned and was announced as Michael Cole’s Special Guest Referee for his match with Jerry Lawler. Stone Cold Steve Austin came out, gave everybody stunners, poured beer on JBL and Cole and signed the referee contract before JBL could. So Stone Cold will referee this match.
WrestleMania XXVII takes place on Sunday, April 3rd, 2011 from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. Here is updated card for the event:
Special Guest Host: The Rock
WWE Championship Match
The Miz (c) vs. John CenaWorld Heavyweight Championship Match
Edge (c) vs. Alberto Del RioNo Holds Barred Match With “The Streak” on the Line
The Undertaker vs. Triple HRandy Orton vs. CM Punk
Special Guest Referee: “Stone Cold” Steve Austin
Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole
Michael Cole’s trainer Jack Swagger will be in his corner.
– It was announced on Monday’s RAW that the “Original WWE Diva” Tammy “Sunny” Sytch will be joining the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2011. Sunny had rumored for this year’s Hall of Fame for several weeks and has denied those reports all along, up until this past weekend. Already announced for this year’s show are Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Bullet Bob Armstrong and of course, the Shawn Michaels.
– WWE legend Kevin Nash recently wrote on Twitter that The Undertaker was told by doctors that he waited so long to repair his torn rotator cuff that it can’t be fixed. To update this situation, the latest is that Undertaker’s shoulder may never return to 100% strength or mobility. While he will be able to work at WrestleMania, his in-ring future is looking as bleak as it ever has.
– Footage had been posted online of former WWE superstar Shad Gaspard’s weekend arrest for jaywalking, courtesy of TMZ.com. Shad tells TMZ he feels he’s the victim of racial profiling and can be heard saying in the video, “Why am I being arrested? Because I’m big and I’m black?” At least 3 witnesses have stated that Shad was treated unfairly and the police officers used unnecessary force. Shad claims during his ride to the police station, he heard the arresting officer saying, “He’s just one more …” He added, “I don’t know exactly what to do yet, but I will fight this as much as possible. I’m not doing it for the money, I have the means, I’m doing this so cops don’t think they can do this to someone else … it’s not right.”
– Jersey Shore star Snooki will be appearing on next week’s episode of WWE RAW. Snooki and RAW star John Cena have traded messages on Twitter in recent weeks, with the reality star talking about how much she wanted to meet Cena.
– The March 4 episode of WWE SmackDown scored slightly below a 2.0 cable rating, down from the prior week’s record 2.3 rating on Syfy. The show prior to the record rating drew slightly above 2.0. Friday’s number is in line with the show’s average in 2011, which is slightly below 2.0.
– WWE has released its 2010 annual report and it reports that approximately one million less copies of WWE Magazine were sold as compared to the prior year (from 4,026,300 to 3,068,000). Furthermore, publishing revenues declined $2.5M in 2010 as compared to 2009 due to a 24% decrease.
– After going on a scathing tirade against Hulk Hogan last week on Twitter, WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart is back with another batch of fan Q&A. Here are some highlights of what Bret said about:
Lawler vs. Cole at WrestleMania: “I hope Lawler rag, bags, and shags (that’s british slang) him royally at WM.”
Shawn Michaels and Sunny In The Same Hall of Fame Class: “It’s kind of ironic. We’re all enjoying sunny days again. haha
Whether He Watched Laycool’s Parody Of Him A Few Weeks Ago: “Yes, I did. They did a good job. Michelle McCool is such a pro. Despite her beauty, she can stay heel which is difficult”
His Favorite WWE PPV: “The SummerSlam PPV has always been a favorite. Almost always had a good match at that event.”
Least Favorite WWE PPV: “Survivor Series. The initial concept was lame.”
Vince Russo’s Involvement In His Canada/USA WWE Storyline (1997): “Zero input from Russo for Canada/USA storyline. He wasn’t much more than a pencil holder till I left.”
Five TNA Originals Who Would Be Good in WWE: “AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Abyss, Kazarian, Jeremy Borash”
– Former WWE Diva Lilian Garcia, who is currently working on her second music album, recently spoke with the Miami Herald. Here are some highlights of what she said about:
Returning To WWE One Day: “I say, ‘Never say never,’. Look at The Rock now. It is something that I’m definitely tied to. Once you are in the WWE for a length of time, it’s a family base. You are tied in, no matter if you leave and take a break. Sometimes you come back; so you never know.”
The Rock’s WWE return: “I really didn’t think he would come back. I really thought with his movie career and all. I don’t blame him, though. It had been seven years. When he was making movies, he didn’t have that experience being with the fans and feeling that electricity from the fans. He thrives on that. It was having that experience again. People were tweeting me telling me how much they missed the interviews with me and The Rock. It was just such great chemistry that he and I had with those interviews. As soon as I saw him on TV again, it brought back memories of those days. It was just really cool.”
– 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 wrote about:
Batista vs. Ken Shamrock: “Yes I would watch a rumored Batista vs. Ken Shamrock MMA fight that is making the rounds on the ‘net. However, I’d love to see Kenny hang ‘em up and simply train fighters but the name identity that Batista and Shamrock bring to the table would provide more than ample sizzle for any promoter. I’d watch this train wreck I’ll honestly admit. ”
Cyborg Santos To WWE? “Is Cris Cyborg leaving MMA/Strikeforce to migrate to WWE? Beats the hell out of me just as she would if she chose to but it is an interesting internet rumor. Seeing more athletic, hard hitting women compete in WWE is intriguing for me as a fan. Cris Cyborg is arguably the baddest women on the planet but she would need to learn better English and the art form of pro wrestling or she would run out of opposition in WWE just as she has seemingly done in MMA. Cyborg would be huge draw on a WWE event in Brazil, for example, or so I think. ”
Sin Cara’s WWE Debut: “The Mistico name is owned by the wrestling promotion CMLL in Mexico City which is why the athletes formerly known as Mistico is now known as Sin Cara. I expect Sin Cara to debut after WM27 so as to not get lost in the Wrestlemania shuffle so to speak. Right now it’s all about WM27 and not about introducing new people. Makes sense to me.”
MLB
– The Indians have signed 1B Nick Johnson to a minor league deal. He hit just .167 and played only 24 games last year for the Yankees because of wrist issues. The Tribe will use him as a backup to Matt LaPorta at first base and Travis Hafner at DH.
– Bill Ladson of MLB.com heard from a source Monday that the Astros are looking into Nationals’ C Jesus Flores. Flores has battled shoulder injuries for the last couple years, but his offensive production has been solid when healthy.
– Phillies’ OF Domonic Brown (right hand) will have surgery Tuesday to repair the fractured hamate bone in his right hand. Brown will likely miss somewhere around 4-6 weeks, which puts Opening Day out of reach, but he could be back sometime in late-April.
– C Bengie Molina told Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News that he won’t play unless he gets a guaranteed deal at a respectable salary. Molina told Baggarly that he’s “definitely not retired,” but it’s obvious he won’t play again unless he finds an opportunity that’s worth his while. The 36-year-old wouldn’t be a starter in San Diego, but could start somewhere like the Astros.
– C Gregg Zaun has retired from baseball. “The stamina just isn’t there. The arm strength came back but it wouldn’t last. After three innings yesterday, I was totally gassed. The amount of time for me to get ready to play at a high level… it just saps the fun out of it.” The 39-year-old will retire with a .252/.344/.388 career batting line and 878 career hits.
TNA
– Former WWE talent Sean “X-Pac” Waltman was taken to the emergency room last night at Jamaica Hospital in Queens, New York Saturday after landing his chest on a guard rail during a Pro Wrestling Syndicate event in Lake Ronkonkoma. As Waltman was going through security at a nearby airport following the show, the wound, which had been glued shut, opened and blood started gushing out. An ambulance was called and he was rushed to the hospital. Waltman has since been released and was expected to fly home Sunday.
– According to the PWI, former WWE talent Scott Hall was sentenced to three months probation today in a Tampa, Florida courtroom stemming from his arrest last year on charges of disorderly intoxication and resisting a police officer.
On May 14, 2010, authorities were called to the Hitching Post Bar in Chuluota after Hall, who had been “drinking heavily” according to a police report, “became aggressive”. When authorities arrived, they found Hall yelling and cursing at the patrons and staff of the bar. Hall was told he was not allowed to return to the establishment. On his police report, Hall listed himself as an “unemployed” professional wrestler, despite having a job with TNA Wrestling.
Following his release from TNA a month later, Hall checked into a WWE sponsored rehab. Hall checked out of the rehab facility in early October 2010. Hall was recently hospitalized, as he needed a pacemaker implanted into his heart.