NFL
– The Boston Globe reports that Patriots’ TE Rob Gronkowski (left ankle) will likely need a scope following the Super Bowl. Beat reporter Shalise Manza Young confirms that Gronk will play in Super Bowl XLVI, but his ankle will need to be “cleaned up” due to apparent ligament damage. Gronkowski will surely be at less than 100% against the Giants, and he runs the risk of re-aggravating the injury in-game.
– The Browns have hired ex-Vikings head coach Brad Childress as OC. Childress fits due to his West Coast offence background, but his Vikings offences from 2006 through 2010 ranked 23rd, 13th, 17th, fifth (Brett Favre year), and 23rd in terms of yards. In points, they were 26th, 15th, 12th, second (Favre), and 29th.
– The Washington Post confirms that foot specialists have informed free agent SS LaRon Landry (Achilles tendon) that he “needs” surgery. Landry reportedly doesn’t want to have surgery, and will try rest and rehab.
MLB
– The Phillies have signed OF Hunter Pence to a 1-year/$10.4M contract, avoiding arbitration. It’s the exact midpoint of the figures the two sides exchanged earlier this month. Pence earned $6.9M last season while batting .314/.370/.502 with 22 homers, 97 RBI, eight stolen bases and an .871 OPS over 154 games between Houston and Philadelphia. He has one more year of arbitration eligibility before hitting the free agent market.
– The Giants have officially signed SS Ryan Theriot to a 1-year/$1.25M contract with $750K in incentives. Theriot should make the Opening Day roster and is expected to start at shortstop. He posted a .271/.321/.342 batting line with one home run, 47 RBI, four stolen bases and a .662 OPS over 483 plate appearances in 2011 for St. Louis.
NBA
– Bucks’ F Andrew Bogut (fractured left ankle) is out for a minimum of 8-12 weeks. If he reaches the early part of the timetable, the Bucks could have him back for the final 4 weeks of the regular season.
–Pistons’ G Ben Gordon’s (shoulder) MRI revealed “multiple issues” and “a couple tears” in his shoulder. Gordon said he originally banged up his shoulder in training camp and had been attempting to play through it. He also added it was hard to raise his arms before getting an MRI. Although he can now raise his arms without pain, doctors have put no timetable on his return and we’re calling him out indefinitely.
– The Mavericks are considering shutting down F Lamar Odom in order for him to work on his conditioning, similar to the plan the team took with F Dirk Nowitzki this past week. After struggling through a 2-for-14 shooting night against the T-Wolves, Odom was benched during the third quarter on Wednesday. According to the team, resting Odom for a stretch of games would allow him to focus solely on doing what is necessary to get his game on track. Because of his late trade to the Mavs, Odom didn’t arrive in Dallas until several days after training camp started, which may partially explain for his early-season struggles. This plan is not set in stone, but is just another reason to make sure Odom is out of your lineups for the foreseeable future.
MMA
– M-1 Global Director of Operations Evgeni Kogan recently stated that Monaco, which is a city-state surrounded by both France and Italy, is targeted to host Russian heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko’s next fight. They have discussed former WWE Superstar Bobby Lashley as a possible opponent, but the promotion is leaning towards a “European fighter” to meet Emelianenko. “But this is all in the works right now, and nothing is confirmed,” Kogan stated.
WWE
– Stephanie McMahon recently told Entertainment Weekly that WWE has 16 writers, plus Vince McMahon – who has final say on everything.
“Vince is very open to listening and discussing different ideas, but once he makes his final decision, he’s the boss.”
She added that she has a one-on-one meeting with Vince each week. She also stated that WWE is looking at ways to develop new programming for their original content partnership with YouTube.
– WWE superstar David Otunga dusted off the old Harvard Law degree on Thursday and returned to the court room as a defense attorney. According to TMZ.com, Otunga represented a man who believes he was wrongfully terminated and denied unemployment benefits. This was the man’s appeal to the NY State Department of Labor. The judge heard from witnesses and then arguments from both sides, and Otunga told TMZ that he, “smoked the witness during cross examination.” Otunga’s client won the appeal and will now get unemployment benefits. Otunga was quoted saying that he keeps his legal skills sharp and:
“If the outcome of the case is any indication of how I’ll do in the Royal Rumble this weekend, then it looks like I’ll be the winner.”
