WWE
– The ongoing war of words between WWE Champion CM Punk and R&B singer Chris Brown has escalated. Over the weekend, CM Punk tweeted:
“I would like @chrisbrown fight somebody that can defend themselves. Me curb stomping that turd would be a #wrestlemania moment.”
Chris Brown replied:
“@CMpunk needs more followers. He’s such a leader! Not to mention the roids hes on has made it utterly impossible for him pleasure a women.
“Positivity regardless of how u feel! @CMpunk contact my assistant and I’ll have em send u an autographed pic for my biggest FAN!!!”
After re-tweeting a message saying he and Chris Brown should fight an MMA fight, Punk posted the following video online on Tuesday night with the caption: This Must Be Said.
http://www.twitvid.com/4CAPE
– The Rock has responded to John Cena’s promo from RAW, tweeting on Tuesday:
“@JohnCena @WWE The truth comes out this Monday. John you have no idea.”
The Rock is scheduled for RAW next week and will be appearing on RAW regularly through the night after WrestleMania 28. During his most recent blog, Jim Ross called John Cena’s RAW promo the best of his entire career:
“John Cena delivered the best promo of his career in my opinion when addressing the Rock and their long awaited WM28 main event. Cena spoke from the heart and I’m certain meant every word that he said. Cena’s words stepped away from the world of entertainment and squarely into reality or so it seemed to me.”
“Rock’s ‘rebuttal’ next week on Raw in Portland will be must see TV. The Rock/Cena issue has gotten personal as Cena touched some legit nerves with his remarks in Minneapolis.”
Here’s video of John Cena’s promo from RAW:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=O7Imm1m9hdo
– WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety over at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:
Hell In A Cell At WrestleMania: “The Undertaker confronting HHH and subsequently pushing the appropriate buttons to get a vengeance oriented rematch at WM28 was captivating TV for me. Both men have more tenure than any others on the WWE roster that are still competing. They are truly is the last of a breed and now that it’s in Helll in a Cell, the game has changed. Stakes have risen and it going to be a tough act to follow in Miami.
“[WWE] will build a massive structure to not only hold the ring lighting grid but the HIAC as well. It will be impressive I assure you.”
John Cena’s Best Promo Ever: John Cena delivered the best promo of his career in my opinion when addressing the Rock and their long awaited WM28 main event. Cena spoke from the heart and I’m certain meant every word that he said. Cena’s words stepped away from the world of entertainment and squarely into reality or so it seemed to me.”
“Rock’s ‘rebuttal’ next week on Raw in Portland will be must see TV. The Rock/Cena issue has gotten personal as Cena touched some legit nerves with his remarks in Minneapolis.”
Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk at WrestleMania: “The injury riddled, #1 contender Battle Royal sees Chris Jericho getting his ticket punched to meet CM Punk for the WWE Title at WM28 in a bout that could be the best, pure wrestling match on the entire card on April 1.”
– According to the PWInsider, Ezekiel Jackson was recently considered for another push, but it appears those plans have been nixed. After losing clean to David Otunga on RAW, Jackson has lost 5 straight televised matches and has yet to win a televised match this year.
NHL
– The Lightning acquired D Kyle Quincey from the Avalanche for F Steve Downie, but Quincey was then immediately traded to the Red Wings for a 2012 1st-round pick and D Sebastien Piche. Quincey rebounded this season after missing most of last year, scoring five goals and 23 points in 54 games this season. Quincey and Downie will become RFAs on July 1. Tampa now has for this year 2 1st-rounders, 3 2nd-round rounders, and another 2nd-rounder in either ’12 or ’13 at Florida’s option from the D Pavel Kubina trade.
– The Hurricanes have offered F Tuomo Ruutu a contract, and are expecting to know of his status by Wednesday. If Ruutu remains iffy, there’s a good chance he’ll be placed on the trading block once again.
– The Blackhawks have acquired F Matt Fornataro from the Lightning for F Brandon Segal. Segal, 28, scored five goals and added five assists for 10 points in 46 games with the Stars. Fornataro was invited to training camp by the Tampa Bay Lightning this season before he was assigned to Norfolk of the AHL. Last season, the Calgary native had 17 goals and 25 assists for 42 points in 70 games with Norfolk.
– Flyers’ F Jaromir Jagr recorded his 16th game-winning OT goal, setting a new NHL record. Mats Sundin, Sergei Federov and Patrik Elias and Jagr were all previously tied with 15 OT goals until tonight.
– Flyers’ F Scott Hartnell signed a Flyers jersey with the hashtag “#SuckItPhaneuf” that he used during the All-Star Game.
– According to TSN, one of the prospective buyers of the Coyotes is believed to be telling people he’s “close” to doing a deal, but given the history of purchase attempts, until someone shows the money up front, nothing new is happening.
– According to TSN, contract negotiations between the Islanders and G Evgeni Nabokov are ongoing. Nothing is imminent at this point, but a resolution could come in the next few days. Nabokov has a no-movement clause in his contract, and will need to OK anything before it happens.
– A Boston University hockey player has pleaded not guilty to raping a female student and has been ordered to have no contact with the woman. Max Nicastro, of Thousand Oaks, Calif., was also ordered held on $10K bail after his arraignment Tuesday in Brighton District Court. Authorities say the junior defenseman and 2008 Detroit Red Wings draft pick sexually assaulted another student Sunday morning. His lawyer says no crime was committed. Nicastro is the second BU hockey player accused of sexual assault this season. Coach Jack Parker says he’s troubled by the allegations but doesn’t think the accused players reflect the culture of the program. He says players are warned every season about the dangers of alcohol abuse and sexual harassment. Nicastro has been suspended from the team.
MLB
– Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports that the Yankees have signed DH Eric Chavez to a 1-year/$900K contract, pending a physical. The 34-year-old was limited to just 58 games with New York last season due to a fractured foot, batting .263/.320/.356 over 175 plate appearances. He’ll be the primary backup at third base.
– Cardinals’ C Yadier Molina’s agent, Melvin Roman, told Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Tuesday that his client will not discuss a contract extension with the team once the regular season begins. ”Once the season starts he’s just going to concentrate on the game, play hard to win every game and try to bring another championship to the city. After the season, I’m sure we would probably still discuss things.” A deal could still get done before the season, but it doesn’t appear as though much progress is being made. Molina, who is slated to hit free agency next winter, is believed to be seeking at least a 5-year extension valued at more than $10M annually.
– Angels’ OF Bobby Abreu told Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com that he would rather be traded than accept a bench role. ”I’m an everyday player, I can still be in the lineup of a major league team. I will not be on the bench knowing I can play.” The Halos are super deep at outfield and first base, and Abreu becomes the odd man out based on performance and age. He was almost traded to the Yankees for RHP A.J. Burnett, but the right-hander exercised his no-trade clause. Abreu, 38 next month, is owed $9M this season.
– Mariners’ manager Eric Wedge announced Tuesday that Ichiro will bat third this season. Ichiro has hit leadoff in 1,722 of the 1,749 major league games he has played, but the 38-year-old posted a poor .310 OBP over 721 plate appearances last season. 3B Chone Figgins should start leadoff, with 2B Dustin Ackley batting second.
– Marlins’ SS Hanley Ramirez indicated Tuesday in camp that he’s OK with playing third base this year. Ramirez has been moved to the hot corner to accommodate new SS Jose Reyes. Initial reports suggested Hanley was upset about the situation, but he cleared that up on Tuesday morning. “I never said I’m not going to do it. I’m just happy to be here, be back in the spring with my guys, my teammates, everybody’s happy. That’s what we need.”
NFL
– According to NBC San Diego’s Michael Gehlken, Chargers’ GM A.J. Smith is still “extremely reluctant” to place the franchise tag on free agent WR Vincent Jackson. The franchise tag for wide receivers is $9.6M, but V-Jax would collect 120% of his 2011 salary under the tag for a second consecutive season. It was reportedly “all but decided” at the team’s recent state-of-the-franchise meetings that the $13.68M is a prohibitive number with so many needs to address this offseason. Although Smith changed his mind at the last minute on Darren Sproles two years back, that reversal is said to be “highly unlikely” this time around.
– The Eagles have restructured the contract of DT Cullen Jenkins, who had signed a 5-year deal prior to the start of the 2011 season. In 16 games last year, Jenkins had 40 tackles and 5 1/2 sacks. He registered four sacks over his first three games as an Eagle, becoming just the second defensive tackle in team history to open a season with one sack in each of the first three contests.
– Broncos’ QB Brady Quinn apologized for his comments towards QB Tim Tebow made in a GQ article. Quinn was quoted as saying,
“We’ve had a lot of, I guess, luck, to put it simply.”
“I felt like the fans had a lot to do with that. Just ’cause they were chanting his name. There was a big calling for him. No, I don’t have any billboards. That would have been nice.”
Quinn took to Twitter to apologize, saying,
“(Tebow) deserves a lot of credit for our success and I’m happy for him and what he accomplished. Most importantly, he is a great teammate.”
“I apologize to anyone who feels I was trying to take anything away from our team’s or Tim’s success this season.”
– The Vikings say the organization has reached a tentative deal with the University of Minnesota on how much the team will pay to use TCF Stadium while a new Vikings stadium is being built. Vikings spokesman Lester Bagley declined to name a dollar amount, but said the “agreement in principle” would add about 3,000 temporary end zone seats to the 50,000-seat stadium. Bagley says other details need to be resolved before both parties sign off on the deal. The Star Tribune says the Vikings paid $1.7M to play a game at TCF Stadium after the Metrodome roof collapsed in December 2010.
NASCAR
– Jeff Gordon suffered a scary crash during the 2012 Bud Shootout. Check it out:
UFC
– Injured UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre held an interview with Ultimate UFC Insider regarding a series of topics. Check it out:
NBA
– Hawks’ G Joe Johnson (left knee) is expected out through the All-Star break. JJ leads the team in scoring at 17.6 PPG.
– Kevin Yee, from Broadway’s Mary Poppins, has created and stars in Jeremy Lin The Musical, which is currently available for viewing on YouTube. The musical, according to Yee, is a “fictional reimagining of the first time New York Knicks superstar Jeremy Lin proved himself on the basketball court.” Song titles include “American Basketball Hero,” “Lin-ning It,” “It’s Like Applying to Stanford and Ending Up At Harvard,” “Math” and “Lin-sanity.” The cast features Yee (Wicked, Mary Poppins, upcoming Linus in You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown at the Stratford Festival) as Jeremy Lin, with Anne Fraser Thomas (The Grinch Who Stole Christmas) as Jeremy’s mother, Chad Seib (White Christmas) and Amber Owens (Mary Poppins) as the head of the Palo Alto Basketball Club, and Val Ho (Groovaloos) as Jeremy’s basketball body double with Mathew deGuzman (Follies), Mahalia Miner-LeGrand, Karen Musey, Katie Nanni (Mary Poppins), Tiffany Ocvirk, Brian Ogilvie (Mary Poppins) and Jesse Swimm (Mary Poppins).