NHL
– Dale Hunter will not return to coach the Capitals in 2012-13. Hunter failed to turn the Capitals around after replacing Bruce Boudreau as the team’s head coach in his first season as head coach. Washington had a 30-23-7 record under Hunter and narrowly squeaked into the playoffs, however, they did upset the defending champion Bruins. Hunter will be best remembered for his frequent benching of F Alex Ovechkin.
– The Blue Jackets have signed coach Todd Richards to a 2-year deal. His interim tag has officially been removed. He took over the coaching duties after the Blue Jackets fired Scott Arniel. After going 11-25-5 under Arniel, the Jackets were respectable, going 18-21-2 under Richards. That included a 16-14-1 mark over the final 31 games with wins in seven of its last 11 outings. The team also went 14-0-0 when taking a lead into the third period after dropping points in eight of its previous 17 games when leading after two periods (9-6-2).
“I am very grateful to the McConnell family, our ownership group, Scott, Craig and the organization for the opportunity to continue as the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets. We have a lot of work to do to give our fans the type of team they want but I am really excited about what lies ahead. We made strides last season and I’m confident that our players are ready for the challenges before us.”
– Senators’ F Nikita Filatov has reportedly agreed to a 1-year deal with the KHL’s Salavat Yulaev. Filatov is an RFA in the NHL.
MLB
– The Mets will likely offer 3B David Wright a long-term extension as early as this summer, according to the Wall Street Journal. Wright has a $16M club option, so the team can wait until this winter to begin contract negotiations. GM Sandy Alderson has all but ruled out trading Wright at the deadline. Wright, 29, leads the NL in average (.400) and on-base percentage (.489).
– Rockies’ C Eliezer Alfonzo has been cleared of his 100-game PED suspension due to procedural concerns. Alfonzo used the same out as Ryan Braun, arguing that the shipment and storage of his urine sample did not follow procedure. He’s eligible to play immediately and should report to Triple-A Colorado Springs shortly.
– Brewers’ SS Alex Gonzalez (torn right ACL) is scheduled to undergo season-ending surgery Thursday. The procedure will be performed by Dr. William Raasch in Milwaukee. Gonzalez, 35, batted .259/.326/.457 with four home runs and 15 RBI in 89 plate appearances this year for the Brewers. He will become a free agent five days after the conclusion of the 2012 World Series.
– Brewers’ OF Carlos Gomez (strained left hamstring) is scheduled to begin playing in minor league rehab games this week. Gomez has been on the DL since May 5. The 26-year-old is batting .280/.321/.480 with one home run, five RBI and five stolen bases in 21 games played this season.
– The Cardinals have released LHP J.C. Romero. Romero allowed 14 hits and nine earned runs in eight innings with the Cards.
NBA
– Heat’ F Chris Bosh (abdominal strain) is out indefinitely. It’s unclear what coach Erik Spoelstra will do with his lineup. Bosh could potentially miss the entire second round. Spurs’ G Manu Ginobili missed 15 games with a strained abdomen this season, and they are easy to aggravate.
– Bulls’ G Derrick Rose (ACL surgery) has been told to expect an 8-month rehab, sources tell the Sun-Times. Rose underwent surgery on Saturday. If he returns in exactly eight months, he’ll miss more than two months of next season. There were reportedly no complications or surprises during the surgery and he received a PRP injection.
– Clippers’ F Blake Griffin (knee sprain) confirmed that he will play in Tuesday’s Game 1 against the Spurs. Griffin was limited severely in the Clippers’ Game 7 win on Sunday, but he says he’s not worried. “I’m not going to sit out. It’s a matter of rest. We basically have a day and half now. The last two games, we haven’t had as much rest as we’re about to have now.” Griffin was held to 18.0 points and 6.4 rebounds in the series against the Grizzlies.
– Thunder’ F Kendrick Perkins (hip) participated in a limited practice Sunday. Perkins is listed as a game-time call for Monday’s Game 1 against the Lakers. “He’s very healthy and he’s ready to go, too,” teammate James Harden said.
NFL
– The Redskins have signed RB Tim Hightower to a 1-year contract. Hightower, 26, averaged 3.82 YPC in five starts early last season before tearing his left ACL in Week 7. Now just over six months removed from the knee reconstruction, Hightower will return to compete with Roy Helu, Evan Royster and rookie Alfred Morris for snaps. Helu, however, appears to be the early favourite.
– Titans’ head coach Mike Munchak said Sunday that WR Kenny Britt (torn right ACL/MCL) may need another surgery. Britt tore his knee up last September 25, and had reconstructive surgery on October 7. While beat writer Terry McCormick notes that a follow-up procedure would be “comparatively minor,” it’d also be an indication of setback and concerning for Britt’s ability to fully regain explosion. No second surgery has been scheduled yet for Britt. Munchak said, “He’s been doing well, running hard. We’ll just have to see how the knee responds.”
– Raiders RBs coach Kelly Skipper doesn’t envision any lingering problems from RB Darren McFadden’s 2011 Lisfranc sprain. ”He didn’t have any major surgeries, so he’s able to come back healthy and he’s playing at a high level right now and it’s offseason… He’s out here. You would never know he got hurt. He’s making cuts at full speed, everything.”
WWE
– According to the Wrestling Observer, there is said to be panic among WWE officials over how to book the Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H. While the initial plan was for the match to take place at SummerSlam in August, certain people are pushing to have the match take place next month at No Way Out. WWE rushed into the Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena match and had less than three weeks to hype it, leading several employees to believe that doing the same thing with the Lesnar vs. Triple H match would be a huge mistake.
– Former WWE superstar Edge recently spoke to SiriusXM radio personality Sam Roberts about his retirement, his dream last match, getting inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, Matt Hardy and more:
– Jim Ross suggested Sunday on Twitter that he would be broadcasting this Thursday’s WWE NXT and FCW Wrestling tapings at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida alongside William Regal. The WWE Hall of Famer, who generally shies away from rumors and speculation, re-posted the following remark:
“Regarding the new @WWENXT and #FCW tapings at Full Sail University, @JRsBBQ and @RealKingRegal may end up announcing those shows. #WWE.”
– Hot 97?s Peter Rosenberg along with WWE’s Sheamus, Mark Henry, Alberto Del Rio, Eve, and Stephanie McMahon rally against bullying with the Be a Star Alliance:
TNA
– According to Figure Four Weekly, there is speculation behind the scenes that TNA star Matt Morgan will be leaving the company soon to return to WWE. Morgan’s TNA contract does not expire until October, but it states that Morgan was obligated to make a certain number of appearances for TNA – which he has already completed. It’s believed that once his contractual obligations were met, he would become a free agent and legally could jump to WWE. Matt Morgan has stated in various interviews that he loves TNA and does feel some loytalty to them, but WWE has sent out feelers to him and he would have a hard time turning down a chance to return to the ‘big leagues’ if the chance presented itself.
– According to F4WOnline, Bobby Roode is on the verge of becoming long longest running TNA World champion, if he can make it through this week’s Impact Wrestling tapings without dropping the title. The current record is held by AJ Styles, who was champion for 211 consecutive days. TNA sources indicate that Roode is scheduled to hold the title until James Storm returns.
– Dixie Carter tweeted this picture of Austin Aries’ back following the Sacrifice PPV. According to the Wrestling Observer, the feeling backstage after last night’s TNA Sacrifice event was that it was one of TNA’s best pay-per-view events in a long time:
“Tonight has been amazing. This has no doubt been the wrestling ppv of the year! Fantastic show #TNASacrifice”
“Great night! I am very proud of #TNASacrifice. Proud of the men and women that are TNA.”