NBA
– There are “increasing signs” that Deron Williams will re-sign with the Nets, sources tell ESPN’s Chris Broussard. Broussard reports that Williams has been working out “almost daily” at the team’s facility, while he and head coach Avery Johnson have “discussed strategies” for next season. Finally, Broussard reports that D-Will won’t be making any visits to interested teams once free agency begins. Stay tuned.
– The “general consensus” is that unrestricted free agent G Ray Allen will sign with the Heat, a source tells Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld. ”Barring a change, he’ll join the Heat.” There’s been mutual interest between the two sides for some time now. Allen would likely be a second unit player in Miami.
– The Clippers are reportedly discussing a trade with the Mavericks that would bring F Lamar Odom back to LA, according to ESPN. A third team is expected to get involved in order to take G Mo Williams, which would then allow Dallas to move Odom to LA. The Mavs have until Friday to buyout the final year of Odom’s contract.
– The Rockets have traded Samuel Dalembert and the No. 14 pick to the Bucks in exchange for the No. 12 pick, F Jon Brockman, F Jon Leuer and G Shaun Livingston. Milwaukee dropped just two spots in the draft and traded three expendable players for a massive offensive and defensive need. Dalembert, who will make $6.7M in the final year of his deal, immediately becomes the starting five.
– The Hawks “have been pursuing” Lakers’ F Pau Gasol, according to Mike Bresnahan of the LA Times. According to the report, if a deal were struck, F Josh Smith would be the “key piece” going to LA. Stay tuned.
– Blazers’ G Jamal Crawford officially informed the team that he will opt out and become a free agent this summer. Portland won’t be able to trade him, and Crawford will be free to sign with whatever team he chooses. The Wolves are already rumoured as a landing spot.
MLB
– The Yankees have placed LHP CC Sabathia (left groin strain) on the 15-day DL retroactive to June 25. Sabathia was diagnosed with a Grade 1 strain of his left adductor muscle. He suffered the injury in the fourth inning of Sunday’s start and told the team following a bullpen session Tuesday. Sabathia is expected return right after the All-Star break.
– Yankees’ LHP Andy Pettitte (fractured left ankle) is expected to miss 6-8 weeks, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney. Pettitte suffered a fractured left ankle on Wednesday afternoon when he was struck by a Casey Kotchman comebacker.
– D’Backs’ RHP Daniel Hudson (right elbow) has a torn UCL which could require Tommy John reconstructive surgery. Hudson was placed on the DL Wednesday evening and won’t return from it until late in the 2013 season if does opt for surgery. The 25-year-old has a bloated 7.35 ERA and 1.63 WHIP in 45 1/3 innings this year.
– Cardinals’ RHP Chris Carpenter (shoulder) will fly to Dallas on Thursday morning to meet with a nerve specialist. The goal is to receive a fresh opinion on Carpenter’s nerve issues from someone who has never examined him. Carp had a live batting practice session cancelled Monday, but was able to long-toss Wednesday after he was encouraged by how he felt when he woke up. “I woke up (Tuesday) feeling a lot better. Today felt good enough to play catch. It’s good. I still have a little ways to go. The way I felt two days, three days ago compared to now it’s definitely at a place where it feels good, much different.” The Cards are hoping to get him back sometime in July.
– Rockies’ GM Dan O’Dowd said Tuesday to CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman that OF Carlos Gonzalez will not be traded. ”The Carlos Gonzalez thing is a joke. We’re not trading Carlos Gonzalez. I’ve had a ton of calls on Michael Cuddyer. But I’m not trading him, either.” The 26-year-old CarGo is the centrepiece of the team’s future.
– Phillies’ 1B Ryan Howard (Achilles) will begin a rehab assignment with Low-A Lakewood Thursday. Howard will serve as the DH Thursday before eventually working his way into games at first base. Barring a setback, he should be back in the lineup shortly after the All-Star break.
– Red Sox’ RHP Josh Beckett (right shoulder inflammation) has been cleared to rejoin the rotation Saturday against the Mariners. Beckett threw a bullpen session Monday without incident. The 32-year-old has been sidelined since mid-June, and will return to a 4.14 ERA and 1.15 WHIP.
– Marlins’ OF Giancarlo Stanton will participate in the Home Run Derby on July 9 in Kansas City. Stanton has 17 home runs this season despite playing half his games in one of baseball’s most pitcher-friendly parks.
– Buster Olney of ESPN.com reports that the Dodgers have scouted Cubs’ 1B Bryan LaHair. LaHair has cooled since his hot start and remains unable to hit lefty pitching.
– According to Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune, the Cubs and White Sox are pursuing Cuban OF Yasel Puig. Puig, 21, has excellent wheels and is likely to command north of $10M in guaranteed money. He recently established residency in Mexico, and should soon be granted major league free agency.
WWE
– Another wrestler has come forward with claims that John Cena was unfaithful to his wife. Kris Katera, who worked with WWE as enhancement talent Chris Wellman and an extra from 2006 to 2010, vouches for Kenn Doane’s allegations toward the Cenation Commander-in-Chief. He tweeted to Doane on Wednesday:
@kenndoane I worked with WWE on and off from 2006-2010 and can back up most everything you say about Cena and his cheating ways man!
Doane, who labored as Kenny of the Spirit Squad and Kenny Dykstra for WWE from 2006 to 2008, blames an affair between Cena and Mickie James for ruining his relationship with the former Diva and ultimately costing him his job. In response to a fan tweet that Cena’s a good hearted person, Katera wrote:
@KKatera @kenndoane..so u 2 have never made a mistake or even cheated before…cheating sucks yes but was he a good hearted person to people
@ShaLoveBK80 @kenndoane Cheating multiple times with different while on the road when his wife was at home unaware … not cool!
Katera says Cena would often discuss his sexual escapades with Jonathan Coachman, who worked for the organization as an announcer through 2008:
@KKatera Really? Jc was that bad huh?
@jenny53503567 Constant talking about hooking up with this chick or that chick. Him and Jonathan Coachman were always talking about it!
Cena’s estranged wife Elizabeth Huberdeau is convinced the WWE Superstar was unfaithful during their marriage and is now on a mission to prove it in court. Her attorney Raymond Rafool told TMZ.com last week they’ve been receiving tips of Cena’s extramarital affairs which, if proven true, could affect their prenuptial agreement and the terms of their pending divorce.
– Monday’s Raw SuperShow saw “Sycho” Sid Vicious make his much anticipated return to WWE after a fifteen year hiatus as he dismantled Heath Slater. Though many people were happy to see the “Master and Ruler of the World” resurface on national television, Reby Sky was not among them. The female grappler feels he doesn’t deserve the spotlight after no-showing multiple independent events in the past year.
“That piece of sh*t Sid no-shows almost EVERY show in the last yr but prances onto Raw. Please tell us again how much u LOVE “the business,” she wrote on Twitter after seeing him appear on television. “Guess he managed not to “lose his wallet” this time. Sad thing is, now that he got 10 more mins of fame he’ll get more bookings to NO-SHOW.”
“F*CK people like that. You f*ck with peoples’ time, money & professional integrity because you’re too much of a douche to keep your word.
“I’m all for hustlin, but BLACKMAILING promotors into giving you more $ after threatening not to show then STILL not showing after they do…
“Makes me sick. .”
WWE Hall of Famer Tammy “Sunny” Sytch took exception to Sky’s statement, remarking on Twitter,
“WOW! Just read something about Reby Sky, who is only known for being Matt Hardy’s girlfriend going off about my good friend Sid Vicious…Like she has room to talk? Who is she? NO ONE! And she was completely disrespectful to the locker room at a show I was on with her… OOOHH just WAIT til I see her again..sh*t’s gonna fly!”
“One thing I’ve always stood by, you always show respect for those who have seniority in this business.. she’s too dumb and ignorant to know that.
“I was raised Old-school by the right people, and she deserves an Old school ass whipping…. she disrespected me and the entire locker room on the show I was on with Matt… I’ll never say I was on a show with HER. Matt and I have been friends for years….I’m surprised she hasn’t learned a little bit.”
Sytch also addressed Sid’s history of no-showing events, writing,
“Regardless if he no-shows or not, someone like her has no right to disrespect someone like him! Sid likes to play his softball…everyone knows it.”
Shannon Moore, a friend of Matt Hardy’s, weighed in on the matter as he tweeted to Sytch,
“Sid is great. He worked with 3 Count in WCW and worked hard. If you have been in the biz for 3 min your opinion don’t fn count. Thanks Sid!! Why do people that have done nothing in the biz want to trash legends. Karma is a b—h. Shut up if you trying to actually make it! @WWEHOFerSunny You proved your point and made a big impact for the chicks. They have no clue what being a Pro is.”
Vicious also reached out to Sytch to thank her for her support, tweeting,
“@WWEHOFerSunny Do not worry about her. Not worth out time. Thank you though. Thank you and I understand. Doesn’t matter what people say though. I loved being on RAW. Bottom line.”
Sky responded to Sytch’s remarks via Facebook, writing,
“So the fact that I don’t agree with how someone conducts themselves professionally gives another a right to threaten me ? Everyone has a “Sunny story”, but no one can ever say I’m anything but professional & respectful to everyone I’ve ever worked with / beside … unless they’re mad. YOU MAD ?
“In any case, I believe I owe you a thank you, Sunny, as I was recently offered a movie role that was written for you – but since you were too unreliable – was passed on to me. Perhaps if you weren’t more concerned with doing things that landed you in H*zelden that would have never happened, but I guess reliability isn’t a priority for you. Or Sid.
“It’s a small world, and if you’re that anxious to see me again I’m sure there are plenty out there who would be more than happy to arrange that. If you can manage to show up, that is.”
Meanwhile, Sid continues to tweet about his surprise return to WWE television on Monday’s RAW:
You guys do not realize how much last night meant to me. It felt great. It was the greatest moment of my life. Thank you! #RAW
Everyone is asking if that was my last WWE appearance. I am not sure yet. I will keep you updated.
– Kenn Doane, who labored as Kenny of the Spirit Squad and Kenny Dykstra for WWE from 2006 to 2008, blames an affair between John Cena and Mickie James for ruining his relationship with the former Diva and costing him his job. While discussing the matter to SEScoops.com, Doane revealed that Cena was having a second affair with a then-WWE Diva who was married to a man not involved with the professional wrestling industry.
Though Doane did not specify the Diva in question, a clue he gave implicated Lisa Marie Varon, formerly known as Victoria in WWE and now known as Tara in TNA Wrestling, as Cena’s ‘Diva road girlfriend.’ Doane said the Diva was transferred from Raw to SmackDown in 2007 like him after being dumped by Cena. Two Divas transferred from Raw to SmackDown in the 2007 WWE Draft—and the entire year—Torrie Wilson and Varon. Wilson was in the process of divorcing Billy Kidman. Varon has been married to a man not affiliated with the professional wrestling industry since 1998, matching Doane’s claim.
Varon addressed Doane’s allegation in an interview with F4WOnline.com. She says, “KD said a Diva married to someone not in the business who moved from RAW to Smackdown in 2007 was sleeping with John Cena. Considering I had nothing to do with why he was whining on the internet, he sure gave enough details about someone he claims he wasn’t trying to involve. I was the only Diva married to someone not in the business who moved from RAW to Smackdown in 2007.
“I want to address this both professionally and personally. Professionally, you hear people talk about ‘backstage politics’ in wrestling. I’ll tell you what that means to me. Backstage politics is not some kind of psychological maneuvering. You work and travel with your wrestling co-workers more than you want to work and travel with anyone. The people who complain about backstage politics generally don’t have the ability to respectfully interact with others.
“I treat everyone with respect. Everyone. Ask the caterers, building security, wrestlers, executives, crew, fans, anyone, who I don’t treat with respect and they would be at a loss for words. And because you spend so much time with these people, you know a lot about the people who you travel with and work closely with. I found that the best way to not make waves is to keep my eyes and ears open, and my mouth shut when it comes to other people’s business.
“The people who complain that they were the victim of backstage politics often either don’t show people respect, or bud into other people’s business.
“On a personal level, what KD said was mostly false, although there was a little truth.
“I have been with my husband for 20 years. He’s the best guy in the world. But like any 20 year relationship, we have some good times and we have had some bad times. And anyone who I traveled with knows that. Because you learn intimate details about each other whether you want to or not.
“We have separated a few times. One of those times that we were separated, I dated John for about a month. It was not in 2006 or 2007. It was in 2002. It was when we were both in Louisville. I was married but separated. John was single. I was never his ‘road girlfriend’. I know that when we were separated, my husband also dated a couple girls. That’s what happens when you are separated.
“In 2002, it was common knowledge that John and I dated. It fed the rumor mills for people who have nothing better to do than gossip like old ladies. So for KD to use bits of information that he was only able to pick up because he was allowed in the inner circle of WWE, and smear me, when I only treated KD with respect, over an incident that he is upset about from 5 years ago, tells me that he didn’t learn anything about ‘backstage politics’ and how it relates to being a decent human being.
“Moving forward, I’m a glass-is-half-full kind of girl. Only my glass isn’t half full. My glass is 99% full. I am blessed. And I’m done discussing the 1%.”
– John Cena celebrates 10 years on the WWE roster today. During the 6/27/02 episode, Kurt Angle made an open challenge to anybody who had not wrestled before so he could show them “ruthless aggression” and make them tap. A virtually unknown wrestler named John Cena came out and answered the challenge. He had a competitive match with Angle, but experience won out and Angle was victorious. After the match, Cena went to shake Angle’s hand, but Angle just laughed at him. Later in the show, several of WWE’s top superstars congratulated Cena for a valiant effort. The Undertaker shook Cena’s hand and told him he did a good job. Recalling his debut match against Angle, Cena stated,
“Literally, I just needed to get through the curtain. I was in shambles that whole day. First, I was told I was going to have a match at 4:00 that afternoon. Then, I was told that I needed to get my hair cut, and I was sent offsite to get that done. I made it back just in time, and everyone was flipping their lid. Randy Orton had tied my boots to a locker in the Allstate Arena [laughs], and basically, I had a giant smile on my face when I got to go through the curtain … because I knew I could no longer be messed with [laughs].”
When asked which moments most spring to mind when looking back at his ten years as a WWE Superstar, he does not name one. Rather,
“To be honest … being able to say that I make a living doing this has been the greatest experience in these 10 years. It’s pretty spectacular.”
Cena admits that when he started his career, he did not imagine that children would look up to him as a role model.
“If you look at who I was four, six years ago, I was pretty racy. I was the king of “pipe bombs” before “pipe bombs” were invented. I consciously knew our product, I consciously saw our audience, and I made a decision that I’d live my life by a certain set of ideals, that I was just going forward in this direction. Whoever was with me was with me, and we’d go from there. It ended up being a good deal,” he says. “I’m very flattered when I meet parents – whether it’s Make-A-Wish or parents with their kids on the street – and they’re like, “Hey, thanks for letting us watch WWE. You’re a very good role model. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”
Cena also revealed that he has his sights set on breaking Ric Flair’s record number of of World Championship reigns.
“I know the number 16 is put on a pedestal, and I’m quite a ways away from that. But that would be something to shoot for. And when or if 16 happens, or number 17 happens, then 20 becomes the number to shoot for. That’s what I love about doing this.”
Cena is asked,
“Would you say that, 10 years later, you’re still just getting started? What do you think about the next 10 years?”
He responds, “I’d say that I’m here [laughs]. I truly know myself, and I try so hard to understand every aspect of WWE every day. There isn’t a day that goes by in WWE that I am not learning something new about this company. So after 10 years, as far as me learning, I’m just getting started. There’s always something to learn.”
– WWE has released their monthly business data, including an updated buyrate for WrestleMania 28 back in April. While WWE initially touted that the event did 1.3 million buys (making it the most purchased WWE PPV of all time), the latest numbers who that the event did 1.1 and 1.2 million buys. WWE has also released preliminary buyrate information for Over the Limit. While the actual number is skewed due to the WM28 buyrate, WWE is touting that the show did more buys than in 2011, but fewer than Over The Limit 2010.
– The WrestleMania 28 DVD has sold 175,000 units in the first two weeks of it being available, making it one of the best selling DVDs in a long time. The recent DVD set from The Rock (released in February) is tied with Steve Austin’s DVD (from November), with 147,000 units shipped in the last nine months.
– WWE.com is now officially advertising Brock Lesnar for the 1,000th RAW celebration on July 23rd from St. Louis, Missouri.
– Monday’s Raw SuperShow drew a 3.28 cable rating, down from 3.42 the week before. The program averaged 4,710,000 viewers compared to 4,960,000 the week before. Raw averaged 4,590,000 viewers in the first hour before increasing to 4,840,000 in the second.
– According to the PWInsider, Dean Ambrose will almost certainly be the next wrestler from developmental to debut on the main roster. WWE writers have been told to come up with storylines to introduce Ambrose. He will debut on the RAW brand. As previously reported, it’s believed that his online feud with Mick Foley has been dropped.
– It was announced at Tuesday’s Smackdown taping that the Interim General Manager next week’s RAW Supershow & Tuesday’s live “Great American Bash” Super SmackDown will be none other than Teddy Long. WWE is bringing back former General Managers each week to run RAW and SmackDown on a temporary basis until a new permanent General Manager will be named on the 1,000th RAW Celebration on July 23rd. So far, we’ve seen Mick Foley, Vickie Guerrero and now Teddy Long running RAW and SmackDown. We’ve heard that WWE is even considering bringing back the mystery “Anonymous General Manager” for one week as a way to finally tie up that loose end and reveal who was behind forgotten angle – but we’ll see if that actually happens.
– The June 23 airing of CMT’s Redneck Island starring Steve Austin drew a 0.45 cable rating, with 707,000 viewers.
– WWE.com has launched a new feature called the “Hall of Shame.” The first class of entrants includes John Laurinaitis, Michael Cole, The Miz and former WWE superstar Batista.
– The following superstars qualified for the SmackDown brand’s Money in the Bank match at next month’s PPV, with a contract to wrestle the World Heavyweight champion (at any time) on the line: Christian, Tensai, Damien Sandow, Santino Marella and Tyson Kidd.
– Suspended WWE superstar Randy Orton continues to respond to fan questions on Twitter. When asked about why WWE banned his skull punt but not Zack Ryder’s Broski Boot move, he responded, “Good Q”. Ryder’s Broski Boot actually is banned, also due to potential concussions.
– As previously reported, Monday’s RAW did a 3.28 cable rating with with 4.71 million viewers. This week’s show was down from last week’s 3.42, but up from the 3.24 two weeks ago. For the third week in a row, RAW gained viewers in hour two. The first hour had 4.59 million viewers and the second hour jumped to 4.84 million. As for demographics, RAW was #1 in all the key male demographics for the night and ranked ranked #2 in total viewers on cable.
– 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:
John Cena Marks 10 Years With WWE: “Hard to believe that John Cena has been with WWE for a decade now. I can vividly recall scouting John in UPW in Southern California back in the day and remarking to WWE Management that I felt that we had signed a future Wrestlemania main eventer within the next five years at that time. ”
Money In The Bank: ” The upcoming MITB bouts are interesting. One will be dotted with former Champions while the other will have a different selection of talents looking to turn heads and maximize their minutes in a high profile bout. These are dangerous bouts and based on past history have produced some of the most memorable moments that I can recall broadcasting. What some of the men have put themselves through to entertain the fans in MITB has been the personification of high risk, high reward.”
WWE’s Next Big Star: “I’m often asked who the next big star in WWE will be. I always give the same answer. It’s impossible to say or to narrow it down to just one talent. WWE has several, developing talents who have a legit shot at making it big … I will say that one, home grown product in WWE Developmental that seemingly has unlimited potential is Leakee, the son of Wild Samoan Sika and a former defensive lineman at Georgia Tech. A natural athlete with drive and toughness, Leakee is 6’3?-260 pounds and is a bright young man who seems to be grounded and has an excellent work ethic. Time will tell how he evolves but don’t be surprised if Leakee doesn’t make some noise in WWE in the future.”
– The lead single on the Insane Clown Posse’s new CD is titled, “Chris Benoit.” ICP member Violent J spoke to the Detroit Free Press about the song and said this about the controversial song title:
“It’s about that loss of sanity. It’s about the snapping, that moment of panic.”
– Here is Roddy Piper’s appearance on Celebrity Ghost Stories. Piper’s former best friend, the late Adrian Adonis, has his back even from the beyond:
– To update the technical issue that occurred during Monday’s RAW, the interruption that was due to a “technical malfunction at USA Network’s Master Control.” WWE issued an appology on Tuesday regarding the slip up, but did not mention that a Linda McMahon campaign ad aired during RAW in Connecticut. Here is the latest edition of “Superstar Toyz.” In this edition of “Superstar Toyz,” Johnny Curtis shares his awesome skateboard collection with the WWE Universe:
– Dave Bautista’s manager, John Ryan Jr. continues to tease that they are on the verge of making a huge announcement about Batista’s next project. He tweeted on Tuesday night:
For all you @DaveBautista who have been waiting for the announcement you are going to be VERY happy with us,Haters are gonna kill themselves
– Episode 22 of the WWE Inbox Youtube show is now online. In this edition, Ezekiel Jackson, Alicia Fox and other Superstars answer Twitter questions from fans, including which remake of a movie they would star in and why:
NHL
– The Flames acquired D Dennis Wideman from the Capitals for D Jordan Henry and a 2013 5th-round draft pick. Calgary then signed Wideman to a 5-year$26.25M contract worth $5.25M annually. Calgary also re-signed F Blake Comeau to a 1-year/$1.25M contract. Comeau had five goals and 10 assists in 58 games with Calgary after being claimed off waivers from the Islanders in November. Wideman had 11 goals and 35 assists in 82 games with the Capitals last year.
– The Blues have signed head coach Ken Hitchcock to a contract extension. Hitchcock guided St. Louis to its first 100-point season since 2001 and was named the NHL’s coach of the year. He remains under contract with the club through the 2013-’14 season with an option for 2014-’15. The Blues hired Hitchcock on November 6, 2011 and he led the club to a 49-22-11 record and its first playoff series win since 2002.
– Plans for a new arena in a suburb just north of Toronto were unveiled at a council meeting on Wednesday and local residents were given the opportunity to pose questions to the business partners involved. The $325M complex that is expected to seat over 20,000 has been approved by Markham council with the city responsible for $162.5M toward the final tally. ”I have been on the road, and the buzz about the GTA centre here in Markham is all over North America,” businessman Graeme Roustan at the Markham Civic Centre told the Toronto Star. “It’s a very exciting project and I’m very excited to be a part of it.” But some of the more than 100 residents in attendance on Wednesday expressed some concern over the cost of the project, which could possibly house an NHL team in the future. ”What I have seen so far, everything is wonderful, actually it’s grandiose, and that’s not my concern at all,” said Donna Bush, vice president of Markham Village City Ratepayers Association told the Star. “The only issue I have is who’s paying for it. And I don’t like the answers there,” Roustan would like to begin construction in 2014 and have the arena completed in time to host the World Junior Hockey Championship in 2015. A site plan application is expected to be submitted for approval this summer.
– The NHL season could start without a new labour agreement if both sides agree to continue talks beyond the Sept. 15 expiration of the current deal. NHL players association executive director Don Fehr said Wednesday “the players haven’t considered what they would do on September 15 or any other date if no agreement is in place.” If players continue working without a new contract, they would do so under the old pact if both sides in the negotiations agree, Fehr said. The regular season is scheduled to start on Oct. 11. Fehr, the former head of the baseball players’ union, said there were a number of times during his 33 years there when a season went on without a collective bargaining agreement.
– The Oilers have signed head coach Ralph Kreuger to a 3-year contract. The 52-year-old was an associate coach with the Oilers.
“We are not going to be focusing on winning, winning, winning to the point that it suffocates us and we squeeze our sticks.
“We have skill in our room that’s so exciting and I need to find ways that their instincts can play freely. We want to be known as a hard-working team on and off the ice, a very disciplined team. And then, naturally, the winning will come as a byproduct of that.”
– Canadiens’ F Mathieu Darche has turned a 2-way contract offer from the Habs, and will become a UFA on July 1. ”Thanks to all #Habs fans for your support and passion. Best in the NHL!!”,” said Darche on his twitter account Wednesday. Last season, Darche scored five goals and added seven assists for 12 points in 61 games.
– The Oilers and Canucks are among a short list of teams that will meet with D Justin Schultz later this week. Schultz became an unrestricted free agent June 24th following the NHL Entry Draft after he failed to come to a contract agreement with the Ducks. The 22-year-old from West Kelowna, BC withdrew from school following the Badgers 2011-12 season. He led all NCAA defenceman with 16 goals and 44 points and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award for the second straight season.
NFL
– Appearing on Sirius NFL Radio on Wednesday, Chiefs’ SS Eric Berry (torn left ACL) declared himself 100% recovered from last year’s surgery. Berry suffered the injury in Week 1 of last season, so he’ll be just about a full year removed by the start of the 2012 campaign. As a rookie in 2010, Berry amassed 92 tackles (77 solo), two sacks, and four interceptions across 16 starts.
ROH
– As reported earlier, Maria Kanellis voiced her displeasure with being groped by a spectator at Saturday’s Ring of Honor Best in the World 2012 event in New York City, writing on Twitter: “Thank you New York for coming to see Mike Bennett and myself. But the guy in the front row that grabbed my bum, I will have you thrown out next time. You are a pervert!!
“I am not to be touched, ever, by a fan weather I am working or not. It’s gross. I am not a toy. You pay to watch, so watch. Don’t touch. The only person that can touch is Mike Bennett. From now on you will get thrown out. thank you…”
Kanellis says she is disgusted with wrestling fan comments she read online Tuesday concerning the groping incident. She tweeted:
“So since Marisa Tomei played a stripper and is scantily clad in a movie that gives you the right to grab her? I don’t think so. I am a performer and so is she. Your comments disgust me on [wrestling website].”