TNA

– Yesterday, reports surfaced that Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff were leaving TNA Wrestling.

A Twitter account that claimed to be Hulk Hogan (and was verified & linked to on Eric Bischoff’s Twitter page) announced that he and Eric Bischoff were parting ways with TNA Wrestling. The person claiming to be Hulk Hogan eventually admitted that he was a fake – but had ‘worked’ Eric Bischoff, Dixie Carter, Bubba The Love Sponge.

The fake Hogan wrote:

“I know you’ve heard the rumors brothers and they are true. Eric and I are leaving TNA on a mutual basis. I just got out of meetings now.” TNA has a new leadership coming in. Make sure you Hulkamaniacs still support them. TNA needs the power of Hulkamania to live on brothers.”

“Thank you Dixie and Bob Carter for the wonderful and positive experiences in TNA. Nothing but the best to you guys. Brothers, this isn’t the last of me though. You’ll be able to see me at “Hulk Hogan & Friends” events on tour soon.”

Eric Bischoff has posted on his Twitter page that the Hulk Hogan Twitter page saying that he and Bischoff were leaving TNA is a fake.He wrote:  “The Hogan twitter site that I posted is a fake one. Hulk IS getting a Twitter page up, but the most recent post is a fake. I will post the REAL page info as soon as we get it. Sorry for the confusion. The Hulk Hogan twitter posts are fake. Hulk IS in the process of setting up a page, but has not as yet. The rumors of us leaving TNA are bogus. ”

Oddly enough, Bischoff himself is the one who announced “Hulk Hogan joins Twitter” on his own Twitter page, with a link to the fake Hogan’s page.

Dixie Carter wrote: “Recent twitter of Hulk Hogan leaving TNA is bogus. To what extreme people will go.”

The guy who is running the fake Hulk Hogan Twitter is now claiming to be a disgruntled TNA employee upset with the Hogan-Bischoff regime, writing:

“I am not Hulk Hogan, but I am a TNA wrestler who got Eric, BTLS, Jarrett, and Dixie to think I was Hogan.. I rallied everyone in to get my true message out in anonymous fashion, b/c any other way on any media platform there would be consequences. ”

“@EBischoff GOT WORKED BROTHERS! He publishes information before even verifying its accuracy. How can someone like this even try to run TNA?!” and “That piece of s*** @BTLSRadio GOT WORKED TOO!”

On the basis of Eric Bischoff’s original announcement that Hulk Hogan’s Twitter account was “realhulkhogan” VoV temporarily published the story that Hogan & Bischoff were leaving TNA. We apologize for the confusion. This story, however, is far from over – stay tuned.

– According to the PWInsider, Hulk Hogan (back) is scheduled to undergo another back surgery today.

– Jeff Wilen of The Daytona Beach News-Journal interviewed Eric Bischoff in his latest JAWBreaker column. Among the topics discussed include the latest going-ons in TNA Wrestling, the big names working together, the tag-team division, Bound for Glory in Daytona Beach, Tommy Dreamer playing a bigger role in the organization, Linda McMahon running for a Senate seat, Paul Heyman and Rob Van Dam.

Bischoff claimed during the interview that he pitched the EV2 storyline back in February and suggested that Dixie Carter reach out to Paul Heyman.

“The whole EV2 story line was something I pitched in February of this year. It wasn’t a Tommy Dreamer idea. Tommy’s a great guy and has great experience. I called Paul and suggested to Dixie (Carter) and Vince Russo that we should reach out to Paul and see if he was interested in coming in. I don’t think it will happen with Paul. He is looking for something different. I don’t think Dreamer will be involved in creative. We have a solid team, with great chemistry. We’ve had great success the last couple weeks and months.”

When asked if he and Hulk Hogan plan on sticking around for a while, Bischoff replied, “We have a couple of years left on our contracts.

MLB

– According to the NY Post, Mets’ RHP Francisco Rodriguez was arrested and charged with 3rd-degree assault on Wednesday at Citi Field for beating his father-in-law. The altercation took place inside Citi Field’s Family Lounge and spilled out into the hallway. K-Rod’s father-in-law apparently suffered “facial bruises and minor head injuries,” and had to be hospitalized. K-Rod could be in real trouble and may be in danger of missing games.

– 790 The Zone in Atlanta is reporting that Braves’ 3B Chipper Jones (knee) has a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the season. We’re still awaiting confirmation from the team, so take this with a grain of salt for now, but if true, not only would this be a tough blow for the Braves’ playoff chances, it would be a very difficult injury to come back from at age 38. Stay tuned.

– The Giants have acquired 2B Mike Fontenot from the Cubs for OF Evan Crawford. Fontenot has posted a mediocre .284/.332/.402 batting line in 169 at-bats for the Cubs this season.

– Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports that the Orioles have placed INF Ty Wigginton on waivers. Wigginton, 32, has posted a .261/.335/.458 batting line, 18 home runs and 60 RBI in 391 at-bats this season while playing almost everywhere for the O’s. He’ll probably get claimed, but we’ll see if a trade can be worked out. Every AL team will get a shot at him before the NL does.

– The Giants have placed SS Edgar Renteria (left biceps strain) on the 15-day DL. Renteria underwent an MRI on Wednesday that revealed the strain. He told reporters that he’s aiming to return in September to aid the Giants’ playoff push, but this is his third stint on the DL this year and it’s hard to guess whether he will accomplish that goal. The 35-year-old is batting .278/.342/.364 with two homers and 21 RBI in 209 at-bats this season.

– Phillies’ 2B Chase Utley (thumb) was given clearance to swing a bat on Wednesday. No rehab assignment has been planned at this point, and Utley’s still on track to return to the Phillies in early September. Utley was examined in New York Wednesday by hand specialist Dr. Andrew Weiland. Utley had an .849 OPS and 11 homers in 72 games before the injury.

NBA

– The Bobcats wanted to get involved in Wednesday’s massive trade, according to David Aldridge on NBA.com, using F Erick Dampier’s non-guaranteed contract to acquire a point guard. Aldridge writes that “Under one scenario, Dampier would have gone to Indiana … with T.J. Ford going to Toronto and the Raptors sending guard Jose Calderon to Charlotte.” This is somewhat irrelevant, since it didn’t happen, but clearly the Bobcats want a PG, the Pacers want to dump Ford, and the Raptors are ready to keep overhauling their roster.

– Blazers’ G Rudy Fernandez said in a recent interview that he is “50-50″ between playing in Europe or the NBA. “If I could decide my future and some NBA team could assure me some minutes and the team played a way that fits my game, then I’d like to continue playing in the States.” He even said that he was “pretty f***** up psychologically” because of the role the Blazers wanted him to play.

– After days of speculation surrounding the possibility that the much-maligned Isiah Thomas would be returning to an advisory capacity for the Knicks, it is being reported that he will not be allowed to do so by the NBA. “It has become apparent that my new agreement violates certain NBA bylaws,” said Thomas about the rules prohibiting NBA employees from having contact with college or high school players. He also expressed regret about how things turned out during his tenure in New York, though we’re guessing the fans regret things just a little bit more.

– Heat’ F Chris Bosh said Wednesday that he was “playing with people’s emotions” in the days and weeks before he made his decision to join the Heat. “If you think about how many times somebody asks you, ‘How are you,’ that’s how many times I was asked, ‘Where you going?” said Bosh. “So it’s like, well, in my case, I’m going to have fun with it. I’m going to play with people’s emotions. I’m going to be high and low.”

NHL

– Flyers’ D Chris Pronger (knee surgery) said he may not be 100% in time for training camp and might miss the start of the season. Pronger underwent minor knee surgery on July 27 after injuring it in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against Boston. “I do not have a time frame. The team knows that. I spoke to the doctor and trainer and it is really just about when my knee feels good and strong again. I don’t want to come back early and play a couple of games and then be out of the lineup and then play a few more and be out. I want to come back when the knee is as close to 100% as possible so I can play every single game from then on.”

NFL

– ESPN’s Chris Mortensen predicts that free agent RB Brian Westbrook will sign with a team by Monday. He names the Rams, Redskins, and Broncos as the likeliest suitors, but leaves open the possibility of a surprise team. The three teams have shown interest in the 30-year-old all along, but he’s been holding out for a better offer from a contender.

– ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that DE Shawne Merriman plans to report to Chargers camp this weekend. He’ll sign his $3.269M tender, confirming his intent to immediately resume practicing. Merriman is coming off a bad season in which he had just four sacks, and went sack-less in 14-of-16 games. After a two-week training camp holdout and an offseason-long absence, it’ll be interesting to see if he gets thrown in the starting rotation.

– Browns’ ILB D’Qwell Jackson (strained right pectoral) will miss 4-to-8 weeks. He’s also getting a second opinion. Eight weeks would sideline Jackson until about October 10, the Browns’ Week 5 game against Atlanta.

WWE

– Regarding Ricky Steamboat’s health, he is expected to make a full physical recovery but will never wrestle again. The WWE Hall of Famer has been able to work out on an elliptical machine, but is prohibited from lifting anything heavier than five pounds.

– Former WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James weighed in on a number of topics in an interview with The Baltimore Sun including her recent departure from World Wrestling Entertainment, the Piggy James storyline, her music career, and more.

James says she hasn’t watched wrestling on television since being released in April, noting it’s much too difficult.

“I didn’t watch wrestling. I still haven’t seen a wrestling show and it’s been three months. The only show I’ve watched was right after I was released and they were chanting, ‘We want Mickie, we want Mickie.’ And I started bawling. It just really broke me, so I didn’t know what I wanted to do. So, I started doing some dates. It’s definitely a different feel. Once you’ve wrestled in front of 90,000 people, where do you go from there?”

Regarding her release, she feels the company wanted to go in a different direction with the women’s division. She also says she didn’t understand their decision at the time, but now recognizes the writing on the wall.

“I just think it was the different direction of the Divas. No one can give 100 percent all the time and they can surely try. Looking back, if I take myself from the picture, there was writing on the wall and if I wasn’t so indulged in the business, I would have seen it. I never would have shut that chapter on my own. I never would have cut that string on my own, so maybe they had to shut that door on me for to fully focus on my music, so maybe it was a blessing in disguise.”

On the topic of the Piggy James storyline, she noted being more upset with its conclusion than the angle itself. She also remains unsure whether company officials were poking fun at her weight.

“I don’t know where it came from. Were they ribbing me or just poking fun? I sat back and prayed about it. There’s still not one female that can go out there and get a reaction I can. And maybe they were trying to pull the fanbase away from me, but I got the championship, then they took it away. After six months of embarrassment and ridicule, that’s the payoff? I had to swallow my pride.”

– Among the topics discussed in Chris Jericho’s upcoming autobiography, Undisputed: How to Become the World Champion in 1,372 Steps, is that of Chris Benoit. He offers insight into the man he previously considered a friend.

Regarding Benoit’s peculiar sense of humor, the rough draft states: “Not a giggle, not a chuckle, not a tee-hee…never went ‘Ha.’ But when somebody threw up or fell down the stairs, he would laugh out loud for hours on end.”

On being his friend, Jericho said while they were close, it wasn’t easy.

The rough draft states: “I considered Chris to be one of my closest companions, but it wasn’t always easy to be his friend. You had to take the good with the bad when it came to his friendship.”

Upon learning of the Benoit family death, Jericho notes: “My gut feeling was Chris had killed them.”

The book also features discussion of his arrival to WWE, the highs and lows, his relationship with Vince McMahon, the creation of Fozzy, and more. The book is set for release on February 16, 2011.

VoV

Marc Valeri – captaincharisma@hotmail.com
VoV – www.voiceofvaleri.com
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NBA

– Suns’ F Hedo Turkoglu ripped into the Raptors’ organization in statements released Sunday, and also defended Heat’ F Chris Bosh, who was recently criticized by Raptors’ GM Bryan Colangelo for not playing down the stretch of last season. He later criticized Colangelo for his comments about Bosh, and said he didn’t think Bosh would quit on his teammates. Colangelo would not respond to Hedo’s statements, instead calling him “a friend” and wishing him well. Turkoglu’s remarks were sparked by Colangelo’s allegations that Bosh “checked out” late last season and chose not to play some of the Raptors’ final games.

“People have to realize something is wrong with that organization and nobody wants to go there any more. It’s not just the players who see this.”

”I just don’t understand why you would say these things. Like I said, that organization has problems.”

”It’s funny that people will talk behind your back. If he was feeling this way, why not have the guts to say it during the season? Why not say it to Chris? Now that Chris has left, it’s not nice to say those things.

”Chris has been a franchise player and he did a lot of good things for the Raptors. I don’t think Chris is the type of player to quit on his teammates.”

”I don’t have to talk any more about it for me because it’s past now. I don’t care any more what people say about me because I’ve got other things to worry about.”

– F Shaquille O’Neal has “tested the market in Europe trying to land one last $10M payday,” according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Shaq likely won’t sign overseas, but his priority seems to be making as much money as possible next season. The Cavaliers could still re-sign Shaq for around $6M, says beat writer Brian Windhorst, “and wait for a contender to get desperate to match up with the Lakers or Magic.”

– The Wizards have re-signed F Josh Howard to a 1-year deal worth up to $4M in incentives.

– According to CW30 Eyewitness News out of Memphis, the ex-wife of slain former NBA player Lorenzen Wright, Sherra Wright, is currently in police custody in connection with his murder. Detectives spent most of Sunday at her house assessing, among other things, a grill and fire pit that neighbors reported was used after his disappearance. According to them the fire was large and unusual because it occurred on the hottest night of the year. Sherra claimed to be the last one to see him since he was found murdered on Wednesday.

– The Heat have signed G Eddie House to a 2-year/$2.8M deal.

– The Hawks have re-signed F Jason Collins. In 24 games last season, the 31-year-old Collins posted averages of 0.7 points and 0.6 rebounds in 4.8 minutes per contest.

NFL

– Patriots’ WR Wes Welker (knee/shoulder) will come off the active/PUP list and practice on Sunday. Coming off camp/PUP is key for being ready for Week 1. Welker has passed his physical just over six months after ACL surgery. He’s reportedly looked awesome in side work at camp so far. Expect Welker to start on Opening Day.

– Manish Mehta of the NY Daily News reports that Jets’ CB Darrelle Revis has decided to follow through on his training camp holdout. The Revis camp released a statement: “We waited until last possible minute with hope of getting something done. Darrelle won’t be there.” Revis’ holdout becomes official when he fails to report to Cortland at 5:30ET after previously opting to not show for his conditioning test Sunday. According to Mehta, “(Revis) is not coming back without a new deal. Next move belongs to (the Jets).”

– The Denver Post reports that Broncos’ RB Knowshon Moreno (right hamstring) will miss three weeks due to “minor fraying” in his right hamstring. Moreno should be ready for Week 1. Citing a league source, the Post’s report seconds CBS 4 Denver’s story that Moreno’s hamstring is “slightly,” but not completely torn.

– The Jaguars have signed DT Tyson Alualu, the No. 10 overall pick, on a 5-year contract.

– The Chargers have signed RB Ryan Mathews, the No. 12 overall pick, to a 5-year/$25.65M deal with $15.083M guaranteed. He only missed a few days, and will return to the field as San Diego’s first-team tailback, a position manned by FB Mike Tolbert (not Darren Sproles) to this point in camp. Though Mathews should flirt with 300 touches if he stays healthy, he’s being drafted too early for our tastes. His current ADP is squarely in the second round, and we’ve often seen him in the first. Mathews will lose a lot of receptions to Sproles, and possibly goal-line carries to Tolbert.

– The Titans have signed the No. 16 overall DE Derrick Morgan to a 5-year contract. The ACC sack leader and first-team All American will enter camp third on the depth chart at right defensive end.

NHL

– The Sharks have re-signed RFA F Devin Setoguchi to a 1-year/$1.8M deal. GM Doug Wilson said “We’re happy to have Devin under contract for next season…he is an important part of our team and we are looking forward to his on-going growth as a player. We have very high expectations for him.”

– According to reports, an arbitrator awarded Blackhawks’ G Antti Niemi $2.75M for next season. The figure appears to be just below the Blackhawks threshold to retain their goalie. If true, the Hawks would now have 48 hours to accept the award or walk away. It was previously believed that the Hawks asked for $2M per season while Niemi was seeking $3M.

– The Lightning have signed F Dominic Moore to a 2-year deal. Moore, a defensive, 2-way forward, split last season between the Panthers and Canadiens, recording 10 goals and 28 points in 69 games.

– The Oilers have re-signed G Jeff Deslauriers to a 1-year/$1.05M contract. Deslauriers was 16-28-4 last season with a 3.26 GAA and .901 SV%.

– The Canadiens have signed D Alexandre Picard to a 1-year/2-way deal, F Louis Leblanc to a 3-year deal and D Alex Henry to a 2-year/2-way contract. Picard, 25, scored four goals and added 11 assists in 54 games with Ottawa and Carolina last season. Leblanc was the 18th overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.  He is eligible to be sent to AHL, but he has signed with the Montreal Juniors of the QMJHL. The current plan is to have him play in the QMJHL, but it depends on what happens in Canadiens camp. The 6-foot-1, 184-pound forward led Harvard in goals (11), assists (12), and points (23) as a freshman during the 2009-10 seasons.  Leblanc was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year. Henry did not appear in the NHL last season, but over 68 games with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL, he had 13 assists and a plus-17 rating and ranked second on the team with 154 penalty minutes.

– The Blackhawks have signed D Nick Leddy to a 3-year contract. The 19-year-old registered three goals and eight assists during his freshmen season at the University of Minnesota in 2009-10.

– Green Party leader Elizabeth May named former Canadiens’ F Georges Laraque as a deputy leader of the party on Saturday. The 260-pound fighter will focus on promoting the link between physical health and the environment. He maintains he has no intention of seeking a seat in the next federal election. He joined the Green party last February but his role had remained undefined until now.

MLB

– The Astros have re-signed RHP Brett Myers to a 2-year extension. The deal will keep Myers in Houston through the 2012 season and carries a club option for 2013. The starting pitcher is guaranteed $21M and could reach $29.5M if he lasts through 2013 and reaches performance bonuses. He’s in the midst of a 1-year/$3.1M deal.

– Royals’ RHP Gil Meche (shoulder) has decided against season-ending surgery and will instead head to the bullpen for the remainder of the year. Meche, who Royals manager Ned Yost said last Tuesday was headed to go under the knife, apparently sought an opinion from surgeon Dr. David Altchek on Thursday in New York. Altchek advised Meche that he’d be unable to pitch in 2011 if he underwent a procedure. However, after consulting with his fiancee, a team physical therapist, Royals GM Dayton Moore and Meche’s agent, the plan was formulated to keep him active by throwing in the ‘pen. Meche will continue rehab on his pitching shoulder, start tossing short sessions and otherwise prepare for a role as a reliever.

– The Royals have placed RHP Robinson Tejeda (right biceps tendon strain) on the 15-day DL retroactive to July 30.

– The Cardinals have placed SS Tyler Greene (right hand contusion) on the 15-day DL.

– The Padres have placed OF Oscar Salazar (strained right Achilles tendon) on the 15-day DL retroactive to July 30.

WWE

– WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog at JRsBarBQ.com with a reaction to Randy Savage working with WWE again after so many years, rumors that Sid is returning to WWE and the possibility of NXT War Games match:

Randy Savage On Good Terms with WWE? “I do not know any more than most fans about WWE’s updated relationship with Randy Savage or what the future holds for WWE/Savage, if any thing. It seems that a marketing arrangement has or is being established and one could always speculate that could eventually morph into more. Yes, Randy Savage is deserving of the WWE HOF and perhaps one day he will be inducted which would be a great moment for his many, loyal fans. Until then, let’s just sit back, be patient and wait.”

Sid Returning to WWE? “We’re getting a great deal of questions regarding Sid returning to WWE. I’m not in the loop nor do I know WWE’s plans or Sid’s physical status. Does Sid even want to get back on the road to any degree? I have no idea but if I had to make a random guess I would suggest that WWE and Sid will likely never do any thing together in a significant way again. I certainly could be wrong because as I said I don’t know WWE’s plans other than they are definitely trying to get their roster ‘younger.’”

NXT War Games: “Is the War Games a concept suited for The Nexus? It certainly might work but it adds yet another steel cage into the PPV equation. Steel cages, in any form, and frequent title changes seem to be over utilized from my personal perspective in general within the biz. Plus, although I like Nexus very much, they all have a long way to go and need significant ring time to hone their skills to a perennial main event level and there is no guarantee that all 7 can or will succeed in such. I do feel that Nexus is the freshest thing to come along in WWE in a good while so I am more than happy as a fan to watch this faction grow and develop and and to wait and see what happens down the road.”

VoV

Marc Valeri – captaincharisma@hotmail.com
VoV – www.voiceofvaleri.com
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It’s been a while, but The Peep Show is back! I’m still reeling from getting hacked, which you can read more about by clicking here. It’ll be interesting to see how this affects the traffic numbers. To kick it off, something I saw while watching the highlights for today’s games that just pissed me right off…

Bosh Chirps Toronto

Heat’ F Chris Bosh, formerly a Toronto Raptor, has finally told a Miami newspaper his true feelings about the city of Toronto. Bosh describes the city as a ‘different’ and unfamiliar destination.

“I didn’t want to go there. It was different. All I knew was Vince Carter was there and I never saw him play on TV. It was a whole different country, and it was just different. I’m 19 years old, I didn’t know anything about culture and being away from home. All I know is the States…Toronto’s a great place, a fantastic city. It’s a metropolitan area, but you could tell you’re somewhere different. You could feel it, you could look at it, you can smell it. Everything. All your senses tell you you’re somewhere different. You can smell it.”

You know, a lot of former Raptors have had issues with Canada. F Antonio Davis hated the metric system. G Doug Christie said his mother-in-law’s cooking in Toronto tasted different than back home. But to say that the city smells different proves just how much of a moron you really are.

Now, I could run through a bunch of things that makes Canada better than the US, but to avoid angering my peeps to the south, I’ll hold my tongue. I can’t say that I’ve been to too many cities in the US – I’ve heard great things of Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, Boston – but Toronto is a classy, multi-cultural city. Eve the Huffington Post called Toronto North America’s “coolest city.” Understandably, since there are only one Canadian (Toronto) team in the NBA and MLB (which are primary sports in the US), it will never feel like home for a US-born basketball player.

That said, players generally love the city once they get here. There are tons of celebrities, athletes, teams, sights to see, nightlife, diversity, you name it. When in Toronto, you play as a star – everyone recognizes you. You become a celebrity in yourself.

If you look around the league, Toronto is always amongst the top cities that players vote as their favourite. In fact, many teams arrive a day early or stay a day longer in T.O. because of stuff like the nightlife, bars and clubs downtown, the ethnic diversity all across the city. Dot. That said, in many player’s eyes, Toronto is a ‘great place to visit, but not to live here.’

Toronto’s biggest problem is winning. The Jays haven’t won since the early 90′s. The Leafs are winless since 1967. The CFL and NLL are considered a minor league amongst Americans. And the Raptors? They haven’t won anything. The franchise itself has a poor track record for winning, which compounds the problem of playing in Toronto. The NBA is not run like a video game, where players can be signed or traded on a whim without issues. People like GM Bryan Colangelo often deal with players who have American families living in America who are unwilling to move to Canada. Family location, birthplace, friends, housing, etc. are all aspects factored into whether or not a player signs anywhere – the problem is, they’re magnified when Toronto is a potential suitor. You’re not just changing cities for some players, but countries.

The Raptors’ franchise has had to deal with this for years, and will have to deal with it forever it seems. The ‘winning’ issue can be solved by, well, simply winning. A winning franchise will attract players from all over the city. This ‘different place’ problem is what haunts the Blue Jays now too, but this issue was non-existent when they won back-to-back World Series rings in the early ’90′s. Players were dying to come to Toronto to finally win a ring that their career had been lacking. Now? Toronto teams are places people go to for bounce-back seasons, slighty higher pay, getting the opportunity to start on a regular basis, or if they have no other options and are forced to sign. If the Raptors ever become an elite NBA team, attracting great American players will be incredibly simpler. It’s all something that the fans and the franchise are going to have to get used to.

Kovalchuk/Devils
This was a stupid deal. 17-years/$102M? I’m glad that the NHL stopped it. It was so heavily frontloaded, it’s ridiculous. There’s no way Kovalchuk would’ve played until his 17th season (age 44), and would’ve easily retired in his late 30s to just reap the remaining dollars on the contract. I don’t think he has any intention of playing the duration of that contract out, but now that the NHLPA has filed a grievance, it may go through/get slighty tweaked.

Raps Snubbed
MJ pulled out of a late deal that would’ve seen the Raps get a 3-player package including Tyson Chandler and Boris Diaw. I was beside myself when I found out that Jordan pulled out. Chandler is exactly the kind of guy the Raps need, and Diaw’s versatility would’ve been key. That would’ve changed the starting lineup from Bargnani-Bosh-Turkoglu-DeRozan-Calderon from last season, to Chander-Bargnani-Diaw-Barbosa-Jack, which would’ve been solid. Moving Turk’s massive contract was key, especially for a guy with the calibre of talent that Barbosa has. I’m glad BC has decided to throw caution to the wind, since it’ll be his ass on the line if the Raps have another season without making the playoffs.

Raw vs. Nexus
This angle is turning out alright. There’s still a lot of question marks regarding whether these guys can hold their own in a match that’s longer than 10 minutes, how they can perform one-on-one when there aren’t 6 other guys there to bail them out, etc.. I think Triple H will be the leader of Nexus, rather than John Cena, but either one would be fine by me. I personally think HHH is far better as a heel than he is a face, so I welcome the change. Cena’s face promos and mannerisms are just so old, I think he needs to switch sides. Will it happen? I doubt it, since he’s the top merchandise seller for the WWE right now. Him and Rey Mysterio are probably the two unlikeliest to have heel turns. Speaking of turns, how about Randy Orton? A great transition from heel to face, the same mannerisms and behaviour, but the RKO is *so* incredibly over with the crowd right now, it’s insane. It’s almost like the Stone Cold Stunner circa 1997ish when Austin was doing it to everyone. Those were the days…

What’s Next?
I’ve got the same few projects under wraps right now. Whether or not they’re unveiled remains to be seen, but I’m trying to find more time to write columns and stuff, since I think that it’s what’s lacking most on the site.

I just got my Skype/video blogging/podcast stuff worked out on my new laptop, so both tools have become potential options for VoV. You’re more likely to see a podcast coming before you see me videoblogging/Skype-ing, but who knows – this Peep Show feature may become a podcast just in itself. I’d like to do one for WWE/MLB/NHL, but that’ll depend on a number of factors.

I think that’s it for now. As always, I’ll be taking questions off of VoV post comments, Twitter replies, Facebook questions, emails, SpringForm questions, the Facebook fanpage, you name it. The links are posted below where you can contact me. Again, if you’re sending via email, please use something to the effect of “VoV” in the subject line so it doesn’t get filtered by spam. I’ve been getting truckloads of spam as of late, so if you used a stupid subject line, it probably got caught with the rest.

VoV

Marc Valeri – captaincharisma@hotmail.com
VoV – www.voiceofvaleri.com
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NBA

– Heat’ F Chris Bosh, a former Raptor, finally told a Miami newspaper about how he really feels about the city of Toronto. Bosh describes the city as a ‘different’ and unfamiliar destination.

“I didn’t want to go there. It was different. All I knew was Vince Carter was there and I never saw him play on TV. It was a whole different country, and it was just different. I’m 19 years old, I didn’t know anything about culture and being away from home. All I know is the States…Toronto’s a great place, a fantastic city. It’s a metropolitan area, but you could tell you’re somewhere different. You could feel it, you could look at it, you can smell it. Everything. All your senses tell you you’re somewhere different. You can smell it.”

The city smells different. Really. Check the latest edition of The Peep Show for my full thoughts on this.

– Raptors’ GM Bryan Colangelo said that the Raps’ second-half decline last season may have been because F Chris Bosh had already mentally checked out of Toronto. In an interview with The FAN590, Colangelo suggested Bosh returned from last February’s all-star weekend a changed man, and the team suffered as a result.

“I’ve talked so much about those voices that could have been speaking to him at all-star (weekend). I think it’s pretty obvious now what some of those voices were.

“Whether he was mentally checked out or just wasn’t quite into it down the stretch, he wasn’t the same guy and I think everyone saw that. It’s just no one wanted to acknowledge it.”

Colangelo pointed out that entering the all-star break the Raptors had tied a franchise record with 29 wins.

“It seemed like everything was rolling along. But then the wheels fell off. Part of that was because Chris got hurt.”

Bosh injured his ankle on February 17 and would miss the next six games. Colangelo said Monday it was an injury at a key point in the season that Bosh might have been able to play through.

“Despite limited swelling and any excessive damage on an MRI, he felt like he needed to sit for six more games. I’m not even questioning Chris’ injury. I’m telling you he was cleared to play subject to tolerance on his part, and the tolerance just apparently wasn’t there and he chose not to play.”

Colangelo added he doesn’t believe any tampering occurred between players and he gave Heat president Pat Riley credit for creating the salary cap space to accommodate Bosh, Dwayne Wade and LeBron James.

“I don’t know what to say other than we had a tough season, based on the timing of that injury and that sequence,” said Colangelo.

– Grizzlies’ rookie G Greivis Vasquez (bone spur in right ankle) has undergone successful surgery that is expected to sideline him until late September for training camp. Vasquez was injured while playing in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

– The Warriors have signed G Jannero Pargo to a 2-year/$2.4M deal. Pargo averaged 5.5 points and 1.4 assists in 63 games with the Bulls last season.

– The Celtics have re-signed G Marquis Daniels. The seven-year veteran missed 28 games with a torn ligament in his left thumb that required surgery and averaged a career-low 5.6 points in 51 games.

– The Heat have re-signed F Shavlik Randolph. Randolph appeared in six games last season with the Heat and Blazers.

NHL

– The Capitals have re-signed F Tomas Fleischmann to a 1-year/$2.6M deal. Fleischmann is coming off a career-best season in 2009-10, where he scored 23 goals and 28 assists in 69 games and made the Czech Republic squad for the Vancouver Olympics.

– The Penguins will host the Capitals in the 4th installment of the Winter Classic on January 1 at Heinz Field. Penguins’ F Max Talbot has added more fuel to the fire that is the growing rivalry between the Penguins and Capitals. In an interview with 105.9 The X to promote next season’s Winter Classic between the two teams, the Penguins forward said Ovechkin was a “real douche” and he didn’t like the Capitals star.

“I just hate the guy. I can’t lie. Sorry. Even more so for a guy like Ovechkin. Like, seriously, okay … yeah. I don’t like him.

“The first time I met him, actually, when I met him off the ice. You hear a lot of stories about a guy, but sometimes they’re not true. You hear of guys who are not good guys, and you’re like, ‘Yeah, okay, I’ll give the guy a shot.’ The first time I met him, let’s say he didn’t give the best impression to me, so better reason to hate him even more.”

Talbot also said his hatred for the Russian sniper grew stronger at the NHL Awards following Pittsburgh’s Stanely Cup win in 2009.

“I was actually at the NHL Awards last summer with (Evgeni) Malkin, and we brought the Stanley Cup over there after the season. Malkin knew Ovechkin, and introduced me to him, and the first impression wasn’t great. I’m not really going to say what happened, but I’m like, ‘Ok, this guy is a real douche.’”

I’ve got a lot to say about Ovie, but I’ll save it for another time. Not a fan of him as a player or as a human being.

– The Lightning have signed F Chris Durno to a 1-year deal. Durno recordedfour goals and eight points in 41 games with the Avs last season. He also played in 17 games with Lake Erie last season, recording 10 goals and 18 points.

– The Coyotes have re-signed F Alexandre Picard to a 1-year deal and F Bracken Kearns to a 1-year/2-way contract. Picard was acquired by the Coyotes from Columbus on March 3 but did not appear for the team in an NHL game. He played in nine games for the Blue Jackets before the deal and did not score. The 29-year-old Kearns had 15 goals, 36 assists and 99 penalty minutes in 80 games last season for Rockford of the AHL.

MLB

– The Yankees and Red Sox are considered the frontrunners for Jays’ LHP Scott Downs.

– Royals’ RHP Gil Meche (shoulder) will undergo season-ending surgery. Meche, 31, has been on the DL since May 29 with what the club described as bursitis in the shoulder. Meche has battled injuries the past two seasons. He has one year left on a 5-year/$55M deal.

– Andre “The Hawk” Dawson has officially been inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame. Dawson, who endured 12 knee surgeries during an impressive 21-year career, was inducted Sunday into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, becoming just the 203rd player in the game’s long history to receive the honour. Dawson is an 8-time all-star, recording 438 homers, 2,774 hits, 1,591 RBIs and 314 stolen bases in his career from 1976-96. He’s one of just three players to have recorded 400 homers and 300 steals.

“Thank you for welcoming this rookie to your team. It’s an honour beyond words. I didn’t play this game with this goal in mind, but I’m living proof that if you love this game, the game will love you back. I am proof that any young person who can hear my voice right now can be standing here as I am.”

“There’s nothing wrong with the game of baseball. Baseball will, from time to time like anything else in life, fall victim to the mistakes that people make. It’s not pleasant and it’s not right. Individuals have chosen the wrong road, and they’re choosing that as their legacy. Those mistakes have hurt the game and taken a toll on all of us.

NFL

– Redskins’ DE Albert Haynesworth will reportedly arrive early for training camp Wednesday in an effort to “reach out” to coach Mike Shanahan. According to Chris Russell of 980 ESPN, Haynesworth has lost over 40 pounds and is “definitely in good shape.” It’s now believed that Haynesworth has accepted that “this is where he’s going to be.” Still driven primarily by financial considerations, he’s opted against risking a portion of his $21M bonus by trying force his way out of D.C.

VoV

Marc Valeri – captaincharisma@hotmail.com
VoV – www.voiceofvaleri.com
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NBA

– From Alan Hahn’s twitter account, he covers the Knicks for Newsday

“Multiple sources are telling Newsday that LeBron James has decided to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. The new Big Three is here.”

We have speculated that the three have had a pact to play together for some time, and this report is from a fairly reliable source in Hahn and Newsday. Later, ESPN’s Chris Broussard said the same thing via Twitter. There’s still a chance LeBron could change his mind at the last minute, but as of now, it looks like he’s going to Miami to play with Wade and Bosh. And don’t be surprised if this is enough to bring Pat Riley back to the bench next season.

In addition, the latest rumour swirling in Miami is that LeBron put down a deposit on a $49M estate here in Coral Gables and was seen around town yesterday.

Wow. If this is true (don’t take it as fact until he says it on ESPN), expect an Instant Classic ripping into this whole situation.

– AOL Fanhouse is reporting that F Shaquille O’Neal’s “first choice” is to win a championship with the Spurs. The Spurs are said to be interested in him as well.

– AOL Fanhouse reports that the Heat are trying to bring back G Jason Williams. J-Will won an NBA title with the Heat in 2006.

NHL

– Contradicting an earlier report, the Kings are not interested in signing UFA F Ilya Kovalchuk according to team governor Tim Leiweke. The problem the Kings have is that they will need to sign talented players like D Drew Doughty etc. to long-term deals soon, and they won’t have the cap space to do so if they give Kovalchuk the $8M+ annually that he’ll command on a long-term contract. The two sides were done with each other this past Sunday and then Kovalchuk’s agent “re-engaged” the team in conversations, the paper reports. The agent, Jay Grossman, sent a proposal to the team Wednesday that didn’t leave enough salary-cap space in the team’s budget to keep the younger players it has been grooming to be building blocks for the organization, according to the Times. “We really would love to add Kovi to our team, but not at the cost of our good young players. Dean (GM Lombardi) is trying here, but we know what we need in cap space going forward to keep our nucleus together. We can’t let one guy throw us into panic in a year or two. It is not about cash. It is about cap.” It looks like the Devils for Kovalchuk if he stays in the NHL, if not, the KHL. Stay tuned.

– The Wild have re-signed F Robbie Earl to a 1-year/2-way contract. Earl was looking for a one-way deal, but couldn’t find one with any NHL team so he re-signed with the Wild. He will get $550K when he is in the NHL and $105K as a minor leaguer.

NHL

– According to MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan, discussions are “heating up” between the Rangers and Mariners involving M’s ace LHP Cliff Lee. Add another team to the growing list. The Reds have reportedly exchanged names with the Mariners, the Twins may or may not have made an offer, and the Mets and Yankees are at least kicking the tires on Lee. Texas definitely has the prospects to make a deal work and the money exchanged should be a non-issue, even with the murky situation surrounding the Rangers’ exchange of ownership. Lee, who has fanned 89 batters and walked only six, is owed just about $4M.

– According to Newsday, the Mets “like the idea” of bringing Cubs’ LHP Ted Lilly back to the team. If they can afford it, the team would pick up the $6M left on his deal so that it wouldn’t have give up too much in the prospects department in order to get the 34-year-old with the 3-7 record and 3.76 ERA. Other Cubs being mentioned on the trade block include SS Ryan Theriot, 2B Mike Fontenot, INF Jeff Baker, 1B Derrek Lee, OF Kosuke Fukudome and OF Xavier Nady.

NFL

– LB Antonio Pierce has officially announced his retirement from the NFL and will be joining ESPN as an NFL analyst. The writing was on the wall for Pierce, who would have needed surgery on his neck in order to continue his playing career. The former undrafted free agent finishes his career with 687 tackles, nine sacks and seven interceptions. Pierce “will appear on NFL Live, SportsCenter, ESPNEWS, and 1050 ESPN New York, and he will provide weekly analysis on ESPNNewYork.com, ESPN’s home for New York sports news and information.” He said in a statement that “After nine years of having the privilege of playing in the National Football League, today I’ve decided to end my playing days…I am extremely excited about contributing my knowledge and experience in this new endeavor to the championship team at ESPN.”

WWE

– Multi-time WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus will be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at Saturday’s Blue Jays/Red Sox game. The game takes place at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario.

TNA

– According to the Wrestling Observer, former WCW star “Taskmaster” Kevin Sullivan met recently with TNA President Dixie Carter about joining the company’s creative team. During that meeting, Sullivan presented an angle that involves a year-long main event storyline that would require them signing a top star who the company would likely have difficulty getting. In addition, TNA did, in fact, quietly part ways with writer Ed Ferrara a few weeks ago. Ferrara left a teaching position and was brought into the company several months ago around the time that Jim Cornette not-so-quietly parted ways with them, in large part due to that hiring. Of course, Ferrara also served as Vince Russo’s right-hand man for the WWF during the Attitude Era.

– One third of the Knockout Tag Team Champions, Velvet Sky, recently signed a three-year contract with TNA Wrestling. She also received a pay raise, bumping her salary from $300 per show to $600 per show. As a result, she is among the company’s top female earners.

VoV

Marc Valeri – captaincharisma@hotmail.com
VoV – www.voiceofvaleri.com
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NBA

– Chris Bosh and Dywane Wade said on ESPN Wednesday that they’ve both agreed to play for the Heat next season. This news broke earlier in the day, but now becomes a certainty. Both players said they won’t change their minds, and will now wait, along with the rest of us, for F LeBron’s decision tomorrow night. They also said that it “wasn’t about the money” and that they would take less to make room for LeBron or to help fill out the roster if necessary. They also said they have not decided on how many years they’ll sign for.

Miami came into the free-agent period with around $44M of cap space, not including $16M or so earmarked for Wade, thanks to years of avoiding just about any deal where money would have been committed for the 2010-11 season.

The Heat lack the salary-cap space to give Bosh, Wade and James all the maximum amounts they would be entitled to receive in their next contracts, so what would likely happen — again, if the scenario came together — was each player agreeing to take a bit less in base salary for 2010-11. If that happens, then they would probably receive contracts allowing them to become free agents again in three years if they wanted.

Miami does have the room to give Bosh and Wade max deals, although would still have to do some bargain-shopping to fill its roster for the coming year. As of Wednesday morning, Miami had only F Michael Beasley and G Mario Chalmers under contract for 2010-11.

The expectation around the Heat for months was that Wade would have a flirtation with free agency, then return to Miami for a 6-year/$125M, maybe a bit more or less depending on what the salary cap number for the coming 2010-11 season is.

VoV

Marc Valeri – captaincharisma@hotmail.com
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NBA

– G Dwyane Wade and F Chris Bosh are expected to announce they’ll be joining the Heat on Wednesday. As for F  LeBron James? Cleveland still looks like his destination, but that is not final. Bosh, who may or may not be part of a sign-and-trade deal, and Wade to Miami is not final either, but it sure sounds like they’ve both agreed to go play for Pat Riley. Bosh reportedly turned down the chance to go to Cleveland, but it does still sound like it’s possible that LeBron will join them in Miami. We’ll likely not hear much out of LeBron’s camp until Thursday night, when he’ll hold the world hostage for an hour on the World Wide Leader.

ESPN’s Chris Broussard, who broke the Bosh/Wade-to-Miami story, called the Heat the ‘clear frontrunner’ to land LeBron. Broussard also said he might change his mind in an hour, and that he still didn’t know if LeBron was going to Miami or not. Broussard has been as connected as anyone to what’s going on in free agency, and while nothing is set in stone, this is just another piece of LeBron news that is going to make the city of Cleveland lose sleep on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports writes that the Cavaliers are “confident” that Bosh won’t play for them next season — but LeBron will. Wojo cites “multiple sources” but goes on to say that the “Cavs understand there are still looming threats to pry LeBron, but getting Bosh isn’t make or break on keeping LBJ.” There has been a palpable shift toward Cleveland lately, but until LeBron breaks his silence anything is possible.

On Tuesday night, ESPN reported that LeBron will announce where he’ll play next season during a one-hour TV special. James’ publicist is expected to release a statement later Wednesday.

– Thunder’ F Kevin Durant has agreed to a 5-year extension with the team. Durant, who is in Orlando watching the OKC summer-league team, announced the signing on Twitter Wednesday. “Exstension for 5 more years wit the thunder….God Is Great, me and my family came a long way…I love yall man forreal, this a blessing!” he wrote.

– The Heat have discussed a sign-and-trade with the Mavericks to acquire F Brendan Haywood in exchange for F Jermaine O’Neal and/or F Michael Beasley, according to the Miami Herald. Miami had a “productive” meeting with Haywood last weekend, and if they land him it could be a coup for the Heat — Chris Bosh should be satisfied that he wouldn’t be forced to play center in South Beach.

– ESPN reports that if LeBron doesn’t sign with the Knicks, the team will pursue Jazz’ F Carlos Boozer as a backup plan. The Heat have also expressed interest in Boozer.

– ESPN reports that G Raja Bell is interested in signing with either the Mavericks, Magic or Heat. Bell will wait until Bosh/Wade/LeBron have made their decisions before signing.

– Bucks’ GM John Hammond conceded that G Luke Ridnour is likely to leave Milwaukee via free agency. The Bucks can’t spend big money on a backup for G Brandon Jennings, and they’ve shown interest in G Travis Diener, a more affordable free agent. The Knicks have emerged as a strong candidate to sign Ridnour.

– The Suns are still pursuing F David Lee to replace F Amare Stoudemire.

– Vinny Del Negro has agreed to become the Clippers next head coach, though the deal has yet to be finalized. Del Negro beat out finalist Dwane Casey for the job, and takes over a roster full of intriguing young talent -  the only two players under contract older than 21 are Baron Davis and Chris Kaman. While panned for some of his play-calling (especially late in games), Del Negro did a fair job in a turbulent situation as a rookie coach in Chicago.

– Nuggets’ F Kenyon Martin (knee) has no timetable for a return. K-Mart spoke briefly after arriving at his basketball camp in the Rocky Mountains on Tuesday, and in his first public comments since his latest operation, Martin told The Associated Press his surgically repaired left knee was feeling better but that he had no idea when he’ll hit the NBA hardcourt again. “The timetable is when I’m ready. When the knee is ready. No timetable has been set. As far as coming back, when I’m ready, I’m ready. I’m doing all I can. I am rehabbing every day. Twice a day some days. So I’m definitely making progress.”

MLB

– The Tampa Tribune reports that the Rays and Mariners are rumoured to have a trade involving OF B.J. Upton and LHP Cliff Lee. Rays owner Stuart Sternberg told the world that he plans to be a buyer at the upcoming trade deadline and that the team is willing to spend some extra dough to add salary. “Our eye is really about making the postseason. Money won’t be an object. Players are always an object for us and the money will be an impediment, but we’ll figure it out if it makes all the sense in the world for this team.”

– A soucre confirmed to FOXSports.com Tuesday that the Yankees are “kicking the tires” on M’s LHP Cliff Lee. It sure sounds like GM Brian Cashman doesn’t want to give up any of his top prospects, which makes sense given that the Yankees are expected to attempt to sign Lee as a free agent this winter. The Twins, Rays, Cardinals and Mets have also shown interest in the Seattle southpaw.

– Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle hears that the Giants would prefer to acquire OF Corey Hart from the Brewers. There’s been some chatter that the Giants also have interest in 1B Prince Fielder — and they very well might — but Schulman writes that Hart is the one Brewers player they have their sights on. Hart is under team control for another season, but if the Brewers are serious about keeping Fielder, it’s unlikely they will be able to keep both. From the Giants perspective, though he won’t come cheaply, Hart will cost less in the way of prospects.

– According to Mark Castrovince of MLB.com, Indians’ OF Shin-Soo Choo “might not” need surgery on his right thumb. Slightly updated from what Paul Hoynes reported a short while ago, Choo will have his sprained right thumb in a brace for 7-to-10 days before being re-evaluated. If he doesn’t need surgery, he could be back sooner than the six-to-eight week timetable reported earlier.

– Yankees’ RHP Mariano Rivera (rest) has withdrawn from pitching in the All-Star Game next week. “I’ve been pitching hurt,” said Rivera. Don’t panic, as there aren’t many players that aren’t playing with various bumps and bruises right now. At 40 years old, Rivera could use the break.

NHL

– Russia’s Sport Express is reporting that the KHL’s SKA St. Petersburg is close to signing F Ilya Kovalchuk. Take this report with a grain of salt, but it certainly wouldn’t shock us if Kovalchuk ended up bolting for the KHL. He might have priced himself out of the NHL, as the competition for him has been sparse. It’s looking more and more like Kovalchuk’s options have been narrowed down to the KHL, the Devils, and the Islanders. The Devils have reportedly offered Kovalchuk a 7-year/$60M deal. Stay tuned.

– F Mike Modano said he will play for the Detroit Red Wings next season or not at all. “There isn’t any other team. It will be here or I’m not playing. I think it’s narrowed to that.” After spending his entire career within the Stars’ organization, GM Joe Nieuwendyk publicly stated that the Stars would not be offering him a new contract. Modano was born in Michigan and he’d have a chance to finish his career on a high note with the Red Wings. Detroit GM Ken Holland has already said that Modano would be pencilled in as the team’s third line center if he signed with them, a role that Modano is still capable of excelling at. If Modano decides to play one more season, he should score 15-20 goals and 30-40 points.

– The Canucks have a new name for their home next season: Rogers Arena. The rink had been known as GM Place since it opened in 1995. But the agreement between the Canucks and General Motors of Canada has expired and the team has signed a naming rights deal with the communications giant.

– The Capitals have re-signed RFA F Boyd Gordon to a 1-year/$800K deal. The 26-year-old Gordon, who did not file for salary arbitration by Monday’s 5 p.m. deadline, had four goals and six assists in 36 games last season. He missed time with back injuries, but won 61 percent of his faceoffs, which would have led the NHL had he played enough games to qualify.

– The Red Wings have re-signed F Drew Miller to a 1-year deal. Miller played 14 games with Tampa Bay before being waived. The Red Wings claimed him in November, and he played in 66 games for Detroit last season, scoring 10 goals and adding nine assists.

NFL

– The Titans and the player rep for RB Chris Johnson are reportedly working on a contract compromise that would ideally get the star tailback to report to training camp on time. The Titans certainly aren’t prepared to meet Johnson’s expectations of $30M in guarantees, but they’re at least trying to get creative with a “short-term solution” that would give him a “smaller bump in pay.” They could convert $2.5M in already earned escalators for 2012 to a signing bonus this summer. It’s a way to reward a extraordinary player without setting a precedent for ripping up contracts after just two seasons.

– Virginia Beach Police announced Tuesday that Eagles’ QB Michael Vick is not a suspect in the shooting of Quanis Phillips at Vick’s 30th birthday party. Police say they know who shot Phillips, but they’ve yet to charge the suspect because the victim and witnesses remain uncooperative. There are no other suspects, and the investigation is considered closed at this time. With Vick being cleared of suspicion, the Eagles are unlikely to take action barring a surprise plot twist.

– Rams’ DE O.J. Atogwe’s 5-year/$32M contract is essentially a guaranteed 1-year/$4.1M commitment by the Rams. St. Louis can void the remaining four years on Atogwe’s contract the day after the Super Bowl in February. If the team opts against the void, the $8M roster bonus in March can still be declined before Atogwe’s $3.5M base salary kicks in. The Rams will certainly balk at paying Atogwe $11.5M next season, so he’ll be back on the open market again.

– Bucs’ RT Jeremy Trueblood will not face charges after being arrested Tuesday night in Indiana for public intoxication and failing to cooperate. A drunken Trueblood made a nuisance of himself at a gas station, knocking items off the shelves and disrupting business, before leaving in a car driven by his mother. At a subsequent traffic stop, Trueblood became “belligerent and uncooperative” with police, leading to his arrest. He was released this morning, and prosecutors have opted against pressing charges. Trueblood doesn’t seem to have the past to warrant a suspension.

VoV

Marc Valeri – captaincharisma@hotmail.com
VoV – www.voiceofvaleri.com
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NBA

– The Raptors have reportedly told the Cavaliers that they would do a sign-and-trade with them for F Chris Bosh. The report by ESPN’s Chris Broussard goes on to say, “Cavs and LeBron working to convince Bosh to join them in Cleveland.” Broussard speculates that in return, Toronto could get F Anderson Varejao and/or F J.J. Hickson along with G Delonte West and possibly G Anthony Parker and a possible draft pick. This seems to indicate that LeBron will remain with the Cavaliers, but we likely won’t know for sure until at least Thursday. The notion of a LeBron-Bosh pairing in Cleveland is fairly novel, but AP writer Tom Withers warns that “reports of a sign-and-trade…[are] very premature.”

The report says that Bosh, however, is cool to the idea of playing in Cleveland. Sources indicate that Bosh would prefer to play with James in Chicago, Miami, or New Jersey. The Cavs and James are trying to convince Bosh to go to Cleveland as opposed to a bigger U.S. city that Bosh reportedly favours.

One possible sticking point for Bosh’s potential arrival in Cleveland would be the position the Cavs would want him to play. SI’s Chris Mannix is reporting that Bosh is apparently balking at the idea of playing centre and would prefer to remain at the power forward spot. According to Mannix, the Cavaliers would have to guarantee a legit centre would have to be in place before Bosh agrees to anything. This could pose a problem as both players who lined up at the five for the Cavs last season, F Shaquille O’Neal and F Zydrunas Ilgauskas are up for free agency, while Varejao who has played centre in the past may be involved in any potential deal to acquire Bosh.

Raptors’ GM Bryan Colangelo spoke on the issue of using the sign-and-trade to get assets back for Bosh on Monday.

“I would say there are multiple options that could play themselves out and we’re prepared for multiple options. But at the end of the day things have to make sense for all sides…that’s the part that ultimately needs to be decided…he might decide on a franchise and we may participate, we may not and that’s kind of where things are.”

NHL

– The Blues have signed G Jaroslav Halak to a 4-year/$15M contract. Halak will earn $2.75M in 2010-11, $3.5M in 2011-12, $4.25M in 2012-13, and $4.5M in the last season of his contract. St. Louis acquired Halak from Montreal on June 17 for prospects Lars Eller and Ian Schultz. Now that Halak has the opportunity to be the undisputed number one goaltender in St. Louis, he should prove to be one of the league’s best netminders.

MLB

– According to MLB Network’s Peter Gammons, there are rumblings in the St. Petersburg area that the Rays may go after Mariners’ LHP Cliff Lee. Add another team to the growing list. The Twins were linked to Lee on Monday night and may have even made a bid. The Cardinals, Mets, Yankees and Phillies are also expected to throw together packages for the 31-year-old, who has a 2.34 ERA, a 0.95 WHIP and an 89/6 K/BB ratio in 13 starts this season. Gammons hears that the Rays may involve outfielder B.J. Upton in their proposal and that a three-team exchange could be afoot.

– According to FOXSports.com, the Phillies could shop OF Jayson Werth if they fall further out of contention in the NL East. The Phils currently sit five games back and will face the NL East-leading Braves and NL Central-leading Reds this week. If they come out of that rough stretch with a losing record, it may be time to see what kind of prospects other clubs are willing to fork over for Werth, who will be a free agent this winter. Werth, 31, has a .902 OPS, 13 dingers and 48 RBI in 273 at-bats.

– According to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick, the Braves are getting calls from other clubs about SS Yunel Escobar. Escobar is off to a disappointing start this season with a .238/.339/.283 batting line, zero home runs and only 19 RBI through 240 at-bats. But, as Crasnick notes, he is only 27 years of age and the Braves are well aware of how talented he is. A deal will be extremely hard to pull off.

WWE

– It’s hard to believe, but it was on this day 12 years ago, Bill Goldberg defeated Hollywood Hogan on WCW “Monday Nitro” before 38,196 fans (official attendance from the venue’s site) to capture the WCW Heavyweight Title. After beginning to falter under the weight of a resurgent WWF, Nitro won the ratings war that night. The New World Order had seemingly been toppled, and everthing seemed well. Of course, less than 3 years later, WCW was dead. It’s hard to fathom how a company that was making millions could spiral downward so quickly, forever changing the wrestling industry. Today, we remember a key event in wrestling history. Unfortunately, it also makes us wonder … what might have been.

– According to 4FWOnline, Drew McIntyre’s visa issue has been solved as he appeared at last night’s SmackDown live event in Savannah, Georgia to cut a promo. It is expected that McIntyre will be reinstated to the SmackDown brand at tonight’s television taping. After losing to Matt Hardy on the June 25 edition of SmackDown, Theodore Long informed McIntyre that his work visa had expired and that he would be deported back to Scotland immediately. This storyline had a basis in reality, since his visa had indeed expired and as a result he was taken off television. Meanwhile, Wade Barrett returned to Raw last night after resolving his own visa problems. Both Barrett and McIntyre paid visits to their home countries last week to fill out necessary paperwork pertaining to their respective visas. In that regard, everything is said to be fine now. For those curious about Sheamus’ legality, he had his visa taken care of in late May. He, Barrett and McIntyre were simultaneously signed to developmental contracts in April 2007 following tryout matches during WWE’s annual European spring tour.

– WWE is hosting it’s first live event in China on August 22.

VoV

Marc Valeri – captaincharisma@hotmail.com
VoV – www.voiceofvaleri.com
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