VoV
– The Hero List! and The Dirt Sheet have been updated.
– Back earlier than expected from Niagara Falls/Buffalo. 4% sales tax in the US (13% in CAN)? $0.67 per litre of gas ($0.96 in CAN)? What the hell, Canada!?
MLB
– The White Sox have acquired RHP Jake Peavy from the Padres for LHP Aaron Poreda, RHP Adam Russell, LHP Clayton Richard and RHP Dexter Carter. It’s a similar deal to the one the two teams agreed to in May. Peavy blocked that swap with his no-trade clause, but he accepted the deal this time. In a best-case scenario, he’ll be ready to help the White Sox in late August or early September. This is primarily a trade for 2010 and beyond, though. It’s unclear how much of Peavy’s salary the Padres are picking up. He’s owed $48M for 2010-12, plus $22M or a $4M buyout in 2013.
– The Indians have traded C Victor Martinez to the Red Sox for RHP Justin Masterson, RHP Bryan Price and LHP Nick Hagadone.
– The Tigers have acquired LHP Jarrod Washburn from the Mariners for LHP Lucas French and LHP Mauricio Robles.
– The Blue Jays have traded 3B Scott Rolen to the Reds for 3B Edwin Encarnacion, RHP Josh Roenicke and Zachary Stewart.
– The Braves have traded 1B Casey Kotchman to the Red Sox for former Brave 1B Adam LaRoche.
– The A’s have traded SS Orlando Cabrera to the Twins for Tyler Ladendorf.
– The Nationals have traded 1B Nick Johnson to the Marlins for Aaron Thompson. A big pickup for Florida. They’ll lose some range defensively by shifting Jorge Cantu back to third base, but Johnson will be an upgrade with the glove at first base and he’ll add a healthy dose of OBP at the top of the order if Fredi Gonzalez is willing to bat him second. Emilio Bonifacio will likely start in left field against left-handers and serve as a defensive replacement at third. The Nats will probably shift Adam Dunn to first base and give Elijah Dukes another opportunity in the outfield. If they want Dukes to stay in Triple-A for a little while longer, then Mike Morse would seem to be in line for a callup.
– The Nationals have traded LHP Joe Beimel to the Rockies for RHP Ryan Mattheus and Robinson Fabian.
– The Reds have traded 3B Jerry Hairston Jr. to the Yankees for C Chase Weems.
– The Dodgers have traded RHP Claudio Vargas to the Brewers for C Vinny Rottino.
– Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi said Friday that he’ll be open to trade proposals for RHP Roy Halladay in the offseason. As expected. The Red Sox, Dodgers, Angels, Yankees and Rangers showed interest in the Toronto ace this summer and are likely to contend for his services again in November. The asking price will remain very high.
– Reds RHP Bronson Arroyo, who played for the Boston Red Sox from 2003-05, was quoted in Friday’s Boston Herald as saying he took androstenedione and amphetamines, which could have produced positive tests. Any player who tested positive was supposed to be informed by the players’ union, and Arroyo said he was never notified. Arroyo, who said he started to take androstenedione in 1998 with the Pirates, said, “Before (2004), none of us paid attention to what we took. That’s why I said anybody could be on the list. Back then, nobody knew what was in the stuff, because the (Federal Drug Administration) wasn’t regulating all of it.”
– Reds RHP Edinson Volquez cut his simulated game short on Friday after feeling pain in his troublesome right elbow. The right-hander was cruising toward a rehab assignment. “I was fine in all my bullpens. But when I threw with more intensity to hitters today, I felt it. It’s crazy. It’s not as bad as it was.” He could be headed for surgery and is obviously doubtful to return this season.
– The Red Sox have placed RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka on the 60-day DL.
– The Padres have placed RHP Chris Young and OF Brian Giles on the 60-day DL.
– The Rays have placed RHP Troy Percival on the 60-day DL.
– The Dodgers have placed LHP Will Ohman on the 60-day DL.
– The Astros have released RHP Russ Ortiz.
NBA
– The Knicks are still after Bucks RFA G Ramon Sessions, who is seeking a multi-year deal, but they wer ealso informed that G Allen Iverson would reportedly like to sign a one-year/$5.85M deal with the Knicks. The problem with all this is the huge free agency summer of 2010, which could take valuable payroll away from the team. Stay tuned.
– Speaking of Sessions, the Knicks are said to be preparing an offer sheet for him. Sessions could be the opening-night starter if he lands in New York, and should offer plenty of value at a low price tag this season if it happens.
– The Knicks have claimed retired G Jason Williams off of waivers. Adding depth at the point was a priority for New York this offseason.
– The Bucks have signed F Hakim Warrick to a one-year deal. This is a key move for the future of RFA G Ramon Sessions. Stay tuned.
– The Nuggets have acquired F Malik Allen from the Bucks for Walter Sharpe and Sonny Seems.
NHL
– The Oilers have reportedly pulled out of the hunt to acquire Senators F Dany Heatley. GM Steve Tambellini made that known during a news conference on Friday. The Oilers’ GM said the team would look elsewhere to improve their club. It took Edmonton over a month to realize that Heatley was not interested in going there. The Sharks have been linked to the Senators’ sniper as well, but they have yet to make a substantial offer.
– The NHL is investigating F Marian Hossa’s 12-year/$62.8M contract with the Blackhawks. The league confirmed on Friday that it is looking into the deal, but would have no further comment until the investigation is completed. The Ottawa Sun first reported Thursday night that the league is studying whether the contract circumvents the salary cap and the CBA.
The NHL is also reportedly looking into the seven-year contract extension the Flyers gave to D Chris Pronger in early July. The NHL is trying to determine if Philadelphia tried to get around the CBA by discussing the possibility that the 34-year-old blueliner would retire before the end of his contract, making his salary no longer count against their cap. Stay tuned.
– The Canucks have re-signed F Kyle Wellwood to a one-year/$1.2M deal. Wellwood struggled with consistency in 2008-09, but scored a career-high 18 goals, with nine assists, in 74 games.
– Stars D Sergei Zubov has signed a deal with the KHL. Sad to see him go.
– The Capitals have re-signed D Milan Jurcina to a one-year/$1.375M deal. Jurcina played in 79 of 82 games last season, leading all Capitals defensemen. He had three goals, a career-high 11 assists and led the team with 131 blocked shots, earning him a raise from his $912K salary for 2008-09.
– The Blues have signed D Brendan Bell. The 26-year-old played in 53 games for the Senators, getting six goals and 15 assists along with 24 penalty minutes.
– F Ville Peltonen has signed with Dynamo Minsk in the KHL. His agent told the Panthers’ acting general manager Randy Sexton a few weeks ago that his client was planning to play in Europe next season and Peltonen made good on his promise. He registered 12 goals and 31 points in 79 games with Florida last campaign.
WWE
– The latest victim of WWE’s dreaded “future endeavors” announcement was The Brian Kendrick, and a PWInsider report sheds the first bit of light on the matter.
According to the report, Kendrick’s release can largely be attributed to his backstage attitude and motivation as a performer. The internal feeling was that while Kendrick did what he was told, he carried a negative attitude and gave the impression that he did not deeply care about being there. WWE thus saw little potential for Kendrick to breakout as a valuable member of the roster and opted to sever its ties with the wrestler. It remains to be seen if Kendrick’s release is a compounded consequence of his behavior or if a specific incident brought WWE officials’ concerns to a boil.
Sources are also quick to mention reports that Kendrick was one of WWE’s most frequently-fined Superstars for marijuana use, although it is unclear if that played any role in his release–under the Wellness Policy, there is no punishment, beyond the fine, for using the drug.
– Maryse will be out of action for three months following her knee surgery on Tuesday.
TNA
– There is a feeling among friends of Paul Heyman that he would accept a position with TNA if he had power beyond just writing the shows. Heyman apparently feels TNA needs an overhaul both on the talent side and in the office but doesn’t believe Dixie Carter would give him so much power, so he isn’t taking the idea of working for TNA seriously. Likewise, Carter hasn’t reached out to Heyman regarding a creative position yet despite recommendations.
Heyman does have detractors within TNA, primarily those who fear they would lose power or even their jobs if Heyman was brought in and given the power he wants. Meanwhile, others simply don’t have confidence in his abilities anymore. Heyman’s name has come up within TNA before, and there are many stories of people badmouthing him to Dixie Carter. While most of the locker room seems open to the idea, there’s bad blood between Heyman and Team 3D and some other former ECW stars who have shared stories about mismanagement in ECW.
On the other side of the coin, Heyman has had good relationships with Kurt Angle, Bobby Lashley, Shawn Daivari, and Ken “Mr. Kennedy” Anderson who is expected to sign with TNA eventually. He’s also had a good rapport over the years with TNA head of talent relations Terry Taylor, whose stock within the company seems to be rising. Nevertheless, it might be a difficult sell to Carter, who has been hearing bad stories about Heyman for years. Plus, there are already some within the company who feel that Heyman publicly saying he would “never” work for TNA was a snub and the primary reason why Carter shouldn’t consider bringing him in.
– Regarding Samoa Joe and Taz, TNA’s longterm booking plan for the duo is to eventually turn them babyface. The idea is that the whole thing was a ruse on their part to outsmart the Main Event Mafia.
– It’s been speculated for the past several weeks that major changes were coming to TNA’s creative team and those changes have begun. TNA Creative team member Dutch Mantel and TNA Agent Savio Vega have been released by the company. It’s important to note that both Dutch Mantel and Savio Vega were close allies of TNA founder Jeff Jarrett. Mantel had been one of Jarrett’s right hand men since joining TNA in 2003. Vega had been working with the TNA Knockouts.
Mantel and Vega being let go does not bode well for Jeff Jarrett’s status in TNA. Jarrett has not been at any TNA television tapings since earlier this month after his personal involvement Karen Angle was made public. There appear to be more cuts to TNA’s creative team on the way. Stay tuned.
— As noted earlier, Elijah Burke has reportedly signed with TNA and will be debuting under a heavily gimmicked name. He has been brushing up his skills at Ohio Valley Wrestling in recent months, the place where he got his start.
– Kurt Angle will likely be joining Dancing with the Stars.
NFL
– The Minneapolis Star-Tribune has confirmed that Vikings QB Tarvaris Jackson underwent an MRI that determined his knee injury to be a sprained MCL. It’s believed to be a Grade 1 sprain, which could leave Jackson as day-to-day. If it turns out to be a more serious sprain, Jackson would miss multiple weeks – putting QB Sage Rosenfels at the helm of the offense by default. QB Michael Vick likely won’t be an option in any way, and it’s too early to give QB Brett Favre a call.
– Ravens WR Derrick Mason has informed the Ravens that he will play football in 2009. That didn’t take long. He’s sending a letter to the NFL and will be removed from the Reserve/Did Not Report list. He’s also scheduled to take a physical, which will determine the health of his shoulder, in the next 24 hours.
– The Giants have signed rookie WR Hakeem Nicks, the No. 29 overall pick, to a five-year/$12.54M contract. The deal includes a $6.5M signing bonus.
– The Cardinals have signed the No. 31 overall pick RB Beanie Wells on a four-year contract with a fifth-year option. Getting in camp in a timely manner was important for the Wells because he’s got Tim Hightower sitting ahead of him on the depth chart. Hightower will begin the season as a starter, but Wells figures to cut heavily into his playing time as the year progresses. This will be a position battle to monitor closely in camp, especially the competition for goal-line carries. Hightower is already poised to dominate passing downs.
