WWE

– WWE made the following announcement on their official website late Friday night:

“WWE has come to terms on the release of NXT first season rookie Daniel Bryan (Bryan Danielson) as of today June 11, 2010. We wish Daniel Bryan the best in all future endeavors.”

After checking with our sources in WWE, it appears the release of Daniel Bryan is legit. WWE executives Donna Goldsmith and Michelle Wilson were informed of Daniel Bryan’s release before the news was made public.

People in WWE, including the creative team, were told that Danielson was fired for choking ring announcer Justin Roberts with his own tie during the NXT invasion angle on RAW this past Monday. The shot was edited from replays of the angle and was described as being too violent for what WWE allows on it’s programming.

There’s talk that a very powerful person (either in WWE or from the USA Network) complained to WWE officials about the angle, claiming that Bryan’s choking of Justin Roberts was way too extreme for the children who may have been watching.

The feeling within the WWE locker room is that Daniel Bryan is being used as a scapegoat. WWE apparently does want to bring him back once the whole thing blows over. For what it’s worth, Danielson has been described as having a great attitude backstage and “the type of person you would want your locker room filled with.”

NHL

– Leafs’ GM Brian Burke has once again re-iterated interest in Ducks’ F Bobby Ryan. Burke drafted Ryan in the second round of the 2005 entry draft and has been rumoured to have interest in acquiring him since he became GM of the Leafs. There are plenty of Ryan-for-D Tomas Kaberle rumours, but those are very unlikely to come to fruition.

– It seems that Blackhawks’ F Marian Hossa (sprained right MCL) played in the Stanley Cup Final with a sprained right MCL. He sprained the ligament in game one against the Flyers but did not miss a shift in any of the next five contests. The injury turned out to be fairly mild as Hossa wears two braces on his right knee which provided support and prevented serious damage. Hossa should be fine by the time training camp rolls around.

– The Blackhawks, who are currently in a stranglehold with lack of cap room, are expected to have a serious roster shakeup this offseason.

Look for the Hawks to deal backup G Cristobal Huet this off-season. It won’t be easy given his performance this past year, plus his large $5.6M in 2010-11. Huet finished the second of a four-year/$22.45M contract. Since a deal is unlikely, GM Stan Bowman will likely demote the netminder to the AHL so his massive salary won’t count against the team’s salary cap. Huet is rumoured to be interested in playing in the KHL.

Meanwhile, G Antti Niemi, who went 16-6 in the playoffs, made just under $827K this year and is an RFA, will undoubtedly sign for a raise that the Hawks will need to match in order to retain him. In addition to Niemi, D Niklas Hjalmarrson, F Andrew Ladd and F Ben Eager are key RFAs.

The Hawks are also not expected to re-sign UFA F John Madden, who made $2.8M last season. F Adam Burish is also a commodity the Hawks can no longer afford.

The Hawks do have four key players locked up in F Jonathan Toews and F Patrick Kane (five-year/$31.5M extensions), D Duncan Keith (13-year/$72M) and F Marian Hossa (12-year/$68M). Toews will receive a $1.3M roster bonus for winning the Conn Smythe, which will count against their 2010-11 cap.

– F Ilya Kovalchuk’s Russian agent confirmed that KHL teams are negotiating a contract for the superstar’s services. He confirmed the rumour that SKA St. Petersberg offered a three year deal, but denied the the deal was worth $42M. Russia’s Sport Express Daily reports that Moscow Dynamo offered Kovalchuk a three year/$40M deal. “We speak about three years because Ilya wants to play in KHL till the Sochi Olympics in 2014,” said Yuriy Nikolaev, Kovalchuk’s agent in Russia. This could be nothing more than posturing and a negotiation tactic to increase his NHL contract. Kovalchuk is set to become a UFA on July 1.

– If UFA D Dan Hamhuis does not return to Nashville (and that seems likely) look for Vancouver to make an offer to sign him. The Canucks and Predators discussed a deal involving Hamhuis this past season but the price tage, prospect F Cody Hodgson, was too steep for Vancouver GM Mike Gillis. Hamhuis is a native of Vancouver and would seemingly be interested in signing to play in his hometown. Stay tuned.

– The Stars are in the market for a puck-moving defenceman. Early reports indicate interest in Blackhawks’ D Brian Campbell, who the Hawks can no longer afford. Stay tuned.

– The Detroit News reports that the team, like many, is up against the cap wall, and if F Todd Bertuzzi is asking for more than $1M this summer, the Wings may not bring him back. Big Bert made $1.5M last season. Stay tuned.

NBA

– Tom Izzo did not say on Saturday whether he will accept the Cavaliers coaching job, and the team has reportedly contacted former Hawks coach Mike Woodson and current Lakers assistant Brian Shaw. Byron Scott is another candidate should Izzo choose to stay in Michigan, though the Cleveland Plain-Dealer reports that Scott may wait to see if the Lakers job opens up. It’s possible Izzo could make a decision on Sunday. Stay tuned.

MLB

– White Sox’ C A.J. Pierzynski has been told he will not be traded before Monday by manager Ozzie Guillen. Pierzynski gains 10-and-5 rights on Monday (he’s been in the majors for 10 years, including five with the same time), meaning he’ll have the right to veto any trade. Pierzynski has been one of the Sox’s better players this month, so even with C Tyler Flowers champing at the bit in Triple-A, he’ll stay behind the plate on the South Side for the time being.

– D’Backs’ RHP Brandon Webb (shoulder) threw a successful bullpen session Saturday. It was the first time he had stepped atop a pitching rubber since early March, and he looked great. “They said I looked way more comfortable than I have and I felt more comfortable than I have on the mound, too. So I think we’re moving in the right direction. There’s still a little ways to go obviously.” He’s hoping to return soon after the All-Star break in July.

VoV

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

– The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, winning 3-2 in overtime to win the Stanley Cup. The Blackhawks franchise was in the midst of a 49-year drought. F Patrick Kane scored the overtime winner, while F Jonathan Toews won Conn Smythe as playoff MVP, registering 28 points in 22 games throughout the 2010 playoffs. F Marian Hossa wins his first Cup after losing in the Cup Final in consecutive years (Penguins, Red Wings). The Flyers have now lost 6 consecutive times int he Cup Final since winning back-to-back in 1974-75.

G Antti Niemi became only the fourth rookie goaltender in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup. He joins Ken Dryden, Patrick Roy and Cam Ward to win in his first season (Dryden was still eligible to win the Calder Trophy, which he did, the following year). Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said, “He was very good. He’s been good throughout the entire playoffs. For a young kid to come in and be able to do that, to grab hold — I know it moved back and forth for Chicago through the regular season. He grabbed hold of it down the stretch [and was] very strong for them in the playoffs.”

It was an odd celebration – the goal scored by Kane was almost a carbon copy of the one Sidney Crosby scored to give Team Canada the gold medal in men’s hockey during the Olympics. No one knew the puck went in, and the only player celebrating was Kane at the time. Even on live TV, it took 2 or 3 replays for you to see how the puck actually did go in, as it quickly crossed the line before sliding under the side pocket behind the post. An absolute thriller.

This concludes a fantastic series and an incredible playoffs. My predictions record for 2010 was only 9-6, which I’m thrilled about. Why? Because this year’s playoffs were totally unpredictable. No one saw the Flyers coming back from 3-0 against Boston and 2-0 against the Hawks. They won on Game 82 in a shootout, just barely making the playoffs. While they had the #7 seed, they were not truly a #7 seed. “Beware a good team having a bad season.” Philly was underestimated all year, but ultimately lost because of the Blackhawks depth.

The “dynasty” word gets thrown around a lot, but this team has all the makings of a potential dynasty. F John Madden will likely not be back, D Brent Sopel will be taking much less money, and G Cristobal Huet will like play in the KHL, freeing up a lot of money to re-sign their young guns to extensions.

NHL
2008: 12-3 (80%)
2009: 10-5 (67%)
2010: 9-6 (60%)
Total: 31/45 = 69%

NBA
2008: 11-4 (73%)
2009: 9-6 (60%)
Total: 20/30 = 67%

MLB
2008: 5-2 (71%)
2009: 4-3 (57%)
Total: 9/14 = 64%

NFL
2008: 9-2 (82%)
2009: 7-4 (64%)
Total: 16/22 = 73%

NHL

– The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, winning 3-2 in overtime to win the Stanley Cup. The Blackhawks franchise was in the midst of a 49-year drought. F Patrick Kane scored the overtime winner, while F Jonathan Toews won Conn Smythe as playoff MVP, registering 28 points in 22 games throughout the 2010 playoffs. F Marian Hossa wins his first Cup after losing in the Cup Final in consecutive years (Penguins, Red Wings). The Flyers have now lost 6 consecutive times int he Cup Final since winning back-to-back in 1974-75.

G Antti Niemi became only the fourth rookie goaltender in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup. He joins Ken Dryden, Patrick Roy and Cam Ward to win in his first season (Dryden was still eligible to win the Calder Trophy, which he did, the following year). Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said, “He was very good. He’s been good throughout the entire playoffs. For a young kid to come in and be able to do that, to grab hold — I know it moved back and forth for Chicago through the regular season. He grabbed hold of it down the stretch [and was] very strong for them in the playoffs.”

– G Vesa Toskala will not be returning to the Calgary Flames as he wants to be a 1 or 1A goaltender according to GM Darryl Sutter. Toskala only has a chance to be a 1 or 1A if he returns to play in Europe or is sent to the AHL. Look for the Flames to pick up a backup for G Miikka Kiprusoff in the off-season or hand the job to either Leland Irving, Matt Keetley or David Shantz who are all in their system at this time.

– Sharks’ D Rob Blake, 40, has retired. He had seven goals in 70 games this season. The captain has been in the league for 21 seasons, playing for the Kings, Avalanche and Sharks, recording 240 goals and 777 points, including a Stanley Cup in 2001 with the Avs.

– The Coyotes have re-signed F Scottie Upshall to a one-year deal. The 26-year-old Upshall had a career-high 18 goals and 14 assists in 49 games for Phoenix before sustaining a season-ending knee injury on Jan. 28 against Calgary. He led the team in goals at the time of his injury and underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right knee. GM Don Maloney said, “People forget that at the time he got hurt, he was our leading (goal) scorer. He was probably tracking toward a 30-goal season. I thought we really missed him against Detroit (playoffs) because he’s one of those guys who can make something out of nothing.”

MLB

– The Yankees are not expected to pursue Mariners’ LHP CLiff Lee at the trade deadline this year, according to the NY Daily News. “There is no urgency to do anything with the rotation. That’s not an area that we’re focused on.” The source went on to say, “Seattle may be doing its prep work by scouting a bunch of different teams. But it sounds like they’re doing more prep work than we are on this one.” Lee, 31, has a 2.77 ERA, a 0.92 WHIP and a 57/4 K/BB ratio in eight starts this season for Seattle. He’s making just $8 million.

Lee become a free agent at season’s end, and RHP Javier Vazquez’ contract comes off the books, so the Yankees will have freed some money to sign him. Lee is 4-2 with a 2.77 ERA in eight starts for the Mariners this year after dominating in the postseason for the Phillies last year.

– MLB.com reports that the Nationals and 1B Adam Dunn are re-working an extension. Dunn, who is finishing out a two-year/$20M contract, tells the site that the talks are “cordial” but haven’t involved money yet. “The Nationals know how I feel about this place. I hope that something can be worked out. Again, I’m not in any hurry. It’s probably No. 10 on my list of things to worry about.” Dunn, 30, is batting .280/.376/.550 this season with 12 home runs and 32 RBI in 211 at-bats.

– D’Backs’ C Miguel Montero (knee) is 3-for-7 in two rehab games for Triple-A Reno and is begging the Diamondbacks to activate him. Manager A.J. Hinch said, “He’s making sure that I know and everybody knows he’s ready to come back. His knee feels great. His back, his legs, the baseball soreness of Spring Training has set in a little bit, but he feels great.” Montero is likely to return this weekend.

– Phillies’ SS Jimmy Rollins (calf) will begin a minor league rehab assignment on Monday with Single-A Clearwater. Rollins has already been on the DL twice this season and it took a long while for his strained right calf to heal this time around. He has hit .341/.462/.634 in the 12 games that he has been healthy this season. Hopefully he’ll pick up right where he left off.

NBA

– Suns’ president of basketball operations and GM Steve Kerr has met with F Amare Stoudemire’s agent yesterday to discuss a potential long-term deal. Stoudemire has made it clear that he loves playing in Phoenix and would like to stick around. “We’ve got the fans excited about basketball again. So what I don’t want is for me to have to leave and the fans are now not quite as excited about the game here. I want to keep the hype, want to keep the fans involved, want to keep everybody ecstatic about the Phoenix Suns.” Stoudemire can opt out of a $17M option and become a free agent July 1, which he is set to do.

– According to Yahoo!, G John Wall has signed a give-year/$25M deal with Reebok. Wall is expected to be the No. 1 pick by the Washington Wizards when the draft kicks off later this month. Last year’s No. 1 pick, Clippers’ F Blake Griffin, signed a deal with Nike that pays him “only” $400K.

– Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports that the Nets and Avery Johnson have reached a verbal agreement to make Johnson the team’s head coach. The Nets have long looked like the most likely destination for Johnson, the 2005 NBA Coach of the Year who last roamed the sideline for Dallas during the 2007-08 campaign. He had also been in the running for the Hawks’ head coaching job, having met with the team for the third time this weekend.

– ESPN reports that both Byron Scott and Tom Izzo are on even footing in regards to the vacant Cavaliers’ head coaching position. Scott is scheduled to meet with team execs, while Izzo has “scheduled a trip to Cleveland on Thursday to meet with team officials and possibly tour the Cavs’ facilities.” Izzo has been offered a five-year/$30M deal. Izzo’s players at Michigan State met with him on Tuesday night and left the meeting feeling like he was going to take the job in Cleveland, according to the Plain Dealer, even though he hadn’t made up his mind totally just yet. It sounds like a big focus of the meeting will be on the Cavaliers’ contingency plan in case LeBron James doesn’t re-sign. If Izzo likes what he hears and has chemistry with new GM Chris Grant, it may not matter to Izzo if LeBron comes back or not.

WWE

– The Undertaker underwent surgery this past week on his damaged orbital bone. As we reported earlier this week, the Undertaker is expected to be off television until SummerSlam. When he returns, there are plans for a program with World Heavyweight champion Jack Swagger – a sign that Swagger’s title is safe for now.

– WWE Chairman Vince McMahon showed up at WWE’s television tapings this past week with two black eyes and a cut over one eye that went to his forehead, according to the Wrestling Observer.

Nobody seemed to know what happened. Everyone was talking about it privately, but as you can imagine, nobody wanted to be overheard speculating about how Vince got so banged up. Vince never addressed the situation publicly and if he did tell anybody what happened – they’re not talking about it. Our source says it looked like Vince got into a fight or car accident. Most figured he was in an accident, because if it were a fight, it would be hard to keep that quiet.

– According to the Wrestling Observer, Evan Bourne is reportedly in line for a ’serious’ push. The company’s mentality is that the best people entering the wrestling industry are generally of the smaller variety and they have to establish that small-sized wrestlers can headline or else face major depth issues in the future.

– The NXT Invasion storyline continued at last night’s WWE developmental show in Florida. The main event was scheduled to be The Miz and Daniel Bryan vs. Christian and Heath Slater – but that match never happened. The Miz’s music played before the match but nobody came out. Christian came out next and talked about what happened on RAW, then called out Heath Slater. Slater talked about how everything started off fine between them – but then Christian wouldn’t give him the answers so they lost the competition.

Daniel Bryan then ran out and attacked Christian from behind. The Miz came down next and helped Christian fight off the NXT rookies. Miz grabbed a microphone and proposed that they switch partners – and instead have a Pros vs. Rookies match. Miz and Christian worked as babyfaces during the match. As Miz and Christian were about to hit their finishing moves on the Rookies, the rest of the NXT Season 1 Rookies rushed the ring and beat down Miz and Christian

As we saw on RAW, the Rookies destroyed the ringside area and tore down the FCW ring -  before Bryan kicked Miz in the head and Slater hit the Killswitch on Christian. The Rookies left with the Pros laid out. The NXT Invasion angle looks like it’s here to stay. Considering the  strong feedback we got here on the site and the overall buzz in the industry this week, WWE has finally gone back to basics with a captivating wrestling angle that might just keep fans tuned in this summer.

TNA

– Earlier this week, I reported that it appeared most of the drug charges against Jeff Hardy had been dropped, since the North Carolina courts website had updated the public records of Hardy’s case – stating that he was now only being charged with Conspiracy to Traffic Opium.

Unfortunately for Jeff Hardy and his fans – news of any charges being dropped was an error by the The Moore County Superior Court. Hardy was in court on June 3rd, but time ran out and there was no time for his case to be heard. When the court listed Hardy’s next court appearance for July, most of the charges against Hardy were no longer listed (the erorr).

North Carolina’s Pilot Newspaper spoke to District Attorney Maureen Krueger, who stated:

“His charges are still pending. In fact, a new one was added.”

The new charge against Hardy is Conspiracy to Traffic Opium, a felony.

To recap Hardy’s legal situation ….

Jeff Hardy was arrested on September 11, 2009 after police raided his home in Cameron, North Carolina. A joint investigation conducted by officers with the Moore County Sheriff’s Office narcotics and select enforcement units and the Fayetteville Police Department led to the search.

According to the police report, a search of his residence yielded 262 Vicodin prescription pills, 180 Soma prescription pills, 555 milliliters of anabolic steroids, a residual amount of powder cocaine and items of drug paraphernalia.

He was charged with felony trafficking in opium, two counts of felony possession with intent to sell or deliver a Schedule III controlled substance, felony maintaining a dwelling to keep controlled substance, felony possession of cocaine and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

If convicted of all charges, Hardy faces upto 14 years in prison.

– The creative team in TNA has been told to make sure Hulk Hogan appears on every episode of Impact, even if its just for a moment. Others in the company feel that Hogan should be used more sparingly, so his appearances have more of an impact.

– Ric Flair’s TNA contract was for 52 dates over a one-year period. Since he has appeared on virtually all of TNA’s television and pay-per-view events, the comany will likely have to sign him to a new contract soon. One bargaining chip for TNA in the negotiations is their ability to bring in Ric Flair’s son, Reid.

– Eric Bischoff spoke with Monday Night Mayhem. The highlights:

His recent cryptic Facebook posts and his current TNA status: “Things are fine; things are no different from the last time we spoke on this show. As far as my page being cryptic, I’ve been on my Facebook page for a long time, and I was suggesting to fans that as much as I like to have an open forum and have people comment and have constant communication, there’s just a couple of things I don’t want to see on my Facebook page.

“I don’t want to see profanity and just stupid crap. One of the problems I have had with the Internet Wrestling Community is brain dead commentary and the same kind of redundant comments and statements over and over again, and when I started on the site, I really wanted to raise the bar and have conversations and even be critical without being abusive. It just got to the point where I didn’t want to spend anymore time editing my page, so I made a statement a couple of times and just got sick of it and said enough was enough and I pulled the wall posting.”

“The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels leaving TNA and his response to the fact that fans may perceive that he had something to do with Daniels’ departure: “I don’t really have a side. I’m a fan of Chris, and I was excited to meet him when I came to TNA. We talked a few times creatively about some character development for him and things like that, and I think he’s a phenomenal talent. But honestly, I can’t take a side when I’m not really on the inside of any of the discussions and issues as it relates to Chris. All I know is that there are a lot of people in TNA that think highly of him, and that’s all I know. There are a lot of misconceptions on my role in TNA, Hulk Hogan’s roles in TNA, and the day-to-day operations. It’s understandable; we are very high profile and out in front as story lines go, but I’m a really big fan of Chris and probably will be and hope we see him back in TNA in the near future.”

Why he sees Jay Lethal and Brian Kendrick as two of the most promising young talents in TNA right now and potentially as being major players in the industry in the years to come: “It’s so hard to say, and this is going to sound so political and such a kiss-ass answer, but there is a lot of good young talent there, and not only do they have talent, but they have attitude…and when I say attitude, I mean the desire, passion, and focus with an open mind, which I think is critical in this business especially with young talent. Young talent are so influenced (when it comes to learning) that unless they keep a very open mind, they tend to get very pigeon-holed.

“In TNA, there are a lot of guys that fall into that category. Jay Lethal is the obvious one, and I could take up a whole show talking about Jay Lethal. (Brian) Kendrick is another guy. I’ve been watching him for years, and I think he was in the WWE when I was there, and I saw him in TNA, but no one really spent the time with him, and he never had the opportunity, but because he had the drive to approach me and say ‘Hey, this is what I’m thinking, and this what I feel,’ and as I’m listening to him, I’m thinking there is something there. There’s a lot of guys and girls just like him in TNA.”

His response to those that feel that TNA always puts former WWE superstars in the main event matches/storylines, as opposed to TNA’s “homegrown” talent: “First of all, I have to say this, and this piss off some people in TNA, but I hate the term “homegrown talent.” We’re not selling vegetables here or freshly-made pies. This is about creating awareness. Our survival, our ability to grow our audience, and appeal to a broader audience isn’t about appealing to the same people who’ve been watching this, and quite frankly, the audience hasn’t grown all that significantly over the last 4, 5, or 6 years, or you probably wouldn’t be talking to me right now.

“This is about growing and expanding the audience. You gotta grow the brand, and you do that by bringing in people (whether they’re movie stars, television stars, or anything else) who have a broader appeal because they have been out there in front of other people in a bigger, broader audience than perhaps the talent you already have on the show. That’s not a knock at all on the talent that TNA currently has, but it does reflect the need that in order for TNA to grow, you have to bring in people that have a broader appeal worldwide. By bringing some of those people in, it benefits the talent that hasn’t been anywhere outside of TNA.”

The current status of TNA’s Knockout Division: “We got hit with a rash of injuries a few weeks ago, along with some contractual issues. But I think what you are going to see is the Knockout division getting back on track in very short order. Everyone in TNA is proud of the Knockouts division, and I look at the division and look at anything else that has been done before, I think the Knockout division is consistently one of the better women’s divisions that I’ve ever seen in any promotion. I think there is a lot of commitment to it, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.”

NFL

– Packers’ WR Donald Driver (knees) underwent arthroscopic surgery on both of his knees after last season, coach Mike McCarthy revealed Wednesday. “He had postseason surgery. We’ve got him on the rehab list.” It’s unclear when the surgeries took place. It’s realistic to believe that this could be the beginning of the end for the 35-year-old. Driver’s performance slipped sharply down last season’s stretch, and his status for training camp is unclear.

– WR Muhsin Muhammad will announce his retirement from football at a 12:30 p.m. ET press conference Thursday. The Panthers turned the page after Muhammad’s production dropped off at age 36 last season. He’s not known to have received interest from any other NFL teams this offseason. Muhammad racked up 860 receptions, 11,438 yards, and 62 TDs in a 14-year career.

– Citing an NFL source, the New Orleans-Times Picayune reports the Saints’ opening offer to RFA RB Pierre Thomas was a four-year/$11M deal. Thomas’ agent offered a counter-proposal, but the Saints are dragging their heels, causing talks to stall. It’s hard not to side with Thomas on this one. He’s severely outplayed RB Reggie Bush the past two seasons, yet he’s made peanuts by NFL standards. Signals out of New Orleans suggest the team has placed a role-player monetary value on Thomas while at the same time planning to enter the 2010 season with him as the clear-cut feature back.

MLB

– Cardinals’ RHP Brad Penny (upper back) tossed from a mound for the first time since then but was not throwing on a downward plane. Penny has not been cleared yet to do real pitching from the mound as he still feels some discomfort in his back. Penny will be re-examined in St. Louis on Monday. He’s been on the DL since May 22. “Right now I guess they’re waiting on me. I’ve got to tell them when the discomfort is gone. There’s still something there, but it’s localized. It’s nothing like it was. I just know I don’t want to come back too soon and set things back another six weeks. I don’t think anyone wants that.”

VoV

Marc Valeri – captaincharisma@hotmail.com
VoV – www.voiceofvaleri.com
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BANANAS. This years playoffs have been INSANE. The Habs coming back from 3-1 against the Cup-defending Penguins!? The Flyers, without Carter and Boucher, coming back from 3-0 against the Bruins!? I love it. This is the greatest game on the planet. Last round I went 2-2, so I’m now 8-4.

Eastern Conference

(7) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens

I haven’t got a clue who’s winning this. Chris Pronger’s streak of leading his new team to the Stanley Cup final could continue (Anaheim, 2007 and Edmonton, 2006), and the team itself is deep defensively. That said, the Canadiens are faster, have more balance and have the nod in goaltending. It’s hard to imagine a team with more momentum coming into this one, since they came back from 3-1, but the Flyers are back from 3-0. The Penguins were the most well-rounded team in the playoffs, and with the Habs beating them, you’d have to think that gives them the advantage.

Pick: Habs in 6

Western Conference

(1) San Jose Sharks vs. (2) Chicago Blackhawks

This is the Sharks year that they win the Cup. This team finally has some playoff confidence, and that’s going to go a long way. I’d love to see the Blackhawks/Canadiens in the Cup, making it a nice Original Six matchup, but I don’t see it happening. San Jose has the edge in goal, and with more than one productive offensive line, it’s going to be tough for anyone to stop them. The league’s best regular season shutdown tandem – Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook – will need to find a way to stop Heatley-Thornton-Marleau-Pavelski, while Dan Boyle and company will need to stop Kane-Toews-Hossa-Sharp. This has the makings of a great series.

Pick: Sharks in 7

NHL
2008: 12-3 (80%)
2009: 10-5 (67%)
Total: 22/30 = 73%

NBA
2008: 11-4 (73%)
2009: 9-6 (60%)
Total: 20/30 = 67%

MLB
2008: 5-2 (71%)
2009: 4-3 (57%)
Total: 9/14 = 64%

NFL
2008: 9-2 (82%)
2009: 7-4 (64%)
Total: 16/22 = 73%

VoV

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MLB

– According to ESPN.com’s Jorge Arangure, the Blue Jays held a private workout for LHP Aroldis Chapman on Thursday morning. Add the Jays to the mix of interested teams. The A’s and Angels have also emerged as possible suitors in the last few days and the Marlins, Red Sox and Yankees expressed interest earlier this winter. The flame-throwing lefty is thought to be in search of a five-year contract and at one point was hoping to find a deal worth north of $50M. That’s not going to happen, but an industry source told Arangure that Chapman may be in line for $20-$25M.

– MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick reports that the Dodgers have opened discussions on a multi-year contract extension with OF Matt Kemp. His agent, however, told Gurnick that Kemp might rather go year-to-year with salary arbitration. The 25-year-old hit .297/.352/.490 in 2009 with 26 home runs, 34 stolen bases and 101 RBI, and stands to make a large chunk of change either way.

– The Cubs have signed OF Marlon Byrd to a three-year/$15M deal.

NHL

– Team USA has named its roster for the Olympic team which consists of: G Ryan Miller, G Tim Thomas, G Jonathan Quick, D Brian Rafalski, D Ryan Suter, D Paul Martin, D Jack Johnson, D Brooks Orpik, D Mike Komisarek, F Joe Pavelski, F Zach Parise, F Phil Kessel, F Jamie Langenbrunner, F Paul Stastny, F Patrick Kane, F Dustin Brown, F Bobby Ryan, F Ryan Malone, F Ryan Kesler, F Ryan Callahan, F Chris Drury and F David Backes.

WWE

– Melina (torn ACL) has been removed from house show ads through February, so it’s expected that her injury is a severe one. Melina is expected to undergo surgery and will drop the title to Maryse, who was was actually scheduled to win it soon anyways.

– Pro Wrestling Illustrated has named Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania XXVI “Match of the Decade” in its PWI Decade Awards. Runner-ups include Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 21, Hollywood Hogan vs. The Rock at WrestleMania X8, Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XIX, Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker at WrestleMania XXV, and Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H vs. Chris Benoit at WrestleMania XX.

Here is what PWI wrote regarding the honour: “In addition to being one of the most dramatic and emotional bouts of the decade, it was also a symbolic changing of the guard and a fitting sendoff for Flair, arguably the top wrestler of the second half of the 20th century. Other matches during the 2000s may have been more physical or high-flying, but this match had the emotion and the incredible energy of nearly 75,000 fans hanging on every move.”

– On his official website, Jim Ross posted thoughts on longtime friend “Dr. Death” Steve Williams, who passed away this past week following a long bout with throat cancer. You can read his post at the following link. He posted a second blog today. Here are some highlights from this entry:

Tommy Dreamer’s ECW sendoff: “The Tommy Dreamer send off on ECW was nicely done. It is good to see a guy who has dedicated so much of his life to the business and who has been a fan forever to be acknowledged as Tommy was Tuesday night. Kudos to WWE for facilitating the opportunity for “Big Beefy” to say adiós to his fans. Tommy would have made it in any generation including the territory days as his work ethic and toughness would have been welcomed attributes for any promoter. Congrats Tommy, you made all of us Old Schoolers proud.”

Ric Flair update: “Ric Flair called me during the Christmas Holidays and was in great spirits. “Naitch” really loved wrestling in Australia and I expect Ric to continue to wrestle for as long as he is able albeit not on a regular schedule nor should he. Ric Flair is “special” and his success outside the ring with his “Whoo” endorsements with various state lotteries is going great guns for him. Ric is also working in the Carolinas with Wal-Mart, Coca-Cola, and Kroger’s Grocery stores.”

Steve Williams: “It looks as if the Memorial Celebration for Steve “Dr. Death” Williams will be held next Friday in Lakewood, Colorado at the Mile High Church. Details are still being formulated and should be finalized the first of the week and most likely on Monday. As soon as we have the info we will pass it along.

“The goal is to set up a college scholarship fund for Steve’s 16 year old son Wyndham in lieu of flowers, etc. More info to come.”

TNA

– A few people within TNA have been floating a story around that Vince Russo has no idea where things are headed and has not talked to Hulk Hogan or Eric Bischoff. This story is false, as Russo has had recent meetings with Hogan, Bischoff and Dixie Carter. Russo himself had been telling people he hadn’t met with anyone from Team Hogan and Hogan himself also was saying the same thing. This is all a complete work.

VoV

– Email – captaincharisma@hotmail.com
– Twitter – @VoiceofValeri
– Facebook – facebook.com/marc.valeri

VoV

-– You can keep up with VoV through Twitter by clicking here.

NFL

– Yahoo’s Jason Cole reports that the Saints do not plan on bringing back RB Reggie Bush in 2010. Bush’s 2010 salary is $8M — an exorbitant amount for a change-of-pace back/special teamer. Citing a “Saints insider,” Cole reports that GM Mickey Loomis doesn’t want to pay Bush’s salary even if 2010 is an uncapped season. Battling chronic knee problems, Bush has missed the Saints’ last two games. He’s averaged just 9.3 touches in his nine 2009 appearances.

MLB

– According to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, the Braves have signed LHP Billy Wagner to a one-year/$7M contract. The deal also includes a vesting option for 2011. Atlanta is faced with losing both LHP Mike Gonzalez and RHP Rafael Soriano to free agency this winter, but the signing of Wagner should ease some of the pain. The 38-year-old southpaw managed an impressive 1.98 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 26/8 K/BB ratio this past season and limited opponents to a .174 batting average in 15 appearances. As of now, it appears he’ll serve as the Braves’ closer in 2010.

– According to Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports, the Twins, Brewers, Rangers and Mariners have interest in free agent LHP Jarrod Washburn. Washburn is an interesting free agent case. He’s a lefty, which is always a plus, and posted an 8-6 record with a 2.64 ERA in 2009 before the trade deadline. Of course, his season went awry after he was dealt to the Mariners in late July. A short-term deal to prove his worth might be for the best. But with so many teams interested, he’s likely to land a multi-year contract.

– The Mets would like to bring 1B Carlos Delgado back on a one-year contract, according to Bart Hubbuch of the NY Post. Delgado was not offered arbitration at Tuesday’s deadline, but the Mets like his bat and need someone to bridge the gap to top prospect Ike Davis. Delgado was limited to 26 games in 2009, though he did hit .298/.393/.521 with four home runs and 23 RBI when healthy. It’s not clear if any other clubs have interest in the 37-year-old slugger at this time.

– According to MLB.com, the Blue Jays offered SS Marco Scutaro a two-year deal this week but the sides couldn’t complete an agreement. GM Alex Anthopoulos said, “We talked to Marco about a deal. There was a time when we offered a two-year deal. Unfortunately, we couldn’t come to terms.” Scutaro may be banking on a three- or four-year contract and has already drawn interest from the Red Sox, Dodgers and Mariners. He hit .282/.379/.409 with 12 homers, 60 RBI and 100 runs scored in 2009.

– According to Mike Silverman of the Boston Herald, the Red Sox have expressed interest in free agent SS Bobby Crosby. It appears the Sox are doing everything they can to avoid having 2B Dustin Pedroia slide to second base. They’ve already expressed preliminary interest in defensive-minded SS Marco Scutaro, SS Adam Kennedy and SS Adam Everett so far this offseason. Crosby, 29, hit a disappointing .223/.295/.357 in ’09 but is typically a strong defender.

– According to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick, free agent RHP Brett Myers is drawing interest from the Rangers and Astros. Myers can either start or work out of the bullpen. The Rangers would probably use him in relief while the Astros could stick him in their starting rotation. Both clubs have limited cash to spend this offseason and Myers should come cheap. He had a 4.84 ERA and a 6.37 K/9 this past season while dealing with a hip issue.

– Several teams are eyeing Mets OF Angel Pagan, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com. The Royals and Brewers are among the clubs who may have expressed interest. Pagan, 28, hit .306/.350/.487 this season with six homers, 32 RBI and 14 stolen bases over 343 at-bats. The Mets are expected to bid on a few top free agent outfielders this winter and could probably afford to lose Pagan. That said, he’s relatively cheap and serves as a reliable utility outfielder.

– According to the NY Post’s Joel Sherman, the Rays and Cubs are still discussing a swap of OF Milton Bradley and OF Pat Burrell. Both players are set to earn $9M in 2009, but Bradley has another $12M left on his contract for 2011. The Cubs may have to eat close to half of that to get a deal done. They’re desperate to get the disgruntled outfielder out of Chicago but any deal is going to be tricky and Burrell isn’t exactly a perfect fit for the Cubs’ current outfield.

NBA

– G Allen Iverson has accepted a one-year contract offer and will re-join the 76ers. Iverson will start at least until G Lou Williams returns from his broken jaw in two months.

– Warriors F Anthony Randolph (ankle) is out one-to-two weeks.

NHL

– Bruins F Marc Savard has officially signed a seven-year/$28.05M extension. The deal will kick in at the start of the 2010-11 season. The contract is heavily frontloaded with Savard expected to earn $7M in each of the first two seasons, $6.5M for 2012-13, $5M in 2013-14, $1.5M in 2014-15, and then just $525K for each of the final two seasons. The deal comes with a $4.007M cap hit, which is roughly $1M less than his current contract. This is an absolute steal for the Bruins, since Savard is a point-per-game player. However, the league might investigate this contract because it’s another long-term deal given to a veteran player with some ridiculously cheap seasons tacked onto the end to lower the cap hit. The league investigated similar extensions to the Blackhawks for F Marian Hossa and the Flyers for D Chris Pronger.

– Rumours continue to circulate regarding Blackhawks F Patrick Sharp. The Hawks are right up against the cap and could use some breathing room. The team desperately wants to make the long talked about extensions for D Duncan Keith, F Jonathan Toews and F Patrick Kane official and Patrick Sharp and his $3.9M cap hit has been mentioned as a possible way to alleviate some salary room. Sharp said that whatever happens will happen, but that he would like to stay in Chicago and try to help the team win a Stanley Cup. He has collected eight goals and 14 assists in 26 games this campaign. Stay tuned to see if he remains with the Hawks or ends up elsewhere.

– The Ducks have acquired F Kyle Chipchura from the Canadiens for a fourth-round pick.

TNA

– In an interview with the Chicago Sun Times, Angelina Love says “The Beautiful People” will soon reunite in TNA. Here is a passage regarding this from the following article:

“Oh, absolutely. Don’t believe everything you hear, and don’t believe everything you read…It’ll be soon. That’s all I can say – soon.”

“I’ve got a little bit more time, but I definitely, whenever you make a comeback or whatever – for people who haven’t seen you in a long time – you don’t want to come back looking worse. You definitely want to come back looking bangin’ so …”

VoV

-– You can keep up with VoV through Twitter by clicking here.

MLB

– MLB.com reports that the Blue Jays will allow another team a window to negotiate a contract extension with RHP Roy Halladay should a trade be consummated. The reasoning behind a window being granted lies with the fact that the Blue Jays would likely receive a better package for Halladay if a contract extension could be signed. Former GM J.P. Ricciardi would not grant such an extension. Stay tuned.

– Royals RHP Zack Greinke was named the AL’s Cy Young Award winner on Tuesday after receiving 25 of 28 first-place votes. No argument here. Greinke was easily the most dominant pitcher in the AL all year long. He led the league with a 2.16 ERA and 1.07 WHIP, while placing second with 242 strikeouts and six complete games. Even though he managed “just” 16 wins, tying D’Backs RHP Brandon Webb (2006) for the least wins by a Cy Young award winner, he had six no-decisions in which he allowed two runs or less, a clear show of KC’s horrendous team. The 26-year-old Greinke logged 26 quality starts in 2009 – only second-place finisher Felix Hernandez had more (29). Tigers RHP Justin Verlander, Yankees LHP C.C. Sabathia and Jays RHP Roy Halladay rounded out the ballot.

– A major league source has informed FOXSports.com that the Phillies are the favourite to land free-agent UTIL Mark DeRosa. The Phils are expected to let 3B Pedro Feliz walk this winter and could use DeRosa as his replacement at third base. The Mariners, Yankees, Mariners, Nationals, Dodgers, Phillies, Orioles, Rangers and Giants have also shown interest, and the Cardinals might also attempt to re-sign him. DeRosa, 34, .250/.319/.433 with 23 homers and 78 RBI in 2009 and had wrist surgery in October.

– The Astros are not interested in RHP John Smoltz. FOXSports.com earlier named the Astros as a team having interest in Smoltz, but sources indicated to MLB’s Hot Stove Blog that interest “just isn’t there.” Smoltz will likely sign somewhere in the NL this winter. The Dodgers have expressed interest.

– MLB.com reports that the Nationals will offer RHP John Lackey a contract in order to help lure other free agents into signing in D.C., as well as to mentor their younger pitchers. They have also shot down interest in SS Adam Everett.

– The NY Post reports that the Yankees will look into giving RHP Ben Sheets a contract. Sheets had surgery on the flexor tendon in his right arm in February and is expected to be ready for the start of spring training.

– The Indians have signed Sandy Alomar Jr. as their first base coach.

– LHP Randy Johnson, RHP Kip Wells and LHP John Grabow have filed for free agency.

– Phillies 3B Eric Bruntlett has refused assignment and is officially a free agent.

– The Yankees have declined their 2010 option on RHP Sergio Mitre.

– The Red Sox have released C George Kottaras.

– The Kansas City Royals and Kauffman Stadium will reportedly play host to the 2012 All-Star Game. The 2010 All-Star Game will be played in Anaheim, while the 2011 contest will be staged at Chase Field in Arizona.

NHL

– F Brendan Shanahan has retired. The 21-year NHL vet played in 1,524 career games, recording 656 goals and 1,354 points. Shanny finishes his career with three Stanley Cups and an Olympic gold medal as well.

“I would like to thank my family and all of the friends who have helped me achieve and maintain my childhood dream of playing in the National Hockey League. I am enormously grateful to all of my coaches and teammates I’ve had the privilege of learning from and playing along side of, throughout my career. While I always dreamed of playing in the NHL, I can’t honestly say that I would have ever imagined that I’d be this fortunate and blessed. I would like to sincerely thank everyone who has helped me fulfill this dream.”

– As reported here earlier, the Blackhawks have been in discussions with F Jonathan Toews, F Patrick Kane and D Duncan Keith for about two months now. A source close to me, however, has pointed out that this could cause salary cap troubles for the ‘Hawks.

Early reports suggest Toews and Kane are getting $6M each, while Keith’s deal will be between $4-5M. As an average, we’re looking at $4.5M, so the three players combined take up $16M. This brings the the Blackhawks’ cap number to $58M on 14 players. And that’s with the cap expected to go down next year.

D Brian Campbell makes the most out of any Blackhawk at $7.15M – while Campbell is one of the best blueliners around, it’s extremely difficult to move a contract that large. G Cristobal Huet makes $5.6M can be moved via trade, however, that potentially leaves the Blackhawks without a goalie, since G Antti Niemi is an RFA at season’s end. F Andrew Ladd will also be an RFA, and with the salary cap issues ahead for the ‘Hawks, a raise is out of the question, meaning if he wants a bigger paycheck, it won’t be in Chicago. F John Madden, F Ben Eager and F Adam Burish are all UFA’s, and all three are expected to make the same amount as they did this year, if not a raise.

While the Blackhawks look great for the next few years, their team is up in the air come the 2010-11 season. It’s possible that a combination of D Brent Seabrook, D Cam Barker, F Kris Versteeg, F Patrick Sharp, F Dave Bolland or F Dustin Byfuglien could be moved/released in order to get the team under the cap.

– Capitals G Jose Theodore (personal) has left the team.

NFL

– The Bills have fired head coach Dick Jauron.

NBA

– Magic G Jameer Nelson (torn meniscus in left knee) will undergo arthroscopic surgery to repair the injury which he injured Monday against the Bobcats. Nelson will be out anywhere from four-to-six weeks.

– Warriors G Monta Ellis is expected to meet with the team in the coming days to discuss a possible trade out of G-State. Stay tuned.

– The Raptors have claimed F Pops Mensah-Bonsu off waivers from the Rockets.

NBA

– Warriors G Raja Bell (wrist) is out for the season.

– The NY Post reports that while the Knicks will look at signing G Allen Iverson, a deal would be a longshot.

– Lakers F Luke Walton (pinched nerve) is out six weeks.

NFL

– Dolphins RB Ronnie Brown (foot) is expected out the rest of the season. The prognosis could change based on the advice of the specialist and how Brown’s rehab goes.

– Ravens beat writer Aaron Wilson reports that Ravens RB Terrell Suggs (knee) will miss “at least” the next two-to-three weeks. Suggs’ agent, Gary Wichard, speculated earlier in the day that Suggs’ injury could be season ending. Wilson says Suggs only has a “minor” tear of his MCL, but this still isn’t necessarily easy to recover from.

WWE

– JR has updated his blog. The highlights:

WWE’s Production Value: “WWE’s TV people hit home runs with their new music, graphics packages, and the overall “look” of the show on HD. I like the short, smaller set as WWE used the short, live event entrance for the show instead of the long ramp entrance which kills a bunch of seats. Over 20,000 fans were in the Garden Monday night of which we heard on multiple occasions. We may have heard it with such regularity that I thought we might might be the audio daily double at the end of the night. Seriously, that was a huge crowd and an accomplishment for any event. I don’t know but I assume that that short entrance way was for MSG or other similar arenas and that the traditional entrance will be used next week but that’s an assumption.

Wrestling Announcers: “I think we are approaching a non productive trend in the business as it relates to the announcing. We are all guilty, me too, of doing too much hyperbole, talking about too many things that are not related to a bout. In other words sell, sell, sell. “The most historic, most anticipated, most watched, most longest running, most amazing main event, most..most ..most.” This isn’t a knock on my fellow announcers as I have been just as guilty, if not more, but after being home for several weeks and hearing a bunch of wrestling on TV it begins to become noticeable and not in a good way.

Kofi Kingston’s Big Push: Kofi Kingston can look back on this night in MSG as perhaps the night he stepped up and touched the next level. I thought Kofi and Randy Orton’s physical interaction was the wrestling highlight of the show. That was some big time stuff from two young, talented competitors.

F1

– Kimi Raikkonen will sit out of Formula One next season after failing to clinch a deal with McLaren. The Finn, who won the world championship with Ferrari in 2007, has left that team to make way for the arrival of Fernando Alonso. He had previously said he would consider switching to rally driving in 2010.

– Toyota is pulling out of Formula One racing. The world’s largest automaker announced Wednesday it needs to cut costs and focus on its core business. Toyota president Akio Toyoda said at a news conference, “Based on the current economic environment, we realize we have no choice but to withdraw from Formula One. This has been a very painful decision for the company.” Toyota follows Honda Motor Co. as the second major Japanese automaker to withdraw from the sport in the last 11 months. Honda pulled out last December amid worsening economic conditions. Brawn GP, which took over the old Honda team, won the 2009 F1 championship.

VoV

-– You can keep up with VoV through Twitter by clicking here.

UFC

– UFC Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar is suffering from a bacterial infection in his intestinal tract, according to an ESPN. Lesnar is expected to be released from a hospital in Bismarck, San Diego shortly, but UFC president Dana White wants Lesnar to check into the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota for further evaluation. White reiterated that he’s not sure if Lesnar will be able to fight again. Stay tuned.

MLB

– According to the LA Times, the Angels are looking to re-sign 3B Chone Figgins and RHP John Lackey. The team, believe it or not, is not focused on OF Matt Holliday. It is extremely doubtful that GM Tony Reagins will get Figgins or Lackey to sign anything before Friday, though, as both are highly coveted on the free-agent market and would likely get paid to play more elsewhere.

The Red Sox and Yankees are believed to be preparing $100M contracts for Holliday. Teams have till Friday to get their own free agents signed before anybody else can offer them contracts.

Lackey supposedly wants to sign a deal worth more than $100M and has interest from the M’s, Brewers, Red Sox, Mets and Yankees. Figgins is likely to sign a deal for half of that, and his suitors supposedly include the Phillies, Mets, White Sox and Cubs. Stay tuned.

– SoxNet is reporting that the Padres and White Sox are working on a deal that will be based on 1B Paul Konerko for 1B Adrian Gonzalez, including prospects. Then, the Padres would trade Konerko to the Angels for another package of prospects. Gonzalez, 27, hit 40 homers, 99 RBIs, and a .407 OBP and will draw interest from many teams.

– Adam Rubin of the NY Daily News confirms that the Mets are intrigued by free agent RHP Joel Pineiro. SI.com’s Jon Heyman first suggested the connection last week but noted that Pineiro’s current asking price (thought to be around three years/$30M) might be a bit high for the Mets. Piniero, 31, a Type B free agent, went 15-12 this season with a 3.49 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and MLB-leading 60.2 GB% in 32 starts. His 1.14 BB/9 was a four-year low in Major League Baseball.

NHL

– According to some sources, Blue Jackets F Nikita Filatov may return to Russia for the remainder of the season. Filatov is said to be scheduled to have a sit down with the Blue Jackets’ brass on Tuesday to discuss the possibility of him remaining with the team. Columbus GM Scott Howson, coach Ken Hitchcock and his agent Don Meehan did not comment on the situation. Filatov has appeared in 13 games this season, averaging just 8:06 of ice time per contest, while scoring just two goals.

– The Blackhawks may announce contract extensions for D Duncan Keith, F Jonathan Toews and F Patrick Kane as early as Tuesday. Keith is believed to be very close to agreeing to a new deal, while cornerstone offensive players Toews and Kane are said to be all but locked up long-term. Stay tuned for details.

NBA

– Warriors F Kelenna Azubuike (torn left patellar tendon) is out for the season. Azubuike will have surgery this week, with an expected recovery time of five-to-six months.

– According to ESPN, the Kings and 76ers are working on a deal that will see F Samuel Dalembert head to SacTown for F Kenny Thomas. New rumours include the Celtics making this a three-way deal. The C’s would receive F Andres Nocioni while Thomas, F Tony Allen and F Brian Scalabrine would head to Philly, while Dalembert and G J.R. Giddens would be headed to the Kings. The conversations are supposedly “ongoing.” Stay tuned.

NFL

– The Bengals have officially signed RB Larry Johnson. Johnson likely received the prorated veteran’s minimum of $255,290 for the final seven games of the season.

WWE

– Jim Ross has updated his blog. The highlights:

Brock Lesnar’s Health: Brock Lesnar’s health is one of the things that I am thinking a great deal about these days. As former OU and Dallas Cowboy coach Barry Switzer once told me, “You recruit a kid for life” and that’s how I feel about all the guys I signed for WWE including Austin, Rock, Orton, Batista, Cena, Lesnar etc. Management and the talents may not always see eye to eye, such as the case during Lesnar’s exit from WWE, but that has zero to do with how I feel about Brock personally. Business is business and personal relationships are something entirely different to me. It’s not always that way in wrestling by the way. Brock is a gifted athlete who, like me, was a country boy who made it to the bright lights of the ‘big city.’ I do not know his diagnosis other than what I read. Dana White intimated that Brock had intestine issues. Gosh, can I relate to that or what?

Shane McMahon Meeting With UFC: Speaking of MMA, apparently their message boards are ‘going crazy’ about the alleged meetings with former wrestling personnel meeting with UFC officials in the past week or so. I don’t know the nature of these alleged meetings nor is it any of my business but the knee jerk reactions of MMA message board people because these folks have backgrounds in pro wrestling indicates that there are some ignorant, insecure people hiding behind screen names on these boards. People with promotional experience, experience in selling tickets and PPV’s, opening new markets, promoting live events, utilizing existing business contacts, etc can potentially prove to be invaluable.

– John Cena is not currently scheduled for any WWE live events in January of 2010, so it appears the Raw superstar could be taking a few weeks off before the Royal Rumble.

– As previously reported, Rey Mysterio is in need of knee surgery. He’s expected to take time off soon which may cause the feud with Batista to be rushed.

TNA

– TNA has signed D’Angelo Dinero (aka Elijah Burke) to a long-term deal.

VoV

-– You can keep up with VoV through Twitter by clicking here.

UFC

– As reported here earlier, UFC Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar’s health is much worse than originally thought and it appears Lesnar could have a very tough road ahead. UFC President Dana White told TMZ.com that in addition to having mononucleosis, Brock is “very, very sick” with some sort of intestinal disorder that will require “major surgery.” White told TMZ that he is going to visit Lesnar in the hospital and is trying to get him transferred to the Mayo Clinic, one of the top medical facilities in the world, so doctors can figure out what to do.

After postponing the Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin fight for a second time last weekend, White now says, “There’s a possibility Lesnar will never fight again.” Stay tuned.

NHL

– The Blackhawks appear to be close to signing F Patrick Kane and F Jonathan Toews to contract extensions. Kane and Toews are scheduled to become restricted free agents this summer. Pat Brisson, who represents both players, and Chicago GM Stan Bowman have been negotiating for more than two months. Stay tuned.

– Penguins D Alex Goligoski (LBI) is out two-to-three weeks. Goligoski is third on the team with six goals and 14 points.

– The word is that the Panthers will finally get new ownership, according to the Miami Herald. Minority owners Stuart Siegel and Cliff Viner will take over the team. The team has supposedly lost $10M a year since it was bought from Wayne Huizenga in 2001. Last year, that number supposedly went up to around $14M. The league still needs to approve the deal.

MLB

– The Mets, Brewers, Mariners, Yankees and Red Sox are set to speak with free agent RHP John Lackey, 31. Anaheim loses exclusive negotiating rights to Lackey this Friday, and once that passes, these three teams will be ready to make an offer. The main concern for most teams is Lackey’s stamina. In the past two years, he’s made 24 and 27 starts and had different arm injuries both years. The 6’6″, 245-pounder went 11-8 this year with a 3.43 ERA and 139 strikeouts in 176.1 innings.

– A’s RHP Andrew Bailey has won the American League Rookie of the Year award. Bailey was 6-3 while converting 26-of-30 saves and posting a 1.84 ERA, a 0.88 WHIP and 91/25 K/BB ratio in 83 1/3 innings. Bailey edged a group that included Rangers SS Elvis Andrus and Tigers RHP Rick Porcello.

– Marlins OF Chris Coghlan won the National League Rookie of the Year award. He beat out Phillies LHP J.A. Happ, Braves RHP Tommy Hanson and Pirates OF Andrew McCutchen. Coghlan was great in his debut campaign, hitting .321/.390/.460 in 565 plate appearances with 84 runs scored, 31 doubles, and nine steals in 128 games.

– Peter Gammons reports the Red Sox want SS Jed Lowrie to play at Triple-A Pawtucket in 2010. Lowrie missed most of the 2009 season after undergoing wrist surgery in April with lingering effects. Right now, Lowrie is technically the top shortstop on the depth chart, but that figures to change this winter. Giving him full-time duty in Pawtucket would help get him ready for the bigs again.

– The Reds have signed C Ramon Hernandez on a one-year/$3M contract. The contract also includes a $3.25M vesting option for 2011 if Hernandez plays in 120 games. Hernandez played just 81 games in 2009 due to knee surgery in July, but hit .258/.336/.362 with five home runs and 37 RBI. He also made 21 starts at first base. C Ryan Hanigan may have been a better and cheaper option, especially defensively, but the Reds ultimately liked the additional pop in Hernandez’ bat in the lineup

NBA

– According to the Toronto Sun, G Dwyane Wade, F LeBron James and F Chris Bosh could all end up playing for the Heat. The Heat are hoping to re-sign Wade and have enough money left to snag both LBJ and CB4. The three players have supposedly been in on the concept and have talked about the possibility. James and Wade are certainly pals and would like to play together again if the Cavs somehow don’t satisfy the wishes of James. This is nearly impossible, though – LBJ is likely to re-sign with the Cavs, and CB4 is as good as gone. Don’t look too deep into the Heat becoming the East All-Star/US Olympic team.

– The Bobcats have acquired F Stephen Jackson and G Acie Law from the Warriors for G Raja Bell and F Vladimir Radmanovic. Jax isn’t headed to a championship contender, but he’ll play a huge role for the offensively-challenged Bobcats.

– The Grizzlies have told G Allen Iverson that they want word of his future “within a couple of days.” Reports are that A.I. has had no contact with the team since he left 10 days ago to deal with a personal matter, and an anonymous source (allegedly close to Iverson) said it’s doubtful that he will return to Memphis. Stay tuned.

– The updated timetable for Hornets G Chris Paul (ankle) is that he’s out anywhere from one week to one month. The Hornets are already 3-8 and this isn’t going to make things any easier for them.

– Warriors coach Don Nelson flatly denied a report that he would be stepping down as the Warriors’ head coach, or that he is shopping G Monta Ellis. Stay tuned, this is far from over.

– Sixers F Marreese Speights (partial MCL tear in left knee) is out six-to-eight weeks.

WWE

– WWE has announced that former Navy Seal and Governor of Minnesota Jesse Ventura will host next week’s 3-hour Thanksgiving-themed edition of WWE Raw from Hershey, PA. Ventura will be promoting his new reality television show on the TruTV network, “Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura.”

– WWE and the USA Network issued a joint press release Monday announcing an extension of their cable television partnership that will keep WWE Raw on the network through 2014.

NFL

– Bears QB Jay Cutler has been fined $20K for abusive conduct toward a game official during a 41-21 home loss to the Cardinals last Sunday.

UFC

– UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar (4-1) will face Shane Carwin (11-0) at UFC 106 on November 21 in Las Vegas. It was originally rumoured that Carwin would fight Cain Velasquez (6-0) at UFC 106 with the winner getting a shot at Lesnar next year. However, Valasquez will now fight an unnamed opponent and there’s talk of him getting a shot at the winner of Lesnar-Carwin. For those unaware, Carwin is almost a mirror image of Brock. Should be a dandy.

MLB

– The Cardinals have signed RHP John Smoltz. Smoltz, 42, is 2-5 with an 8.33 ERA in eight starts for the Red Sox this season. Great add for the playoff run. GM John Mozeliak said Smoltz would likely start Sunday at San Diego, and would probably get at least a few turns in the rotation.

– The Astros have placed SS Miguel Tejada on waivers, but pulled him off when another team made a claim. The Astros did the same thing with former C Ivan Rodriguez, and a similar fate is expected to happen with RHP Jose Valverde. For some reason, owner Drayton McLane and GM Ed Wade continue to state that they are still in it for this year and aren’t building for next year.

– The Mets have released RHP Livan Hernandez. The 34-year-old Hernandez was 7-8 with a 5.47 ERA,  and had allowed 18 earned runs in 14 1-3 innings. He allowed six runs in a 10-1 loss to San Francisco on Monday, and the Mets went 2-10 in his last 12 starts.

Speaking of the Mets, they have placed LHP Billy Wagner on waivers, and according to ESPN, he is apparently ready to waive his no-trade clause. Anybody who takes Wagner will have to shell our about $2.7M for the rest of this season, in addition to a $1M buyout for next year. Wagner will be in tough for a job, though, as he has an $8M option for next season. It’s unlikely anyone will claim him off waivers, so the Mets will probably try and work out a trade. Wagner is coming off Tommy John surgery and hasn’t pitched in the bigs since last September, so his trade value is rock bottom. Still, Wagner doesn’t want to finish his career this way and apparently would like to get up to the 420-save mark or thereabouts. He’s at 385 now.

Still with the Mets, they had placed OF Gary Sheffield on waivers last week, and pulled him later on. It’s now believed that Sheff won’t last the season with the team. If the Mets place him on waivers again, they lose the ability to pull him off or negotiate a trade. Sheffield, 41, says he wants to go somewhere with a strong lineup, but thus far, only the Marlins and Rangers have shown interest.

According to the NY Post, Sheffield asked for a contract extension from the Mets Thursday and was denied, and is now threatening to leave the team and might soon be released outright. Things had been running smoothly in New York until Sheff made a couple of curious comments on Tuesday night in reaction to trade rumors. “Based on what I know now, no, I do not think I will be here. But if I am sent to a team that I don’t want to play for, I would go home.” He was scratched from the lineup Thursday night.

– The Brewers have traded 3B Bill Hall to the Mariners for P Ruben Flores. Hall hit 35 home runs in 2006 and was rewarded with a four-year/$24M contract, but he was hitting only .201 with six homers and 24 RBIs in 76 games when the Brewers designated him for assignment last week.

– The Orioles have claimed RHP Chris Lambert off of waivers from the Tigers. The 26-year-old Lambert was 0-1 with a 14.85 ERA in two relief appearances with the Tigers this season. He was 6-7 with a 3.55 ERA in 21 starts with Triple-A Toledo.

– D’Backs RHP Jon Garland has cleared waivers. Arizona will likely have to part with some cash to make up for the $4M left between his contract and his 2010 buyout, but there’s a chance that a contender in need of pitching depth may decide to take their chances and deal for him. Stay tuned.

– The Reds have placed RHP Johnny Cueto (arm) on the 15-day DL. Cueto is 8-10 with a 4.61 ERA in 24 starts.

– The Dodgers have signed RHP Vicente Padilla.

– The Nationals have named Mike Rizzo as their next GM. Rizzo was acting in an interim role this season following the firing of Jim Bowden.

– The Rangers have placed RHP “Everyday” Eddie Guardado (knee) on the 15-day DL.

– The Mariners have transferred LHP Erik Bedard to the 60-day DL. His season is over.

– The Reds have placed OF Willy Taveras (quad) on the 15-day DL.

– The Dodgers have placed RHP Hiroki Kuroda (head) on the 15-day DL, retroactive to August 16.

– The Royals have released 3B Travis Metcalf.

– The White Sox have placed OF Dewayne Wise (shoulder) on the 15-day DL.

– The Mets have placed SS Alex Cora (thumbs) on the 60-day DL.

– The Astros have placed LHP Mike Hampton (torn rotator cuff) on the 15-day DL.

– The Rangers have placed 2B Esteban German (groin) on the 15-day DL.

NBA

– According to sources, F Amare Stoudemire is playing his last year with the Suns this season. Amare was reportedly very unhappy when Shaq was dealt to Cleveland, and was unhappy with being put on the trade block last February when he was supposedly in talks with the Warriors. He’s putting his odds of staying with the team after next summer at 50/50, though, as he can decline a $17.6M salary for 2010-11 next summer and become a free agent. Stay tuned.

– Bucks F Andrew Bogut still hasn’t participated in contact drills as he continues to recover from a lower back stress fracture that ended his season early last year. Bogut’s main goal is to be ready for training camp, but he’s been working on a limited schedule since July and the fact he hasn’t had contact drills yet is a concern.

– Nets F Yi Jianlian may be allowed to skip the rest of the Stankovic Cup in China and return to New Jersey earlier than expected in order to prepare for the start of the season. Yi has been playing very well for Team China, but the Chinese media is reporting that team officials are considering his request to return to the states early.

– According to the Arizona Republic, Cavaliers F Shaquille O’Neal’s new reality show, “Shaq Vs.” apparently was an idea that Shaq stole directly from Suns G Steve Nash when Shaq was originally traded there in February of 2008. Nash talked to a lawyer and now he’s listed as executive producer on the show.

– Knicks G Nate Robinson was arrested Tuesday after officers pulled him over in the Bronx at about 5:30 p.m. and discovered he had a suspended license. According to the NY Post, the 25-year-old RFA was apparently a complete jerk to the cop who pulled him over for driving with an unfastened seat belt. He turned up the volume pretty loud when the cop walked back from Robinson’s SUV to the police cruiser to check his license and then kept singing the words to the rap song when the officer returned to the window. As soon as he heard he was being arrested, Robinson apparently pulled out the I’m-A-Celebrity-card and tried to sway the officer to let him go. KryptoNate was taken to the 52nd Precinct and charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and issued a summons to return to court at a later date.

– The Magic have signed G Jason Williams. Williams, who sat out last year, will back up G Jameer Nelson and probably immediately move in front of G Anthony Johnson on the depth chart.

– G Desmond Mason will not return to the Thunder next season.

– The Grizzlies continue to look into G Jamaal Tinsley, G Flip Murray and G Tarence Kinsey.

WWE

– Unless things change at the last minute, Jeff Hardy’s last day with WWE will take place at either SummerSlam or the following SmackDown! taping. WWE is still trying to get him to stay, though. As a result, it pretty much goes without saying that he will be dropping the World Heavyweight Championship to CM Punk next week. Matt Hardy tweeted the following message to Jeff Hardy yesterday morning: “The time is near for the Hardy Empire to begin.. Starting with the Charismatic Enigma.. 8/25/09″ Hmm…

Also, WWE released the first-ever “WWE Kids Poster Book” special edition on Tuesday, which features individual posters of practically every male star on the roster. One glaring omission is that of Jeff Hardy, who is not featured on the poster. You can see the giant poster here.

– There is a lot of talk within WWE about having DX vs. Legacy in the main event position at SummerSlam, even though it would go against the tradition of ending with a title match. The feeling is that if CM Punk is going to beat Jeff Hardy for the World Title, which there’s a good chance of that, it’s better to end SummerSlam on a happy note. This would also indicate that John Cena isn’t planned to take the WWE Title from Randy Orton but that’s not confirmed.

– As of last week, there was a rumour that WWE was planning a major swerve at SummerSlam that would involve either Triple H or Shawn Michaels turning heel at SummerSlam. WWE is now advertising DX vs. Legacy in a steel cage match for the SmackDown and ECW tapings on September 1 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. This could be a sign that plan was changed or it could be a way to keep a possible heel turn a surprise.

– WWE.com has announced that ECW Champion Christian will defend the gold against #1 contender William Regal at Summerslam this Sunday.

– Former WWE superstar and Hollywood heavyweight Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson recently spoke to the UK’s The Sun. Some highlights:

His Troubled Teen Years: “I had a very checkered past. I got into trouble a lot and had multiple arrests. For a lot of years I struggled to stay on the right path. I had multiple arrests by the time that I was 17. The last time I was arrested, my parents came down to the police station to get me. My parents were struggling at that time, even to put food on the table. That was a lot of stress at that time and I was adding to it. When they came to the police station I remember their disappointment. For years the disappointment had never bothered me but for some reason this time the disappointment in their eyes moved me. And that was when I realized that I was causing a lot of pain for my parents and I did not want to continue to do that.”

His father’s reaction to ‘The Wrestler’: “He didn’t take it very well. We lived the life that you saw in the movie, The Wrestler. That essentially was my dad. The character that Mickey Rourke played so wonderfully was my dad. So when I graduated from college and had an opportunity to play pro football, naturally it was easy for my father to say he did not want me to wrestle. He had nothing to show from a wrestling career. We lived in a one-bedroom apartment and he did not want that life for me. But instinctively I thought I had something to offer that world of entertainment. It took a little of convincing him but eventually we worked together. But being a parent I now understand where my dad was coming from.”

Getting Into Acting: “Ten years ago I knew that I wanted to be a good actor as I wound down my wrestling career. There is a great amount of acting in wrestling and wrestling is a great form of entertainment. For me that training ground was really invaluable because I did not go to school for acting. I went to school for football and studied criminology. I knew it was going to take time and 10 years went by pretty quickly.”

– Former WWE star Ken “Mr. Kennedy” Anderson’s no-compete clause with WWE is set to expire within the next 2 weeks. He will therefore be able to work for any wrestling promotion that wants to hire him. He now goes under the name Mr. Anderson and TNA is said to have high interest in signing the former WWE star.

– As announced Friday afternoon on WWE.com, Nick “Eugene” Dinsmore was released from his WWE contract. According to several sources, the feeling is that he showed up at last week’s RAW taping looking terribly out of shape and Vince McMahon made the decision right then and there to cut him loose. He had just been hired back about a month ago. McMahon is pretty big on first impressions. For instance, his first impression of Takeshi Morishima following a tryout match a year ago this week killed any possible interest in signing him.

An issue of Power Slam noted the following: “August 19: Still on the warpath, Vince claims two more victims: he basically says Morishima looks like a giant, fat girl and that Laurinaitis was wasting his time by hyping such a s colourless and podgy wrestler. Vince also sagely notes that because fellow Japanese name Kenzo Suzuki tanked in WWE, obviously Morishima was likely to be a failure as well – solely on the basis of their shared ethnicity.”

Reportedly, the creative team wanted to get Eugene on television very quickly, so the fact that he was released after his first appearance adds further credence to the theory given.

– This week’s edition of WWE Monday Night RAW drew a 3.8 rating, which is down from last week‘s 3.9 rating. The first hour did a 3.58, while the second hour finished off with a 3.99.

NHL

– Blackhawks F Patrick Kane, 20, and his cousin James Kane, 21, pleaded not guilty during a brief arraignment before Buffalo judge Thomas Amodeo. The appearance came a day after the two were indicted by a grand jury. The Kanes are facing misdemeanor assault, theft and harassment charges that he and his cousin beat up a cab driver over a fare. The panel dismissed a more serious felony charge of second-degree robbery.

– The Sharks have removed captaincy from F Patrick Marleau. Yeesh, about time.

– The 2-month-old son of Capitals G Jose Theodore has died. The goalie’s sister-in-law made the announcement Thursday during her show on a Montreal-area radio station. Theodore also has a 3-year-old daughter, Romy. My condolences go out to the Theodore family.

– The Hurricanes have signed F Stephane Yelle to a one-year/$550K deal. The 35-year-old had seven goals and 11 assists with Boston, and has won the Stanley Cup twice with the Avalanche.

– The Sabres have signed F Jeff Cowan to a one-year deal. Cowan is an eight-year NHL veteran but spent last season playing for Peoria of the AHL. He previously played two years with Vancouver, where he combined for seven goals and four assists, and 203 penalty minutes in 88 games.

– The Ducks have re-sogned D Brett Festerling to a two-year contract. Festerling played 40 games with Anaheim as a rookie last season, recording five assists and 18 penalty minutes. He also played extensively for the Ducks’ top minor league affiliate in Iowa.

– Mark Messier was not offered the head coaching job with the Oilers last season when Craig MacTavish was fired.

– Stars owner Tom Hicks is not putting the team up for sale. Forbes says the team is worth about $405M, but one suspects somebody could get the team for less than that. Hicks’ HSG has until August of 2010 to satisfy his debts before any kind of movement by creditors could be made to take over the teams. He dug himself a hole, though, when his HSG defaulted on a $10M interest payment at the end of March on $525M in loans.

NFL

– WR Plaxico Burress pleaded guilty to felony weapons charges in a Manhattan court Thursday and received a two-year prison sentence. This could easily end the 32-year-old’s career. NY State still must approve Burress’ plea deal – if it doesn’t, Plax could stand trial for two counts of second-degree criminal weapons possession and one count of second-degree reckless endangerment, and face even more prison time. Plax has probably played his last NFL down.

– The NFP is reporting that Raiders assistant Randy Hanson will turn over medical records, and he’s expected to cooperate with Napa, California police. Police, as well as NFL Security, have been attempting to get Hanson to talk since the story of his fractured jaw emerged earlier this week. It’s believed that he will now cooperate because the Raiders will not allow him to return to his former position. The next step is likely an investigation and a possible felony charge against head coach Tom Cable. Cable has declined to comment.

– The Chiefs have signed WR Ashley Lelie.

TNA

– TNA World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle spoke with WTAO in Pittsburgh. Here’s what he said: “I don’t like confrontation, so I kind of back away from it. This is really hard for me. I spent nine hours in jail and it was the lowest point of my life,” Angle said as he started to break down crying pleading for his reputation. “I was sitting there in a county jail thinking about why I even started dating this girl. I don’t even know when I’m allowed back in my own home. I just hope that the hearing goes okay and I can move back into my home. I just want my life back.”

F1

– YouTube co-founder and CEO Chad Hurley has confirmed his involvement with the new Team US F1. US F1 will be joined on the 2010 starting grid by Manor Grand Prix and Campos Meta 1.

– F1 teams will go back to qualifying on low-fuel for the final session next season. According to FIA , the final 10 cars involved in the Q3 qualifying session will not have to declare their fuel levels due to the fact there will be a ban on refueling next year.

That should bring back the days of a real qualifying shootout in which the fastest car is actually the one on the pole. That was not always the case under the current system as teams were forced to declare their race day fuel levels before Q3, meaning different strategies forced teams to use different fuel levels.

Other changes to the rules will see eight cars knocked out in both Q1 and Q2 to take into account the expected increase to 26 cars next season on the starting grid. The current point system will also be maintained for at least one more season. There have been recommendations to go to an Olympic-styled medal system in which the driver with the most wins would be declared the world champion. Even though the FOTA-based teams have agreed not to use the KERS system next year, the FIA rules have increased the weight of the cars to 620kg to take into account the additional weight of the energy recovery system. Tire warmers, which were also expected to be banned along with refueling, will remain – at least for one more season.

MMA

– Kim Couture, the wife of UFC legend Randy “The Natural” Couture, has responded to Lisa Marie Varon’s (a.k.a. Victoria) comments about a potential MMA bout. “I think that with my name I have a target on me. That’s fine. I don’t imagine that’s going to go away any time soon I’ll fight whoever they put in front of me. If she can make my weight – she seems from the picture a lot taller, a lot bigger than me. But if she can make 135 pounds, if (Strikeforce CEO Scott) Coker wants to put it together then so be it.”