NBA

– In a recent interview with ESPN Radio, Stephen A. Smith said that F LeBron James is leaning toward signing with the Knicks “and that this factor played a role in Tom Izzo turning down the Cavs’ head coaching job.” “From what my sources tell me, he still hasn’t made a final decision but he’s higher on New York now than he was a month ago. And the reality is that he is leaning more towards New York than he is towards returning to Cleveland. Izzo knew this.” Apparently James’ camp is making “in-depth” queries about Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni. Stay tuned.

– The 76ers official website briefly displayed a page on Friday that said “Sixers draft G Evan Turner.” The page appears to be pre-fabricated for the moment Philly drafts Turner #2 overall, and the fact that it went live was obviously an error. No doubt that Turner goes second, as G John Wall will be taken by the Wizards.

– The Suns have picked up their 2011-12 option for head coach Alvin Gentry. However, half of that year’s $2.2M salary hinges on whether there is a lockout when the Collective Bargaining Agreement expires in July 2011. Gentry is the league’s second-lowest paid coach and will make less than Terry Porter, whom the Suns fired last year.

– According to his personal trainer, G Allen Iverson is preparing for a comeback next season. AI took a leave of absence in March because of an undisclosed illness to his 4-year-old daughter, Messiah.

– Former F Manute Bol passed away yesterday. He was 47. Bol was Sudan 7’7″ centre, the tallest player in NBA history, spent 10 seasons in the NBA and was dedicated to humanitarian work in Africa. Bol died at the University of Virginia Hospital in Charlottesville, where he was being treated for severe kidney trouble and a painful skin condition. Bol recorded more career blocks than points.

– The Indianapolis Star reports that the Pacers will use the #10 overall pick to select F Daniel Orton. The 19-year-old who declared himself ready for the NBA after his freshman year worked out for the team on June 1. The team is setting up a second workout, according to the paper. The 6’10″, 260-pound Oklahoma native averaged 3.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks for Kentucky.

MLB

– T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports that the Rangers have inquired about acquiring a starting pitcher, including Mariners’ LHP Cliff Lee and Astros’ RHP Roy Oswalt. The club has not confirmed their interest in any single player, but acknowledge that they have been active in trade talks. Rangers’ assistant GM Thad Levine said, “We’ve had some preliminary discussions with clubs. But to compel teams to move this far ahead of the [July 31] Trade Deadline, it would take a very attractive package. We’re still in the inventory stage and the information-gathering stage rather than the execution phase.” There are some obvious financial constraints in the way of a potential deal right now, but there’s little doubt that the Rangers have all the pieces necessary to acquire a front-line starting pitcher at the deadline.

– Cardinals’ RHP Ryan Franklin believes that he will retire when his contract expires after the 2011 season. Franklin will be 38 at that point and told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “I think I owe it to my family. I’ve missed a lot of things that have been going on. I don’t want to miss a lot more.” With the current spate of midseason will-he-or-won’t-he retirement stories, it’s a nice change of pace to see a player who has his plan in place in advance.

– Padres’ OF Kyle Blanks (elbow), who has been on the DL since May 18, will miss another 3-to-4 more weeks after an MRI showed more damage than had previously been thought. The San Diego Union Tribune reports that it will be another two weeks before Blanks even picks up a ball, which makes three weeks seems like an awfully optimistic timetable. While Blanks won’t need to recover his arm strength to the degree that a pitcher in rehab would, he can’t exactly be two-hopping the cut-off man either. Blanks was off to a slow start before he landed on the DL, as he’d produced a line of just .157/.283/.324.

– According to Tracy Ringolsby, Rockies’ SS Troy Tulowitzki (broken left wrist) will miss 6-to-8 weeks. A huge blow to the Rockies’ hopes.

– Phillies’ first base coach Davey Lopes said that 2B Chase Utley (knee) has been dealing with “a little bit of a knee injury.” There have been whispers about an injury for a few weeks now and Lopes finally spoke up to Baseball Prospectus. We’ll probably hear some confirmation or denial from the team in the days to come, but there’s no question that Utley hasn’t looked the same for quite some time. While his .377 OBP is excellent, he is batting just .257 with a .451 SLG%.

– The Dodgers have placed RHP Carlos Monasterios (blister on index finger) on the 15-day DL and have placed SS Rafael Furcal on the bereavement list.

– The Rockies have placed SS Troy Tulowitzki (fractured left wrist) on the 15-day DL.

– The Marlins have placed RHP Clay Hensley (left neck strain) on the 15-day DL retroactive to June 12, and transferred C John Baker to the 60-day DL.

– The Phillies have placed LHP Antonio Bastardo (left elbow ulnar neuritis) on the 15-day DL retroactive to June 16.

NHL

– The Devils have re-acquired F Jason Arnott from the Predators for F Matt Halischuk and a 2nd-round draft pick in the 2011. Arnott scored the Stanley Cup-clinching goal for the Devils in 2000. He had 19 goals and 27 assists in 63 games last season, and waived his no-trade clause in his contract to make the deal happen. After the season, he had given the Predators’ management a list of teams he would approve, with the Devils topping his list. “They kind of explained what the situation was and it just didn’t seem like I was in their (plans) for long term. So I decided I’d rather move my family now and we both kind of came to the agreement that it was time for the young guys to step in and do their thing, and for me to move on. So it was kind of a mutual thing.”

– The Predators have re-acquired D Ryan Parent from the Flyers for D Dan Hamhuis and a conditional pick in the 2011 draft.  Parent was Nashville’s first pick in the 2005 draft and was sent to Philadelphia in 2007 in a trade that brought F Peter Forsberg to Nashville. The 23-year-old blueliner played his first full NHL season last year and appeared in 17 playoff games during the Flyers’ run to the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals.

– According to the Ottawa Sun, the Capitals are shopping F Alexander Semin. He has one year left on his mulit-year contract that pays him $6M annually and may be a prime candidate to move on as a free agent after the 2010-11 season. Stay tuned.

– The Daily News reports that the Flyers could be offering F Jeff Carter in exchange for a proven #1 goalie. One rumour that keeps popping up is Carter to Boston for G Tim Thomas. Carter is the sniper that F Marc Savard has been missing on his wing since the trade of F Phil Kessel to Toronto. There would likely be more involved in a Carter for Thomas deal, but it is worth keeping an eye on. The Kings, who are set to add former Flyer head coach John Stevens to their coaching staff, may also be interested in moving a goalie for Carter.

Thomas is still a first-line goalie, but he’s making $5M as a backup to G Tuukka Rask. Boston needs to shed some salary in order to make some other changes to its roster and still be within the cap. Despite his substantial salary, there should be a number of contending teams vying for Thomas’ services. Philadelphia, Washington, San Jose and possibly Tampa will likely be calling Bruin GM Peter Chiarelli about Thomas. Stay tuned.

– Despite rumors that the Panthers are going to completely re-tool and trade both F Nathan Horton and F Stephen Weiss, don’t count on Weiss moving anywhere. Although Horton may be in play, Weiss is signed for three years at a modest $3.1M per season. That’s pretty reasonable for a 27-year-old center who has registered 121 points in his last 158 games and has the capacity to be even better in 2010-11. Plus, Florida coach Peter DeBour who coached Weiss in the OHL, loves him.

– The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Penguins will not bring back F Alex Ponikarovsky. The soon-to-be UFA is seeking a longer-term deal than the Penguiuns seem willing to give. Ponikarovsky was a disappointment last season after being acquired from the Leafs and the Pens do not seem willing to make a substantial investment in him.

– Lightning’ F Vincent Lecavalier is very happy with the hiring of Steve Yzerman as GM and Guy Boucher as head coach. “I’m very, very excited about what is happening with this organization from new ownership, to a guy like Steve Yzerman, who knows where he is going. He’s got a plan, he’s an honest person and comes from an organization of winners over the past 20 years and he will bring that mentality. And for him to bring on somebody like Guy Boucher, somebody who I’ve heard great things about over the past couple of years, I think it’s just going to be a great chemistry with those guys and with the players.”

– The AP reports that the Wild will not be big players in this year’s free agent frenzy.

– The owners of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks and NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers say they continue to look for minority partners and have no plans to sell or move either team. There have been persistent reports that the Atlanta Spirit ownership group is strapped financially and may be looking to sell one or both teams. The latest report was in Friday’s New York Post. The group also owns the operating rights to Philips Arena. Atlanta Spirit principals Bruce Levenson and Michael Gearon released a statement saying they have hired a firm to help in the search for minority investors but remain committed to both teams, the arena and the city of Atlanta. Their statement says “we have no plans to move either team.”

– D Rob Blake has officially retired from the NHL. Blake will be remembered as one of the greatest offensive defenceman of his generation. He scored 240 goals and 777 points in 1,270 games with the Kings, Avalanche and Sharks. He won the Norris Trophy in 1998 and the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2001.

NFL

– According to PFT, RFA LT Jammal Brown will not require a contract extension as a condition of Saturday’s trade to the Redskins. Brown did his RFA tender of $3.619M as part of the trade, and extension talks may begin down the line. The Saints’ compensation hinges on the QB Donovan McNabb trade. If McNabb makes the Pro Bowl, or the Redskins win nine games or make the playoffs, the Eagles receive a 3rd-round pick and the Saints get a fourth. If none of those happen, the Eagles will get the fourth-round pick and the Saints get the third-rounder. New Orleans will also send a conditional late-round pick back to the Washington while the Redskins owe the Saints a 2012 6th-rounder if Brown makes the Pro Bowl plays 90 percent of the snaps in 2010.

– The Raiders have re-signed “exclusive rights” franchise player DE Richard Seymour to a one-year/$12.398M contract. Seymour skipped out on OTAs in an attempt to get the Raiders to pay him even more money than he’s worth. Coming off a subpar season with 47 tackles, 4 sacks, and a forced fumble, Seymour isn’t worth anywhere near $12M — much less the 2011 1st-round pick that Al Davis surrendered to get him last year.

– PFT reports that Chiefs’ unsigned RFA S Jarrad Page has requested a trade. Page let PFT know of the trade demand via a press release that noted, “Entering the 2009 season, Jarrad Page had more interceptions than any other safety selected in the 2006 draft class.” Page is coming off a poor season, but has shown playmaking ability, is cheap, and is only 25 years old. The Chiefs should be able to get a late-round pick for him.

– Titans’ RB Chris Johnson told ESPN’s Michael Smith in a recent E:60 interview that he is asking the Titans for $30-40M guaranteed. Johnson hinted earlier in the offseason that he wanted to be the highest paid offensive player in the game – he wasn’t kidding. Johnson probably won’t old out of training camp beyond August 10 because of the monetary penalties he’d incur.

– The Seahawks have released WR Reggie Williams. He lasted just two months on the roster. He as out-practiced by fellow former top-ten bust Mike Williams. Williams’ NFL career might be finished.

– The have Ravens signed S Ken Hamlin to a one-year contract. The team still has some concern than S Ed Reed (hip surgery) won’t be back up to full speed for the early part of the season. Hamlin has lost his playmaking ability the last two seasons, so he was never going to land more than a one-year “prove it” deal as an insurance policy.

WWE

– Though Triple H’s current absence from television is in due part to filming the upcoming WWE Films project The Chaperone, the word is that he is more hurt than first thought. The extent to which the injuries will delay his planned return to the squared circle are unclear, but sources indicate a rumored SummerSlam feud between him and Edge has been scrapped. Meanwhile, Edge is expected to miss some house shows during the month of August as he films WWE’s action-oriented comedy Chasing the Hawk.

TNA

– Eric Bischoff opened Thursdays TNA iMPACT broadcast and announced that due to personal reasons, Scott Hall was no longer with the company and The Band were stripped of the TNA Tag Team Titles. A tournament is being held to determine who will face The Motor City Machineguns for the vacant belts at Victory Road. TNA President Dixie Carter wrote the following on her Twitter about Hall’s release:

“Scott Hall and I talked and together decided he needed time to focus on some personal issues. I am proud of the action he is taking.”

VoV

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

– Tom Izzo has officially declined the five-year/$30M contract offer from the Cavaliers to remain with the Michigan Spartans. Izzo acknowledged that being unable to speak with James played a part in his life- and career-altering decision. The Cavs’ search for a head coach will likely focus on Byron Scott (who may wait for the Lakers and Clippers to settle their benches before deciding), as well as Mike Woodson and Brian Shaw.

– Steve Kerr will not return as president and GM of the Suns next season and will likely return to a job as a TV analyst. The Suns went 52-28 this season and reached the Western Conference finals, but team owner Robert Sarver reportedly wanted Kerr to take a pay cut. “I wouldn’t say it’s a big surprise. It boiled down to a number of things, including lifestyle and the opportunity. I was hoping to have him back.” Kerr is only 44 years old, so he may very well return to an NBA front office someday.

Kerr’s resignation “could have dramatically negative impact on [the Suns'] ability to re-sign Amare,” according to Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Kerr just met with Amare’s agent last week, and Amare had a “strong belief” in his abilities to build a championship team. The Suns apparently wanted Kerr to take a pay cut, but their stinginess may end up costing them in the long run.

– The Toronto Star reports that the Raptors are looking for potential suitors for F Hedo Turkoglu, and could make a package deal involving G Jose Calderon, G Jarrett Jack and their #13 overall pick in the draft. On top of those options, the Raptors can still work a sign-and-trade deal to get some value if F Chris Bosh skips town. We may not have to wait long for GM Bryan Colangelo’s first move, as beat writer Doug Smith feels that “all signs point to some kind of transaction coming down the pike before the draft.”

– ESPN reports that a Game 7 win by the Lakers will give coach Phil Jackson an extra $2M in addition to his $12M salary. Jackson’s contract runs out July 1 and he has said he will take a few weeks to see his doctor and decide whether he is returning to the Lakers next season for a likely lower salary or retiring.

– A Celtics team source said Tuesday night that Celtics’ F Kendrick Perkins (knee), who suffered a right knee injury in the first quarter, was “done.” Officially, Perkins and the Celtics are awaiting results of an MRI, and while there’s still a chance he could play in Thursday’s Game 7, it appears to be a foregone conclusion that he suffered a serious injury and is out. At this point, good news would probably mean he didn’t tear his ACL or MCL, but either way, he doesn’t sound at all likely to play in Game 7.

– Raptors’ G Jarrett Jack has expressed interest in remaining with the Raptors. “Obviously there’s a level of frustration with it, being that you want to put some core pieces around you and know that you have those pieces in place and try to build around that. And when one of those pieces kind of goes awry after that, it’s tough, especially after just one year. But I have confidence in coach and the front office that they’ll put out the best product possible.”"

MLB

– According to the AP, Braves’ 3B Chipper Jones hinted that he’d retire at season’s end. “It’s obvious that it’s something I’ve been thinking about. I need to go through the proper channels. Once those have all been taken care of, everybody’s questions will be answered.” Chipper is owed $28M in guaranteed money he’s owed for the 2011 and 2012 seasons. After chatting retirement options with Braves management Tuesday, though, Jones Jones has canceled a tentatively scheduled meeting with the media. In other words, he’s not going to discuss his future plans at the moment. Chipper is struggling this season, both at the plate and with his own health, but the Braves are sitting atop the NL East standings and don’t need any distractions. November, not June, is the time for retirement talk.

– The Chicago Tribune reports that the Cubs haven’t talked to any teams about making trades yet but will begin the process if the losing goes on for the next two or three weeks. On the list for potential trades are 1B Derrek Lee, LHP Ted Lilly, OF Kosuke Fukudome, LHP Tom Gorzelanny and OF Xavier Nady. Lee and Fukudome have no-trade clauses; the team has not asked them to waive the clauses yet.

– A source tells Craig Calcaterra of NBC Sports that the Rangers are “getting closer” to acquiring Astros’ RHP Roy Oswalt. The major hurdle, of course, is that the financially-strapped Rangers are trying to convince the MLB to allow them to take on Oswalt’s salary. The players “are more or less agreed to,” according to Calcaterra. Oswalt is still a major financial commitment — nearly $27M, including the prorated portion of his $15M salary for this season, $16M for 2011 and at least a $2M buyout on his $16M option for 2012 — so it shouldn’t be assumed that Major League Baseball will see it their way.

The Fort Worth Stat-Telegram, however, says a Rangers official has told the paper that there is no truth to this rumour, but the team is trying to add some offense and has spoken to the Orioles about 3B Ty Wigginton and the Marlins about 1B Wes Helms.

– The Athletics have acquired 1B Conor Jackson from the D’Backs for RHP Sam Demel. Jackson has been a fairly consistent hitter throughout his career with the Diamondbacks, at least when he’s not battling Valley Fever. He will step into a rotation in the Oakland outfield and will probably hold just about the same amount of fantasy value as he did in Arizona.

– Orioles’ 2B Brian Roberts (back) will be out for an additional four-to-six weeks. Roberts has been sidelined since the first week of the season and there’s been nothing but setbacks since then.

– The Dodgers have placed RHP Chad Billingsley (groin) on the 15-day DL retroactive to June 13.

– The Yankees have placed RHP Sergio Mitre (oblique) on the 15-day DL retroactive to June 5.

– The Yankees have placed OF Marcus Thames (strained right hamstring) on the 15-day DL.

– Cardinals’ RHP Brad Penny (back) will be out until at least the end of June, and it could be much longer, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. An examination on Monday showed that Penny’s upper back strain has yet to completely heal. A few weeks ago it looked like this injury wasn’t going to be a big deal, but it’s already been lingering for a month, and is showing no signs of going away.

NHL

– The Leafs have officially named D Dion Phaneuf their captain. The Leafs have been without a captain since F Mats Sundin in 2008. Phaneuf is the 18th captain of the Maple Leafs and the 22nd in Toronto franchise history.

– Hockey Hall of Famer Cam Neely will be named the president of the Bruins. The Bruins have scheduled a “major announcement” for Wednesday. The Bruins have not had a president since Harry Sinden stepped down in 2006 after 17 years in the position. Neely played the last 10 years of his career in Boston and twice helped the Bruins reach the Stanley Cup finals. They have not been back since 1990.

– The Boston Globe reports that the odds of the Bruins acquiring Senators’ F Jason Spezza for the #2 overall pick in the 2010 entry draft are slim to none. The Globe points out that the Bruins already have a strong core of centers in Marc Savard, David Krejci, and Patrice Bergeron. More importantly, the Bruins have cap concerns as it is and they’d be hard pressed to find a way to acquire Spezza and stay under the cap. The Blue Jackets were also initially mentioned as a possible trading partner for Spezza, but it seems equally unlikely that Columbus would hand Ottawa the #4 overall pick.

– D Rob Blake is expected to officially announce his retirement on Friday. Blake, 40, was one of the league’s best defensemen over his career with the Kings, Avalanche and Sharks, making seven All-Star teams and winning the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman for Los Angeles in 1998. He is 10th on the career list with 240 goals as a defenseman, went to the Stanley Cup finals in 1993 with Los Angeles, won the Cup in 2001 with Colorado, won a gold medal for Canada the following year and helped the Sharks post the best regular-season record in the Western Conference in each of his two seasons in San Jose.

– The Edmonton Journal reports that the Oilers may buyout captain F Ethan Moreau, F Patrick O’Sullivan and F Robert Nilsson. O’Sullivan is due to make $2.95M next season while the other two each have $2M left on their deals. The Senators are also considering a buyout for F Jonathan Cheechoo ($3.5M). If a player is 26 or older, the team has to fork over two thirds of the money left on the deal. If the player is younger than that and gets bought out, though, he only gets one third of the money left on the deal.

– Canucks’ F Alex Burrows (torn labrum in shoulder) underwent surgery last week and he may miss some time at the start of next season. “He may not be ready to play until sometime in October or November,” said his agent Paul Corbeil. The shoulder of Burrows had reportedly been bothering him since the second half of the regular season, but he wanted to play through it. The injury is thought to be the same as the one that F Pavol Demitra had this past campaign. The Canucks will have their fingers crossed that the recovery of Burrows goes smoother, as Demitra had to miss the first 47 games after a second surgery was required. Burrows will be evaluated again sometime in the next two weeks to see where he is at in his rehabilitation. Stay tuned.

– The Canadiens have bought out the final season of F George Laraque’s three-year/$4.5M contract. He was banished from the team that day because Laraque had become a distraction. He remained on the roster for the rest of the season, but was not seen at games or practices. Laraque, who was in and out of the lineup in recent seasons because of back problems, had one goal and two assists in 28 games this season. In two seasons with the Canadiens, he had one goal and four assists in 61 games.

– The Canucks have re-signed D Aaron Rome to a two-year/$1.5M deal. Rome will make $700K next season and $800K the following year.

– The Stars have signed G Brent Krahn to a two-way contract. Krahn played 22 games for the Texas Stars of the AHL this season, winning 17 games with five shutouts and a 1.83 GAA.

– The Blue Jackets have fired former interim head coach Claude Noel, assistants Gary Agnew and Gord Murphy and strength and conditioning coach Barry Brennan.

NFL

– NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora reports that the Seahawks are “quite interested” in Bills’ RB Marshawn Lynch, should they decide to trade him. This disputes an ESPN report from late last week that Lynch “has zero trade value.” Seattle is an excellent fit on paper following the release of LenDale White. The Seahawks also use a zone-blocking system similar to what Lynch played in at Cal. Still, they might not offer more than a late-round pick. Lynch joined his Bills teammates on the practice field for the start of this week’s OTAs on Tuesday. Smart move – if he wants to escape his current third-string role in Buffalo, he’s going to have to clean up his act and show some dedication.

– Redskins’ DE Albert Hayneswoth is still pushing for a trade and will not attend the Redskins’ upcoming minicamp after all. “The Redskins are trying to establish a new regime with new schemes at Redskins Park, and it is not an organization that Albert would have ever been attracted to just a short year ago – regardless of the money,” said Haynesworth’s agent. Haynesworth believes his talents are wasted in a 3-4 scheme. Coach Mike Shanahan’s attempt to take a hard-line stance on his best defender’s absence from voluntary offseason activities has exacerbated the situation. The Redskins will have to consider fining Haynesworth for missing mandatory work.

– The Saints have re-signed RFA RB Pierre Thomas to a one-year/$1.684M contract. The Saints threatened to reduce Thomas’ salary by $1.1M if he didn’t sign the tender, which would’ve been significant for a player who’s never made more than the NFL minimum. Instead, Thomas is showing good faith that the team will work with him on a long-term deal up to his expectations. While Thomas won’t get Steven Jackson money, a Michael Turner-like deal in the $5-6M range annually over 4-5 seasons could be realistic for the 25-year-old.

– A day after assuring that he’s not “mad” at the Titans organization, RB Chris Johnson took to his Twitter account to express frustration with his contract situation. “Just got off the phone with my agent, and it’s not good news. I’m feeling like Darrelle Revis right now. At least they’re offering him something. [The Titans are] not offering me nothing.” The primary issue here is that CJ2K has three years left on his contract, and the Titans are leery of setting a precedent that other players will use against them. There’s no telling how this will play out until training camp starts.

– Chargers unsigned RFAs Vincent Jackson and Marcus McNeill have reportedly made “financial preparations” in advance of executing lengthy holdouts that could last through Week 10 of the regular season. Updating a previous item, the players’ one-year tenders have not yet been formally reduced, leaving a “slight chance” that Jackson and McNeill could still sign at some point Tuesday. Should V-Jax fail to report until after Week 10, he’d stand to lose a whopping $3.062M. The same course of action by McNeill would cost the four-year starting left tackle $2.956M.

– The Broncos have re-signed RFA OLB Elvis Dumervil to a one-year/$3.168M contract. The sides will continue to work on a long-term deal. Dumervil, 26, set or tied career highs in tackles (48), sacks (17), and forced fumbles (4) last season.

WWE

– Monday’s episode of WWE RAW with actor Mark Feuerstein as guest host did a 3.42 cable rating, up from last week’s 3.09. The show averaged 4,883,000 viewers and did hours of 3.36 and 3.5.

– NBA legend Michael Jordan was backstage at Monday’s WWE RAW from Charlotte. It’s been rumoured for some time that WWE wants Jordan to host an upcoming episode of RAW, so you can bet the idea was pitched this week.

– With next year’s WrestleMania 27 still 9 months away,WWE officials are already working with city officials from Atlanta, Georgia, the host city.

– Actress Florence Henderson, who played “Carol Brady” on the classic Brady Bunch television show, will be guest hosting the July 12 Raw from Lexington, Kentucky. No guest host has been announced for next week’s RAW, the night after no Fatal 4 Way.

TNA

– Scott Hall has reportedly been fired by TNA Wrestling. He was written off of storylines at last night’s television taping for Thursday night’s episode. TNA stripped The Band — Hall, Kevin Nash, and Eric Young — of the TNA Tag Team Championship and set up a mini-tournament. The winning team will face The Motor City Machineguns for the vacant titles at next month’s Victory Road PPV. Last month, Hall was arrested outside of Orlando, Florida two days before Sacrifice. He worked the event and reportedly did not inform management of his arrest. He was charged with disorderly intoxication and resisting arrest after being arrested at the Hitching Post Bar. Hall has since pled not guilty to the charges. His next scheduled court date is July 1 in Seminole County court.

– At Monday night’s TNA iMPACT! tapings (set to air Thursday night on Spike), Ric Flair announced that he was reforming the Four Horsemen in TNA, except the new group would be known as “Fortune.” The group consists of AJ Styles, Desmond Wolfe, Kazarian and Beer Money. During the show, Flair has a confrontation with Jay Lethal, who came out dressed like Flair and acting like Flair. After Lethal wrestles Desmond Wolfe later in the show, Ric Flair comes out and helps Wolfe attack Lethal. Hulk Hogan comes out and asks Ric Flair to reveal his big announcement. Flair says he’s coming out of retirement once again – and will be wrestling Jay Lethal at TNA Victory Road on July 11.

– Updating a previous item, sources indicate that TNA’s “major changes” will be that the company will be dropping the monthly PPV format and instead would be running live specials on Spike TV. It’s still possible that TNA would keep 2-3 PPV events a year on their calendar, but the monthly PPV format has proven to not be profitable for TNA and the company could actually make more money from Spike TV paying them for these live television specials. Again, this is still a rumour, but it does jive with Dixie Carter’s comments about Spike TV President Kevin Kay being “all in” and on board with TNA’s major changes. Stay tuned for the latest on this developing story.

– As seen last night at Slammiversary, Roxxi agreed to put her TNA career on the line against Madison Rayne and her Women’s Knockout Championship. Rayne retained her title, after hitting Roxxi with the championship belt, ending her TNA career in the process. Sources within TNA indicate she is indeed through with the company. Roxxi was not informed of her release from the company until yesterday, according to f4wonline.com. She was visibly upset prior to and after her Slammiversary bout. The decision garnered much heat backstage as many feel TNA could have handled the situation better. Considering Angelina Love and Daffney have been cleared to wrestle, it appears as if TNA no longer needs or has any creative plans for Roxxi, hence her abrupt departure from the organization.

– ODB posted the following on Twitter on Monday afternoon:

“thanks tna fans for all the support but tna and odb have parted ways.it was a decision I made.bamm bitches”

– Tommy Dreamer, who made his TNA debut at Sunday’s Slammiversary pay-per-view, wrote the following on Twitter following his appearance:

“TNA THANKS SO MUCH I AM ON A MISSION HOPE WE ALL ENJOY THE RIDE”

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.”

– 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
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NHL

–The National Hockey League Players’ Association has parted ways with interim executive director Ian Penny. Last week, the NHLPA executive board voted 25-5 in favour of forming a committee to review union operations. NHL veterans Rob Blake, Nicklas Lidstrom and Mark Recchi along with former Detroit Red Wings defenceman Chris Chelios were named to the committee.

TNA

– In an interview with Time Magazine, Hulk Hogan says that he chose to partner with TNA Wrestling instead of returning to WWE mostly because he wants to help the younger generation of wrestlers.

“When I woke up and realized I should be my own man and be responsible for being happy, I realized I still have a lot to contribute to the wrestling business. And jumping into TNA and being a part of that company is huge. I have a chance to give back and help these young wrestlers who don’t understand the business and the art form.”

Hogan explains how the business has changed dramatically since the 1980s.

“The business moves so much faster now. It used to be if Andre the Giant and I had a feud, it’d probably play out six or seven months later at a big event. Nowadays, if Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan have a feud at 9 o’clock, it’s usually over by 9:30. It’s a story-telling art form to create emotion and drama and I just think a lot of that is lost.”

The interviewer asked him about steroids, and how commonplace they were in the industry when he was coming up. Hogan said;

“I just drank an iced tea here with lunch. If next year they say iced tea is worse than steroids, I’ll probably quit drinking that too. But at the time it was legal, just like drinking an iced tea is legal.”

NHL

– F Joe Sakic has officially called it a career. In an emotional goodbye yesterday, Burnaby Joe officially hung up his skates Thursday, ending his standout 20-year career. Sakic had hoped to play one more season, possibly culminating his career by suiting up for Canada at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, but his body simply wouldn’t allow it.

He wore the captain’s “C” for 16 straight seasons and guided the team to Stanley Cup titles in 1996 and 2001, won league MVP honours in 2001, was a 13-time All-Star and led Canada to an Olympic gold medal in 2002. Sakic also won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship in 2001, showing his true character by handing the Stanley Cup over to Bourque after winning the title and letting the longtime defenseman hoist the trophy.

There are only four players in league history that have scored more points with one franchise than Sakic: Gordie Howe (1,809) and Steve Yzerman (1,755) with Detroit, Mario Lemieux with Pittsburgh (1,723) and Wayne Gretzky with Edmonton (1,669).

Sakic’s No. 19 sweater will also be retired, getting raised to the Pepsi Center rafters during a ceremony at the season opener, which is not yet scheduled. It will be just the third in the 14-year history of the Avalanche, joining Patrick Roy (33) and Ray Bourque (77). The organization also retired four when they were the Quebec Nordiques.

Sakic missed most of the 2008-09 season with an aching back that required surgery to repair a herniated disk. He tried to make his way back onto the ice before the end of the season, but couldn’t.

– The Rangers have signed F Ales Kotalik to a three-year/$9M deal. This means that F Nikolai Zherdev is on his way out.

– The Sharks have re-signed D Rob Blake to a one-year deal and D Kent Huskins to a two-year deal.

– The Lightning have signed their first round pick D Victor Hedman to a three-year rookie contract. They also have no interest in F Radim Vrbata.

– The Ducks have signed D Nick Boynton to a one-year/$1.5M deal.

– The Penguins are expected to sign D Jay McKee.

MLB

– Jays RHP Roy Halladay has submitted a list to GM JP Ricciardi of 10 teams that he’d block a trade to if a deal is worked out. Stay tuned.

– According to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals’ interest in Halladay is very real.

Here’s what Strauss tweeted just a moment ago: “Asked about the price tag for Halladay, a club source said: “Give Ricciardi all our minor-league rosters and let him circle any 5 names.”

– The Yankees are out of the running for Doc, since the return price would be too high.

– Along with Halladay, the Blue Jays are also taking offers for OF Alex Rios and 3B Scott Rolen. They both carry hefty contracts, however, so deals could be tricky.

– Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun reports that the Reds have spoken internally about acquiring Jays 3B Scott Rolen. The Blue Jays would love to unload Rolen’s $11Mcontract for this year and next. Elliott notes that the Reds had a scout in St. Petersburg this week when the Jays took on the Rays. Rolen is in the middle of a resurgent season, carrying a 25-game hitting streak into Friday’s action.

– RHP Pedro Martinez said his agent is negotiating with the Phillies. Martinez’s agent, Fern Cuza, said that there is interest on both sides and he expects a final decision by the end of the week. The Phillies are known to have watched Martinez throw Tuesday. The report of the Dominican Republic that the Phillies and Martinez have agreed to a $4M deal has brought about only a string of no comments so far. Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. refuted reports that a deal was done, but did confirm Philadelphia’s interest in Martinez.

– According to sources, the Pirates are “pushing hard” to trade 2B Freddy Sanchez. The Giants, Twins and Rockies have spoken to the Pirates, but there are up to five more potential suitors. The 31-year-old All-Star is batting .316 with six homers and 33 RBI. If Sanchez reaches 600 plate appearances, an $8M option for 2010 will kick in.

– Royals RHP Gil Meche is reportedly on the trade block. Meche is in the third year of a five-year/$55M deal which will pay him $12M in each of the next two seasons. The ’09 season is the final year with a no-trade clause. Meche is 4-8 with a 4.14 ERA this season.

– The Angels are likely to place OF Torii Hunter (groin) on the 15-day DL. He has a strain of the right adductor muscle in his right groin, but there is no evidence of a tear.

– The Reds have denied rumours of interest in Rockies 3B Garrett Atkins. The Reds are interested, though.

– The Indians are interested in White Sox RHP Jimmy Gobble. They have denied interest in LHP BJ Ryan.

– The Reds have signed RHP Kip Wells.

– Phillies OF Shane Victorino and Tigers 3B Brandon Inge each won the final vote for the 2009 All-Star Game.

– The Mariners have placed SS Yuniesky Betancourt on the trade block. He has $10M left on his contract.

NBA

– To correct an earlier trade, these are the final names and numbers involved in the Shawn Marion trade;

To Raptors: F Hedo Turkoglu, F Devean George & F Antoine Wright
To Dallas: F Shawn Marion, F Kris Humphries, F Nathan Jawai, G Greg Buckner
To Memphis: F Jerry Stackhouse, second-round pick + cash (Toronto) & cash (Dallas)
To Magic: Trade exemption & cash (Toronto and Dallas)

– There is reportedly another three-team deal on the horizon involving the Bulls, Jazz and Blazers. Here’s the rundown;

To Chicago: F Carlos Boozer
To Portland: G Kirk Hinrich
To Utah: F Tyrus Thomas

Boozer would be the elite low-post scorer that the Bulls have been chasing for years while positioning them to have significant salary-cap space for the summer of 2010 to court Chicago native G Dwyane Wade or F Chris Bosh in free agency, since Boozer is entering the final year of his contract. Hinrich, meanwhile, is a lead guard that Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard has been known to covet for some time as a potential backcourt mate for G Brandon Roy.

ESPN‘s Ric Bucher said via Twitter that the reported deal is not going to happen, though. Bucher said a person within the Bulls acknowledged the deal had been discussed, but that it “wasn’t happening.” He also mentions that a Blazers/Jazz/Pistons trade has also been discussed. The Jazz are looking for salary relief more than anything, but will probably keep discussing and fielding offers for Boozer. Stay tuned.

– According to the Arizona Republic, Suns F Amare Stoudemire clarified or reasserted points that he is healthy, wants to stay in Phoenix, does not want to play for the Warriors, and wants a maximum-level contract extension. Stoudemire is eligible for an extension before the season starts and can opt out of his current contract’s final season (2010-11) next summer if his deal is not extended. “I’ll sign an extension with a team that has a future. The ball is in midcourt right now. It’s on both sides. We have to come to an (agreement) here and figure out what’s best for both of us. If I had to re-sign with a mediocre team, it would be here. Because I’m here. I’ve been here my whole career. And I would love to bring the Suns back to where we once were. That’s my ultimate goal, a la Paul Pierce. He did it with Boston. He stuck around. Boston took care of him. They made the right decision to bring in Garnett and a few other players and they won a championship. Hopefully, we can do the same here.”

– The Cavs have signed F Anderson Varejao to a six-year/$50M deal and have signed G Anthony Parker.

– The Jazz have signed F Mehmet Okur to a two-year/$20.8M extension. Okur still will make $9M this season, but the extension will add two additional years at a combined $20.8M. The extension takes him through the 2011-12 season, just ahead of his age-33 season.

– The Grizzlies are expected to offer G Allen Iverson a one-year/$5M deal.

– The Clippers have signed first overall pick F Blake Griffin. The 20-year-old center averaged 22.7 points and 14.4 rebounds last season at Oklahoma before leaving two years early to enter the draft.

– The Raptors have signed their first overall pick, F DeMar DeRozan. DeRozan can earn nearly $2.3M in the first year of his deal. He is under contract for two years, and Toronto holds team options for the next two seasons. The 6’7″ DeRozan averaged 13.9 points and 5.7 rebounds in his lone season at Southern California.

– The 76ers and G Andre Miller are parting ways.

WWE

– As noted earlier, Jeff Hardy’s WWE contract is set to expire around July 31. Company officials have been trying to get Hardy to stay at least through SummerSlam, or when Undertaker is healthy enough to return.

– John Cena was recently interviewed by ESPN.com to promote the SvR 2010 videogame and 12 Rounds on DVD. Here are some highlights:

On if he would like to turn heel: That’s the thing, I’m one of those guys who on any given day can be booed out of any building. I’m the only guy who is neither a good guy or a bad guy. That’s because I’m genuinely myself. Certainly, guys in our industry try to sway the audience one way or the other, but like I said, I go out there and I’m me. I have certain things that I stand for, certain things that I believe in, and if you don’t like it and you tell me to go to hell, I think that’s your God-given right as a fan. It’s one of those deals where I’m that one guy who is outside of that realm of good guy, bad guy. I’m just me, and it elicits a response both positive and negative.

Who he sees as the stars of the future: Now is a really good time because since the inception of WWE, there has always been that one, this is the guy. But now, you have a lot of possibilities, guys like Ted DiBiase Jr., The Miz, Cody Rhodes, Kofi Kingston and even a guy like MVP. These are guys who are all on the cusp. For the first time, we have all these guys who are ready to charge the gates and make a run to try and be the No. 1 guy on Raw.

– Hulk Hogan recently spoke to Chicago’s SouthTownStar.com. Here are the highlights:

Comparing himself to Steve Austin and The Rock: “It’s kind of interesting now to have about 30 years of this wrestling history under my belt and kind of look back and see the Rocks and the Stone Colds pass through for a couple of years. I put so much time in and so many people were like 40 or 50 years old, and now are 70 and 80 years old. There’s a whole group of kids that know me from ‘Hogan Knows Best’ ‘Brooke Knows Best.’ There’s such a wide range of ages that know me. It’s really neat that these people have been watching me for years, and the new people are so loyal.”

On his new book: “We began working on this seven or eight months ago. It’s about my life outside the ring,” he said of the tome with the working title “My Life Outside the Ring.” With all the doom and gloom, and the sky is falling, I wanted to tell my story. I’ve had some crazy things happening to me.”

– While issues between Rey Mysterio and WWE have yet to be completely settled, he has no plans on leaving. He was, however, on the verge of doing so at one point a few weeks ago. Internally, there was great fear he would quit, but they managed to pacify him for the time being.

Mysterio is under a long-term contract to WWE, but he has let company officials know he can make more money in Mexico. In recent years he’s made somewhere in the $1.5M range (a tremendous increase from the $75K downside guarantee he was offered in 2002 to join the company), which may prove difficult to obtain in Mexico. Supposedly, the AAA promotion had offered him a contract in excess of $1M annually, as well as a $1M signing bonus while he was contemplating re-signing with WWE or not earlier this year.

Mysterio is said to be in the camp of wrestlers who have seen a 15% decrease in salary as a result of the revenue streams they are paid off of being down 15%. Although, the decline in WrestleMania revenue from last year is significantly less than the overall business (about 8%), and the annual PPV extravaganza is a significant part of wrestlers’ annual income.

At the moment, Mysterio is said to be happy about where things are going with him in the future and as well as his program with Chris Jericho. The big issue however is that many people feel he is the second most popular person in Mexico at the moment, behind only the country’s president. He wants to take advantage of his enormous popularity in Mexico and monetize it while he can by making mainstream media appearances and getting product endorsements such as tennis shoes and the like that only the likes of Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and LeBron James would get in the USA. These are avenues that wouldn’t be available to wrestlers in the United States, but those in Mexico say Mysterio could get them.

– According to the PWInsider, Cody Rhodes had a banged up neck and shoulder last week at the RAW taping. He said he will work through the injury, but WWE wanted to keep him as fresh as possible for their long tour overseas, so they booked the finish of Rhodes walking away from Mark Henry on RAW.

– There is some strong unhappiness among wrestlers regarding the drug testing in WWE, particularly in light of Eddie Fatu’s (aka Umaga) departure from the company. While there has always been a problem with fines for smoking marijuana, the bigger issue has to do with the legitimacy of the company’s drug testing procedure.

Until recently, the belief was that the testing was legitimate and no favorites were being played. Some believed at least a few of the wrestlers are able to stay looking enhanced because they can beat the testing through HGH – which cannot be tested – or special designer drugs. Until recently, they believed the testing was not being unfairly administered, but that is not the case anymore and several wrestlers are very unhappy.

What happened is that one top WWE star is rumoured to have failed a drug test for steroids, with company officials covering it up by not suspending him. The wrestler in question told someone about his drug test failure in full detail and word started to go around. While there is no concrete proof on the story, there are very detailed accounts circulating which are widely believed among wrestlers.

Initially, it wasn’t that big of a concern among wrestlers, except that later, Umaga, who was popular in the locker room, was unceremoniously released by the company. Although once he refused entering a rehabilitation center, the company at that point had no choice but to release him. However, several have pointed out Kurt Angle turning down entering rehab in 2006 and he wasn’t suspended at the time. In fact, he continued to wrestle.

It should also be noted that there are a few wrestlers on the roster with exemptions where they can use testosterone for medical reasons, but they have to be approved. This explains why Chris Benoit was able to pass the company’s drug testing despite the greatly elevated level of testosterone in his system.

TNA

– The Dudley Boys recently did a radio interview with Monday Night Mayhem Radio. Here’s what they had to say:

WWE vs. TNA: “I’m gonna put old rumors to rest, and I want people to understand this. TNA has been nothing but good to us. TNA has allowed us to be still the tag team that we are, they have not held us back. They have done the right thing. We’ve had some creative control, and when we need to be pulled back, they pull us back. But there is one thing we love to do…we love to come to work. And we still enjoy doing what we’re doing. So as far as I’m concerned, and I want people to really understand this and realize, we’re not screwing over TNA, we’re very happy here, we’re gonna continue to be happy here. I know a lot of people thought we were gonna go to WWE but right now, I don’t think their product is where we need to be right now. They’re going in a different direction than where we want to be.”

Retirement: “I haven’t heard reports of fans that said I personally didn’t have it anymore. I think the only thing that people can actually say of certain people who are over the hill who shouldn’t be in the ring anymore, is quite obvious for the fans who those guys are. As far as Tommy Dreamer, myself, and Bubba Ray, we’re still going. We get the people out of their seats, we’re still putting asses in the seats. So as far as I’m concerned, I think you will always have those types of critics who will say things like that, but they have been saying that since Day One. Nobody ever believed in The Dudleys, nobody thought we would survive in the WWE, hell nobody thought we were going to survive in ECW.”

The “new” ECW: “I think Vince (McMahon) took a huge chance on that. He as taken a lot of chances over the years no question, a lot of them has been successful and some have fallen. I think if you ask him his opinion on it, I don’t think he would have thought he failed on that one. But you can’t bring guys like that (Show and Batista) into an ECW setting. Those fans aren’t going to accept these WWE versions of ECW, and they never will. And to bring that type of show there in New York City, where that was ECW’s second home, Vince should have expected something like that to happen.”