MLB

– According to the NY Post, the Jays have asked the Yankees for RHP Joba Chamberlain in exchange for LHP Scott Downs. While the Yanks are currently down on Joba, the team still does not want to trade him. In addition, Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Jays asked the Yankees for top prospect C Jesus Montero in exchange for Downs. The Red Sox have been asked for prospect INF Casey Kelly or INF Jose Iglesias for Downs. Downs is hitting .185 against lefties this season. The Yanks have also asked the Orioles’ 3B Ty Wigginton.

– The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the talks between the Giants and Brewers regarding 1B Prince Fielder and OF Corey Hart are “dead in the water.” MLBTR reports that the Giants have also been linked to Royals’ OF Jose Guillen and OF Scott Podsednik as well as Nats’ OF Josh Willingham and 1B Adam Dunn.

– FOXSports is reporting that “multiple teams,” including the Nationals, are talking to the D’Backs’ front office about what it would take to acquire RHP Edwin Jackson. The Nats want to trade 1B Adam Dunn for pitching and then trade the pitching to Arizona for Jackson, according to the site. In Ken Rosenthal’s scenario, the White Sox would likely have to include RHP Daniel Hudson in order to acquire Dunn. In turn, the Nationals would then have the option to send Hudson, or one of their own prospects, in exchange for Dunn. This doesn’t make a ton of sense for the National. Jackson is set to make $8.35M next year and has about $1.5M left on his salary for this season.

– Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports that the Twins have inquired about Cubs’ LHP Ted Lilly. The Twins are on Lilly’s “no-trade list,” so other teams may have an advantage. Lilly is owed $4M for the rest of this season and would require additional compensation if he was to accept a deal to Minnesota.

– Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports that the Giants “have stepped up” for Marlins’ 3B Jorge Cantu. The Rangers and Rockies have also been in the mix for Cantu, but it looks like the Giants may have the advantage now. According to Rosenthal, the Marlins are believed to be looking for a young lefty pitcher. It’s not clear who the Giants are willing to offer, but prospects Eric Surkamp and Clayton Tanner could be the return.

– The D’Backs are considering using RHP Brandon Webb (shoulder) as a reliever. Webb hasn’t even faced live hitters yet, so there’s still quite a bit of ground to cover. Pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre said, “We’re going to have to discuss that. I think he would be up for that, but I need to sit down with (interim General Manager Jerry Dipoto) and find out the direction we want to head with this.” The bullpen could be the quickest way to ensure his return this season, as he wouldn’t need to build up his workload over several weeks in the minors. That said, the clock continues to tick on what looks like a wasted season.

– The Denver Post is reporting that the Rockies are interested in trading for Cubs’ 2B Ryan Theriot, who is hitting .281 with one homer and 21 RBIs. Current 2B Clint Barmes is eligible for arbitration and his salary will likely jump to $5M annually, the paper reports. The Rockies are also asking about Marlins’3B Jorge Cantu and Jays’ RHP Kevin Gregg.

– Tigers’ RHP Jeremy Bonderman told the Detroit Free Press that he is considering retirement. Bonderman, 27, will be a free agent after the 2010 season. He would likely return if the Tigers offer him a contract, but would otherwise only be open to signing with a team out west in order to be closer to his family in Pasco, Washington.

“(Owner Mike Ilitch) and the Tigers’ organization have given me an opportunity to provide for my family really well, and I feel like I’ve saved a lot of money and I have the ability to be able to do what I want — whether it’s be with my kids every day or go on fishing trips with my dad or brothers. At times I love it. At times I’m like, ‘Man.’”

– Former OF Dave Roberts, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in March, has completed chemotherapy. Roberts said he had eight chemotherapy treatments over four months. He is now scheduled to undergo three weeks of radiation in mid-August. Roberts, who was hired as a special assistant for the Padres, continued to move around the team’s minor league affiliates during chemotherapy, working with players on baserunning and outfield play. “Watching these guys each night has been very therapeutic…it’s made me feel very good.”

NHL

– The Blue Jackets have re-signed D Anton Stralman to a 1-year/$1.95M deal. Stralman and the Blue Jackets reached an agreement minutes before Stralman’s arbitration hearing was scheduled to begin. Stralman was expected to be awarded a raise, but the Jackets would’ve likely walked away and allowed him to become a UFA. Stralman scored six goals and 34 points in 73 games last season.

– Time is running out for the Blackhawks to sign G Antti Niemi before his arbitration hearing on Thursday. The Blackhawks probably won’t be able to work something out before Niemi’s arbitration date. Niemi is expected to ask for $3-4M next season while Chicago will probably argue that he deserves about $2M. Chicago has been dealing with significant cap problems this summer and if Niemi is awarded that much in arbitration, they’ll likely send him packing. Chicago also has the option of allowing Niemi to become a UFA rather than accepting his arbitrator awarded 1-year contract.

NFL

– Patriots’ WR Wes Welker (knee, shoulder) is still expected to be ready to go come Week 1, according to the Boston Globe. Though Welker is on active/PUP, the Globe is says that he could play in a playoff game if there was one today, and adds that he’ll get some preseason action. The Patriots are holding him out of the start of camp “to protect Welker against himself.” At this point, no one expects him to begin the year on reserve/PUP. It’s looking more and more likely that Welker will be there when the Pats play the Bengals in Week 1.

– Panthers’ WR Steve Smith (broken left arm) arrived at Panthers’ camp without a cast on his broken left arm. Smith hasn’t been able to lift weights and it’s unknown when he’ll be cleared to practice. He should be ready by the end of the preseason and ready for Week 1.

– The Panthers have signed 2nd-round pick QB Jimmy Clausen to a 4-year/$6.3M deal with $2.533M guaranteed. Clausen looks to be the second-string quarterback to start the season.

– Bengals’ WR Antonio Bryant will open training camp on the practice field, according to PFT. The Bengals’ website also says that Bryant could be used in the slot, where the team “liked what they saw” from him during the offseason. Other reports regarding Bryant’s health haven’t been nearly as positive, but he’ll be ready to compete with WR Terrell Owens for snaps to open camp.

– Redskins’ DE Albert Haynesworth is back in D.C. and ready to practice, confirms Jason Reid of the Washington Post. Haynesworth is reportedly optimistic after having conversations with teammates, and it doesn’t look like he’ll be a distraction. The Skins will need to keep him financially motivated all season long.

NBA

– The Oregonian reports that the Blazers are talking to the Knicks, Celtics and Bulls about G Rudy Fernandez. The 25-year-old Spaniard who set a rookie record when he made 159 three-pointers two seasons ago. “Some of the teams interested in Fernandez have offered a future first round draft pick, while other offers would pair Fernandez with another Blazers player,” the paper reports.

– Sources tell the Cleveland Plain Dealer that the Lakers are trying to package the G Sasha Vujacic, 26, who averaged 2.8 points, 1.2 rebounds, and .6 assists in the 8.6 minutes per game he played last season with a future 1st-round pick in order to unload his $5M salary for the year from the books.

TNA

– TNA star Kurt Angle posted the following message Twitter this morning, putting Hulk Hogan over in a big way:

“Hulk hogan could be one of the best human beings I ever knew. I have wrestled him. Now I work for him. I love you hulkster. Kurt.”

While this is just speculation, I reported earlier that Hulk Hogan is looking to become the next big Billy Mays in terms of infomercials, and is already making moves within the industry to reach that goal. Oddly enough, Kurt Angle runs Angle Foods – a company that sells “affordable gourmet and performance meals,” similar to NutraSystem program. Could they be partnered? Stay tuned.

VoV

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NHL

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

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

NHL

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

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

NFL

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

WWE

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

TNA

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

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

VoV

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

– In light of news that WWE will be holding a Money In The Bank-themed PPV event in a few months, the belief is that annual match has been dropped from WrestleMania. A number of wrestlers are unhappy about the apparent move because participating in WrestleMania results in a huge payday – which they may not be getting now. It should be noted that a decision has not yet been officially made as talent have yet to be informed of anything.

-– Ezekiel Jackson has been moved to the Smackdown Superstars page on WWE.com. Meanwhile, Trent Barreta and Caylen Croft are still listed as members of the ECW roster despite appearing on last night’s episode of SmackDown. It’s worth noting that the WWE Superstars page indicates that remaining ECW talent will be distributed to Raw or SmackDown by way of draft. The page reads: “Check out Christian and the rest of the final ECW roster before the Superstars are drafted to either Raw or SmackDown.”

– TMZ.com reports that Hulk Hogan and his son Nick have settled the lawsuit filed against them by the family of John Graziano, who was seriously injured while a passenger in Nick Hogan’s Toyota Supra when he wrecked it in the summer of 2007. The terms of the settlement are confidential. It’s believed that Hulk Hogan settled the lawsuit to avoid the “media circus” that a trial would have brought and to resolve the matter in a way that’s as painless as possible” for both the Hogan and Graziano families. Hogan’s attorney, David R. Houston, tells TMZ they are “pleased as this was in the best interest of John.” Linda Hogan, who was also sued by the Grazianos over the car wreck, reached a settlement with the family last month.

-– Regarding Lance Cade, he remains under contract to WWE but is simply not being used in any capacity. He worked an FCW event late last year and hasn’t been seen since. No one knows when he’ll be returning to television, let alone which brand he’ll end up on.

– Former ECW Champion Ezekiel Jackson has been confirmed to SmackDown.

MLB

– The Tigers have signed OF Johnny Damon to a one-year/$8M deal with no option for a second year. Damon will become the Tigers’ primary left fielder and bat second.

– Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports that 1B Carlos Delgado recently underwent another hip surgery, according to his agent David Sloane. Dr. Marc Philippon reconstructed the labrum in Delgado’s right hip and also performed a micro-fracture procedure on his hip socket. He’s expected to miss somewhere around four months, but still plans to play this season. Sloane said, “He wanted to play every day. He felt, despite the time it would take, it was a better option for him to be the Carlos Delgado of old instead of an old Carlos Delgado.”

– The Mets have signed C Rod Barajas to a one-year/$1M deal. He can make another $1M in “easily-attainable” incentives, according to Ken Rosenthal. Barajas immediately becomes the favourite to start behind the plate. He batted just .226/.258/.403 last season, but hit 19 homers with 71 RBI. The Rangers had offered a one-year/$1.5M deal.

– Cubs’ INF Ryan Theriot lost his arbitration hearing against the Cubs and will earn a $2.6M in 2010. Theriot was requesting $3.4M after hitting .284/.343/.369 with seven homers, 21 steals, 81 runs and 54 RBI last season, but in losing still ends up with a five-fold raise from his $500K salary in 2009.

– ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports that the Indians have signed 1B Russell Branyan to a one-year/$2M contract. The deal also contains $1M in performance-based bonuses and a $5M option for 2011. Branyan, 34, will provide insurance at first base and DH. The contract is only pending a physical. Branyan also drew heavy interest from the Rays.

– The Blue Jays have signed C Jose Molina to a one-year/$400K contract. Molina makes an extra $400K if he makes the Opening Day roster. The deal includes some performance-based incentives and a club option for 2011 worth $1.2M. The 34-year-old Molina will bring solid defense to Toronto’s backup catching position, but nothing at the dish. He hit just .217/.292/.268 with one home run and 11 RBI in 138 at-bats last season.

– Dodgers’ manager Joe Torre said Saturday he has committed himself to a fourth year with the team, ending speculation about whether or not he will return in 2011. Torre’s current contract runs through the upcoming season, but talks are underway to extend his deal one more year. After 2011, the 69-year-old with four World Series titles as a manager said he would call it quits. The first two years of his three-year/$13M contract have been successful as the Dodgers advanced to the National League Championship Series both times.

– The Astros have extended the contract of GM Ed Wade through the 2012 season. Houston went 74-88 last season, its second losing record in three years.

NHL

– F Jaromir Jagr, who has two goals and an assist in two games for the Czech Republic, indicated he would likely entertain offers to play in the NHL next season. Trying to downplay the situation Jagr told reporters, “Maybe I want to play here”. Stay tuned.

NFL

– Patriots’ WR Randy Moss doesn’t expect the Patriots to re-sign him after his contract is up next offseason.
Moss also confirmed that he played through a shoulder separation sustained in Week 5. He indicated that he has “a lot of respect” for the Pats, but he understands they aren’t an organization that likes to pay high-dollar contracts. In the final year of a three-year/$27M deal, Moss expects to play for a new team in 2011. Local beat writers have speculated that the Pats aim to get back to a more conservative offense with a dominant ground attack.

– The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Browns’ KR Josh Cribbs’ new contract could be finalized by next week. NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora reported Thursday that the framework for a three-year deal is already in place, though the sides haven’t agreed on how much guaranteed money Cribbs will receive. Expect him to wind up with around $8-9M guaranteed. Cribbs has been asking for $10M.

UFC

– Top heavyweight contender Frank Mir (13-4-0) sat down for an interview with WXDX’s Mark Madden yesterday to discuss a potential bout with Brock Lesnar (4-1-0) where Mir shared some thoughts about what he would like to do to the champion if presented the opportunity:

“I want to fight Brock Lesnar. I hate who he is as a person. I want to break his neck in the ring. I want him to be the first person that dies to Octagon-related injuries.”

Mir has been fixated on avenging his loss to Lesnar, as he has clearly stated in almost every media appearance since relinquishing the heavyweight belt to Brock at UFC 100 last summer, but it seems that his focus has turned into a dark obsession. As the interview audio has yet to be released, it remains to be seen whether Mir made these remarks jokingly or if they were taken completely out of context, but the transcript makes it seem like Mir is going nuts.

The more hardcore MMA fans can probably relate to Mir’s sentiments as it has been frustrating to see the former WWE superstar earn his first title shot after only two wins inside the octagon, but the fact remains that Lesnar has proven himself a worthy champion and has already beaten Mir at his own game. It will be interesting to see how the UFC handles these comments, and what, if any, repercussions there will be for Mir airing his morbid fantasy in public.

TNA

– TNA President Dixie Carter spoke to Brian Fritz of FanHouse.com this week about iMPACT!’s upcoming move to Monday nights on March 8. Dixie spoke about what it’s going to be like competing with WWE head on every single week. She knows TNA is playing a high stakes game, but sounds ready to lead her company into battle. Here are some highlights of what she said about:

How Everything Came Together: “Well, we’ve talked about a move to Monday nights for a while, since, for over a year and it just seemed like the time was right. When I knew Hulk Hogan was coming on board, I just kind of put a halt to that and just thought how great would it be for the first time he debuts on our show, to let that be the first time we go to Monday night and the timing turned out perfect.”

The Pressure of Competing Against WWE: “You know, I don’t think of it that way. The days that were so hard, that was pressure. There used to be a lot of pressure. I don’t feel that pressure anymore. I’ve always handled it really well because there have been some very hard times in this company. And we still that little engine that could. This is a David vs. Goliath story if I’ve ever heard it and we are just so excited and so filled with energy but don’t have such expectations that they will be failures if we don’t meet them. We need to stay steady and continue to grow this.”

Hulk Hogan’s Role in TNA & Making New Stars: “It has been the best decision I ever made. I don’t think I’ve ever had one conversation with Hulk Hogan about Hulk Hogan. Every conversation I have with him is about the other TNA talent we have and how can we make them better and how can we make them household names. People are just starting to see the very tip of this man’s genius in some of these things that we are going to make stars who have worked so hard to get to a certain level and truly take that next big step.”

– Dixie Carter informally announced yesterday on her Twitter account that TNA has signed Shannon Moore to a contract.

VoV

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