TNA

– TNA’s Hulk Hogan called into the Bubba the Love Sponge radio show this morning. Here are some highlights:

Monday’s Steel Cage Asylum Match: Hulk and Bubba talked about the Steel Cage Assylum match that opened the show, which they both agreed was a disaster. Hulk said that when he and Bubba were in the production meeting on Sunday, about 10 people told him there was a decent door to the cage. He then got to the iMPACT! Zone on Monday and found out it had no real door and that none of the wrestlers could climb out of the top, hence the DQ finish. There were plans for a big bump off the cage but it just was not possible. He and Bubba agreed that the Steel Cage Assylum needs to be scraped for good.

iMPACT! Moving To Mondays: Hulk says they have kinda dropped the ball by taping a Thursday show the day after going live and that right after he hangs up with Bubba he is gonna call Dixie Carter, Eric Bischoff and the people at Spike and tell them that they need to be on Mondays live from now on. He says he knows that it will cost a ton of money but you gotta spend money to make money. Hulk says that he will get Vince’s audience a bit at a time just like he did in WCW.

– Ric Flair signed his deal with TNA just a few days before Monday’s live iMPACT. His deal is for 65 appearances over one year’s time. It’s believed Flair is working on a guaranteed money deal and is still able to book his own outside-TNA appearances. In an effort to get him on Monday’s show, word is that TNA offered Flair more money. TNA really wants Flair to be part of “the team” and be a face for the company. Some feel that Flair’s heart isn’t really in TNA and he’s more interested in the money than helping TNA succeed.

– There is major paranoia in the TNA locker room now due to the arrivals of Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff, according to a report in the PWTorch Newsletter. There are a number of wrestlers now concerned about their standing with the company, after so many new wrestlers were brought in. There general consensus backstage is that roster changes are inevitable. Wrestlers who get paid per-date are also concerned about TNA keeping them under contract but not using them, as they only get paid when they are actually used. Despite all the new faces, few are believed to have actual long-term contracts. The word backstage at iMPACT was that Scott Hall, Sean Waltman, Sean Morely and others were working without lengthy deals.

– It appears Bubba the Love Sponge is still with TNA after meeting with Dixie Carter, Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan on Tuesday night. He wrote the following on Twitter:

“went over 2tna lot shot my deal met with hulk & Eric saw Dixie2 I think it’s better Planned some sneaky stuff with them2. going2bed but after my meeting with hogan and seeing the #s Dixie annouced I’m very excited tna is on the course2 give Vince a good fight”

MLB

– According to multiple people connected to the team, the Mets have interest in free agent RHP John Smoltz, reports Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog.com. It would be an unholy union for Mets fans, but Smoltz would fit the bill as a back-end option in the rotation, or even as a set-up man for RHP Francisco Rodriguez. Smoltz, who turns 43 in May, tallied a 6.35 ERA last season, but enjoyed more success after switching back to the NL, posting a 4.26 ERA in seven starts. Cerrone believes the Mets would also like to sign free agent RHP Joel Pineiro, though they are hesitant to go beyond two years.

– Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes reports that the Rangers offered free agent OF Vladimir Guerrero a one-year/$7M contract. It’s not yet clear if he’ll accept. Guerrero, 34, batted .295/.334/.460 in 2009 with 15 home runs and 50 RBI in 383 at-bats with the Angels last season. He’d step right in as the Rangers’ new designated hitter. He has a 394/.471/.705 slashline in 50 career games in Arlington.

– Cardinals manager Tony La Russa has a dream of using former 1B Mark McGwire as a pinch-hitter in the playoffs this season.

“If we’re in contention, we’ll put him on the roster August 31. It’s a nice little dream…Is it likely? Probably not. I don’t think it’s a zero possibility. The point is, you’ll see him in spring training. He won’t be leaning on the batting cage chatting it up. He’ll work his (butt) off, and hitters will be thrilled he’s there helping them.”

McGwire has rarely been seen in public since he refused to answer questions relating to performance-enhancing drug use during testimony in front of Congress in 2005. He also did not address the media when he was named Cardinals hitting coach in late October. His first appearance in front of a scrum will happen at spring training.

– The Athletics have re-signed will re-sign DH Jack Cust to a one-year/$2.5M deal with incentives that could push it to $3M. The Athletics non-tendered Cust last month after he batted just .240/.356/.417 with 25 homers and 70 RBI. He figured to earn as much as $4M in arbitration, so at least he’s closer to the $2.8M he made last season.

NHL

– Stars F Mike Ribeiro (trachea) is out four-to-six weeks after getting high sticked by Rangers F Chris Higgins.

– Capitals G Semyon Varlamov (knee, groin) is expected out another one-to-two weeks.

NFL

– According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Browns president Mike Holmgren has informed head coach Eric Mangini that he and his entire staff will keep their jobs in 2010.

VoV

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NHL

– The Russian Olympic team has announced their roster with 14 NHLers on it. G Evgeni Nabokov, G Ilya Bryzgalov and G Semyon Varlamov will tend the nets for the Russians, while other notables include the great F Alex Ovechkin, F Evgeni Malkin, F Pavel Datsyuk, F Alexander Semin and F Ilya Kovalchuk up front and D Sergei Gonchar on the blueline. The Russians are definitely one of the favourites to mine Olympic gold. It will be one great tournament to watch.

MLB

– Buster Olney of ESPN says that RHP Joel Pineiro looks to be the Mets’ top target as pitcher. New York has been held up in their free agent shopping by OF Jason Bay, although a resolution should be forthcoming in that area, good or bad, at some point this upcoming week. The 31-year-old Pineiro was 15-12 with 3.49 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 32 starts in ’09. He would be a durable option for the club and may have seen his price come down to an acceptable range for the Mets.

– John Harper of the NY Daily News thinks free agent OF Jason Bay is “lukewarm” to the idea of playing for the Mets. The Mets so far have offered Bay the longest and most lucrative deal, but there’s speculation out of Boston that the Red Sox might make a late bid. And perhaps he’ll accept a discount to return to Fenway. Bay, 31, hit .267/.384/.537 this past season with 36 home runs, 119 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 531 at-bats. Harper writes, “It’s looking more and more as if Bay very much wants to play for [Boston] as opposed to the Mets.”

WWE

– There are mixed feelings on WWE champion Sheamus among those in the locker room. While some feel his friendship with Triple H has been blown out of proportion, others are accusing him of being a “shameless suck-up.” The word going around the company continues to be that Sheamus and new Intercontinental Champion Drew McIntyre are the favorites of Triple H and Shawn Michaels.

– According to FWOnline, WWE updated its Wellness Policy last week to officially note that any positive test for marijuana will result in a $2,500 fine. Previously, it was a $1,000 fine. The levied fine was in response to pot usage running rampant throughout the company. With that being said, usage is said to be way down among those on SmackDown, but still reportedly “out of control” among Raw talent. In the case of alcohol, the policy states that WWE performers are prohibited from “using or consuming alcohol at any time within a twelve hour period prior to any WWE event or WWE scheduled performance.”

TNA

– A local newspaper in Johnstown, Pennsylvania recently conducted an interview with Jeff Jarrett to promote TNA’s live event in the city on January 14th. Jarrett spoke at length about how TNA Wrestling can compete with World Wrestling Entertainment.

“They [WWE] are sports entertainment; we are professional wrestling. Our in-ring product takes priority over other facets of the business. The product that has drawn millions and millions of fans over the years, going back to the ’60s, is professional wrestling … (TNA) is fresh and modern, but it is in the essence of what has always been done.”

Jarrett knows what it takes to build a successful wrestling promotion and thinks TNA goes an extra step to make sure their fans are satisfied.

“We recognize the fact that we’ve got to earn our fans one at a time. I have been a part of wrestling my entire life, but I’ve never seen this kind of excitement generated by the backstage access, the autograph sessions, and the opportunities to get up close and personal with the TNA stars at the merchandise table.”

With TNA firing their “first shot” at WWE on January 4 with their first live 3-hour Monday night edition of TNA iMPACT!, Jarrett explains what’s ahead on TNA’s path to truly competing with WWE.

“Things are getting bigger and better. With the addition of Hulk Hogan, skies are very blue for TNA. Are we going to come right out of the gate and beat them? Are we claiming that? Absolutely not. But we’re in the game, and competition is good. We are very optimistic that by the end of 2010, it’ll be a different game.”

– According to Sean McCaffrey of DOIWrestling.com, who also runs the women’s wrestling promotion, Wrestling Superstars Uncensored, Angelina Love is expected to make her return to TNA during the company’s live three-hour iMPACT! broadcast on Monday, January 4, 2010.

Regarding the legitimacy of McCaffrey’s claims, he personally deals with the former Women’s Knockout Champion as she appeared on his most recent WSU show and also has her booked for events throughout 2010. Furthermore, the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer is also saying that TNA is looking to bring Love back early next year.

As noted earlier, Love’s successor in “The Beautiful People,” Lacey Von Erich is not expected to last much longer with TNA as she said is to be on “thin ice” with management. Reportedly, officials have given up on her as she has been resistant to suggestions to further her formal wrestling training. Her perceived negative attitude has also been a source of contention among those in the company as Von Erich has been living her persona to a hilt backstage at the Impact Zone instead of just keeping it on screen.

Love, whose real name is Lauren Williams, was released from TNA this past September due to visa issues. Soon after, Williams’ agent posted a blog entry on her MySpace account stating she would return to the organization once the issues with hervisa had been resolved.

VoV

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