MLB

– Former RHP Roger Clemens 6-count indictment alleges that one of the most dominant pitchers of his era obstructed a congressional inquiry with 15 different statements made under oath, including denials that he had ever used steroids or human growth hormone. As he did when he testified to a House committee in 2008, the seven-time Cy Young winner denied using the substances again Thursday and said he will fight to clear his name. “I never took HGH or Steroids. And I did not lie to Congress. I look forward to challenging the Governments accusations, and hope people will keep an open mind until trial. I appreciate all the support I have been getting. I am happy to finally have my day in court.”

– The Cardinals have acquired 3B Pedro Feliz and cash considerations from the Astros for RHP David Carpenter. Feliz was batting just .221/.243/.311 with four home runs and 31 RBI with the Astros this season. The Cardinals probably aren’t paying him much, so it’s worth the gamble.

– According to Micheal S. Schmidt of the NY Times, Roger Clemens will be indicted for perjury. According to two sources briefed on the matter, Clemens will be indicted on charges of making false statements to Congress during his testimony about his use of performance-enhancing drugs on February 13, 2008. An official announcement is expected shortly.

WWE

– Nexus’ member Skip Sheffield (broken left ankle) may require surgery and is expected to be out several weeks to months depending on the severity of the injury. He was reportedly injured at Wednesday’s Raw live event from Honolulu, Hawaii in a tag match with David Otunga versus The Hart Dynasty. Sheffield laid face-down in the ring after the match with an apparent leg injury. He was unable to walk by himself, could not put any weight on his left leg and had to be helped out of the ring and to the back. Sheffield had been positioned as the #2 star in Nexus behind Wade Barrett. With the previous departures of Daniel Bryan and Darren Young and now Sheffield being injured, the Nexus is down to only 5 members. There has been talk of bringing some of the Season 2 rookies into Nexus, including Husky Harris and Michael McGillicutty.

Which Season 2 rookies do you think would be a good fit for Nexus? Comment below and tell us.

– Former WWE superstar and concussion awareness champion Chris Nowinski recently spoke to New England’s NECN news show about the WWE work environment. Nowinski, who is a Harvard graduate and wrestled for WWE from 2002-2004 before having to retire after a head injury, paints an ugly picture of WWE encouraging steroid use, widespread use of pain pills and more.

Steroid Use In WWE: “The WWE rewards the guys who use them.”

The Unsafe Work Environment: “They have an environment where it’s absolutely unsafe to work in that ring. They have no oversight into what actually happens in the ring. And they are encouraging steroid use,” he said, citing the enormous physiques of recent champions such as Triple H and Batista. “It’s garbage that they’re not using stuff,” he said. “They absolutely know what’s going on.”

Painkiller Use In WWE: “They’re taking pain killers because they’re working 200 nights a year and getting hit unlike anyone in the history of the wrestling business — it wasn’t like that in the ’80s, it wasn’t like that in the ’70s” he said. “I used to go through tables for four days a week.”

Linda McMahon Saying She “Might Have Met”Lance Cade: “That’s complete garbage. Just kicking dirt on the guy’s grave.”

– The main event for October’s WWE Hell in A Cell PPV on October 3 will be Sheamus defending the WWE title against Randy Orton, according to local advertising in Dallas, Texas. Also discussed for the show is a match between The Undertaker and Kane.

NFL

– The Broncos have re-signed QB Kyle Orton to a 1-year,/$9M contract extension through 2011 with $5.5M in guarantees. A much deserved reward for Orton’s excellent training camp as well as an acknowledgment that he’s well ahead of QB Tim Tebow and QB Brady Quinn in coach Josh McDaniels’ offense. It’s no longer safe to assume that Tebow will take over the offense late in the season, and he may be a 1.5-2 years from seeing the starting lineup.

– ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that “early reports” on Vikings’ WR Percy Harvin’s migraine episode on the practice field Wednesday are encouraging. Bernard Berrian tweeted Thursday that “Percy’s doin’ fine everyone.” It sounds like Harvin avoided a migraine that could ache for several days. “It seemed like he was stable,” confirmed coach Brad Childress. The issue will remain a career-long concern for Harvin.

– ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Chargers are “nowhere close” to getting holdout LT Marcus McNeill into camp despite Wednesday’s face-to-face meeting with GM A.J. Smith. McNeill isn’t actually considered a “holdout” because he’s not officially under contract. The 2-time Pro Bowler’s visit to Chargers’ headquarters Wednesday obviously didn’t do much. QB Philip Rivers’ blind-side protection remains a major concern.

– The Giants have signed G/T Shawn Andrews. The 2-time Pro Bowler is still just 27 years old and if he gets his head on straight, this would be a huge steal for the Giants. Expect Andrews’ contract to be largely incentive-based.

NHL

– The father of Leafs’ D Tomas Kaberle believes his son will be traded during the 2010-11 season. “I think that during the course of the year he will be traded to another club. There is only one chance for Toronto to get something back in return for Tomas now. In my opinion, I can’t see Tomas entering a new contract with the Toronto. Not if Ron Wilson continues to be employed there … I cannot imagine how he will get along with coach Wilson, who relies primarily on aggression and stress. That’s not Tomas, he’s a technical type of defender.” If Kaberle does end up being moved, then he will have to go to GM Brian Burke himself with a list of teams. Burke has been steadfast in his claim that he will not ask the offensive rearguard to waive his NTC. Stay tuned, this is far from over.

NBA

– Bucks’ F Andrew Bogut (elbow) could miss the first month of the new NBA season due to fluid buildup. “I’m optimistic that I should be ready for the season but you never know with these things because of the nerve damage and so on, it’s on its own course. I’m one of those guys who will play through injury but if I’m not 100% for the season to start, there is no sense going into an NBA season at 85% ’cause we’re playing up to May.”

– Pacers’ G Darren Collison (finger fracture) suffered the injury during a pickup game on the same day he was traded, and will be in a cast for at least 3 weeks. “It’s nothing serious. I’ll be out three to four weeks, so I’ll be well before training camp.” He should be fine heading into training camp.

– Thunder’ F Nenad Krstic was involved in a fight that broke out on the court during Serbia’s “friendly” against Greece, and at one point threw a chair into the middle of the court. Nobody was seriously hurt, but Kristic cowardly backpedaling from F Sofo Schortsanitis (aka Greek Shaq) was reminiscent of Carmelo Anthony vs. the Knicks in 2006. Krstic is likely to get a 2-game suspension by FIBA during the World Championships.

TNA

– In addition to Homicide, it would appear that both Tomko and Rosie Lottalove have parted ways with TNA, as their respective profiles were removed from the company website’s roster page Thursday. All three were sparingly used in recent months. In Homicide’s case, he noted on his social networking accounts earlier in the day that he had parted ways with the organization. Meanwhile, Lottalove’s photo gallery was removed from the Knockouts media section. Scott Hall, Sean Waltman, Daniels and ODB were also removed from the page, though their respective TNA departures were noted months ago.

VoV

Marc Valeri – captaincharisma@hotmail.com
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NFL

– The Broncos have signed the No. 25 overall pick QB Tim Tebow to a 5-year/$33M deal with $8.7M guaranteed. Tebow was believed to be holding out for more money than Cowboys’ No. 24 pick Dez Bryant, and it turns out that he did receive the “quarterback premium.” His guaranteed portion comes in at $400K above Bryant’s total. Tebow signed in plenty of time to get comfortable with Josh McDaniels’ offense throughout camp. Though he’ll spend his rookie season developing behind Kyle Orton, there’s a decent chance the offense will be his as soon as 2011.

– UFA DE Shawne Merriman does not plan to show for the beginning of training camp. Merriman, who wants assurances that he will not be traded, is in denial about the current state of his career. “I’m only coming back to be the guy on the defense. I’m not coming back to be a guy. I want to be on a team where someone is going to be building a defense around me.” Teams don’t build defenses around pass rushers with four sacks in two seasons. Merriman has no leverage right now.

– Super Bowl XLII hero WR David Tyree will retire after signing a one-day contract with the Giants. Tyree played five seasons with the Giants, mostly as a special teamer, but his career will always be defined by his “helmet catch” that led directly to one of the greatest Super Bowl upsets of all time. Along with the “Immaculate Reception,” Tyree’s catch will go down as perhaps the most memorable playoff moment in NFL history.

– The Eagles have signed the No. 13 overall pick DE Brandon Graham to a 5-year contract. The Eagles gave up the No. 24 pick and two 3rd-rounders to trade up for Graham, a former Michigan star who was named MVP of the Senior Bowl. Graham is a solid pass-rusher.

– Redskins’ DE Albert Haynesworth failed his conditioning test Thursday, according to FoxSports.com’s Jay Glazer. Haynesworth reportedly “killed” the first portion of the test before walking through the second portion. According to the Washington Post, Haynesworth “apparently” needed a bathroom break during the second portion of his conditioning test Thursday, explaining his failure to finish. The test consisted of two grueling 300-yard shuttle runs – he aced the first, but walked through the second, in apparent need of a bowel movement. Haynesworth will not be allowed to practice until he completes both runs. By all accounts, he’s in good shape, so he should be fine on Friday’s retake.

– The Texans have signed No. 58 overall pick RB Ben Tate to a multi-year deal. His stock flew with a stellar performance at the Combine in February. He also missed the majority of OTAs with a hamstring injury. While he’s the future in Houston’s backfield, he’ll enter training camp behind Arian Foster and Steve Slaton. He’s expected to fill the void on early-down and short-yardage situations.

NBA

– The death of Lorenzen Wright is being investigated as a homicide by police, and the Shelby County medical examiner’s office reported that he died of a gunshot wound. Details are hard to come by, but it is known that a 911 hangup call was made from his cell phone on July 19 near the place his body was found. Wright had a 13-year NBA career that included stints with the Grizzlies, Hawks, Kings, Cavs, and the Clippers, who made him the No. 7 overall pick in 1996.

MLB

– Rangers’ GM Jon Daniels said 2B Ian Kinsler (groin) will likely return in “mid-to-late-August.” He’s been limited to just 76 of the team’s 101 games this season and hasn’t lived up to expectations when he’s been on the field.

– Phillies’ LHP Jamie Moyer (left elbow) will not require surgery but is expected to miss the rest of the season. Moyer met with Dr. Lewis Yocum in LA on Wednesday after being diagnosed with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament and a strained tendon in his elbow. He has not announced if he will pitch next season.

VoV

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MLB

– Cubs’ 1B Derrek Lee has vetoed a potential trade to the Angels by invoking his 10-and-5 rights, a form of a no-trade clause given to players who have played for at least 10 years and the last five with their current team. Lee, who has a full NTC in his contract, is due just under $5M for the remainder of the season and indicated he wanted to finish the year with the Cubs. He will be a free agent at the end of the season. Lee entered Wednesday’s action hitting .248 with 11 home runs and 44 runs batted in.

– Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse hears that a deal that would send Cubs’ LHP Ted Lilly to the Phillies for LHP J.A. Happ may be in the works. Price notes that the rumour is “not confirmed,” but it is worth looking at anyway. Lilly, 34, has posted a 3.69 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 18 starts this season and would give the Phillies a solid middle-of-the-rotation option.

– Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports that the Cardinals are “showing interest” in Orioles’ 3B Miguel Tejada. The Cards also had a mild level of interest in Tejada this offseason, but never pulled the trigger. He’s batting just .271/.309/.364 with nine home runs this year in Baltimore, but the Cardinals are desperate for middle infield and third base help. Tejada is owed about $2M.

– Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Rays are in the mix to acquire Nationals’ 1B Adam Dunn. The White Sox and Tigers are also believed to have interest. Dunn is batting .278 with a .925 OPS and 23 home runs through 365 at-bats this season. The Nationals’ asking price remains high but could drop.

– Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle has confirmed that A’s RHP Ben Sheets will require a second flexor tendon surgery. Some believe that the surgery will end Sheets’ career, but he’s only 32 and will likely attempt a comeback. The righty was signed to a 1-year/$10M contract this offseason and posted a 4.53 ERA and 1.39 WHIP over 20 starts for the A’s.

– The Phillies have placed OF Shane Victorino (left abdominal strain) on the 15-day DL. The Phillies made the decision after Victorino underwent an MRI on Wednesday morning. Victorino wasn’t doing much offensively this month, batting just .245/.260/.408 over 98 at-bats.

NBA

– Former F Lorenzen Wright has reportedly been found dead in a wooded area in southeast Memphis. The Memphis Commercial Appeal cites a “law enforcement source” who confirmed the identity of Wright, who had been missing since July 19. The police are still investigating a 911 hangup call from Wright’s cell phone on Monday, leading to some speculation that Wright may have the victim of foul play. Wright, who was 34 years old, last played for Cleveland during the 2008-09 season.

– The Wizards have re-signed G Josh Howard to a 1-year/$4M deal, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Howard (torn ACL) is out until at least September, but should be in line to play plenty of minutes for the Wiz when healthy.

– The Raptors have acquired F David Andersen from the Rockets for a 2nd-round pick. The 6’11″ Andersen averaged 5.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in 63 games last season.

NFL

– ESPN’s Ed Werder reports that Broncos’ No. 25 overall pick QB Tim Tebow wants a larger contract than Cowboys’ No. 24 overall pick WR Dez Bryant. QBs almost always get more money than non-quarterback rookies, and Werder reports a “high degree of confidence” in Denver that Tebow will sign and report by the weekend. If he does hold out, it shouldn’t be longer than a day or two.

– According to the NY Daily News, Giants’ RB Ahmad Bradshaw was “limping much of the spring and limited in minicamp” after undergoing three offseason surgeries — one to each foot and one to his ankle. Observes beat reporter Ralph Vacchiano, “that’s a lot of surgery for a running back, especially one that makes his living off violent cuts.” Bradshaw promises he feels better than ever, but the signs don’t point toward him being fully healthy. The Giants begin training camp two-a-day practices this Sunday.

WWE

– Rich Ward, the guitarist in Chris Jericho’s metal band Fozzy, was a guest on the Monday Night Mayhem radio show this week and spoke about Jericho’s future after his WWE contract expires later this year. There’s been speculation that Jericho is looking to move on from WWE and focus on his entertainment career (music & acting). Here’s the recap:

The Band Working Around Chris Jericho’s WWE Schedule: “In the early days it was more difficult, because we didn’t have chemistry worked out because Chris was so busy, not just with working in the WWE, but the travel days also, whenever there was a day off here and a day off there. Basically what we had to do was be super organized in how we structured things, and till the last couple of years, it started to fall into place to where when Chris is just sitting in a hotel room or something, he’s writing lyrics. I then take his lyrics and start building songs around it, and then I would send him the demos with me singing his lyrics, and then we start work back and forth through MP3’s. If it wasn’t for the modern age of the Internet, I doubt Fozzy could exist.”

Whether Chris Jericho Will Leave WWE When His Contract Expires This Year: “He has told me that he has no plans on retiring, so as far as Chris stepping away from the ring, I have no idea if he has any plans to do that beyond the contract. I know from talking to him, and Chris’s business is his business, and never would I try to step and make announcements for him, but I think he told me that he’s contract negotiations with the WWE. With that in mind, I have no indications that he’s gonna take time off. I know he got two weeks off to do the UK run, and I know anytime we could get ‘Uncle Vinnie’ to give us a couple of weeks to go and play some rock shows in the UK, I feel like I owe him a steak dinner.”

Fozzy’s Potential: “To answer that honestly, I don’t even think about tomorrow. I’m so focused in the now and what I’m doing instead of looking down the road. I feel like that has worked for me, and maybe other people it helps to plans things, but I find for my music career (in general) if I’m touring with Stuck Mojo, I focus 1,000 percent on that. If I’m with Chris, and we’re on tour with Fozzy, I don’t think about Stuck Mojo, and I don’t think about what I’m gonna have for dinner. I think Fozzy could go on until no one wants to hear another one of our songs, and we will continue to play to out four or five fan club members. We will just continue to rock on at a very high level of proficiency.”

– Monday’s episode of Raw drew a 3.5 cable rating and averaged 5,192,000 viewers. The show did hours of 3.49 and 3.52.

– According to the Wrestling Observer, Melina made her return to WWE programming during Monday’s television taping in San Antonio, Texas. She performed a run-in following a Six-Diva Tag Match pitting Alicia Fox, Jillian and Tamina against Eve, Gail Kim and Natalya, attacking the Divas Champion. Her return will be televised during next Monday’s episode of Raw. It was her first appearance inside a WWE ring since she underwent surgery for a torn ACL suffered last December. She spent the past few weeks at the company’s developmental facility in Tampa, Florida training for her return.

WWE creative brass initially planned on inserting Melina into the ongoing John Morrison vs. Ted DiBiase program as means to feature mixed tag matches, but said plans were nixed last week. Instead, she will going after Fox’s Divas Championship. A three-way feud between Melina, Fox and Eve is tentatively planned, though Maryse may be put in the mix. Meanwhile, Maryse and DiBiase’s “power couple” placement is an offshoot of plans initially tapped for the French beauty and The Miz last year. Plans were changed when Maryse took a hiatus to recover from knee surgery and Miz got over well enough with the audience that she was no longer needed by his side. Maryse was ultimately placed with DiBiase in an effort to get him over.

– WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog at JRsBarBQ.com with some commentary on the following topics:

Monday’s RAW: “Enjoyed Raw Monday night by and large. I do know this….if John Cena’s team doesn’t put their own personal agendas behind them then the Raw 7 has NO chance against The Nexus at Summer Slam. That point was made abundantly clear over the two hour broadcast from San Antonio. No unity=no win for Raw. “No win for you” ala Seinfeld’s ‘Soup Nazi.’ Got it? Good. ”

Scouting Talent at FCW: “It’s back to Tampa for me this weekend to observe the FCW try out camp that likely will have over 50 individuals taking part in the process. Now seems to be a timely opportunity to get noticed and perhaps signing with WWE and assigned to FCW which needs more viable athletes and quality numbers in general.”

John Morrison The Next HBK? “I Tweeted @JRsBBQ that I liked John Morrison’s new beard and that I thought it made him look a little more rugged. Morrison is a gifted athlete who has ’something’ that physically reminds me of a young HBK. One can only hope that Morrison can begin to approach the success that Shawn Michaels earned but that’s some king sized expectations. Nonetheless I think that Morrison can be a major player within WWE once his complete game comes together which simply takes time.”

– According to The National Enquirer, Hulk Hogan’s ex-wife Linda, 50, is engaged to wed boyfriend Charlie Hill, 29 years her junior. She met Hill two years ago following her divorce from the wrestling superstar. It would appear that the former married couple have buried the hatchet as the wrestler added his well wishes regarding Linda’s engagement. “I’m ecstatic for her, I’m very happy for them,” Hogan said in an exclusive statement to RadarOnline.com. “I think they’re perfect for each other. I wish them the best.”

David Houston, Hogan’s attorney, echoed his sentiment, touching on the couple’s contentious split and how they’ve seemed to move on from that dark period: “Obviously, when you go through a divorce, there is a great deal of emotion and you go through your ups and downs. He was married to her for 23 years so there is a certain degree of affection and he does wish her the best.”

Meanwhile, daughter Brooke, who is one year older than Hill, bares a negative stance towards her mother’s beau. “He is a loser,” she was quoted last year as saying. “I don’t have a problem with age; it’s more about character. Her love is not real and not right.” The wedding is reportedly slated to take place next summer aboard Linda’s yacht named ‘Alimoney’. The article also notes that one of the places they’re registered at is Game Spot.

VoV

Marc Valeri – captaincharisma@hotmail.com
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MLB

– According to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times, the Rays have signed OF Ben Zobrist to a long-term contract extension. An official announcement is expected later today. The first three years of the contract are guaranteed, and cover all of his arbitration years, while the team holds options for the 2014 and 2015 seasons. Zobrist, who turns 29 in May, just missed eligibility as a “Super-Two” player this offseason. He enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2009, batting .297/.405/.543 with 27 homers and 91 RBI. He is batting .258 with six RBI to begin this season.

– Mariners’ LHP Erik Bedard (shoulder) threw a 60-pitch bullpen session Wednesday and remains on track for a May 23 return to the rotation.

– The Tigers have placed DH Carlos Guillen (left hamstring) on the 15-day DL. Guillen suffered the injury while rounding third base in the fifth inning of Thursday’s game. He was batting .311/.391/.443 with one home run and eight RBI to begin the season.

– Astros’ RHP Alberto Arias (shoulder) underwent extensive surgery Thursday on his right shoulder and is out for the remainder of the 2010 season. The procedure repaired his rotator cuff and labrum, while also removing calcium deposits in his throwing shoulder. He’ll get to rehabbing once the soreness dies down and will try to be at full strength by the start of spring training 2011.

NBA

– The NY Post reports that Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorev could become the Nets owner by mid-May. The team has finally been assured that everybody will be out of the way of building the new arena by the end of this month, though it took $3M to buy out the last fella from his three-bedroom condo. That was the man who held up construction for about a decade through various protests with his organization, Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn.

Once everything is vacant, Prokhorev can apparently become owner. So it’s looking like he’ll be taking over in mid-May, which means Prokhorev will likely be there for the draft lottery on May 18. Once the team knows where it will draft in the top four slots, it will look for a new coach. Nets exec Rod Thorn told the Post that “There may be more interest in us (by potential coaches) after the lottery.” And then be ready to throw some money around for a big-name free agent when the window gets thrown open on July 1.

– Celtics’ F Rasheed Wallace was fined $35K by the NBA on Thursday for publicly criticizing game officials.

– The NBA has fined Magic’ coach Stan Van Gundy and G Matt Barnes $35K each Thursday for publicly criticizing officials.

NFL

– The Rams selected QB Sam Bradford with their first overall pick. S Eric Berry went to the Redskins 5th overall, while WR Dez Bryant went 24th to the Cowboys and QB Tim Tebow went 25th to the Broncos.

– Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones insisted Thursday night that the Cowboys are not trading WR Roy Williams. “We won’t be moving Roy,” Jerry said. Jones made similar comments prior to WR Terrell Owens’ 2009 release. The Cowboys’ trade up to draft Dez Bryant strongly indicates that Williams is on the outs. Jones may hope to salvage a late-round pick for the $54M mega bust, but no one would give that up. Jones did recently pay Williams’ $9.5M roster bonus. We’d bet on Bryant beating Williams out in camp if the two are to compete to start.

– Titans coach Jeff Fisher said Thursday night that the “door is shut” on an DE Albert Haynesworth trade after the conclusion of the first round. The Titans would have addressed another area instead of defensive line had they traded for Haynesworth before selecting at No. 16 overall. Now Jason Jones will stay at tackle with Derrick Morgan on board as an end. With the Lions also selecting Ndamukong Suh, the two most likely Haynesworth suitors are out of the picture.

– The Seahawks will make a formal announcement regarding longtime LT Walter Jones next Thursday. He’s fully expected to retire. The Seahawks made it clear that they’ve moved on from Jones by using the 6th-overall pick on Russell Okung Thursday night, when C.J. Spiller was still on the board. If the season began today, Seattle’s already much-improved line would look like this: LT Okung, LG Ben Hamilton, C Chris Spencer, RG Max Unger, and RT Sean Locklear.

WWE

– Mike Knox has also been released by WWE.

TNA

– TNA Knockout Daffney posted a message on her Myspace blog about the injuries she suffered at Tuesday’s TNA iMPACT! tapings. During a dark match, Daffney’s opponent Miss Betsy did a sitdown splash on her chest and she blacked out. After being helped to the back by trainers, she was sent to the hospital. TNA President posted a message on Twitter that she suffered deeply bruised sternum & a severe stinger (temp spinal trauma). Here’s what Daffney wrote on Myspace:

“When the trainers & everyone came to the ring, our TNA on site trainer came up near my head and I told him that my lower sternum hurt. I also told him my neck hurt – yet felt weird and it felt very warm. He then told me to go ahead and straighten my leg. From the hush that fell and tense vibe in the air, I said, ” It’s not moving, is it?” They all distracted me with other routine questions. A few minutes later he asked me to wiggle my toes. Same tense air that could be cut with a butter knife. Me: “They’re not moving, huh?” The whole time I just stared straight to the top of the Impact Zone and prayed. Everyone around me was saying reassuring things so I just stayed still and answered questions. The next time I was asked to wiggle my toes, I could feel them going – and there was a collected sigh of relief. Stingers – (especially bad ones) can make you go numb for a short while – so once the sensation came back I kept praying, “It’s just a stinger. And NO – my sternum/ribs aren’t broken…” X-rays at the hospital showed just that. Are you there God? It’s me…Daff. ”

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NFL

– The Eagles soared past the G-Men, 23-11, while the Steelers beat the Chargers 35-24. This means that the Steelers will host the Ravens, while the Cardinals will host the Eagles for their AFC and NFC Championship games, respectively.

– Florida QB Tim Tebow announced that he will return to the university for his senior year. Tebow has a chance to be considered among the greatest college players of all time as a senior. He already has one Heisman Trophy and has helped the Gators win two BCS titles.

NBA

– The Raptors could be entertaining offers for F Jermaine O’Neal. The team is playing very well around him, and F Andrea Bargnani is stepping into his own and filling the void at centre. He and F Chris Bosh are playing very well together, and it’s having an impact on the rest of the team – namely, F Jamario Moon, G Anthony Parker and F Joey Graham. G Roko Ukic and G Will Solomon have played very well in the absence of G Jose Calderon as well. Stay tuned, as the Raptors are beginning to develop into a solid team. They played very well today losing to the Celtics (er, Ray Allen).

MLB

– According to a source, the Giants were willing to offer a one-year deal with three options to OF Manny Ramirez. There is no update on the situation, other than the Giants still being interested.

– The Angels, Giants and Mets are all expressing interest in Yankees’ OF Xavier Nady.

– The Braves have become the quiet frontrunner for OF Adam Dunn.

WWE

– Raw superstar John Cena has renamed his “FU” finisher, now calling it “The Throwback.” Also, the “STFU” submisison finisher will now be the “STF.” Also, Cena’s still totally lame.

TNA

– TNA Knockout Christy Hemme officially has two herniated disks in her neck. She has also confirmed that she immediately underwent a Neuro Cranial Realignment. There is no timetable for her return.