News & Notes

MLB

- According to the Boston Herald, if the Red Sox can not re-sign OF Jason Bay, they will set their sites on one of Matt Holliday, Bobby Abreu and Johnny Damon.
- Boston Red Sox reliever Billy Wagner has decided that it may be time to retire. "I don't plan on talking to anybody," Wagner told the New York Post when asked about the off-season.
- According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals are planning long-term deals with both OF Matt Holliday, who will become a free-agent this winter and 1B Albert Pujols. It is being speculated that the Cards will try and get Pujols locked up to a lifetime deal. "It's a high priority to sign Albert to make him a lifetime Cardinal," said team chairman Bill DeWitt.
- Seattle Mariners C Rob Johnson will undergo a series of surgeries this off-season. He will have procedures done on both hips and his left wrist. The team expects Johnson to be ready for spring training.
- Earlier this week, former Washington Nationals scouting director, Dana Brown, left his old team to join the Toronto Blue Jays in a higher front-office role. "I have aspirations of maybe one day being a GM down the road some time," Brown told the Washington Post. " And I thought this was maybe another stepping stone."

NBA

- Golden State Warriors G/F Stephen Jackson has given up his captain role after meeting with team GM Larry Riley and head coach Don Nelson on Tuesday. He told reporters that he couldn't be the leader of the team and that the young guys need to be more self-motivated instead of relying on him push them. Jackson requested a trade earlier this season and had a run-in with Nelson during a pre-season game last week. You have to speculate that a trade was discussed in the meeting as well.
- Cleveland Cavaliers G Delonte West has returned to the team after missing the majority of pre-season an training camp due to personal matters. West was at practice on Tuesday, his first with the team since October 7th.
- The Los Angeles Clippers have picked up the 2010-2011 contract options on both SG Eric Gordon and SF Al Thorton. Both are former first-round picks and are major pieces in the rebuilding process in Los Angeles.
- The Washington Wizards and G Gilbert Arenas have each been fined $25,000 for failing to make Arenas available to the media on Monday.
- The Orlando Sentinel has reported that Magic G/F Mickael Pietrus opted not to have surgery on his sore right wrist in the off-season. He didn't like the length of the rehabilitation and wanted to be prepared for the upcoming season. The additions of G/F Matt Barnes and SG Vince Carter may have weighed on his decision. Pietrus could lose minutes this season because of the new players.

NFL

- Yesterday, the New England Patriots re-signed LB Junior Seau. The 40-year-old will return to the team after sitting out the start of the season contemplating retirement. This deal has been rumoured for some time now and should come as no surprise. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
- It is being speculated that Cleveland Browns QB Brady Quinn is unhappy wit his situation with the team and wants out. After losing his starting job to QB Derek Anderson, Quinn put his Cleveland home up for sale. Although the team is denying any rumours, it seems like a deal is imminent.
- The Indianapolis Colts have signed veteran K Matt Stover to replace inured K Adam Vinatieri. Vinatieri underwent surgery earlier this week to remove cartilage from his kicking (right) knee.
- The Dallas Cowboys plan to sign veteran kick returner, Allen Rossum. Check back for details when they are released.

NHL

- Montreal Canadiens F George Laraque has appologized to his team and to fans for appearing in an alcohol ad. The advertisement was in violation of the NHL rules regarding alcohol.
- Buffalo Sabres F Thomas Vanek will be out indefinitely with an "upper body" injury.
- Vancouver Canucks D Sami Salo will undergo an MRI today to determine how long he will be out of action after aggravating an lingering knee injury that has given him problems for his entire NHL career. Check back for updates.

MMA

- The UFC has announced fights for the Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale and UFC 107. Matt Hamill and Jon Jones will headline the Ultimate Fighter Finale. Fights that will headline UFC 107 include: B.J. Penn vs. Diego Sanchez for the UFC lightweight championship, Frank Mir vs. Cheick Kongo and Thiago Alves vs. Paulo Thiago.
- Wanderlei Silva will fight Yoshihiro Akiyama will fight in early 2010 according to MMA Frenzy.
- Spike TV has announced that they will broadcast a portion of the UFC 104 preliminary bouts on October 24th. Fights that will be shown include: Ryan Bader vs. Eric Schafer and Antonio Hardonk vs. Pat Barry.