News & Notes

MLB

- St. Louis Cardinals 1B Albert Pujols will underwent surgery today to remove five bone spurs from his right elbow. according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. He is expected to be ready for the start of spring training.
- Fox Sports is also reporting that Los Angeles Dodgers OF Manny Ramirez was in the shower when the Philadelphia Phillies mounted a 9th inning comeback to eliminate the Dodgers from the post-season. Dodgers manager Joe Torre wasn't surprised by his star players' early exit. "Manny has so much confidence," Torre told reporters. "When we get a lead late in a game, and I've taken him out, whether it be for defense or we have a big lead, when we go to shake hands after the game, he's in his street clothes."
- Philadelphia Phillies 1B Ryan Howard ties Lou Gehrig's RBI streak record with a home-run in the first inning of Monday night's game against the Dodgers. He has had RBIs in eight straight post-season games.
- The MLB has cleared New York Yankees P Mariano Rivera from any wrongdoing in Monday's game against the Angels. A blogger posted on Tuesday morning that Rivera had spit on the baseball before throwing it. Video was also posted all over the internet showing Rivera spitting on the baseball. The commissioner's office claimed that they found no evidence in video review that the allegations were true. Check the Featured Videos section for the clip.
- According to the Boston Globe, the Red Sox have approached former San Diego Padres GM Kevin Towers about a front-office job with the team.
- ESPN analyst Steve Phillips has been suspended for a week because of an affair that was brought to surface in a New York Post report earlier this week. According to the report, Phillips had a fling with a 22-year-old production assistant who taunted his wife with phone calls and letters bragging about the affair. Phillips admitted to his wife and police that he had slept with his co-worker over the summer before breaking off the relationship.

NBA

- According to ESPN, NBA commissioner David Stern called an emergency meeting with the referees' union on Tuesday to discuss getting a deal done to get the referees back on the court as soon as possible. The NBA's new offer is said to have been approved by the referee union executive board and is expected to be accepted by the referees themselves very soon. "A lot is happening behind the scenes," one source said.
- The Minnesota Timberwolves have lost C/F Al Jefferson indefinitely with an injured Achilles' tendon. Minnesota is already without C/F Kevin Love. Until the team can get both players back, they will be very thin at both big positions.
- Charlotte Bobcats G/F Raja Bell has a partially torn ligament in his right wrist that may require major surgery. He sustained the injury in a pre-season game with the Utah Jazz on Sunday. The procedure would keep him sidelined for up to four months. It was rumoured that Bell was being shopped by the team.
- The Dallas Mavericks have traded C/F Nathan Jawai to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a future 2nd round pick. The Timberwolves lack front-court depth after losing both Al Jefferson and Kevin Love to injuries in the pre-season and needed to make some sort of move although Jawai isn't the answers to their problems.

NFL

- The Chicago Bears and QB Jake Cutler have agreed on two-year extension that will keep him with the team through the 2013 season. The deal is worth $30 million.
- Indianapolis Colts S Bob Sanders could make his season debut this Sunday against the St. Louis Rams. He has been out of action after having surgery on his right knee this off-season.
- The New England Patriots have released WR Joey Galloway on Tuesday. He has not been on the Patriots' active roster for three weeks.
- The Kansas City Chiefs have traded DL Tank Tyler to the Carolina Panthers for a fifth-round pick in the 2010 NFL draft.

NHL

- The Buffalo Sabres have traded LW Daniel Paille to the Boston Bruins in exchange for a third and a fifth round pick in the 2010 NHL draft.
- According to the Associated Press, Boston Bruins C Marc Savard will be out of action for 4-6 with a broken left foot. The team reported an injury on Wednesday but did not list that he injured his foot.
- Pittsburgh Penguins star D Sergei Gonchar broke his wrist during a 4-1 win over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday. The injury will not require surgery but he is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.
-The Dallas Stars have moved C Mike Modano and W Jere Lehtinen to the IR list on Wednesday. Modano injured his ribs during the season opener while Lehtinen injured his groin last week.

MMA

- The UFC has announced more fights for UFC Fight Night 20 on January 11th, 2010 from Fairfax, Virginia including the headliner, Nate Diaz vs. Gray Maynard. It will be a re-match of the Ultimate Fighter 5 semi-final match-up. In their first fight, Diaz submitted Maynard with gullotine choke in the second round to secure the victory. Diaz moved on to win the reality show. The UFC also announced a preliminary bout between Rafael dos Anjos and Kyle Bradley.
- The UFC has signed undefeated heavyweight prospect Rolles Gracie. He will make his debut at UFC 109 against Mustapha Al-Turk.
- According to MMAjunkie, Mark Munoz will meet Ryan Jensen at UFC 108.