News & Notes

MLB

- It looks as though Matt Holiday's time with the St. Louis Cardinals has come to an end. Fox Sports is reporting that the free-agent outfielder has narrowed down potential suitors to three teams: New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels.
- The Cincinnati Reds have re-signed C Ramon Hernandez to a one-year/$3million contract. The contract also includes a vesting option for 2011 worth $3.25 million if Hernandez appears in 120 games in 2010.
- The MLB has announced several awards winners for the 2009 season last week. Gold Glove, Silver Slugger and Rookie of the Year awards were handed out to players from both leagues. Below are a list of award winners.

AL Gold Glove Winners:
P Mark Buerhrle (Chicago White Sox)
C Joe Mauer (Minnesota Twins)
1B Mark Texeira (New York Yankees)
2B Placido Polanco (Detroit Tigers)
3B Evan Longoria (Tampa Bay Rays)
SS Derek Jeter (New York Yankees)
OF Torii Hunter (Los Angeles Angels)
OF Adam Jones (Baltimore Orioles)
OF Ichiro Suzuki (Seattle Mariners)

NL Gold Glove Winners:
P Adam Wainwright (St. Louis Cardinals)
C Yadier Molina (St. Louis Cardinals)
1B Adrian Gonzalez (San Diego Padres)
2B Orlando Hudson (Los Angeles Dodgers)
3B Ryan Zimmerman (Washington Nationals)
SS Jimmy Rollins (Philadelphia Phillies)
OF Michael Bourne (Houston Astros)
OF Matt Kemp (Los Angeles Dodgers)
OF Shane Victorino (Philadelphia Phillies)

AL Silver Slugger Winners:
C Joe Mauer (Minnesota Twins)
1B Mark Texeira (New York Yankees)
2B Aaron Hill (Toronto Blue Jays)
3B Evan Longoria (Tampa Bay Rays)
SS Derek Jeter (New York Yankees)
OF Jason Bay (Boston Red Sox)
OF Torii Hunter (Los Angeles Angels)
OF Ichiro Suzuki (Seattle Mariners)
DH Adam Lind (Toronto Blue Jays)

NL Silver Slugger Winners:

C Brian McCann (Atlanta Braves)
1B Albert Pujols (St. Louis Cardinals)
2B Chase Utley (Philadelphia Phillies)
3B Ryan Zimmerman (Washington Nationals)
SS Hanley Ramirez ( Florida Marlins)
OF Matt Kemp (Los Angeles Dodgers)
OF Andre Ethier (Los Angeles Dodgers)
OF Ryan Braun (Milwaukee Brewers)
P Carlos Zambrano (Chicago Cubs)

AL Rookie of the Year Winner:
P Andrew Bailey (Oakland Athletics)

NL Rookie of the Year Winner:
OF Chris Coghlan (Florida Marlins)

NBA

- The Memphis Grizzlies have officially ended their contractual agreement with G Allen Iverson. The team made the announcement today siting Iverson's off-court issues as the reason he will leave the team. According to RealGM, Iverson will only receive a small portion of the $3 million contract he signed in the pre-season.
- Former Chicago Bull F Dennis Rodman has been detained Europe. The ex-NBA "bad boy" is being temporarily detained for skipping out on a hotel bill in Germany. According to the ESPN report, the bill was for an post-game party worth $5,100.
- According to the Times-Picayune, earlier reports that the New Orleans Hornets and Sacramento Kings were working on a deal that would send C Emeka Okafor to the Kings are apparently false. The Sacramento Bee originally reported on Sunday that a deal was discussed between the two teams.

NFL

- ESPN is reporting the free-agent RB Larry Johnson plans on signing with the Cincinnati Bengals. According to the report, Johnson flew to Cincinnati today and will sign before the end of the week. If a contract is met, it is expected to be for the league minimum. Stay tuned for more on any potential deal.
- The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting that Steelers star S Troy Polamalu could be out of action for the remainder of the season. He exited Sunday's game against the Bengals with a knee injury. He suffered a similar injury during the first game of the season and was working his way back into the lineup until the setback. Check back later for an injury update.
- According to the Miami Herald, Dolphins RB Ronnie Brown will likely miss the team's Thursday night game against the Carolina Panthers due to an ankle injury. Brown suffered the injury during Miami's win over the Tampa Bay on Sunday.

NHL


- The Ottawa Sun is reporting that the Toronto Maple Leafs management and rookie G Jonas Gustavsson are likely discussing a contract extension. The Leafs signed the Swedish netminder to a one-year deal in the off-season and will look to lock him up so other teams don't have a chance to pursue him at seasons end. The team can not sign him to an extension until January.
- According to an ESPN report, Washington Capitals star LW Alexander Ovechkin could return to the lineup on Thursday night against the New York Rangers. He has been out of the lineup with and upper-body injury since November 1st.
- Peter Forsberg may not decide to return to the NHL after all. The Denver Post is reporting that Forsberg is leaning towards staying in Sweden. MoDo GM Fredrik Andersson told reporters Friday he has "high hopes" that Forsberg will sign with MoDo, his longtime SEL league team.

MMA

- The Telegraph is reporting that UFC welterweight champ George St. Pierre and number one contender Dan Hardy are potential coaches for the Ultimate Fighter 11 reality show. Ultimate Fighter 11 will feature middleweight and light-heavyweight fighters and will film through April. If this rumour is true, St. Pierre will have to wait even longer for his return to the octagon. He recently announced his groin injury is healed and he is 100% to fight. Stay tuned for more details as they surface.
- The UFC has announced that the scheduled bout between Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Cain Velasquez at UFC 108 has been cancelled. Nogueira had to withdraw from the fight due to a sever staph infection in his left elbow. Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva will move into the main event slot. The UFC will attempt to find a new opponent for Velasquez.
- The UFC also announced more fights for UFC Fight Night 20 from Fairfax, Virginia. The even will be headlined by a lightweight match-up between Nate Diaz and Gray Maynard. Efrain Escudero and Evan Dunham will fight in the co-main event.