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MLB Headlines
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Manny Ramirez made sure his presence was noticed before he even stepped on the field at Petco Park on Friday, stopping in the Dodgers dugout to preen for photographers. "It's showtime!" he said, repeating what has apparently become his new catch phrase. And the curtain opened on Ramirez's first act at 7:10, when he stepped into the batter's box for the first time since his May 7 suspension for violating baseball's drug policy. Most in the sellout crowd came to their feet, some booing, some cheering. Ramirez, who walked and grounded twice in his first three at-bats against Padres starter Chad Gaudin, faced reliever Luis Perdomo in his fourth and final trip to the plate in the sixth inning ..."
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The Red Sox are in serious discussions with Cuban shortstop whiz Jose Iglesias, according to a league source. If finalized, the contract is expected to be for about $8 million, perhaps a little bit more than that, according to people familiar with the talks. One league source said it wasn't done yet but expressed optimism that it would get done. Iglesias, who's listed at 19 years old, defected from Cuba last year in Canada during the World Junior Championships. Scouts who have seen Iglesias liken him to Ozzie Smith defensively. "His hands and arm are deluxe,'' one American League executive said. "The question is how much he'll hit.''"
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Rafael Palmeiro spent some time reflecting before he was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame on Friday in Lubbock, Texas. Palmeiro's legacy shifted in the summer of 2005. On July 15, he got his 3,000th career hit and joined an exclusive club of players with 3,000 hits and 500 home runs. Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Eddie Murray are the only other players to have done both. On Aug. 1, Palmeiro found out he had failed a steroids test and was suspended 10 days by Major League Basbeall. "I made a mistake," Palmeiro told ESPN's Pedro Gomez on Friday. "I didn't really understand what I was taking and I paid for it. I paid for it very dearly. Life goes on." Palmeiro continues to deny ..."
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It's time for the Manny Show(s). Fox's Prime Ticket will have enhanced features on tonight's broadcast of Manny Ramirez's return in San Diego and why not? The network has added an extra right-field camera for more and better shots of Ramirez. See Manny bend over to smell the grass. See Manny wipe his face. See Manny shake his hair. Plus there will be a special road edition of the "Dodgers Live" pregame and postgame 30-minute shows. And the Dodgers-Padres Saturday game is one of three regional games of the week for Fox (Channel 11 locally). The network will break in on its other Saturday telecasts -- Mets at Phillies and Tigers at Twins -- to show Ramirez's first at-bat Saturday, though ..."
NBA Headlines
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Free agent forward Hedo Turkoglu changed his mind Friday, deciding not to join the Portland Trail Blazers, opting instead to accept an offer from the Toronto Raptors, sources told ESPN.com. The Raptors last-minute bid will give Turkoglu all of the salary-cap space they will get by renouncing their rights to Shawn Marion, Anthony Parker and Carlos Delfino. The Raptors expect to have about $10.1 million in cap space to give to Turkoglu for his first-year salary; he would get an eight percent annual raise over the next four seasons of the deal, a source told ESPN.com. The Raptors have until July 7 to renounce Marion, Delfino and Parker, so it remains a possibility and that a sign-and-trade ..."
July 4
Detroit Free Press
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ESPN's Mark Stein is reporting that Pistons president Joe Dumars is scheduled to have a face-to-face meeting with Avery Johnson this weekend. The two have already talked on the phone and now plan on discussing the job at Johnson's Houston home, according to the report. The report also states that Dumars would like to have the Pistons' new coach in place by the time summer-league play begins next week in Las Vegas."
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Despite published reports to the contrary, Hedo Turkoglu has not reached an agreement with the Trail Blazers, a team source announced at 2:20 p.m. Friday. ESPN first reported that a deal had been reached in principle, but general manager Kevin Pritchard and Turkoglu agent Lon Babby have not confirmed the deal. The 6-foot-10 small forward, one of the top commodities in this year's free agent market, arrived in Portland on Thursday afternoon and is expected to leave Saturday morning. If a deal is struck, the Blazers can not officially sign Turkoglu until July 8, when the league's free agent moratorium is lifted. Teams have been allowed to contact and negotiate with free agents since midnight ..."
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After a two-day retreat to his lakeside Montana home, Phil Jackson decided to return to the Lakers, agreeing on Friday to come back for a 19th season as an NBA coach. "After consulting with Lakers team internist Dr. John Moe, I feel confident that I can gainfully pursue an NBA season with another long playoff postseason. All things point to go!" Jackson said in a statement released by the team. Jackson, who turns 64 in September, completed a battery of medical tests after the season. He recently won his 10th championship as a coach, passing Boston Celtics legend Red Auerbach, and will be coaching his 19th season. He will make $12 million. Neither Jackson nor the Lakers are currently ..."
NFL Headlines
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Linebacker Tedy Bruschi is still couching exactly when his playing career will end, but when it does, he wouldn't mind coaching. Yesterday, a month before the Patriots start training camp, Bruschi hosted his second Kids Football Clinic, sponsored by insurer SBLI, at Gillette Stadium. Bruschi approached the noncontact camp of 54 children decked out in No. 54 jerseys with the same passion and intensity he has displayed during his career with the Patriots, now entering its 14th season. "I know I can coach,'' said Bruschi. "I know the game. I've been in it so long. It's just going to be a matter of what I do when I'm done. It's a passion of mine. I know I love football. I know I want to be in ..."
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Jets linebacker Calvin Pace has been suspended without pay for the team's first four regular-season games of 2009 for violating the NFL policy on performance enhancing substances. According to an NFL spokesperson, Pace's suspension begins Saturday, Sept. 5. He is eligible to return to the Jets' active roster on Oct. 5 following the team's Oct. 4 game against the New Orleans Saints. Pace is eligible to participate in all preseason practices and games. "This is a situation that resulted from an over-the-counter dietary supplement that contained a substance that I did not know violated the League's policy," Pace said in a statement released by the Jets. "I am responsible for what I put into ..."
July 3
Minneapolis Star Tribune
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The evidence that Brett Favre will end his retirement to play for the Vikings in 2009 is overwhelming. In fact, the only surprise will be if the quarterback decides his surgically repaired right biceps tendon has not healed sufficiently enough for him to return to the NFL. There have been reports that Favre already has a contract in place with the Vikings and both Favre and the Vikings have made it clear in public comments that there is great interest on both sides. And then there is this latest nugget: Favre is in the process of attempting to secure a residence in the Twin Cities. We received a tip last night about Favre settling on a condominium in Edina but that doesn't appear to be a ..."
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A Miami judge is refusing to release surveillance video of a fatal drunk-driving crash involving Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte' Stallworth. Circuit Judge Dennis Murphy ruled Thursday that making the video public would violate the privacy of victim Mario Reyes' family. News organizations wanted the judge to order the video's release by prosecutors. The family and prosecutors wanted the video sealed despite Florida's strong public records laws. Stallworth is serving 30 days for DUI manslaughter. Tests showed Stallworth had a blood-alcohol level of 0.126, well above Florida's legal limit. The NFL commissioner suspended Stallworth indefinitely. Stallworth reached an undisclosed ..."
NHL Headlines
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The Avalanche tonight traded veteran left wing Ryan Smyth to the Los Angeles Kings for defensemen Tom Preissing and Kyle Quincey and the Kings' 5th round selection in next year's draft. Smyth, 33, had been on the trade block for a while, as the Avs wanted to rid themselves of his five-year, $31.25 million contract. Smyth last season compiled 26 goals and 33 assists in 77 games. His 59 points were tied for the team lead with Milan Hejduk. Quincey in 72 games last season had four goals and 34 assists. Preissing, a former Hobey Baker finalist at Colorado College, played in 22 games last year, with three goals and four assists."
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Sources tell TSN the NHL and the NHLPA are investigating what might have been an enormous mistake by the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago tendered qualifying offers to several key players this week, including Kris Versteeg, Cam Barker, Ben Eager, Colin Fraser, Aaron Johnson and Troy Brouwer, however the investigation underway is to determine whether the qualifying offers were filed correctly. If not, there is the remote possibility the qualifying offers could be ruled invalid and the players listed above, conceivably, could be deemed unrestricted free agents because of the blunder. There are few details, but one source says the players involved didn't receive the necessary notification of the ..."
July 4
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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The Penguins today re-signed winger Ruslan Fedotenko. It is a one-year contract worth $1.8 million dollars. Fedotenko attracted interest from a number of teams but opted to return to the Penguins, who had signed him to a one-year, $2,250,000 contract last summer. A few hours earlier, the Penguins signed Sewickley native Nate Guenin, a defenseman, to a one-year contract. The deal will pay him $500,000 if he plays in the NHL, $105,000 if he plays in the American Hockey League. Guenin could become the third Western Pennsylvania-trained player to play for the Penguins, joining Ryan Malone and Bill Thomas. Guenin, 26, appeared in one game with Philadelphia last season but put up 14 assists in ..."
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Rick Nash will be staying in Columbus for the long haul. The 25-year old forward has signed an eight-year, $62.4 million contract extension with the Blue Jackets. The yearly cap hit on the deal is $7.8 million. Nash, who tallied 79 points in 78 games played last season, was the fifth highest goal scorer in the NHL in 2008-09, netting 40 goals. In 2003-04, Nash shared the Rocket Richard Trophy for leading goal-scorer with Calgary's Jarome Iginla and Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk . The four-time all-star who became the captain of the team less than two years ago was scheduled to become a free agent at the end of the 2009-10 season."