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NFL Headlines
December 1
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Count a former Steelers team physician and one of the country's top neurosurgeons as not being surprised that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger developed some delayed symptoms from a concussion he sustained last week. Dr. Julian E. Bailes said Monday it is not unusual for a person to develop symptoms for a concussion days after the injury occurred. Bailes is a professor and chairman of the West Virginia University School of Medicine who recently testified before a House Judiciary Committee on the protection and care for traumatic brain injuries in football. "They can develop symptoms later — particularly headaches, memory problems, other issues — so delayed or later development of symptoms is ..."
December 1
Philadelphia Inquirer
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DeSean Jackson, the Eagles' best wide receiver and the NFL's leading punt returner, left Sunday's game with a concussion that has made his status questionable at best for the team's Week 13 game against the Atlanta Falcons. Brent Celek, the starting tight end, has a sprained thumb that seemed to be a real problem for him during the Eagles' 27-24 win over the Washington Redskins. Brodrick Bunkley, one of the team's starting defensive tackles, is hobbled by a sprained ankle. Linebackers Will Witherspoon (strained foot) and Tracy White (bruised chest) also made coach Andy Reid's injury report yesterday. "Other than that, the other guys made it through fairly good here," Reid said at his ..."
December 1
Washington Times
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It was another dreary Monday of injury news for the Washington Redskins. Tight end Chris Cooley - a Pro Bowl pick the past two years - was placed on injured reserve with a broken right ankle, ending his season after just seven games. Cooley was joined on IR by rookie defensive end Jeremy Jarmon, who tore the ACL in his left knee during Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Eagles. The Redskins filled the roster spots by promoting defensive end Rob Jackson and linebacker Alvin Bowen from the practice squad. Cooley, who couldn't be reached for comment, was leading the Redskins with 29 catches and two touchdowns when he was hurt Oct. 26 against the Philadelphia Eagles. To that point, he had never missed ..."
December 1
Charlotte Observer
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Carolina Panthers linebacker Jon Beason was arrested Monday, accused of punching a patron in the face at the Uptown Cabaret two weeks ago after the team's victory over Atlanta. Beason, 24, adamantly denies the misdemeanor assault charge, his attorney, George Laughrun, said Monday. "He looks forward to his day in court and to getting his good name cleared," Laughrun said. Beason was released Monday with his promise to appear in court. Records show a hearing is set for today. The arrest occurred after Gregory C. Frye, 29, persuaded a Mecklenburg County magistrate to issue a warrant for Beason's arrest. It's unclear from the signature which magistrate approved the warrant. ..."
NBA Headlines
December 1
Camden Courier-Post
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The internal discussions have now become external, with the 76ers management meeting with Allen Iverson on Monday about the possibility of re-signing the former Sixers star. The meeting lasted for about two hours in Dallas. Iverson, his agent Leon Rose and his longtime personal advisor Gary Moore sat down with Sixers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski, vice president Tony DiLeo, head coach Eddie Jordan and assistant coach Aaron McKie. Stefanski said in a statement that no contract was offered and that "we will continue to discuss internally whether or not to pursue this course." A likely topic of conversation was whether Iverson would be willing to accept a bench role, especially ..."
December 1
New York Daily News
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Kiki Vandeweghe watched in person as the Nets lost all four games on their recent West Coast trip, tying the NBA record of 17 consecutive defeats to start a season. And while what he saw was not pretty, it apparently was not enough to scare Vandeweghe away. Following the ouster of Lawrence Frank before Sunday's record-tying loss to the Lakers, Vandeweghe is set to become the team's interim coach, multiple sources confirmed last night. Vandeweghe has been the Nets' general manager since December 2007, but because he has no experience as a head coach, he will have some help from one of the league's veteran coaches, Del Harris, who will be named the top assistant. Neither Vandeweghe nor team ..."
December 1
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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As an elite NBA point guard, the Hornets' Chris Paul is used to making adjustments, often on the fly while barreling toward an unwitting opponent. The past two weeks, however, Paul has been trying to adapt while not on the court. Since Coach Byron Scott was fired early last month, Paul has been getting used to not having his mentor around. Scott is the only coach Paul has had in his five-year career, and their relationship extends far beyond player and coach. Paul reveres Scott and considers him a family member. "He's somebody I've been with since my rookie year, a guy who gave me a chance to do what I'm doing," Paul said before Sunday's game at Sacramento. "But that's long gone now; me ..."
December 1
Memphis Commercial Appeal
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The Grizzlies played Monday night without two starters — forward Rudy Gay and point guard Mike Conley. Conley dressed but wasn't available due to the left shoulder strain he suffered Sunday in the team's loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Gay left the team to attend a funeral for a family member in his hometown of Baltimore. Griz coach Lionel Hollins inserted rookie swingman Sam Young and veteran point guard Jamaal Tinsley into the starting lineup in place of Gay and Conley. Gay asked for and received permission to board a red-eye flight from Los Angeles to Baltimore Sunday following the Grizzlies' game against the Clippers. He is expected to rejoin the team Wednesday when it concludes a ..."
MLB Headlines
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The Twins reportedly hope to have Joe Mauer signed to a long-term contract extension by Christmas. But the club may need to have a deal in place before the start of the 2010 season if they want to ensure that the 2009 American League Most Valuable Player won't explore free agency. According to a Yahoo report on Monday, a source close to Mauer said that the Twins catcher plans on ending contract negotiations if a deal isn't struck by the end of Spring Training. Mauer would then play out the 2010 season and become a free agent after it was over. The source also told the Web site the formal contract negotiations between the two sides have yet to begin. While all indications have been that ..."
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By day's end, the Red Sox will have offered arbitration to both of their Type A free agents - left fielder Jason Bay and reliever Billy Wagner. The 29 other teams also face arbitration decisions regarding the 70 Type A and B free agents on the market, and those decisions should provide a shove to the so-far sluggish pace of this offseason. Compensation in next year's amateur draft is at stake, since Type A free agents who are offered arbitration but reject it and sign elsewhere cost the signing team a first- or second-round pick to his former team. The cost of a pick acts as a drag to the offseason pace, which is why once teams know for sure what the compensation risks are, they can make a ..."
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The first D-Day -- Decision Day -- on baseball's offseason calendar arrives Tuesday, the deadline for clubs to offer salary arbitration to their free agents. Teams have until 11:59 p.m. ET to decide which of 69 ranked free agents will receive the offer -- an overture rarely accepted by players, but a step necessary for their 2009 clubs to be compensated when they sign elsewhere. Players offered arbitration will have until 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 7 -- the opening day of the 2009 Winter Meetings -- to decided whether to accept or decline. A year ago, only three of 24 free agents accepted their arbitration offers. This time, there actually are 70 Type A or Type B free agents, those who are ..."
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As they dissect the current state of affairs on the Hot Stove market, the Red Sox are left with a lot of unknowns. This, thanks to a less-than-spectacular class of available free agents and the unpredictability that comes with trying to engage other teams in a blockbuster trade, which could bring the likes of Roy Halladay or Adrian Gonzalez to Boston. But, if you fast forward to next year at this time, general manager Theo Epstein and his crew of assistants will be in a far more enviable spot, one that could land them major stars who may have the impact that the Yankees felt from CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and A.J. Burnett en route to a 2009 World Series championship. This doesn't mean ..."
NHL Headlines
December 1
Washington Post
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For the second time in three games, Alex Ovechkin was ejected after being assessed a major penalty and a game misconduct. But this time the threat of receiving a suspension from NHL was secondary to the injury the Washington Capitals' star suffered when he hit a Carolina player in open ice, knee-on-knee, in the first period Monday night at RBC Center. With Ovechkin banished to the dressing room for most of the night, Nicklas Backstrom scored two goals and José Theodore made 38 saves to lift the Capitals to a 3-2 victory over the NHL-worst Carolina Hurricanes. The victory, Washington's third straight, helped the Capitals keep pace with Pittsburgh and remain tied with the Penguins atop ..."
December 1
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Keith Ballard was too devastated to talk. He shook his head no, and walked out of the visitors' dressing room without a word. The Panthers' defenseman had played most of Monday game with the guilt of having sent his goalie to the hospital by swinging his stick in frustration and accidentally striking him in the head. Then, when it didn't seem Ballard's night could get any worse, the Thrashers scored the winning goal with 5.5 seconds left when Maxim Afinogenov's shot hit Ballard's stick and went in. The Panthers lost to the Thrashers 4-3 at Philips Arena – their fifth consecutive loss. Their only consolation was that goalie Tomas Vokoun would be flying home with them. Vokoun was released ..."
December 1
Columbus Dispatch
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The Blue Jackets have seen defenseman Rostislav Klesla lying on the ice several times this season, trying to gather his senses and shake off the pain after absorbing a hit or blocking a shot. Last night, they knew the injury was different. They could hear the screams and see his right leg twitching as the Jackets medical staff attended to him. Enjoying his best start to a season, Klesla suffered a left leg injury, possibly a groin tear, in the first period of the Blue Jackets' 5-2 win over the St. Louis Blues. He was transported to a hospital, where an MRI was to be performed. The Blue Jackets did not update his condition after the game, calling it only a lower body injury. They offered no ..."
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To the pantheon of great Montreal Canadiens please welcome ... Tom D'Agostini, Jay Leach and Tom Pyatt? Hey, you work with what you have, and the Habs are trying to stay afloat near .500 with a patchwork roster that has leaned on a number of callups for injured starters. That will put them at something of a disadvantage again tonight when they play the near-healthy Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre. Names such as Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez, Andrei Markov and Andre Kostitsyn have been shelved in recent days. "We've taken a beating lately," said ex-Leaf defenceman Hal Gill, who himself is trying to make it back from a hairline foot fracture by tonight. "Hopefully, we'll be the better for it ..."