Clint Bowyer On NASCAR Penalties: 'I'm Angry at the Whole Thing'

Filed under: Clint Bowyer, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Richard Childress Racing, NASCAR

The smiles and friendly glances Clint Bowyer offered reporters as he walked into his news conference Friday at Dover (Del.) International Speedway were quickly replaced with a defiant demeanor and scolding words as he insisted his Richard Childress Racing team did not field an illegal car last week and did not deserve the heavy handed penalties issued by NASCAR this week.

"I'm angry at the whole thing,'' Bowyer said. "This has tarnished my win, something I'm very proud of.''

Before taking questions from the floor, Bowyer read off a single page of notebook paper -- notes he made after waking up uncharacteristically early and very anxious at 6 a.m.

The usually easy-going Kansas native reiterated his team's defense of its victory in last week's Chase for the Cup playoff opener at New Hampshire even though NASCAR ruled his car was illegal and suspended his crew chief and car chief for six races. Perhaps most devastating, Bowyer received a 150-point penalty that dropped him from second in the standings to last among the 12 championship contenders, with nine races remaining to decide the season title.

At one point Friday morning, Bowyer urged the reporters in the room to pull out a quarter and look at it sideways, pointing out the infraction NASCAR found was less than the width of the coin.

"Does that look like it could have been performance enhancing?'' Bowyer challenged the room.

 

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Tamie Sheffield Tara Conner Tara Reed

Video: Michael Bradley Scores Again, 'Gladbach Doesn't Lose

Filed under: Bundesliga (Germany), U.S. Men's National Team

While other European-based U.S. national team players have struggled to make their mark through the first month of the season, Michael Bradley continues to be ever-present at Borussia Mönchengladbach.

On Saturday afternoon the 23-year-old scored his second goal of the German campaign, and it was a big one -- it staked 'Gladbach to a 2-0 lead in Gelsenkirchen. Schalke 04 recovered and earned a 2-2 draw (Spanish legend Raúl scored the 87th-minute equalizer after 'Gladbach was reduced to 10 men), but the point ended a hideous three-game losing streak for Bradley's team during which it yielded 13 goals.

 

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Anne Marie Kortright April Scott Arielle Kebbel

Josh Bidwell Appears Healthy; Redskins Punter Shuffle Stalls

Filed under: Redskins, NFC East

Redskins fans know all about the revolving door at kicker that has continued since Norv Turner cut seven-year veteran Chip Lohmiller during training camp in 1995. Sixteen men have kicked for the Redskins in the 16 seasons since: Eddie Murray, Scott Blanton, Chris Jacke, Cary Blanchard, Brett Conway, Kris Hepnner, Michael Husted, Scott Bentley, James Tuthill, Jose Cortez, John Hall, Ola Kimrin, Jeff Chandler, Nick Novak, Shaun Suisham and Graham Gano.

However, Washington has had an even more difficult time settling on a punter since foolishly parting ways after the 1999 season with Matt Turk, a Pro Bowl pick in three of his five years with the Redskins. In the 11 seasons since the exit of Turk -- who's now with Houston as the NFL's second-oldest player -- Washington has called upon 16 men to punt, including kickers Conway, Tuthill, Suisham and last week, Gano. The regulars were Tommy Barnhardt, Bryan Barker, Craig Jarrett, Tom Tupa, Andy Groom, Derrick Frost, Durant Brooks, Ryan Plackemeier, Hunter Smith, Glenn Pakulak, Sam Paulescu and Josh Bidwell.

Remove Blanton, Jacke and Blanchard from the kicking list and Washington has used 13 kickers and 16 punters in the last 11 seasons. During those same 11 seasons, Shane Lechler has punted in all but two games and Sebastian Janikowski has kicked in all but three games for Oakland. The last game that either missed was the second week of 2002. That reduces Washington's list to eight kickers and 14 punters.

All of this is a prelude to Redskins coach Mike Shanahan's announcement Thursday that it looks like Bidwell, who tested his injured right hip by punting during this morning's monsoon in the Washington area, will be able to play Sunday at Philadelphia. The 35-year-old Bidwell, who missed all of 2009 following hip surgery with Tampa Bay, felt something pop in his hip last week at St. Louis, forcing Gano into double duty.

 

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George Karl's Return Speaks Loudly, Even if His Voice Does Not

Filed under: Nuggets, NBA Coaches, NBA Preseason

DENVER -- Just in case, George Karl showed up with a whistle.

Tuesday marked the first day of practice for the Denver Nuggets coach since he was lost in March for the final 1 1/2 months of last season due to a form of throat cancer. If Karl's voice didn't hold up, an electronic whistle was in his pocket.

Karl said he didn't use the whistle except to joke around with players. His voice, although a bit strained following Monday's media day and team meetings, was good enough to make it through the first day of training camp.

"When you have a bad practice and guys have a lazy mentality, you might use it then,'' Karl said. "But (Tuesday) was very professional and very solid.''

And very uplifting. Nuggets players were thrilled to have their coach back on the court.

"Seeing him energetic, positive, you can tell he's excited about it,'' said forward Carmelo Anthony.

 

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Manchester City vs. Chelsea: Live Blog

Filed under: English Premier League

Are you a stateside EPL fan who can't watch Saturday's big Manchester City-Chelsea match live on TV? Then follow the action via our live blog.

Courtesy of the fine folks at FanHouse UK, we're happy to present a live, running commentary from the tilt at Eastlands.

Chelsea currently sits on top of the EPL table with 15 points through five matches, while Man City is tied for fourth place with eight points through five matches.

The fun starts at 7:45 a.m. ET Saturday.

 

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Ana Hickmann Ana Ivanovi Ana Paula Lemes

Vince Young Not Denying Missed Meetings in Week Before Steelers Loss

Filed under: Titans, AFC South

Vince Young on Wednesday didn't deny missing team meetings the week leading to a Week 2 fourth-quarter benching.

Then again, he didn't address it much either.

Young, the Tennessee Titans' starting quarterback, on Wednesday for the first time addressed a report in Monday's Tennessean that he missed or was late to two meetings leading to a 19-11 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2.

Young, benched in the fourth quarter of that game, on Wednesday met with the media for the first time since the report, and according to Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean "deferred questions on the subject to Coach Jeff Fisher and expressed frustration with the way the media covers him."

"Every time it is always something about Vince," Young said. "It's Vince, Vince, Vince, Vince, Vince. But it's all good. I don't feed into it. I don't even read the stuff. Half the time I don't know what is going on.''

 

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Spotter's Stand: Setbacks Can't Slow Dale Earnhardt Jr. From Top Five

Filed under: Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin, Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup, NASCAR

For the first time all season, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a top-five finish that didn't come at a restrictor plate track. For that matter, it didn't come at Daytona.

Earnhardt weathered two significant setbacks during the course of Sunday's 300-miler at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and avoided other trouble (such as the spinning Denny Hamlin at right) to manage a fourth-place finish, his best since the same result at Daytona in July.

"We had the jack stop break and had to go to the back and then a miscommunication with the No. 78 (Regan Smith) on pit road that cost us a half of a lap under green. . . just battling back from that stuff," Earnhardt said. "Track position was what we needed at the end. We didn't have it."

Earnhardt started 32nd after a slow qualifying run Friday at the one-mile oval, but by the checkered flag he had completed some 68 green flag passes. The No. 88 was scored inside the top 15 for 245 of the 300 laps.

 

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Julia Stiles Julianne Hough Julie Benz

Kyle Busch Runs Away With Dover Nationwide Race

Filed under: Kyle Busch, Nationwide Series, NASCAR

Kyle Busch hid from the rest of the field in the Nationwide race at Dover International Speedway Saturday, winning his record-setting 11th victory of the year after a mini-slump of a few races.

Busch was in front almost from start to finish, leading 191 of 200 laps before taking the checkered flag over Joey Logano. Carl Edwards was third, followed by Reed Sorenson and Kevin Harvick.

Although Busch has dominated the series, he hasn't run every race and thus is not in contention for a series championship. Series points leader Brad Keselowski finished 17th, but still has a healthy 320-point lead over Edwards.

Outwardly, there was little drama at the end, but inside the car, Busch was sweating out the final few laps.

With less than 10 laps to go, he came on his radio and said, "I'm not gonna make it. I've had a vibration since 15 laps to go and it's getting worse and worse. We ain't gonna make it."

Logano and Edwards closed on Busch at the end, but could not mount a serious challenge.

 

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Galaxy-Red Bulls Game a Clash of Style and Substance

Filed under: MLS, Los Angeles Galaxy, New York Red Bulls

Until Friday, every "big" MLS regular season game had been about either style or substance.

There was the inaugural between the San Jose Earthquakes/Clash and D.C. United back in 1996, of course, which would have been significant regardless of who played. The opening of any new soccer-specific stadium is a big deal, but again, the competing teams or final score doesn't really matter in those cases.

And waiting breathlessly for the debut of a big name usually disappoints. David Beckham was with the Los Angeles Galaxy for almost a month before he limped onto the RFK Stadium field and played 20 anticlimactic minutes against D.C. in August 2007. More than three years before, a national TV audience tuned in for Freddy Adu's pro debut, only to wait for an hour before United coach Peter Nowak put the 14-year-old on the field.

The first game between the Galaxy and Home Depot Center rival Chivas USA in April 2005 was a dud. Chivas was terrible, and the Galaxy were up 3-0 after half an hour.

 

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Fantasy MLS: Week 27

Melissa Howard Melissa Joan Hart Melissa Rycroft

Be Vince or Be Gone Time for Carter

Filed under: Magic, NBA Preseason

ORLANDO, Fla. - Either Vince Carter will arrive this season like a belated birthday card -- better late than never -- or this homecoming will be shorter than he ever thought.

They still could stamp him "return to sender.''

Carter arrived in a trade last summer billed as the final piece to a championship team, then painfully became the package of damaged goods, leaving the Orlando Magic without the consistent perimeter star they needed for the playoffs.

He was thrilled to be back near his hometown of Daytona Beach, but he rarely played like it, looking more like a burden than a blessing when he wilted in the Eastern Conference finals against Boston, leading to an embarrassing end for a team with such high expectations.

"I expect him now to be Vince Carter, and last season he wasn't,'' said Magic general manager Otis Smith. "We expect more from him.''

Carter, 33, is facing a pivotal season, beginning the final guaranteed year ($17.3 million) of his contract. Unless Carter plays well early and the Magic look like serious contenders against Miami and Boston, they will try and unload his potentially expiring contract before the trade deadline in February. And if they can't, they already have decided not to pick up the team option on an extra year, leaving him on the open market next summer.

 

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Washington Wizards Usher in New Era at Midnight Madness

Filed under: Wizards, NBA Fans

FAIRFAX, Va. -- The basketball was a bit ragged, but everything else about the Washington Wizards Midnight Madness was a success.

New owner Ted Leonsis and the Wizards brought the college classic to the NBA for the first time on Monday, an idea he thought up when he "saw that YouTube video of John Wall doing his dance" at Kentucky's midnight madness last season. And for what was mostly just a glorified marketing grab, the event turned into a really good time.

Close to 3,500 fans were on hand at the Patriot Center on the campus of George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., to ring in a new year of Wizards basketball in an event covered by NBA TV. It was celebration of a fresh start for a team that finished with just 26 wins last season.

"It all starts right now," Leonsis told FanHouse. "12:01, camp is open and my bet is that the guys are really excited to play in front of a big crowd the first night of practice."

"This is a restart," he continued. "The team really struggled the last two years both on the court and with attendance, so we want to try and build a team that fans can fall in love with."

 

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Ana Paula Lemes Ananda Lewis Angela Marcello

Major League Notebook: September 29

Filed under: MLB Notebook

Here is what's happening around baseball on Wednesday Sept. 29, 2010:

o. Jason Varitek was emotional Tuesday night after the Red Sox were officially eliminated from the playoff chase as he contemplated what likely will be his final few days with the team.

"It's there," he told reporters. "That's obvious. I mean, I try not to think about it and I hope you guys don't ask me too much about it over the weekend. But it's there. Definitely, it's there."

Varitek has played in 1,477 games for Boston but has started only three times since coming off the disabled list Sept. 6.

o. Kevin Millwood is 3-16 with a 5.29 ERA heading into his final start of the season Wednesday night at Tampa Bay, but the 35-year-old says he isn't ready to hang it up after this year.

"It's not a situation going into the offseason where I feel like I need to get a big contract or make a ton of money," Millwood told the Baltimore Sun. "It's just a situation where I definitely want to play. My biggest (thing) is just wanting to go to a contending team."

o. The Rockies have shut down Jeff Francis for the season, giving Esmil Rogers his scheduled start in Sunday's season finale. Francis finishes at 4-6 with a 4.93 ERA in a season that saw him serve two stints on the disabled list.

 

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Steve Breaston Has Knee Surgery, Will Miss a Couple of Games

Filed under: Arizona Cardinals, NFC West, NFL Injuries

There's another reason for Kurt Warner to feel happy that he's dancing with stars instead of playing with the Cardinals this season. Wide receiver Steve Breaston, who leads the Cardinals with 14 catches and 183 yards thus far, had knee surgery on Tuesday and is expected to miss the next couple of games.

Mike Jurecki of XTRA Sports 910 radio first reported the news.

That will make Derek Anderson's job even more difficult, because the team is awfully thin at wideout right now. Early Doucet is recovering from groin surgery and isn't expected back until the end of October, while Larry Fitzgerald has been bothered by aches in his knee and wrist. He's also going to be bothered by coverages keying entirely on him, because the only other receivers to catch balls for the Cardinals are undrafted rookies Max Komar and Stephen Williams.

 

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Lake Bell Larissa Meek Laura Harring

Jared Dudley Used Offseason to Get in Shape, Improve His Game

Filed under: Suns, The Bonus

PHOENIX -- Jared Dudley was a key member of the Suns' bench last season. And by the way he looked at the team's media day event on Monday, it appears that he's looking to play an even bigger part in his team's success in the upcoming season.

Thanks to a summer of hard work, Dudley is noticeably thinner and in much better shape than he was last year. It's not that he was out of shape a season ago; we're still talking about an NBA-level athlete here. But all the visible signs of physical fitness were there: a thinner face, more chiseled arms, and a slimmer waistline. And it's clear that the role player who is entering his fourth season is taking his career seriously.

"From last season I'm probably down like, 14 or 15 pounds," Dudley said. "Obviously hanging out with [Steve Nash] and [Grant Hill] on this team, they basically give you the knowledge of what to eat and what not to eat."

It wasn't only dieting that allowed Dudley to get into serious shape. He cut his offseason vacation time down to just a week, before getting back into full conditioning mode for the rest of the summer. So what was different for Dudley about the way he approached this particular summer?

"For me, obviously this is a big year, it's a contract year," Dudley said. "So obviously that factors into it."

It is indeed a contract year, but that's far from the only thing that's a motivating factor. Dudley didn't just slim down, he spent considerable time working on his game -- specifically, taking shots off the dribble so he'll be more than just a spot-up shooter offensively.

"A lot of one and two dribbles off the [three-point line], so when people run me off the three I'll be able to pull up," Dudley said, while describing some of the specifics of his offseason workouts. "And that's a part of the game that I'm going to have to expand throughout my whole career to be able to last 10 years like I want to in the NBA.

'Off the dribble, coming off screens kind of like Rip Hamilton was what I worked on. And during [our pickup games], it's definitely been noticed."

 

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Beckham Spokesperson Responds to Prostitute Irma Nici's Allegations

Filed under: MLS, Los Angeles Galaxy

It took only a few hours for David Beckham's camp to respond to a former prostitute's claims that the Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder paid $10,000 for sex, and not surprisingly that response comprised an emphatic denial and a reference to a lawsuit.

The source of the scandal is a cover story from In Touch magazine in which Irma Nici, 26, describes her relationship with Beckham. The magazine describes her as a "high-class call girl," perhaps one of the most hilarious oxymorons to ever make its way into print. Nici claimed she spent five nights with Beckham in 2007 and that during one of them, at a New York City hotel, he forked over all that cash.

 

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Kasey Chambers Kat Von D Kate Beckinsale

Latest Shame Just Another CONCACAF Embarrassment

Filed under: International Soccer, MLS, US Soccer

We interrupt your regularly scheduled CONCACAF Champions League action for yet another regularly scheduled CONCACAF embarrassment.

It seems that Jack Warner, the confederation president who's part neighborhood gangster and part outlandish James Bond villain, is refusing to pay promised bonuses to the Trinidad and Tobago players who qualified for the 2006 World Cup (Warner negotiated the bonuses and is a high-ranking member of the country's parliament). And Warner and his yes-men at the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation are refusing to pay despite repeated rulings requiring them to do so.

According to this story from the Trinidad and Tobago Express and this piece from The Observer (London), both the international Sport Dispute Resolution Panel and the Port of Spain High Court have ruled that the TTFF owes more than $3 million in promised bonuses and legal costs to at least 13 Soca Warriors. Perhaps even more troubling for Warner, the TTFF has been told it must open its books to an independent auditor.

 

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Miranda Kerr Mischa Barton Missi Pyle

Notre Dame Will Be Back ... Eventually

Filed under: Notre Dame

The history of a college football program doesn't matter anymore. Sure, it's great to have tradition, and the size of a fan base matters when it comes to facilities, quality of groupies, stadium seating capacity, television contracts, cool apparel and other sundry details that don't have much to do with winning games. But in today's era of college football, history is history. If you have the right coach, you win. And if you have the wrong coach, you lose. Nothing else matters.

Notre Dame has been slow to grasp this reality. It has been too focused on Touchdown Jesus, the ambiance and aura of college football, winning one for the Gipper instead of winning every single one for a coach. Notre Dame's been too content to rely on Notre Dame and not aggressive enough to realize it needs a coach with a profile every bit as big as its school.

The result? Notre Dame hasn't won a BCS level bowl since, wait for it, 1992.

In the meantime, Notre Dame has traded the Four Horsemen for the Four Horsemen of the Coaching Apocalypse: Bob Davie, George O'Leary, Tyrone Willingham, and Charlie Weis. O'Leary, who never coached a game at the school, was the most successful of the four.

Jill Arrington Jill Wagner Joanna Krupa

Golf Takes New Form for Ryder Cup

Filed under: Ryder Cup

NEWPORT, Wales -- Playing in the Ryder Cup is a pain.

But in an interesting way.

"You have 11 teammates that you don't want to let down," American captain Corey Pavin says. "You're representing all your peers on Tour and of course you are representing the United States of America. You're playing in front of a lot of people that are emotionally charged."

To put it another way: the Ryder Cup is everything golf takes great pride in never being.

The competition between the U.S. and Europe that begins Friday at Celtic Manor is team play, a drastic shift from the every-man-for-himself mentality that rules professional golf. It's us vs. them, an over-excessive exhibition of nationalism by a game that boasts of being boundary-less. There is gamesmanship; there are mind games. Whether the sport's keepers like to admit it or not, opponent's mistakes are often cheered as loudly as the home team's successes.

---

Elliott: Pavin's Ryder Picks Hard to Dispute
More: European Ryder Cup Roster

---

 

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Minki van der Westhuizen Miranda Kerr Mischa Barton

FanHouse Fab 40: Cardinal Climbing

Filed under: Top 25FanHouse national college football writer Brett McMurphy shares his weekly Associated Press Top 25 ballot along with his next 15 best teams for FanHouse's Fab 40.

BOISE, Idaho -- Alabama survived the first leg of its triple crown gauntlet of games against nationally ranked teams by rallying past the Razorbacks.

The Crimson Tide, which faces Florida and South Carolina in the next two weeks, remain No. 1 on my Associated Press ballot.

Besides Alabama, the top seven teams are all the same on my ballot as last week: Alabama, Ohio State, Boise State, Oregon, TCU, Nebraska and Arizona.

The schools making the biggest climbs on my ballot this week were: Stanford up from No. 13 to No. 8, Auburn from No. 19 to No. 11 and NC State from No. 35 to No. 19.

Texas took the biggest tumble, falling from No. 8 to No. 22, while South Carolina dropped from No. 12 to No. 20.

Expect even more shuffling in the AP rankings next week with a slew of huge games, including Florida at Alabama, Stanford at Oregon, Wisconsin at Michigan State, Penn State at Iowa and Oklahoma vs. Texas in Dallas.

Here is my AP ballot for this week. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Rachael Leigh Cook Rachel Bilson Rachel Blanchard

Wade Redden to be Placed On Waivers

Filed under: RangersThe New York Rangers have been known for a lot of things in their storied history, but fiscal sanity in free agency has never been one of them. There is perhaps no greater example of the Rangers free-spending, and often times ill-advised ways, than the six-year, $39 million contract the club signed defenseman Wade Redden prior to the 2008-09 season.

It was a bad move before the ink dried on the contract, and it was only downhill from there.

During his first two seasons on Broadway, Redden scored just five goals (the two worst goal-scoring seasons of his career) and amassed just 40 points, this after averaging over 40 per season over the previous five campaigns with the Ottawa Senators. According to Jesse Spector of the Blueshirts Blog, the Rangers are expected to place Redden on waivers on Saturday, ending what will be an extremely expensive free agent blunder. He quotes general manager Glen Sather as saying, "in the end you have to do what's best for the team." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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Versatile, Hungry Bears Prove Their Worth to Packers

Filed under: Chicago Bears, Packers, NFL Analysis

CHICAGO -- There are reasons why the Bears are the NFC's only unbeaten team. The Packers learned this firsthand here on Monday night at Soldier Field.

No NFL teams have knocked heads as many times as the Bears and Packers. This was the 180th rendezvous. And Green Bay had won 13 of the last 17 at Soldier Field. It had won five of this pair's last six Monday night affairs. It swept the Bears last season.

But the Bears' 20-17 victory let the Packers know, let the NFL see, that these Bears can dance. Their sleepwalk since reaching Super Bowl XLI three years ago appears finished. They can beat you in smorgasbord style.

The Packers were left counting the ways.
Jerry Bonkowski: Packers Upset Over Team-Record 18 Penalties
More: Packers-Bears Quick Hits | Nick Collins Reportedly Has Altercation With Fan
Videos: Devin Hester's Punt Return TD | Packers' Failed Kickoff Return

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Clint Bowyer Takes First Chase Race at New Hampshire

Filed under: Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin, Jamie McMurray, Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart, Sprint Cup, NASCARClint Bowyer grabbed his first victory of the season in the Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Sunday when Tony Stewart ran out of gas with two laps to go after dominating the later stages of the race.

It wasn't a surprise victory, as Bowyer had dominated the first part of the race and led 177 of the 300 laps overall.

But it was Stewart who led most of the final 100 laps, surviving a brief epidemic of yellow flags only to come up two miles short on fuel.

Stewart finished 24th, coasting ever-so-slowly across the finish line to complete the last of the 300 laps as Bowyer started his burnout not six car lengths behind him (right).

"I think I ran me out of fuel," a philosophical Stewart said after the race. "The guys are saying sorry for running me out of fuel, but I think I ran me out of fuel."

Denny Hamlin, victimized by a bump and a spin in one of the yellows, clawed back from 22nd place with less than 100 laps to go to finish second. Jamie McMurray was third, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Finishing fifth was Kevin Harvick, who also had a subpar day until the very end.

Hamlin now leads the Sprint Cup Chase points, with Bowyer jumping from 12th to second, 35 points behind. Harvick is third, 45 points behind. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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Major League Notebook: September 27

Filed under: MLB NotebookHere is what's happening around baseball on Monday Sept. 27, 2010:

o. The Marlins are considering four or five candidates for their managerial opening, including interim skipper Edwin Rodriguez, team president David Samson told the Miami Herald. Samson wouldn't name any of the other candidates, but Padres bench coach Ted Simmons and Yankees bench coach Tony Pena are under consideration, and Ozzie Guillen would be the big-ticket candidate depending on what happens with the White Sox.

"Obviously, we'd like a manager hired as we head into the offseason, as the team takes shape, as we head into the new ballpark (in 2012)," Samson said. "[The hiring process] could happen quickly or it could take time, and the reason is we'll go through a process of identifying the exact direction we want to go."

The Marlins are 43-41 since Rodriguez replaced Fredi Gonzalez on June 23.

o. Former Diamondbacks and Mariners manager Bob Melvin's interview for the Cubs job is believed to be set for Friday.

o. The Rockies will unveil before Tuesday's game a permanent memorial to team president Keli McGregor, who died suddenly in April.

o. The Tigers still aren't assured a winning record overall this season, but by sweeping the Twins in Detroit over the weekend they finished 52-29 this season -- their best home record since Comerica Park opened in 2000.

o. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel held shortstop Jimmy Rollins out of the lineup on Monday, not wanting the former NL MVP to return in damp conditions at Nationals Park. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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Report: Sixers Enter Trade Talks for Carmelo Anthony

Filed under: 76ers, Nets, Nuggets, NBA RumorsTalks between the Nuggets and three other teams about a deal that would ultimately send Carmelo Anthony to the New Jersey Nets reportedly were stalling this weekend, according to FanHouse's own Sam Amick.

The fact that Denver was taking its sweet time in deciding whether or not to pull the trigger appeared to be putting the trade in jeopardy, but if Sunday's report is accurate, there may have been a very good reason to do so in the minds of those running the Nuggets' organization.

According to Philly.com, the Sixers have entered the Carmelo conversation, and are willing to part with Andre Iguodala in order to get him. The report states that a Western Conference executive has confirmed the talks between the two teams, and that new Nuggets' general manager Masai Ujiri has had discussions with Sixers' head man Ed Stefanski.

Much like the talked-about four-team deal between the Nuggets, Nets, Jazz, and Bobcats, other teams would need to be involved in this one to make the salaries match. And an even bigger obstacle than that one is the fact that Philadelphia wasn't initially on the short list of teams that Anthony had agreed to be traded to. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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Test

My first blog post ever!