RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- The Carolina Hurricanes locked up another of their free agents Thursday, re-signing forward Chad LaRose to a two-year deal.
The Los Angeles Kings acquired left wing left wing Ryan Smyth from the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night for defensemen Kyle Quincey and Tom Preissing and a fifth-round draft pick next year.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Clint Bowyer's first victory of the season gave Richard Childress Racing a much-needed boost.
NEW YORK (AP) -- The New York Knicks have met with Jason Kidd on the first day of NBA free agency.
Rick Nash and the Columbus Blue Jackets have reached agreement on an eight-year contract extension through the 2017-18 season.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Free-agent forward Hedo Turkoglu and the Portland Trail Blazers have ended contract talks, a person close to the team confirmed Friday.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Hedo Turkoglu reportedly agreed to join the Portland Trail Blazers after helping Orlando reach the NBA finals.
HONOLULU (AP) -- Former Hawaii quarterback Timmy Chang, one of the most prolific passers in college football history, has been arrested on suspicion of robbery and released without charges pending further investigation.
DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (AP) -- Tony Stewart will start from a familiar spot Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Phil Jackson will return to coach the Los Angeles Lakers next season, getting a clean bill of health following a record championship season.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- The Carolina Hurricanes locked up another of their free agents Thursday, re-signing forward Chad LaRose to a two-year deal.
The Los Angeles Kings acquired left wing left wing Ryan Smyth from the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night for defensemen Kyle Quincey and Tom Preissing and a fifth-round draft pick next year.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Clint Bowyer's first victory of the season gave Richard Childress Racing a much-needed boost.
NEW YORK (AP) -- The New York Knicks have met with Jason Kidd on the first day of NBA free agency.
Rick Nash and the Columbus Blue Jackets have reached agreement on an eight-year contract extension through the 2017-18 season.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Free-agent forward Hedo Turkoglu and the Portland Trail Blazers have ended contract talks, a person close to the team confirmed Friday.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Hedo Turkoglu reportedly agreed to join the Portland Trail Blazers after helping Orlando reach the NBA finals.
HONOLULU (AP) -- Former Hawaii quarterback Timmy Chang, one of the most prolific passers in college football history, has been arrested on suspicion of robbery and released without charges pending further investigation.
DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (AP) -- Tony Stewart will start from a familiar spot Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Phil Jackson will return to coach the Los Angeles Lakers next season, getting a clean bill of health following a record championship season.
Target Field has a target date.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Struggling Braves second baseman Kelly Johnson has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with right wrist tendinitis.
Turns out more than one player is willing to take a hometown discount to stay with the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
Free agent forward Mikael Samuelsson signed a three-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks on Friday.
Two weeks before the start of the 96th Tour de France, 1,870 days after his last pro victory, Lance Armstrong soloed to first place in the Nevada City (Cal.) Classic, a brief but brutal 40-lap circuit in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Asked afterward about the upcoming Tour, which starts Saturday in Monaco, the Texan poor-mouthed his own chances, pointing to Astana teammates Alberto Contador and Levi Leipheimer as clear favorites. After those two, he went on, "they got an old man like me to come around and pick up the pieces."
Indians higher-ups say they aren't likely to trade hitting star Victor Martinez. Not only is Martinez one of the better hitters in baseball, with 14 home runs, 57 RBIs and .313 batting average, but the Indians hold a bargain 2010 club option on Martinez for $7 million.
Mark Recchi wants one last chance to be a Stanley Cup champ again.
His heart and on-court courage have been praised for so long now that, in an odd twist, we don't actually know whether Jason Kidd has real heart and courage.
On the face, the task for the U.S. national team is simple: Start off defense of your Gold Cup title with a Fourth of July match in Seattle against one of the smallest nations in CONCACAF. Except that things work differently in CONCACAF, and though the days of guest competitors from other confederations and the wrong national anthems being played are things of the past, hopefully, just a few days before the tournament began came news of a curious development.
LOS ANGELES -- Like every other Hollywood diva who has been in trouble -- Winona, Paris, Lindsay, Nicole -- Manny Ramirez got his own T-shirt. It is white with royal blue script, the words "Free Manny" spelled in large block letters. Ramirez was so taken with the shirt he brought one into the Dodgers' clubhouse weeks ago and hung it in shortstop Rafael Furcal's locker. "I never moved it," Furcal said. "I never touched it." While Ramirez served his 50-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs, the T-shirt became a constant reminder of his presence, greeting teammates as they shuffled in and out of the showers.
I first caught Scott Speed's act last January, when I was in Charlotte for NASCAR's annual preseason media tour. It was an evening Red Bull event, and Speed addressed the press from a comfy couch, wearing shades and a button-down shirt open to about mid-torso. The California native, who was coming off of a two-year stint on the F1 circuit (where he went winless in 28 starts), seemed very conscious of projecting a laid-back vibe, greeting the media with, "What up, dog?"
"They say his father was a fisherman. Maybe he was as poor as we are and would understand." -- The Old Man and the Sea
Don Lerman set a record by eating seven sticks of salted butter in five minutes. During six years of competitive eating, he gained 100 pounds.
The Houston Rockets have reached a multiyear deal with free agent Trevor Ariza, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Thursday night.
HOUSTON (AP) -- Ron Artest is joining Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers.
BEIJING (AP) -- Houston Rockets All-Star center Yao Ming will have to wait up to a week before he knows whether he will need surgery on his broken left foot.
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) -- Laughing and loose, Shaq looked right at home.
BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics made their pitch to Rasheed Wallace on Thursday. And Wallace was receptive.
Reigning hot dog-guzzling champ Joey Chestnut and nemesis Takeru Kobayashi of Japan attempted to psych each other out Thursday at the weigh-in for the 94th annual Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- At least 16 people associated with the New Orleans Saints, including coach Sean Payton, quarterback Drew Brees and Hall of Famer Archie Manning, are among investors who lost $1.9 million.
MIAMI (AP) -- Defenseman Jordan Leopold, acquired in the deal that sent the rights to defenseman Jay Bouwmeester to Calgary, signed a one-year contract with the Florida Panthers on Thursday.
ATLANTA (SI.com) -- The Los Angeles Lakers are close to reaching an agreement with Houston forward Ron Artest, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Jeremy Mayfield missed the deadline to enter this weekend's race after successfully fighting NASCAR to get back behind the wheel following a failed random drug test.
Hardly anyone with an opinion on how the Ricky Rubio situation should play out is thinking about what serves the Minnesota Timberwolves best. Or even second-best.
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Talk about adding a late-inning buzz to a ballgame.
The Pistons won't contend for a championship next season, but will they be challenging in three or four years?
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Right-hander Winton Abreu has been acquired by the Cleveland Indians from the Tampa Bay Rays for minor league right-hander John Meloan.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) -- The St. Louis Cardinals gave a $3.1 million signing bonus to 16-year-old outfielder Wagner Mateo, considered to be among the top amateur free agents from Latin America.
CHICAGO (AP) -- The Chicago Cubs have acquired infielder Jeff Baker from the Colorado Rockies for minor league right-handed pitcher Al Alburquerque and designated infielder Ryan Freel for assignment.
BOSTON (AP) -- Red Sox left fielder Jason Bay married an American, has two American daughters and makes his living playing America's pastime.
CHICAGO (AP) -- A day after jumping to Detroit, Ben Gordon told a Chicago radio station Thursday that the Bulls never made a contract offer even though general manager Gar Forman claimed re-signing him was their No. 1 priority.
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Manny Ramirez will be back in big leagues on Friday night after a 50-game suspension for violating baseball's drug policy. His return should be nothing short of a spectacle.
SAN PEDRO DE MACORIS, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC -- Glance through the list of important dates that Major League Baseball issues every year. There's Mother's Day in May, Father's Day in June and don't forget the Taco Bell All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game on July 12. What the calendar omits, however, is a date that has become the focal point in the procurement of Latin American amateur free-agents: July 2, the first day that MLB teams can sign 16-year-old international free-agent prospects who will be 17 years old by Sept. 1 of the following year is as unnoticed in the U.S. as it is front-page news in places such as the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.
NEW YORK (AP) -- The NFL suspended Jets linebacker Calvin Pace for four games without pay Thursday for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances.
The other day someone I know pointed out that not so long ago, an All-Star voter's work was easy. He would punch his or her ballot for the most famous player at each position and be done with it. Today, though, perhaps because fantasy baseball is so popular and makes fans so much more aware of which players are having good years, people seem to take the whole thing more seriously and put some effort into actually voting for the "right" players. And this is, indeed, a shame.
This article appears in the July 6, 2009, issue of Sports Illustrated magazine.
HOUSTON (AP) -- A person close to the situation tells The Associated Press that the Houston Rockets are meeting with Los Angeles Lakers forward Trevor Ariza.
This is our last "crumpet" for Wimbledon 2009. Time to do magazine work (though I'll continue periodic tweeting and podcasting). If you'd like, you could read this tomorrow; think of it as tape-delay. Thanks to everyone who wrote in. We'll be back Sunday with a Wimbledon wrap-up!
There was a time, more times than you care to remember I'm sure, when your mother told you, "It pays to be good." If we've learned anything from the first day of NHL free agency 2009, it's that it pays to be good and be unencumbered by a contract on the first day of July, even in a very tough economy.
The vast majority of team rosters are set barring an unforeseen injury early in camp. Though there are still some "name" free agents available, like one-time Colts teammates Marvin Harrison and Edgerrin James, most of those players are past their prime and still on the market for a reason. Here's my look at the best and worst offseasons for NFL franchises:
Rating the smartest deals from day one of NHL free agency (and no, the Marian Hossa signing is not among them):
In reading over the decision yesterday to grant a temporary injunction allowing Jeremy Mayfield to race, the song that came to mind was REM's "Everybody Hurts."
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Penguins signed checking-line forward Mike Rupp to a $1.6 million, two-year contract Wednesday, adding a physical presence to a team that didn't have an enforcer on the ice during the playoffs.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Joe Gibbs didn't expect his gamble to pay off so soon.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Once the New York Rangers got out from under Scott Gomez's expensive contract, they turned to Marian Gaborik and gave him the money they suddenly saved.
• Courteney Cox Arquette, cheering on hubby David Arquette as he faced off against table tennis pro Biba Golic at the ping-pong table. The actor showed considerable skill during the match at the Killerspin-hosted picnic at the Malibu Lumber Yard. And James Marsden showed off his expert forehand during his own game as his 3-year-old daughter Mary James watched.
DETROIT (AP) -- The Detroit Pistons wanted to add talent and get younger this offseason.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Free agent forward Hedo Turkoglu will visit this week with the Portland Trail Blazers, who are looking to bolster a young squad that made the playoffs for the first time since 2003 last season.
HOUSTON (AP) -- If LeBron James or Kobe Bryant are looking for a little help, Ron Artest is taking calls.
MONTREAL (AP) -- The Montreal Canadiens were busy again Wednesday with the signings of wingers Mike Cammalleri and Brian Gionta and defensemen Jaroslav Spacek and Hal Gill on the first day of free-agent shopping in the NHL.
ATLANTA (AP) -- The Atlanta Thrashers found help for their porous defense, acquiring defenseman Pavel Kubina from Toronto in a four-player trade Wednesday night.
Chris Davis takes a pitch over the middle of the plate, then glances back at the umpire for the inevitable call of "Strike three!"
Thirteen seasons in the NHL have made Mike Knuble comfortable with doing the dirty work in the corners and in front of the net.
DETROIT (AP) -- The Detroit Pistons don't plan to wait long to name a replacement for fired coach Michael Curry.
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) -- The Edmonton Oilers are turning to another veteran goaltender.
The Chicago Blackhawks dipped deep into the NHL free-agent market by signing star forward Marian Hossa away from the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday with a 12-year, $62.8 million contract.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- Unable to meet defensman Jaroslav Spacek's contract demands, the Buffalo Sabres wasted little time to find an experienced -- but less expensive -- replacement: Steve Montador.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Shaquille O'Neal took his first look at his new basketball home.
Since May 7, all Juan Pierre has done in 48 games back in the Los Angeles Dodgers starting lineup is bat .319 with 32 runs and 21 RBIs to go along with 17 extra-base hits and 20 stolen bases. Those are stats that put him near the top of the National League leaderboards over that stretch, and numbers that have helped the Dodgers maintain the best record in the majors and a six-game lead in the NL West.
MIAMI (AP) -- The Florida Panthers agreed to a six-year contract extension with David Booth, shortly after the young forward became a restricted free agent on Wednesday.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Major League Baseball is expanding All-Star rosters yet again.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Kansas City catcher Miguel Olivo has been suspended for one game for an animated argument with an umpire in Pittsburgh last Saturday.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Shortstop Mike Aviles, Kansas City's player of the year last season, will undergo Tommy John surgery and be sidlined for up to 12 months.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are bringing some much needed muscle into their lineup with the signing of former New York Rangers enforcer Colton Orr.
The Carolina Hurricanes are keeping Erik Cole, agreeing Wednesday to a two-year deal with the physical forward.
Daniel and Henrik Sedin have agreed to five-year contract extensions with the Vancouver Canucks less than an hour before the start of free agency.
Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer is staying in Anaheim after signing a one-year deal Wednesday worth $6 million plus bonuses.
MIAMI (AP) -- Florida Marlins president David Samson pulled out his cell phone, eager to show the proof that the team's long-awaited ballpark was closer than ever to becoming reality.
DALLAS (AP) -- Mavericks owner Mark Cuban probably slept pretty soundly after his early morning meeting with Jason Kidd.
Our underdog soccer team's success last week in South Africa was a sweet surprise till Brazil caught us -- but, in the meantime, in the year's other major international sports competition, we're the heavy favorite. But can we hang on down the stretch this next time against Brazil? Can Chicago beat out Rio for the right to hold the 2016 Olympics?
DETROIT (AP) -- Sharp-shooting Bulls guard Ben Gordon was in Michigan on Wednesday for talks with the Detroit Pistons about joining the team, The Associated Press has learned.
WIMBLEDON, England -- While marveling at Venus Williams's play on grass....
HOUSTON (AP) -- The Houston Rockets launched an all-out bid to sign Polish center Marcin Gortat on Wednesday, including an offer for the Orlando Magic backup player.
In Texas, we call it Snipe hunting.
It is fitting that Tim Wakefield throws the slowest pitch in baseball, because no major leaguer better represents the Tortoise. Slowly and surely, one knuckleball at a time, Wakefield has become, perhaps, the most unlikely legend in Red Sox history.
NEW YORK (AP) -- The New York Knicks have met with Jason Kidd on the first day of NBA free agency.
All or nothing seems to be the formula for coaching the Detroit Pistons. Bring home an NBA championship or hit the road.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Kobe Bryant chose not to terminate the final two years of his contract and will remain with the Los Angeles Lakers.
A no-movement clause aint worth what it used to be, but for the Sedin twins it was enough to seal the deal that sees them forego free agency to remain with the Vancouver Canucks.
Musings, observations and the occasional insight as we flip the calendar to July, a month that starts with fireworks and ends with the long-awaited return of NFL football. ...
NEW YORK (AP) -- IndyCar racing's Helio Castroneves narrowly edged NASCAR's Tony Stewart in second-quarter voting for the 2009 Driver of the Year award.
Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejao did not exercise his option on a $6.2 million contract for next season, making him an unrestricted free agent.
There were 67 young Tedy Bruschis playing football on the New England Patriots field on Tuesday.
Picture in your mind the NFL's all-time most dominating defensive players.
Tony George's tenure as the leader of U.S. open-wheel racing and its biggest stage, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, was marked by tumultuous changes. Now George himself is being replaced -- at the behest of a board led by his mother.
The Dream Team is still dominating.
You don't have to be standing in an unemployment line -- or more likely, waiting for your browser to grind to the next Web page -- to know this is a dreadful job market, whether you're a plumbing contractor, a paralegal or a point guard. NBA free agency was to begin at 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday, but, rather than a starting gun, a more appropriate sound might be an index finger inserted into one cheek and popped out. As in, whoop-de-darn-do.
Mark Cuban wants to be first in line to talk to Jason Kidd.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- All-Star center fielder Josh Hamilton expects to return to the Texas Rangers lineup this weekend after a trip to Iowa for at least one more rehab game.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Pirates, swapping outfielders at a rapid rate for the second successive season, sent starting left fielder Nyjer Morgan to the Washington Nationals in a four-player deal involving outfielder Lastings Milledge and also shipped backup Eric Hinske to the Yankees on Tuesday.
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