Ben Maller’s Sports Rumors & Notes

Rumors Archive for February 09, 2007

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NBA Rumors & Notes

Friday, February 9, 2007

The Mavericks analyzed their options and determined that outsiders like Keith Van Horn or Shawn Kemp don't hold much appeal at this point.

Ray Allen's name continues to be linked to the Knicks, but New York and Seattle haven't had talks about Allen and the Sonics have no plans to trade one of the premier shooters in the game. "To read that stuff about us looking to move Ray is laughable," said Sonics GM Rick Sund. "We've had a disappointing season, but we've had big injuries to guys like Rashard Lewis and Ray. Nobody's called me about Ray because he's not available." For Sund to pick up his phone to discuss a deal, he wants a hefty price for Allen, seventh in the NBA in scoring at 26.9 ppg entering last night. That would entail a package including a great young player, expiring contracts and draft picks. The Knicks don't have the assets.

Although the Clippers seem to have many problems that might derail their season, Corey Maggette's situation hasn't been a distraction for the team, Clippers sources said Thursday. Despite Maggette's latest comments, it's doubtful the team would trade him before the Feb. 22 deadline.

Both Danny Ainge and ownership have said Doc Rivers is safe for the season, and assuming nothing changes in the team’s hierarchy, the next key juncture for the coach will come after the season. Rivers has just one season remaining on his deal with the Celtics. Lame ducks generally don’t coach in the NBA, so a decision is nearing. “It’s standard,” Rivers said. “That’s why we’ll talk. That time will come this summer, and we’ll discuss it, and we’ll see how it works out. “If they don’t let me see it through, then obviously I wasn’t dealt a good hand. But I’m not worried about that. Honestly, I’m not. When that day comes, I think things will work out. I really do. “Listen, if they don’t see what’s going on, then . . .” Rivers added. “But I think people understand what’s happened here.”

With the Feb. 22 trade deadline approaching, GM Mitch Kupchak said he was talking regularly with other general managers. The Lakers have several players with expiring contracts, including Chris Mihm, Aaron McKie and Shammond Williams.

Flip Saunders repeatedly has said that he is not a candidate to be the next head coach at the University of Minnesota. He has two years and nearly $10 million remaining on his contract with the Pistons.

A heated flare-up on the bench between Coach Phil Jackson and forward Brian Cook overshadowed a likewise rocky game for the Lakers on Thursday night. Cook made statements to assistant coach Brian Shaw to the effect of questioning why he was even on the bench if he wasn’t going to play and whether Jackson even wants him on the team. Shaw was trying to defuse the situation. Cook has been unhappy about playing time in recent weeks, and he was embarrassed late in the third quarter when he was sent into the game and removed by Jackson in the same clock stoppage.

The Bulls remain the topic of trade rumors regarding Pau Gasol, but Bulls players seem disinterested. "It seems everywhere you go, every team is going through [trade talk]," Ben Gordon said. "You come to understand it's part of the business and go out and play."

Hawks captain Joe Johnson asked if he has any regrets on leaving the Suns to join the Hawks: "I have no regrets, but you're right, I get it all the time. I felt as though it was the time for me to go and establish myself, and that's what I've been trying to do. It wasn't a selfish thing, where I hated being in the shadow of someone else. Steve [Nash], Amare [Stoudemire], Shawn [Marion], they're all great players. Nobody can take anything away from what they've done and continue to do. I just felt like it was just a time for me to move on. It was nothing personal or anything against anybody in Phoenix. I had a chance to stay, but free agency came along ... and that's why they call it free agency."

The loss of third-string center DJ Mbenga for the rest of the season is more significant than it might appear. Though the third-year center isn't part of the Mavericks' normal rotation, Mbenga was valuable insurance behind Erick Dampier and DeSagana Diop. Having an athletic 7-foot, 255-pounder at the end of the bench is a luxury few teams in the center-deficient NBA can afford. "It hurts my heart," coach Avery Johnson said. "I really didn't think the injury was that serious."

Grizzlies interim head coach Tony Barone has only just begun to shuffle the deck to evaluate talent. Barone, who will resume his role as director of player personnel after the season, said his vision is clear concerning the team's players. His rotation and commitment to those who are part of the franchise's long-term plans will soon reflect that.

More and more, Rashad McCants is feeling a part of the Wolves team he joined last year as a rookie. And yet, seven months removed from microfracture surgery, McCants is feeling, well, rusty. Surprisingly rusty. "You feel like you've still got it, that it never really left. And then you get out on the court and you feel it," said McCants, who has played in the Wolves' past five games. "You have to get readjusted to how fast things go. That will come from playing, getting comfortable on the floor." Coach Randy Wittman said he saw more bounce in McCants' legs Wednesday than he had seen in his previous outings. However McCants hasn't yet rediscovered his sweet outside touch. And he's still trying to comfortable with the flow of the game.

The loss dropped Washington to 1-3 without injured forward Antawn Jamison. The Wizards have been beaten by an average of 17.7 points in the three losses while looking little like the team that jetted to the top of the Eastern Conference standings by going 22-9 during December and January. Jamison was perhaps the hottest player on the team when he went down, and Jordan has yet to find a replacement for him.

After weeks of waiting, state lawmakers on Thursday finally got to see the details of a $300 million tax package that the Sonics are proposing for a new arena in King County. The legislation, which probably won't be formally introduced until Monday, is similar to what the team's previous owners failed to sell to the Legislature the past two years. It would allow King County to extend several existing taxes that are currently being used to pay off the debt on Safeco Field, Qwest Field and the Kingdome, which was demolished in 2000. "These are the same taxes we've been paying all along," said Sen. Margarita Prentice, D-Renton, the Sonics' biggest supporter in Olympia. So far, however, support in the Legislature is spotty at best.

Who Knew? The Celts are 2-28 when trailing heading into the last quarter. At home, where folks have lauded their heart in allegedly getting back into games, the Celts are 0-15 when behind after three periods.

How About That? The Nuggets have lost 10 games in which they once held double-digit leads. They have lost nine in which they held fourth-quarter leads.

When the Cavaliers were winning at a better pace early this season, LeBron James' statistical drop was looked at as a sign that the team around him was better and adjusting well to coach Mike Brown's new ''equal-opportunity'' offense. But lately, there have been occasional internal complaints about the offense and external criticisms of James, who has averaged just 16.8 points on 39.4 percent shooting in his past four games.

With all the injuries the Hawks have endured this season, only one player has avoided that particular bug and not missed a game — rookie forward Sheldon Williams. But Williams did miss his first game of the season Wednesday night against the New Jersey Nets because of a cold. That broke his run of 47 straight games to start his NBA career.

Rockets guard Tracy McGrady on former teammate John Amaechi: "To each his own," McGrady said. "That's his own sexual preference. I had no problem with it when I played with him. You kind of had a sense. It didn't bother me. As long as a guy is producing on the basketball court, I don't care what he is. "I have no problem with it. He is what he is. If he wants to come out and let everybody know his sexual (preference), it doesn't matter to me. I don't care. I wouldn't have cared then. If he would have come out when I was his teammate, I wouldn't have cared. If he was producing on the basketball court and was keeping it professional, I would have had no problem with it."

After careful consideration, the Pistons decided not to scrap their zone defense Thursday against the Lakers, even though coach Phil Jackson called it "weak" the day before. Actually, the Pistons were amused by Jackson's comments, especially the assertion that the Lakers' anemic 83-point output back Nov. 10 was more a function of their bad play than the Pistons' zone. "That's fine," Saunders said of Jackson's comment. "For us, the zone is a change of pace and it's part of who we are. Phil has yet to give anybody credit for anything, so, that's fine. We are still going to play zone. If we don't play it, it means our man-to-man is really, really good." Turns out, the Pistons' man-to-man and zone were effective Thursday against the Lakers. The Lakers shot 41 percent with eight turnovers against mostly man-to-man looks in the first half, and 35 percent with 10 turnovers against mostly zone looks in the second half.

Who Knew? The Nets made more history was made at Atlanta: The victory over the Hawks marked the eighth time in 12 games that the decision was by one or two points. Only one other team in league history has had such a stretch, and you have to go back to the 1957-58 Detroit Pistons.

Did You Know? The last 11 games. The Sixers are 7-4 in that stretch, which includes every game started by Samuel Dalembert and Steven Hunter in the same frontcourt. The Sixers have limited their opponents to 42.3 percent shooting in those 11 contests as compared to 47.8 percent before that. They also are allowing 96.8 points during that time, or three fewer points than in the 39 games before that.

Pistons assistant coach Ron Harper played under Phil Jackson, and he remembers getting his own personal book. He also remembers he never read the thing. And he never plans to. "Why should I read some book he picks out?" Harper said. "I still have it, though. It looks very nice on the shelf in my house."

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MLB Rumors & Notes

Friday, February 9, 2007

Rockies 1B Todd Helton said he is happy to remain in Colorado but admits he was intrigued about playing in Boston. "I love everything about Colorado," he said. "But there is another aspect to this. Sometimes a fresh start can get some blood pumping for you again. Who was it that said, 'If you stay in one place for 10 years, you've stayed there long enough?' There is a lot of truth to that. Maybe there were some people getting sick of me within the Rockies, and vice versa." Helton, who has veto power over any trade, said he fully expects to finish this season with the Rockies. He said he'd reject any trade once this season begins. Beyond that, he isn't sure what his future with the Rockies holds.

Rangers general manager Jon Daniels confirmed Thursday that he has "reached out" to Michael Young's agent, Dan Lozano, to begin negotiations on a contract extension for Young. The Rangers would like to get a deal done with Young, an All-Star shortstop each of the last three years, in the next few weeks, as Young does not want to talk contract during the season. Over lunch in his uptown Dallas office, owner Tom Hicks said he didn't want to comment on negotiations but hoped to sign Young: "The sooner, the better."

Chan Ho Park is expected to sign with the Mets in the next 48 hours, a source told the Daily News late last night. Park, a 33-year-old righthander, went 7-7 with a 4.81 ERA in 24 appearances (21 starts) for the Padres last season. He made $15 million in '06, in the final year of a five-year, $65 million contract agent Scott Boras negotiated with the Rangers in December 2001. Park has a 113-87 record in 13 years with the Dodgers, Rangers and Padres. One Korean report valued the deal with the Mets at $3 million, with a 2009 option.

It seems silly for GM Larry Beinfest and the Marlins to have taken a hard-line position regarding Miguel Cabrera and the young All-Star third baseman's arbitration hearing. Here's the question: Why go there over $700,000? Cabrera is asking for $7.4 million next season; the Marlins are offering $6.7 million. "It's a lot of money either way," Beinfest said. But it's the difference between the numbers, not the bottom-line total, in question. It's true enough that either figure will represent a whopping raise from Cabrera's salary of $472,000 last season. But it's also true Cabrera moved up only slightly to that figure after a 2005 season in which he hit 33 home runs with 116 RBI and a .323 average. Cabrera, in other words, came cheap. And he has come cheap for a long time.

While Bernie Williams, Brian Cashman and Scott Boras haven't confirmed Williams will be in the Yankees' camp, speculation was thick in the Tampa air yesterday that the Yankee icon would accept a minor league deal and battle for a roster spot. The buzz around the Yankees' minor league camp, where Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada were among those working out, was they would see their long-time pal when position players report on Feb. 18. At Legends Field, Williams' locker in the right corner hasn't been assigned to another name. Two weeks ago, it didn't appear the 38-year-old Williams would accept a non-roster invite to spring training. But with pitchers and catchers reporting to Legends Field on Tuesday, time is running out. Other clubs have expressed interest in the switch-hitting outfielder, but it's believed none has made him a major league offer.

The Reds watched free-agent right-hander Dustin Hermanson throw Wednesday, but general manager Wayne Krivsky wouldn't say more than that. Hermanson, 34, was the closer for the world champion Chicago White Sox for most of 2005. He saved 24 games and had a 2.04 ERA that year. Right now, the Reds are planning to use David Weathers and Mike Stanton as their closer tandem. Hermanson, who is from Springfield, Ohio, would be an interesting addition to the mix. "He's got a track record," Narron said. "I plan to talk to the scout who saw him. He missed almost a full year. That can be tough to come back from."

The Rangers would like to re-up slugger Mark Teixeira as well, but those discussions are not likely to take place in the immediate future.

Watching all this from the Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network TV booth will be Joe Girardi, the NL Manager of the Year. No matter how Al Yankzeera's ministers of propaganda try to spin it, Girardi will be perceived as a manager-in-waiting. Behind the YES microphone, Girardi's voice will be more influential than that of Yankees' coaches. Girardi is in a difficult spot. If he does not question a failed Torre strategy, he will be ripped for not doing his job. And if Girardi does take issue with Torre, he will be seen as an opportunist looking to become the Yanks' manager.

Six days before the Giants' first official workout of spring training, Armando Benitez will throw off a mound today for the first time since he left the team in September because of complications from an arthritic right knee. Benitez has been in Scottsdale, Ariz., since the weekend, voluntarily arriving early so the medical staff could assess his progress after he spent the last five months working to strengthen the muscles around his knee so he can pitch without pain. Many fans would like to see Benitez's best foot carry him out of San Francisco, after he pitched poorly and feuded with his manager, teammates and fans in 2006. Benitez's departure remains a possibility. General manager Brian Sabean has discussed Benitez with other teams, who first want to see how healthy he is and how he throws this spring.

According to David Forst, the A's assistant GM, Shannon Stewart's physical in Florida on Thursday went well, and Marlins team doctor Dan Kanell told the A's that the plantar fasciitis is behind Stewart. Stewart will earn an additional $200,000 when he reaches 200 at-bats, and another $100,000 for each of these milestones: 220, 245, 265, 290, 310, 335, 355, 380, 400, 425, 450, 475, 500. He has a standard awards package, except that he would get $200,000 for winning the Comeback Player of the Year award.

As currently constructed, there isn't room for Bernie Williams. That's why Brian Cashman hasn't offered the career .297 hitter a major league deal. Due to a suspect rotation, it's likely the Yankees will carry 12 hurlers, seven of whom will be relievers. With Jason Giambi being shifted to a full-time DH, the Yankees will go with lefty swinger Doug Mientkiewicz and either right-handed hitters Josh Phelps or Andy Phillips at first. That leaves four outfield spots with Melky Cabrera being the fourth, two second basemen (Robinson Cano and Miguel Cairo), Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Posada's backup. Now, for the scenarios in which Williams could muscle his way onto the roster for his 17th big league season. A spring training injury to Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, Bobby Abreu or Cabrera would be the most direct, but, of course, nobody is rooting that way. The Yankees could decide there won't be enough at-bats to keep Cabrera sharp and send him to Scranton (Triple-A) to start the season.

Not only did Phil Hughes impress the Yankees, who drafted him with the 23th pick of the 2004 draft, but other teams spent much of last season asking for him in potential trade talks, something that, according to Newman, rarely happens anymore. "They don't even bother now," Newman said. "If he is mentioned, it's, 'I know you won't talk about Phil Hughes.'" Hughes bought a condo in Tampa so he could work out at the Yanks' minor-league complex all winter. "It's really convenient to be here and they can monitor what I'm doing," Hughes said. "It's a little real estate investment, too. I like California a lot, and this is about as close as you can get, so I was in my comfort zone here.

All signs point to Lastings Milledge being ticketed for Triple-A New Orleans to begin the year. Mets GM Omar Minaya spoke with Willie Randolph, and the two agreed Shawn Green should be considered the right-field favorite. "I think if Shawn is healthy, he's going to be given every opportunity to be the guy," Minaya said. The GM isn't keen on keeping promising youngsters sitting on the bench, which means Milledge is more likely to be a Zephyr on Opening Day than a Mets reserve.

Some Red Sox officials believe that their efforts to get first baseman Todd Helton from the Rockies, which fell through, could be revived during spring training.

In Rafael Soriano, the Braves perhaps have a future closer. He had 65 strikeouts in 60 innings last year. Then there's Mike Gonzalez, who converted 24 of 24 save chances for the Pirates last year. "We took a belt-and-suspenders approach," John Schuerholz said of the new bullpen. "With a strong bullpen, you can make up for a lot of mistakes; maybe defensively, maybe the offense taking a couple nights off, and [with] the starting pitching," Bob Wickman said. "Strong bullpens win championships."

Make no mistake, The Boss had decided to fire Joe Torre after that Detroit playoff debacle. Joe Torre, who had no answers, simply watched stoically as most of the high-priced Yankees surrendered without a fight. But George Steinbrenner, the only man in the organization breathing fire after this embarrassment, was talked out of dumping Torre by Brian Cashman.

D-Backs OF Eric Byrnes, appearing as a guest on FSN's "Best Damn Sports Show Period," on if baseball could handle an actively gay player: “No. I really don’t think it could. I read there are 60% of people who would accept it. I would be one that would accept it. But what about those other 40%...I would love to say sports is ready for an openly gay player. But there are too many guys who are ignorant. It’s such a masculine sanctuary.”

Unprompted, Mike Schmidt ticked off two names that, well, "tick me off. Pat Burrell and Adam Dunn, because they strike out so much." Schmidt, the keynote speaker yesterday morning at a breakfast in Dayton, Ohio, said he regretted the way he approached hitting during his Hall of Fame career. "Now I know that if I had choked up on the bat with two strikes and hadn't been so aggressive and gave in to the pitcher, I wouldn't have struck out so much. And that's what guys like Dunn and Burrell have to realize," Schmidt added. Schmidt said that with a game on the line, pitchers don't mind facing guys like the Reds' Dunn and the Phillies' Burrell because they know they can strike them out. "How do I know this? Because when I played, pitchers wanted me up there with the game on the line," he said. "They'd rather face me than a guy behind me like Greg Luzinski, who would put the ball in play. "I look at Dunn and Burrell and I go, 'My God, if these guys cut their strikeouts down to 75 or 80, they put the ball in play 85 or 90 more times a year.' That's at least 15 more home runs a year and at least 35 more RBIs a year."

Corey Patterson is expected to be the Orioles primary center fielder, but could face competition from Jay Payton, who was signed this offseason. "He had a breakout season for us last year after having a tough season in 2005," Orioles Vice President Jim Duquette said. "Hopefully he'll use that as a springboard."

Don’t be surprised if your beloved powder-blue Royals uniforms make a brief comeback sometime in 2007. Yes, the Royals have discussed the possibility of bringing back the powder blues for one night — to be honest, the Royals always talk about the powder blues. The Royals revisit the idea often because they know full well there’s a coalition of Royals fans out there begging for the powder blues.

It’s the miracle that Mike Hampton has to be. Anything less for the accomplished left-handed pitcher recovering from elbow surgery, and the Braves will go from having a splendid chance to win their division for a 15th time in 16 seasons to just another team in the National League East with more question marks than exclamation points in its starting rotation. ... Spring training begins next week in Orlando, and manager Bobby Cox wants to push Hampton along slowly. He wants his pitcher fit enough to throw maybe five or six innings at the start of the regular season. “But then you get itchy to get going,” Cox said of Hampton, “and that’s when you really have to slow down a little bit. I’m not trying to be overly optimistic, because the fact is that he did go under the knife, and I’ve got my fingers crossed.”

Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez received no shortage of suggestions about how he could have sidestepped jury duty. Even after a 4 1/2-week commitment, Gonzalez doesn't regret the experience. After his jury came to a decision on a $120 million fraud case earlier this week, Gonzalez drove to South Florida. He made it in time to participate in Thursday's golf outing. "Everybody says, `How come you couldn't get out of it?'" Gonzalez said. "It's not that easy, people. ... You're under oath when they ask you the questions. They ask you where you work. They don't ask for your views. You have to answer your questions honestly.

Behind Tom Glavine and Orlando Hernandez, the Mets GM expects Oliver Perez and John Maine to claim the next two rotation spots, though he cautioned: "It's not going to be given to them because of what they did in the playoffs." Mets officials glowed about Perez, predicting he could emerge as the staff ace. As for the fifth starter's slot, Mets officials seem to be privately cheering for former first-round picks Philip Humber and Mike Pelfrey, but the addition last night of Chan Ho Park muddies the picture.

Diego Bentz, agent for new Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano, was in Miami during Super Bowl week with one of his other highly paid clients, David Ortiz of the Red Sox. Bentz said Soriano was vacationing with his family in Panama and eager to report to spring training in Mesa, Ariz.

Braves closer Bob Wickman says he blocks out baseball news during the winter, which isn't difficult in Wausaukee, Wis., population 3,200, where average winter highs are 25 degrees and Wickman's favorite activities are ice fishing, snowmobiling and building snow forts with his kids. But he couldn't help but get word of the movement in the Braves' bullpen this offseason, when they traded for a pair of power setup pitchers to reinforce what Wickman started last year. Wickman's 8-year-old son Ryan heard about the second of those deals – for Mike Gonzalez of the Pirates – on the radio and came in to tell his father.

Japanese balls are made with a stickier leather than those MLB uses, according to Trey Hillman, the manager of the Nippon Ham Fighters who used to manage in the Yankees' farm system. That means pitchers can get a better grip, which may help their breaking pitches. Kei Igawa described the major league ball as "smoother" than the one he is used to and said that would help his control.

The Mets Citi Field is set to open in 2009, and while there were some dirt piles, pipes and equipment scattered about yesterday - there were rocks and wood shards in the area of what will be home plate in the new park - media members climbed a staircase and stood on the makeshift metal deck of the main concourse. The basic structure of the right field stands beyond first base is already up. Hunt-Bovis, the company building the stadium, has also built the new Busch Stadium in St. Louis as well as PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Comerica Park in Detroit and Ford Field (the Detroit Lions' home field). A total of approximately 6,000 workers will have worked on Citi Field by the time it's done. When it is finished, Citi Field's dimensions will be a tad bigger than Shea's - meaning it should continue to be a pitcher's park.

Asked about the plausibility of a four-man rotation in the modern game, Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan said earlier this week that the concept is better on paper than it is in practice. “It always sounds better than when you try to apply it,” Duncan said. “There is logic behind it. But something always happens to screw it up." As we all know four-man rotations used to be the norm. But the increased importance of pitch counts and other factors have led the five-man rotations being not just the norm but viewed as the industry standard. The four-man rotation is dead. Yet, so many teams truly only have four starters, at most, while many “No. 5 starters” would be better suited as middle relievers or cameo starters.

Padres righthander Greg Maddux will make $10 million this year. But he also got the team to throw in a membership to the exclusive Del Mar Country Club. The Giants are willing to add $15.8 million to Barry Bonds' bank account as he tries to become baseball's all-time home run leader. But, just to make sure he's happy, they also agreed to give him five games' use of a luxury suite at AT & T Park, five complimentary box seats at all road games and a suite on the road. Bonds isn't the only headliner to get a suite, either. Maddux gets one. So do Randy Johnson, Gary Sheffield, Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez and Eric Gagne, among others.

You never want to be short a piece of equipment in spring training. So, the Phillies bring 30 dozen caps, 1,500 pairs of pants, 2,500 undershirts, 300 pairs of gym trunks, 200 pairs of sliding shorts, 100 pairs of shower sandals, 2,000 towels, and two cases of pine tar. The Phils bring 24 cases of sunflower seeds for munching, 24 cases of bubble gum, 200 pounds of powdered sport drink, and 15,000 paper cups, most of which end up on the dugout floor. The truck left with 300 pounds of laundry detergent, 100 pounds of special grass-stain soap, 50 gallons of pine tar remover, and a sewing machine to fix torn pants.

So, how much equipment do the Phillies take to Clearwater? How does 1,200 dozen baseballs sound? (Expensive at $74 per dozen.) The Phils take 850 bats. Reigning National League most valuable player Ryan Howard will have three dozen maple bats (team-bought at $65 per bat) waiting for him when he arrives. There were 400 batting helmets on the truck? Four hundred? "We have them with the [ear] flap on the left, with the flap on the right, and some with double flaps," Sheridan said. "We have them from size 67/8 to 8. Howard wears a 75/8. Todd Pratt wore an 8. And we have a few extra for Chase." Sheridan explained that fiery second baseman Chase Utley can be a little hard on helmets. "He'll go through six or seven a year," Sheridan said. "Somehow they end up having accidents, as he likes to say." About 100 of the helmets (cost: $30) are new. The rest were used last year, but you'd never know it because they've been cleaned.

The White Sox already have earmarked nearly $104.6 million to 18 players for 2007. But they will receive about $9 million from the Phillies and Diamondbacks as part of the compensation in trades involving Jim Thome and Javier Vazquez.

Five Tigers to watch:

1.) Cameron Maybin: Take a look at the 19-year-old outfielder who could be an emerging superstar. One look at his physique and speed and you'll see why the Tigers are enthused.

2.) Edward Campusano: If the left-hander can make the team as a reliever, the Tigers will have acquired another significant player by way of the Rule 5 draft. Campusano needs to stay in the majors this seasonor be offered back to his old team, the Cubs.

3.) Gary Sheffield: He swings one of the fastest bats in baseball. The Tigers are looking to Sheffield to bust up games and provide the one heavy bat they lacked last season.

4.) Virgil Vasquez: This 24-year-old right-hander was the organization's breakthrough pitcher in 2006. The Tigers might be inclined to make him part of their staff at some point.

5.) Brent Clevlen: If he shows during spring training he can hit on a par with his effort during a part-time stint last season, he could be a quick call-up.

Negotiations between Hen-nepin County and the limited partnership that controls most of the Twins ballpark site near the Target Center haven't progressed at all, according to County Board Chairman Randy Johnson, and he is not optimistic that the stadium will be built there. Johnson said he and his fellow commissioners are ready to look elsewhere. "Oh, there's a big danger of it falling through, I think it's at best 50-50 that that's where the new ballpark will go," Johnson said. "The landowners who, during the legislative session and leading up to it, were willing sellers and lobbied to give the county the authority to go forward, now seem to think it's worth several times its assessed value."

There is no better harbinger of spring than the 18-wheeler that carries the Phillies' equipment to Florida every February. The big rig, loaded with bats, balls and high hopes, pulled out of Citizens Bank Park late yesterday morning. It hung a left on Broad Street and chugged up the ramp for I-95 South. Sometime today, after 1,100 miles and countless Pedro's South of the Border signs, the truck will cross the Courtney Campbell Causeway and pass the sign that says: Welcome to Clearwater, Winter Home of the Phillies. Yes, the baseball spring is almost here. In six days, the mitts will be a-poppin' when pitchers and catchers report to camp. The first full-squad workout will be five days later. Sixty-one players will be in camp. That's a lot of jelly beans. Yes, jelly beans. That was one of the items that was packed on the truck yesterday morning. They're specially made for athletes, high in carbohydrates and other nutrients. The Phils took 40 cases of them to Florida.

The first two teams in the new Continental Baseball League was announced Thursday. Former Cubs and White Sox outfielder Jay Johnstone, who earned four World Series rings during his 21-season career, is involved with the new independent league as is former Cubs executive Bob Ibach, who still is looking for his first baseball ring.

The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network yesterday announced a beefed-up schedule of spring training telecasts for both the Washington Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles, broadcasts that will begin the network's third season -- and first in which it will carry both teams simultaneously. MASN will broadcast eight Nationals games and seven Orioles games, including four between the two teams, for a total of 11 games.

Max Lanier, a leading left-handed pitcher of the early 1940s with the St. Louis Cardinals who was later barred from organized baseball for jumping to the Mexican League, prompting him to challenge baseball’s reserve clause in federal court, died Jan. 30 in Dunellon, Fla. He was 91.

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NFL Rumors & Notes

Friday, February 9, 2007

During an appearance on KFAN radio, coach Brad Childress dismissed the possibility of the Vikings signing veteran free-agent quarterback Jeff Garcia, who played brilliantly down the stretch for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2006. Childress also left open the possibility of the Vikings selecting a quarterback with the seventh overall pick. Some draft boards have former Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn available in the Vikings' spot.

It has long been a foregone conclusion that 2006 was linebacker Donnie Edwards' last season as a Charger. Neither the team nor Edwards' side officially said as much, however, until yesterday. But with free agency looming, Edwards' agent confirmed yesterday the sides have not talked and that Edwards will leave when the free-agency period begins next month. “We're not doing anything (with the Chargers),” Tom Condon said. Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith later said the team sent Condon a letter two days after the team's playoff loss to New England last month and said they would not be pursuing Edwards. “What Tom Condon told you is correct,” Smith said. “Donnie will not be part of the San Diego Chargers this year.” ... Although Edwards led the Chargers in tackles each of the past five seasons and led all NFL linebackers with 17 interceptions since 2002, Smith had tired of Edwards' repeated attempts to rework his contract.

The window for NFL teams to designate franchise or transitional players opened yesterday, and will close on Feb. 22. But there was no news on which player the Patriots might tag for the upcoming season. Of the 14 soon-to-be unrestricted free agents New England has on its roster, there are two, corner Asante Samuel and tight end Daniel Graham, that would most likely be designated as the team’s franchise player. Samuel’s agent, Alonzo Shavers, was to have a meeting with Patriots brass on Wednesday, but with Belichick in Hawaii coaching the AFC team in the Pro Bowl, not much is expected to happen until he returns. Samuel and Shavers are on the record as saying that the fourth-year corner, who had a breakout season at exactly the right time, would not be happy if he were to be franchised. As for Graham, there are rumblings that he wants out of New England, but neither he nor his agent, Jack Mills, have said anything publicly about his contract. Calls to Mills were not returned.

The free agent wide receivers aren't special. But there are some intriguing prospects. Philadelphia's Donte' Stallworth has the deep speed Green Bay desperately needs and could be an ideal complement to Donald Driver. ... Green Bay has also reportedly shown some interest in trading for Oakland bad boy Randy Moss, something Favre supposedly supports.

Carl Peterson has also said the Chiefs would negotiate a new contract with running back Larry Johnson, who otherwise has three seasons remaining on the deal he signed as a rookie in 2003.

Vikings cornerback Fred Smoot and coach Brad Childress still haven't had their postseason chat. But Smoot reiterated Thursday what he told the Pioneer Press last month. "I would love to be a Viking," he said. "But I am nobody's bench rider. Fred Smoot is a starter." After making $800,000 last season, Smoot's base salary in 2007 jumps to $2.7 million, and he is due a $2 million roster bonus in March. If he were released before that bonus is due, the Vikings would save $400,000 in salary cap space and nearly $5 million in cash. Last month, Smoot said he would not accept a pay cut and isn't worried about the prospect of being traded.

A source close to Bucs FB Mike Alstott confided that, after thinking he would be walking away from the game, Alstott now is giving serious consideration to playing in 2007. It sounds like he wants to. The holdup in Alstott's case is his unresolved contract situation. Alstott's contract expired after the 2006 season and he now is without a contract. It now is up to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to huddle with Alstott's representatives to see if they can produce a deal that would be enticing enough to bring back the fullback and ensure that he doesn't end his career in another city the way former Buccaneers standouts John Lynch and Warren Sapp have.

Defensive tackle Ryan Sims is a prime target to be released. Sims, the Chiefs’ top draft pick in 2002, costs the Chiefs slightly more than $3 million now against their salary cap but would cost them about $2.3 million against their cap if released.

Green Bay's greatest needs on offense are at tight end, running back and wide receiver. Of those groups, tight end is likely to be the strongest in free agency. Among the tight ends who are likely to be unrestricted free agents are San Francisco's Eric Johnson, Seattle's Jerramy Stevens and New England's Daniel Graham. Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy, who was the 49ers' offensive coordinator in 2005, has a history with Johnson. And because San Francisco drafted tight end Vernon Davis with the No. 6 overall pick in 2006, Johnson isn't likely to return.

The Broncos are expected to restructure the contract of Rod Smith within the next month. Smith is due to collect a $1 million roster bonus in mid-March, but before the Broncos pay up, they probably will ask their all-time leading receiver to take a cut from his 2007 salary of $5.5 million. After nine consecutive seasons with at least 70 catches, Smith had only 52 catches for 512 yards in 2006. He could slide to the No. 3 receiver role next season, behind Javon Walker and Brandon Marshall.

Jason Garrett is on the Cowboys' coaching staff, that much is known. Sources say Garrett will become the offensive coordinator, but owner/general manager Jerry Jones wouldn't get specific about the role Thursday. His ability to run the offense remains a question.
"When you're a young guy and don't have a lot of experience how ready you are, is the question," Jones said. "With him, and all the things we know about him, there's a really good foundation there. In some ways, it's operating without a net." The type of offense Dallas will run is another issue.

The Chargers most pressing free-agent issue remains left guard Kris Dielman. The team has not spoken with Dielman's agent in more than two weeks, and it has been even longer since meaningful dialogue was shared. Teammates have expressed pessimism regarding the possibility of Dielman staying and have said his loss would be greatly felt. The market for Dielman will be fierce. Dallas, Miami, Seattle and Cleveland, among others, are expected to bid for his services.

On a secluded patio at the Pro Bowl players' hotel here Wednesday afternoon, Shawne Merriman and Jason Taylor spoke for about 15 minutes. According to Merriman, they parted ways with a mutual respect but without plans to go out for mai tais. “I wasn't going to do it,” Merriman said. “I greeted him like a man and that's all I really wanted to do. I'll say the same thing about him now I said before. He's a great player, and we'll leave it at that. We shook on it.”

The two teams expected to be the most interested in Jake Plummer, Houston and Jacksonville, each has a coach familiar with him. In Houston, Texans head coach Gary Kubiak worked with Plummer in Denver. In Jacksonville, Jaguars offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter is the former Arizona State head coach. Koetter admires Plummer, Plummer admires Koetter. If Kubiak and the Texans don't stand in the way, the two could be working together again.

GM Carl Peterson has identified quarterback Trent Green as a target for a reduced salary. Green has the Chiefs’ highest base salary at $7.2 million.

Cowboys coach Wade Phillips, 59, signed a three-year deal, with a club option for the fourth. Terms of the contract were not disclosed, but a source said his salary averages between $2 million and $3 million annually.

The 49ers will extend and add money to Norv Turner's contract, which was due to expire at the end of the 2007 season.

Marty Schottenheimer said he will consider candidates from both inside and outside the Chargers' organization to replace Wade Phillips. Schottenheimer wouldn't discuss specific names, but it would rank as no surprise if assistant linebackers coach John Pagano receives strong consideration. "I've begun a process and I don't have any time frame for it," Schottenheimer said. "My single purpose is, as it has always been, finding the best guy available to help the San Diego Chargers win." Phillips did exactly that in his three seasons in San Diego. The Chargers went 35-13 during his time running the defense.

The Chiefs have salary-cap obligations of $104,265,314, research by The Kansas City Star found. That puts them about $5 million under the NFL’s salary limit, which should be about $109 million when the league year begins March 2.

FB Mack Strong confirmed after the NFC's Pro Bowl practice that he will indeed return for his 14th NFL season, which is good news for Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander, the Seattle franchise and the NFL itself. "I wasn't sure that I would be back," Strong said. "In fact, I thought I wouldn't be. But now I will."

The cast of free-agent running backs is extremely weak. In fact, the best of the bunch is probably Green Bay's very own Ahman Green. The Packers would like to bring Green back. But even if they do so, don't be surprised if they take a running back rather high in April's draft. Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson will be long gone when Green Bay selects in Round 1. But California's Marshawn Lynch could be a good fit. Others such as Louisville's Michael Bush and Auburn's Kenny Irons are likely second-rounders.

Cliff Stein, director of contracts and legal affairs for the Bears, said Tank Johnson lost $25,000 per game for the two games he missed. Stein also said Johnson could lose 40 percent—about $700,000—of his signing bonus if he is sentenced to jail, and he would be "scarred" when it came to prospects with other pro football teams.

Bears defensive lineman Tank Johnson could face jail time after he pleaded guilty Thursday to violating his probation on a 2005 weapons conviction.

Redskins tackle Chris Samuels, who is in Hawaii for Sunday's Pro Bowl, will undergo surgery on his left knee when he returns home. Samuels played with pain in his knee throughout the 2006 season.

If the Pro Bowl turns into a shootout, Denver's Champ Bailey could be used on offense, as the AFC has just four receivers - Chad Johnson, Andre Johnson, Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. San Diego special-teams specialist Kassim Osgood has been working as the No. 5 receiver. "They're saying I'm going to do it, so we'll see," Bailey said.

Giants RB Tiki Barber made one point clear: There is absolutely no chance that, after putting on a uniform one more time, he might reconsider his retirement plans and stick around for another season. "I knew a while ago, I knew months ago that my mind was made up," Barber said. "It's the right decision for me and I'm excited for it."

The Dolphins have hired Colts defensive assistant Diron Reynolds as their defensive line coach. Reynolds, fresh off the Colts' 29-17 victory in Super Bowl XLI, takes over for the fired Dan Quinn. Quinn now is the New York Jets' defensive line coach. Reynolds was with the Colts five seasons, from 2002 to 2006. He worked for Dolphins coach Cam Cameron at Indiana University in 2001. He also coached outside linebackers at Wake Forest in 1999. In hiring Reynolds, 35, the Dolphins have a position coach who will be younger than some of his players. Defensive linemen Keith Traylor (37) and Jeff Zgonina (36) are older than Reynolds.

Washington Redskins linebacker Marcus Washington, bothered all season by a painful hip condition, underwent arthroscopic surgery for the problem in Tennessee and is expected to miss three months, the team said yesterday. He likely will miss spring practices, although he is expected to be fine for the start of training camp in July.

Vikings tight end Jim Kleinsasser is walking around with a cast on his wrist after surgery to correct a problem. Kleinsasser is signed for next year but since NFL contracts aren't guaranteed, he doesn't know what his future is with the team.

Defensive line coach Don Johnson will not return next season after two seasons even though he had a year left on his contract. The Bears did not offer any explanation.

The Broncos most likely will honor Darrent Williams next season with either the same helmet decal or a patch with his number and initials sewn on a uniform sleeve.