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Robinson remains a Net

2006-08-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

The New Jersey Nets have come to terms on a new contract with forward Clifford Robinson. Terms of the deal were undisclosed for the unrestricted free agent, but Robinson's signing should become official in the next few days.

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Robinson was suspended for five games after violating the terms of the league's anti-drug program and missed the final three contests of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Miami Heat.

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Robinson averaged 6.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per contest with the Nets last season. He was acquired by New Jersey from Golden State in the middle of the 2004-05 campaign. The Nets also requested waivers on guard Zoran Planinic Friday.

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Last season with New Jersey, the former first-round pick averaged just 3.4 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. Taken 22nd overall in 2003, Planinic averaged 3.8 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 148 games over three seasons. Named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team twice (2001-02 & 1999-00), Robinson won the 1992-93 NBA Sixth Man Award when he played for Portland.

Liriano out indefinitely with strained elbow ligament

2006-08-11T14:51:00.000-07:00

An enhanced MRI scan performed on Minnesota Twins rookie pitcher Francisco Liriano showed a very mild, chronic strain of his collateral ligament in his left elbow.

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Liriano, who was placed on the disabled list Thursday, is receiving physical therapy, but will be sidelined indefinitely. Also, Liriano has told the team of rotator cuff weakness and stiffness in his left shoulder, which is contributing to his elbow problems.

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Liriano owns a 12-3 record with a major league-best 2.19 earned run average in 27 games, including 15 starts, this season.

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The left-hander allowed four runs on 10 hits in four innings of work in his last start on Monday against Detroit.

Celtics Pierce has successful elbow surgery

2006-08-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce underwent successful minor arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow on Wednesday. The surgery was performed by team physician Dr. Brian McKeon at New England Baptist Hospital.

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Pierce will begin rehabilitation immediately and is expected to return by the start of training camp. Pierce has spent each of his eight NBA seasons with the Celtics, who made him the 10th overall pick of the 1998 NBA Draft after a standout collegiate career at Kansas.

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He has averaged 23.5 points with 6.5 rebounds and is the eighth- leading scorer in Celtics history.

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Pierce, a five-time All-Star and team captain, averaged a career-high 26.8 points with 6.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists during the 2005-06 season.

Yanks activate Cano, send Cairo to DL

2006-08-09T08:45:00.000-07:00

The New York Yankees activated second baseman Robinson Cano from the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday and he started in the Yankees' 6-5 loss to the Chicago White Sox.

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Cano, who was voted to the American League All-Star team this season, had been out of action since late June with a strained left hamstring.

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The 23-year-old Cano finished 3-for-5 and now owns a .330 batting average with four home runs and 27 RBI in 2006.

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To make room on the roster for Cano, the Yankees placed infielder Miguel Cairo on the 15-day DL, also with a strained left hamstring. Cairo was injured during New York's 5-0 loss in Baltimore on Saturday.

Indians lock up Lee through 2009 season

2006-08-08T09:12:00.000-07:00

The Cleveland Indians signed southpaw pitcher Cliff Lee to a three-year contract extension with a club option for the 2010 season on Tuesday. The 27-year-old Lee is coming off a dominating 2005 campaign, compiling an 18-5 mark with a 3.79 earned run average while finishing fourth in the American League Cy Young Award voting.

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Lee became the first Indian to lead the league in winning percentage since Bob Feller in 1951 and his fourth place showing in the Cy Young voting was the highest by a member of the Tribe since 1999.

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Lee's 2006 season has resembled the club's up-and-down play, as the left- hander has a 9-8 record and a 4.75 ERA in a team-high 23 starts.

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Since the beginning of last season, the Indians have tied up designated hitter and bona fide slugger Travis Hafner, staff ace CC Sabathia, catcher Victor Martinez, outfielder Grady Sizemore, infielder Jhonny Peralta and Lee to long- term contracts.

Red Sox acquire Lopez from Orioles

2006-08-04T14:39:00.000-07:00

The Boston Red Sox acquired catcher Javy Lopez from the Baltimore Orioles on Friday in exchange for cash and a player to be named later. To replace Lopez on the active roster, the Orioles signed catcher Chris Widger.

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Lopez, who became frustrated with his role in Baltimore, is hitting just .265 with eight homers and 31 RBI in 76 games this season. He was upset with Orioles management after the team acquired catcher Ramon Hernandez this past off-season. He then lost his role as designated hitter to Jay Gibbons during the year. After the non-waiver trade deadline passed, he felt the team should've just released him.

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Lopez is in the final year of a three-year, $22.5 million contract. He has a .288 career batting average with 260 homers and 860 RBI in 15 seasons with the Atlanta Braves and Orioles. He is also a veteran of the postseason and has the ability to help the Red Sox down the stretch.

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Boston felt it needed to make a move for a catcher with a powerful bat after veteran Jason Varitek went down with a knee injury earlier this week that required surgery on Thursday.

Tampa Bay, cornerback Barber agree to contract extension

2006-08-03T08:22:00.000-07:00

Pro Bowl cornerback Ronde Barber has the opportunity to finish his career where it started, as Tampa Bay signed the shutdown defensive back to a contract extension on Wednesday.

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The Buccaneers wanted to make sure Barber stayed in town beyond the 2006 campaign, as his contract was set to expire next March. If the deal would have run out, Barber would have been a commodity on the free agent market.

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Barber has 28 career interceptions, which puts him only three behind the club's all-time leader Donnie Abraham. He also sits sixth on the franchise's career tackle list with 770 tackles, which is the most by a cornerback in team history.

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The defensive back has made three Pro Bowls in his distinguished nine-year career, while helping the club win a Super Bowl in 2002.

Bruschi may have broken wrist

2006-08-02T09:33:00.000-07:00

New England Patriots veteran linebacker Tedy Bruschi may have fractured his wrist on Monday, according to a report in the Boston Herald.

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The 33-year-old Bruschi, who returned to the gridiron last October after suffering a stroke, apparently was hurt in Monday's morning practice and missed both sessions on Tuesday. He is expected to be out at least a week while the severity of the injury is determined.

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Widely considered the emotional leader of the Patriots, Bruschi helped form a modern-day dynasty that has won three Super Bowls over the past five years.

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The 6-1, 247-pounder out of the University of Arizona has racked up 541 tackles, 27 sacks and 11 interceptions in his 10 NFL seasons, all with New England.

Twins reinstated outfielder Torii Hunter

2006-08-01T10:26:00.000-07:00

The Minnesota Twins reinstated outfielder Torii Hunter from the 15-day disabled list and he had three hits, including a three-run homer, and drove in four runs, as the Minnesota Twins downed the Texas Rangers, 15-2, to begin a three-game series at the Metrodome.

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Minnesota is 8 1/2 games behind Detroit in the AL Central, however is just one game behind the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees for the wild card spot.

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"Every game from here on out is going to be big, especially since we're trying to take that wild card away," Hunter said. "We want to win the division, but let's be real. We're so close to the wild card, we can taste it. We have to focus on that".

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The center fielder was placed on the DL on July 16 with a stress fracture in his left foot. Hunter is batting .274 with 15 home runs and 53 RBI in 89 games this season with the Twins. He owns a .268 career batting average with 148 homers and 559 RBI. Hunter belted a three-run homer in the fourth inning of Monday's game and singled in a run in the second.

Fingold intends to purchase Penguins

2006-07-31T09:20:00.000-07:00

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Friday that a group led by real estate developer Sam Fingold has signed a letter of intent to purchase the team. The 34-year-old Fingold heads Kenyon Investments, a commercial real estate firm in Hartford, Connecticut.

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A native of Toronto, Fingold said Friday he's committed to keeping the team in Pittsburgh, but will push for a new arena for the club. Fingold was reportedly interested in moving the Penguins to Kansas City if Pittsburgh didn't come up with a plan to replace Mellon Arena.

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The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Fingold's offer was believed to be for at least $175 million.The letter of intent means Fingold's group has exclusive negotiating rights with the Penguins to broker a deal.

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The Penguins are currently owned by a group led by former Penguin superstar Mario Lemieux. Even if the two sides come to an agreement, the NHL would have to approve of the sale, which could take several months.

Fred Jones joins Raptors

2006-07-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

The Toronto Raptors announced on Wednesday that they have signed free-agent guard Fred Jones to a multi-year contract. Jones joins the Raptors after spending his first four years in the league with Indiana.

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The 6-2, 220-pound Jones was the 14th overall selection by the Pacers in the 2002 NBA Draft. The University of Oregon product averaged 9.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists last season for the Pacers.

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For his career, the 27-year-old Jones owns career averages of 7.7 points, 2.2 assists and 2.2 rebounds.

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"Fred Jones addresses our goal of infusing even more talent and athleticism to our revamped team," said Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo. "He will benefit greatly from the up-tempo style we intend to play". Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

USA hoops names 15 finalists for World Championship team

2006-07-26T09:09:00.000-07:00

The United States men's basketball World Championship team named 15 players that were selected as finalists, USA basketball senior national team managing director Jerry Colangelo and USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski announced on Tuesday.

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Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets; Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison of the Washington Wizards; the Houston Rockets' Shane Battier; Chris Bosh of the Toronto Raptors; Bruce Bowen of the San Antonio Spurs; the Clippers' Elton Brand; Kirk Hinrich of the Chicago Bulls; Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic; the Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James; Joe Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks; Brad Miller of the Sacramento Kings; Chris Paul of the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets; the Phoenix Suns' Amare Stoudemire and Dwyane Wade of the world champion Miami Heat were each named as finalists to make the team.

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The official 12-man roster that will compete in the FIBA World Championship must be submitted to FIBA at the technical meeting that normally is held the day prior to the start of the competition.

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The USA finalists will take a five-day break and will reconvene in Las Vegas on July 31 for the start of the second phase of the team's training. "I think everything in our first phase of training was set up well and what we wanted to do in this phase was to pick 15, 16 or even 14 players to go forward with," Krzyzewski said.

Recchi returning to Penguins

2006-07-25T09:48:00.000-07:00

Veteran winger Mark Recchi is returning to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The club announced the signing on Tuesday, bringing back the 38-year-old winger who was a member of the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes last season.

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Recchi skated in 63 games last year with Pittsburgh before being traded to the Hurricanes on March 9. In 20 games with the Hurricanes, Recchi netted just four goals with three assists and was a minus-eight.

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However, Recchi posted seven goals and nine assists in 25 playoff games, including six points during the Stanley Cup Finals. The British Columbia native becomes the second high profile midseason acquisition to leave Carolina this offseason.

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The Hurricanes acquired Doug Weight from the Blues in late January to bolster their Stanley Cup push, but he has since returned to St. Louis via free agency. In 1,256 games with Carolina, Philadelphia, Montreal and Pittsburgh, where he won a Stanley Cup in 1991, Recchi has 484 goals and 781 assists for 1,265 points.

Pacers and Mavericks to swap point guards

2006-07-24T09:42:00.000-07:00

The Indiana Pacers and Dallas Mavericks are reportedly set to trade point guards, with Anthony Johnson heading to Dallas and Darrell Armstrong on his way to Indianapolis. The Pacers, according to the Indianapolis Star, would also receive forward Josh Powell in the deal. The paper said the trade needs league approval and could be announced as early as Monday.

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Johnson has spent the past three years with the Pacers and averaged 9.2 points with 4.3 assists in 75 games this past season. He was at his best in the first round of the playoffs, producing 20.0 points and 5.2 assists in a six-game loss to the New Jersey Nets.

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Armstrong appeared in 62 games this past season for Dallas, averaging a mere 2.1 points and 1.4 assists in a limited role. The 12-year NBA veteran has also played for Orlando and New Orleans.

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Powell played in 37 games for the Mavericks last season, his first in the NBA. He averaged 3.0 points and 2.2 rebounds. This would be the second trade involving the teams this month, as Dallas sent guard Marquis Daniels to Indiana in exchange for forward Austin Croshere.

The Boston Bruins have agreed to terms with defensemen Jason York

2006-07-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

The Boston Bruins have agreed to terms with defensemen Jason York and Wade Brookbank and forward Jeff Hoggan, the team announced on Friday.

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York, 36, spent last year playing in Lugano, Switzerland where he recorded three goals and 17 assists in 34 games. Over 12 NHL seasons, which included stints in Detroit, Anaheim, Ottawa and Nashville, he has 41 goals and 180 assists in 708 games.

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His last appearance in the NHL was during the 2003-04 season when he played for the Predators. On the other hand, Brookbank, 28, has played for Nashville and Vancouver over his two NHL seasons and has three goals and two assists with 214 penalty minutes in 61 games.

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Hoggan, 28, played for St. Louis in his first NHL campaign in 2005-06 and recorded two goals and six assists in 52 games.

Hall lands with Rangers in three-team deal

2006-07-20T09:59:00.000-07:00

The Nashville Predators were involved in a three-team trade on Wednesday that landed forward Adam Hall in New York with the Rangers.

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Hall was shipped to the Big Apple in exchange for forward Dominic Moore. The Predators then sent Moore and forward Libor Pivko to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a third-round selection in the 2007 draft.

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The 25-year-old Hall scored 14 goals with 15 assists for 29 points in 75 games last season with Nashville. He has 43 goals and 42 assists for 85 points in 234 career contests with the Predators. The Penguins netted a pair of mid-twenties players in the deal.

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The 25-year-old Moore had 18 points -- nine goals and nine assists -- in 82 games with the Rangers last season while Pivko, 26, had 69 points in 69 games with Milwaukee of the American Hockey League last year.

Jackets re-sign goaltender Leclaire

2006-07-19T11:24:00.000-07:00

The Columbus Blue Jackets have re-signed goaltender Pascal Leclaire to a two-year contract. The Blue Jackets selected the Quebec native with the eighth overall pick of the 2001 draft. He has a record of 11-17-3 with a 3.25 GAA in 35 career NHL games.

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Leclaire appeared in 33 games last season as a rookie and posted a record of 11-15-3 with a 3.23 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage. He was 9-5-2 with a 2.85 GAA from January 1 through the end of the season.

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At the 2002 World Junior Hockey Championships in the Czech Republic, Leclaire went 4-1-0 with a 1.80 goals-against average and .937 save percentage to lead Team Canada to the silver medal.

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"When we drafted Pascal in the first round of the 2001 Entry Draft we saw a goaltender with great athleticism and confidence that had the potential to be a real important player for our organization," said Blue Jackets president and general manager Doug MacLean.

Quintanilla placed on 15-day DL

2006-07-18T10:04:00.000-07:00

The Colorado Rockies placed infielder Omar Quintanilla on the 15-day disabled list prior to Monday's 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh with an injury to his right shin.

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Quintanilla left Saturday's 3-2 loss to Cincinnati after he fouled a pitch off of his right shin and was listed as suffering from a right shin contusion.

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Quintanilla, 24, is batting .176 with three runs batted in since being recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs on June 3. He finished 1-for-14 in his last six games.

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The club also recalled infielder Ryan Shealy and pitcher Manuel Corpas from Colorado Springs (PCL); purchased the contract of infielder Jason Smith from Colorado Springs; and optioned pitchers David Cortes and Scott Dohmann to Colorado Springs.

Baker returns to Twins rotation against Devil Rays

2006-07-17T13:13:00.000-07:00

Scott Baker returns to the Minnesota rotation tonight as the injury-riddled Twins begin a four-game series with the visiting Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Baker won the No. 5 starter spot out of spring training but failed to hold on to it after winning just two of five decisions and amassing a 6.06 earned run average through his first nine outings.

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The young right-hander was sent to Triple-A in early June, where he went 3-2 with a 2.92 ERA in seven starts to earn his way back to the majors. This will be Baker's first career start against Tampa Bay. He threw one scoreless inning of relief against the Devil Rays last season.

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The Twins won the final three contests of its four-game home set with the Cleveland Indians over the weekend. In Sunday's finale, Jason Tyner's two-run double highlighted a three-run fourth inning which propelled Minnesota to a 5-2 victory.

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These teams will be meeting for the first time in 2006. Minnesota went 6-0 against Tampa Bay last year and has won eight straight in the series. The Devil Rays are just 3-9 at the Metrodome since the start of the 2003 campaign.

Prior returns to the disabled list

2006-07-14T13:33:00.000-07:00

Chicago Cubs pitcher Mark Prior was placed back on the 15-day disabled list Friday, this time with a strained left oblique muscle. Prior was scratched from his scheduled start this past Sunday in Milwaukee because of the problem and the DL move is retroactive to July 5.

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The 25-year-old right-hander began this season on the disabled list because of a shoulder strain and did not make his first start until June 18. He has not fared well on the mound, either.

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In four starts this season, Prior has a dismal record of 0-4 with a lofty 7.71 earned run average. He tossed a season-high six innings in his last outing on July 4 in Houston, but still allowed three earned runs in a 7-2 loss.

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Prior has battled injuries throughout much of his career and has a lifetime mark of 41-27 with a 3.39 ERA in 101 starts. The Cubs filled Prior's roster spot by recalling infielder Ryan Theriot from Triple-A Iowa. Theriot appeared in six games with the Cubs in May and was 0-for-4 with a run scored. He was batting .305 in 71 games with 21 runs batted in for Iowa

Division leaders start second half in Fenway

2006-07-13T09:07:00.000-07:00

A pair of first place teams meet tonight in Boston as the Red Sox welcome the Oakland Athletics for the opener of a three-game series at Fenway Park. The Red Sox are 53-33 and hold a three-game lead over the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East.

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The Athletics (45-43) are currently tied with Texas for the top spot in the West. The A's entered this week's All-Star break on a three-game losing streak and were dealt their latest loss last Sunday against the Angels.

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Meanwhile, the Red Sox had a three-game winning streak halted in Sunday's marathon loss to the White Sox. After, Tadahito Iguchi singled home Alex Cintron with one out in the 19th inning to lift Chicago to the 6-5 win.

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Mike Lowell homered and finished 3-for-5, while Mark Loretta drove in three runs for the Red Sox. Tonight marks the first meeting of the season between the Red Sox and A's. Boston went 6-4 in the series last year and is 14-5 versus Oakland since the start of the 2004 campaign.

FOX and TBS agree to new contracts with MLB

2006-07-12T07:50:00.000-07:00

Major League Baseball announced a new seven-year television rights deal with FOX Broadcasting Company and Turner Broadcasting System. The agreements run through the 2013 season.

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FOX will continue its exclusive coverage of the World Series and All-Star Game, while also broadcasting one of the two League Championship Series each year of the contract. The network will cover the American League Championship Series in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013, and work the National League Championship Series in 2008, 2010 and 2012.

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Baseball's broadcast partner for the LCS that FOX does not cover in each alternating year has not yet been decided. FOX will also expand its weekly Saturday game of the week from its current 18 weeks to 26 weeks. It will give baseball a weekly presence on network television from April to September for the first time since 1989.

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The agreement with TBS gives the cable outlet all regular-season tiebreaker games, all Division Series games and the All-Star Game selection show. In addition, beginning in 2008, TBS will telecast a window of MLB games on 26 Sunday afternoons. Currently, TBS is home to the Atlanta Braves, but the network will begin to scale back its coverage of the Braves in 2008. The agreements with FOX and TBS are each subject to ratification by Major League Baseball owners.

Blue Jackets re-sign Hainsey

2006-07-11T08:12:00.000-07:00

The Columbus Blue Jackets re-signed defenseman Ron Hainsey to a two-year contract on Tuesday. Hainsey appeared in 55 games with the Blue Jackets last season. He recorded two goals and 15 assists for 17 points with 43 penalty minutes and lead the team in plus/minus with a plus-13. He was claimed off waivers from Montreal on November 29.

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"We are very pleased to have Ron back with us," said club president and general manager Doug MacLean. "Last season he came in after he was claimed off waivers and played well the last 50 games of the season. We are pleased with his progress and think that he can develop into a strong player in the National Hockey League."

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He has played in 87 NHL games over three seasons with the Canadiens and Blue Jackets, scoring three goals and also dishing out 16 assists for 19 points with 49 penalty minutes.

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Hainsey has 29 goals and 87 assists for 116 points with 151 penalty minutes in 244 career AHL Games. Hainsey was Montreal's first pick -- 13th overall -- in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.

Italy basks in glory of fourth World Cup

2006-07-10T08:56:00.000-07:00

France was the first to score; Italy was eventually the last, as Fabio Grosso converted the final penalty kick in a shootout to give Italy the tournament championship over France in Sunday's final match.

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Grosso drilled a shot to give Italy the 5-3 win in penalties, after both teams finished 120 minutes of soccer in a 1-1 draw. France's David Trezeguet missed his penalty kick to allow Italy to take the advantage, with Grosso providing the final knock en route to Italy's fourth World Cup title.

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The Italian win came after a combined eight shots on goal in the 120 minutes of soccer. French captain, Zinedine Zidane, who is expected to retire, may have ended his career on a sour note, when he was ejected in extra time for head butting Marco Materazzi. The captain started the match off on a strong note, netting the first goal on a penalty kick to give France the early 1-0 lead.

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The goal was Zidane's second converted penalty kick in as many matches and was the fastest goal in a World Cup final since 1974. In the '74 match, the first goal was scored in just the second minute. With the goal, Zidane became the fourth player to score three goals in World Cup final history.

Morris leads Giants at Dodger Stadium

2006-07-07T14:47:00.000-07:00

Giants’ pitcher Matt Morris will try to keep his recent unbeaten streak intact tonight when San Francisco and Los Angeles resume a four-game series from Dodger Stadium. Morris, who is 7-7 with a 4.12 ERA in 17 starts this season, has won his last four starts, including a July 2 victory over San Diego. Morris held the division-rival Padres to a pair of runs on four hits in 7 1/3 innings.

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The right-hander lost to the Dodgers this season on May 12, surrendering five runs and eight hits through seven innings of work. For his career, Morris is 3-4 with a shutout and a 5.15 ERA in 11 games (nine starts) versus Los Angeles.

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San Francisco ended a two-game losing streak with Thursday's 5-4 win over the Dodgers in the series opener. Pedro Feliz went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI and Moises Alou added an RBI and a pair of runs scored. Alou was activated off the disabled list prior to the series opener with LA and had been sidelined since mid-June with a back strain.

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San Francisco is currently third in the NL West standings at 1 1/2 game behind San Diego for the top spot. The club also is 4-4 on an 11-game road trip and 21-22 as the guest this season.