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Big Ben's Sunday Rumors & Notes

Baseball Rumors & Notes

Don't overlook Fox analyst Kevin Kennedy becoming Mets manager, now that Buck Showalter has landed in Texas. And Dusty Baker will stay in San Francisco, if the Giants match the big offer he figures to get on the open market from the Mets and Cubs. Kennedy has friends in high places (no pun intended) in management and on the field.

Word around baseball is that the Phillies can't wait for the postseason to end so they can jump into one of their most important off-seasons ever. If you believe the rumblings, the Phillies are going to pull out all the stops in trying to woo Jim Thome.

The agent for Cuban defector Jose Contreras is awaiting a phone call from the Yankees when his client becomes a free agent. According to a source with close Cuban ties, the Yankees have made plans to work Contreras out at their Dominican Republic academy in Santo Domingo when the paper work is complete.

Lou Piniella wants out. For the first time, the Seattle manager finally admitted what everyone had been speculating for days and weeks - he wants to be closer to his Tampa home. Officially, Seattle brass is still in denial that they've given him permission to speak with the Mets and hometown Devil Rays, but Piniella felt bold enough to speak out that he wants to escape the final year of his managerial contract.

Orel Hershiser will be back with the Rangers next year. He could be the pitching coach or he could go back to the front office as an assistant to general manager John Hart. He would be willing to do either one and will let new manager Buck Showalter decide if he wants to keep him or hire his own pitching coach, possibly Mark Connor.

The Montreal Expos might be going places next year, but they apparently are not coming to the Washington area before the 2004 season. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig remains tight-lipped on the fate of the Expos, who cannot survive long-term in Montreal, but he apparently is in no rush to move the team into RFK Stadium for next season.

The Dodgers would like 45-year-old lefty Jesse Orosco to return next season. Alan Meersand, Orosco's agent, says his client wants to pitch until he's 50. Orosco, whose pro career stared in 1975, has pitched for the Mets, Dodgers (twice), Indians, Brewers, Orioles and St. Louis.

According to sources, Yanks coach Willie Randolph wowed the Brewers with his interview last week and has emerged as the strong favorite for their managing job.

Many Yankees trade rumors: Orlando Hernandez, Nick Johnson, Juan Rivera, Danny Borrell and Andy Phillips to the Expos for Bartolo Colon and Jose Vidro

Troy Glaus has nothing in common with Reggie Jackson, who never met a camera he couldn't charm or a notepad he wouldn't fill. Glaus? He flees from attention, treating the media like in-laws looking for handouts. He can run but Glaus can't hide from this: If you're looking for the Angels' Mr. October, this is your man.

Did you know? Next season will be the first in 103 years that neither Connie Mack nor Ernie Harwell will be involved in owning or broadcasting for a big-league team.

In 1999, Mike Scioscia was managing the Dodgers' Triple A team in Albuquerque, but former GM Kevin Malone had two of his lieutenants monitoring his every move and, in some cases, taking actions that were directly contradictory to what Scioscia was doing. ''One pitcher went into Mike's office and said to him, `Why did you take me out of the rotation?' Mike said, `What are you talking about?' It turns out Malone's guys did it,'' Tommy Lasorda said. ''Mike will never admit it, but he was fired by the Dodgers. They were trying to weed out all the old Dodger guys.''

Four Cy Young winners started games in this postseason: Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux. Their combined ERA: 8.53.

Joe Torre saw a lot of the 1996 Yankees in the Angels during the ALDS. He noted their plate patience and the ability to execute the fundamentals. However, the most obvious resemblance was what Mike Scioscia had available in the bullpen for the late innings. "They remind me of [Mariano] Rivera and [John] Wetteland," Torre said of Francisco Rodriguez and Troy Percival.

The Cardinals are interested in Cuban pitcher Jose Contreras, a longtime member of Cuba's national team who defected recently to the United States. How the Cardinals will press their interest is uncertain because Major League Baseball says Contreras is draft-eligible.

Perhaps even more surprising than the rise of Minnesota, Anaheim and San Francisco are the ratings from the first 10 days of the playoffs.

NFL Rumors & Notes

Jeff Fisher is on the hot seat in Tennessee, where owner Bud Adams turned up the flames on his coach this week. The Titans, who missed sending the Super Bowl into overtime by 1 yard after the 1999 season, are 1-4, and Adams isn't happy about it. "I'm very disappointed," said Adams after Tennessee's loss at home to Washington last week. "I came in here thinking we were going to get a win, and we didn't look very good. Right now I'm not very happy with what we're putting on the field, and it looks to me like we're getting out-coached."

Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss' eight-year, $75 million contract includes a clause that allows the Minnesota Vikings to recover part of his $18 million signing bonus if he is suspended for conduct detrimental to the team or for substance abuse reasons. And he has a diminishing margin for error.

Don't compare Terrell Owens to Randy Moss. The San Francisco receiver has his run-ins with coach Steve Mariucci, but nobody ever accused him of not playing hard and he likes to point out he's never been arrested. "I'm not Randy Moss," he said. He was irate that Raiders receiver Tim Brown said that Moss and Owens are not good ambassadors for the game. "I don't even know Tim Brown," he said. "Why is he saying those things about me?"

St. Louis Coach Mike Martz is grabbing at 32-year-old straws to try to keep his team's heads above water. "You look at Cincinnati," said Martz after his Rams slipped to 0-5. "They started off 1-7 and made the playoffs." The Bengals actually started out 1-6 in 1970. They won out to go 8-6 and made the playoffs under Hall of Fame Coach Paul Brown.

For the third consecutive week, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick has listed everyone on the injury report as questionable (50-50 to play). That's 21 players.

From 1991-98, the Rams were 40-88 and the Bengals were 39-89 with not one winning season and or playoff appearance between them. But then in '99, the Rams got good, starting a three-year playoff run that included two Super Bowls with one title. The Bengals just stayed bad. Now the Rams have rejoined the Bengals at the bottom. They are the league's only 0-5 teams.

QB Joey Harrington has made only two NFL starts, and he led the Lions to a 26-21 win over New Orleans before the bye, but he's a rising star in town and on his old campus, the University of Oregon. At the Roar and More, the apparel shop in Ford Field, 650 Harrington jerseys were sold during Sunday's Lions-Saints game. "That's phenomenal," Lions vice president Bill Keenist said. According to NFLShop.com, the NFL's online catalog, Harrington's jerseys have been No. 4 in sales from April 1 through Sept. 30.

New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan had an interesting explanation for why his young teammates have played better than many anticipated. ''That's why we needed fresh blood on the team,'' Strahan said. ''These guys are ignorant to the facts of what went on before, and that makes them smarter.''

Did you know? Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb has been sacked 19 times, on pace for a bone-jarring 60.

The best player in college football -- and a player Texans fans should keep a close eye on -- is Michigan State receiver Charlie Rogers, a spectacular junior who is wowing coaches and opponents every week. Scouts who have watched Rogers insist that he's so good he might be the top pick in the draft, which would be a rare accomplishment for a player at his position. Since the NFL and AFL began the common draft in 1967 that preceded the merger three years later, only two receivers have been the first pick in the draft -- Irving Fryar (Patriots) in 1984 and Keyshawn Johnson (Jets) in 1996. That's two receivers in 36 years. Only time will tell whether Rogers has what it takes to make it three in 37.

Bucs RB Michael Pittman has 74 carries for 256 yards (a 3.5-yard average) and no touchdowns. At Arizona, Pittman displayed flashes that he could be a runner/receiver along the lines of some of the best multipurpose backs. During the 2000 season, he became the first Cardinal since Terry Metcalf in 1974 to lead the team in rushing yards and receptions. But so far Tampa Bay fans have seen little more than an Aaron Stecker-type with much bigger biceps.

The sad-sack AFC North, where no team is over .500, is becoming known as the "AFC No" in some circles.

From CBS' David Letterman: "Mother Teresa has had her first miracle confirmed, so now all she needs is a second miracle confirmed in order to be considered for sainthood. "So she needs one more miracle and I'm thinking, 'Well, hell, what about a win for the Jets?' "

It's believed Jerry Rice of the Raiders will become the first 40-year-old wide receiver to play in the NFL today against the Rams. It's his birthday.

NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue spent a day in Indianapolis last week assuring civic and political leaders he does not want to see the Colts leave the city for greener pastures. It's been widely speculated that Colts owner Jimmy Irsay, whose father, the late Robert Irsay, pulled the Colts out of Baltimore in the dead of night, may be ready to call in the Mayflower vans for a possible move to Los Angeles.

Bryant McKinnie's chances of ever playing for the Vikings could depend on whether Red McCombs decides to sell the team. A sale would affect every part of the organization, but deciding the future of McKinnie, the first-round draft pick who is holding out, could be one of the first orders of business for a new owner. The Vikings and McKinnie are far apart in their acrimonious contract negotiations. McCombs is the source of much of the Vikings' anger. Sources said McCombs is furious at McKinnie for sitting out during the regular season. McCombs sees McKinnie as someone who doesn't want to play.

Every team that won four games in a row last season made the playoffs. That makes today's game against Tennessee a big one for Jacksonville. The Jaguars have won three in a row. . . . Green Bay is also trying for its fourth straight win. Tampa Bay and Oakland have won four in a row.

NBA Rumors & Notes

The Los Angeles Lakers actually had been Charles Oakley's first choice. They would have given him the best chance to get a ring, and he's the kind of front-line "thug'' Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal has been begging the team to sign for years. But the Lakers didn't show interest in him as the Wizards had, and Oakley was too proud to call coach Phil Jackson. "Apparently, the Lakers don't need me. I thought they did. But I guess I was wrong, and it's no big deal. They don't owe me no favors. Business is just business.''

The Cavs traded their top three scorers from last year, leading some to believe that they're tanking the season to get a shot at LeBron James. Not surprisingly, this gets Gordon Gund chapped: "The best you can do if you tank it completely is a 25-percent shot at (the No. 1 pick)," the Cavs owner said. "I'm not saying we're going to win a ton of games. We have a lot of raw talent. We may have a shot at it, but we're not deliberately going out to get (James)."

The Portland Trail Blazers have forward Dale Davis on the market.

The Washington Wizards signed 17-year veteran forward Charles Oakley to a one-year, $1 million contract yesterday, adding toughness to a relatively inexperienced front court and in-your-face respect to the locker room.

The Pacers are also tired of having most of their players standing around watching one or two massage the ball. Isiah Thomas is trying to combine elements of Tex Winter's triangle, John Wooden's shuffle cut and Bob Knight's motion.

DeShawn Stevenson of the Jazz believes he is ready to become Tracy McGrady based on the shaky logic he has been nothing special for two seasons and neither was McGrady. He might be delusional. After his shooting percentage climbed all the way to 35 percent, he talked about how well he is shooting. After holding Antonio Daniels to a 4-for-5 night in the first preseason game, he said he was doing a great job on defense.

The Big Squeeze is on. It is an NBA mind-set that younger is better (uh, cheaper), forcing some of the household names of the '90s to start thinking about careers in Belgium. Take a look at the list: Among the veterans still looking for jobs are Greg Anthony, Jimmy Jackson, Dana Barros, Mookie Blaylock, Dell Curry, Chris Gatling, Tim Hardaway, Damon Jones, Grant Long, Voshon Lenard, Tyrone Nesby, Mitch Richmond, John Starks, Rod Strickland, Walt Williams and John Wallace.

Karl Malone continues to laugh at Father Time. The Mailman reported to his 18th training camp with just 2.6% body fat. "It's the best shape I've ever been in," said Malone, who turned 39 in July. "I'm not 25 anymore, so there's definitely a difference. Sometimes, I feel like I'm 39." He never plays like it, though.

Here is more proof that Griz president of basketball operations Jerry West thinks differently than the majority of NBA executives. Last week, the league released a poll regarding which player general managers thought would win this year's got milk? Rookie of the Year Award. The results revealed a dead heat between Houston's Yao Ming and Chicago's Jay Williams. Grizzlies rookie Drew Gooden finished third with 15.4 percent of the vote. West was not amused. He likes the chances of a Grizzly picking up the top rookie honor in consecutive seasons. Pau Gasol won the award for the 2001-02 campaign. "We've got the rookie of the year," West said, flatly. "You can write that."

Jazz guard Mark Jackson: ``I'm a New York guy. I could never see myself living in Utah and playing for the Jazz. It's awful strange,'' he said. ``There's going to be a lot of people quite amused at the sight of me in a Jazz uniform.''

Sources say Spurs coach Gregg Popovich recruited Tim Floyd as his top assistant before offering the job to P.J. Carlesimo. Initially Floyd accepted but changed his mind and moved his family back to Louisiana.

In the last three years, Patricia Phillips has memorialized her mother, her father and her sister. On Saturday, in a Baptist church near the Sports Arena where the Los Angeles Clippers once played, came the toughest task of all. Phillips and her large extended family, along with friends, paid tribute to the lives of Kevin and Brian Williams, her only sons. Brian, a former NBA forward who played for the Clippers and Bulls, among other teams, is presumed dead after disappearing in July along with his girlfriend, Serena Karlan, and boat captain Bertrand Saldo while on a sailing trip in the South Pacific. Investigators had considered Kevin their main suspect.

College Rumors & Notes

Xavier Beitia wept. Florida State team chaplain Clint Purvis escorted the sobbing sophomore into a section of the locker room where he could have privacy. Purvis then asked each of FSU's five captains to go into the room to speak to the distraught kicker. They told Beitia that it wasn't his fault the Seminoles had just lost to rival Miami 28-27. So what if Beitia's 43-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide left as time expired? The entire team had collapsed. Not one man.

Miami actually did college football an enormous favor Saturday, before a record 81,927 emotion-wracked witnesses. They made it a race again, made the national championship trophy seem available, not the personal and guarded property of a campus in Coral Gables. That happened as the Canes' veneer of invincibility -- that swagger well-earned with last season's perfect record -- got knocked away even as Miami improved to 6-0.

Notre Dame football radio analyst Allen Pinkett apologized Saturday for a gaffe made over the airwaves during the first half against Pittsburgh. A Panthers receiver fell down with no one near him. On the air, Pinkett said it looked as if the player had been felled by a sniper. "In light of what's happening on the East Coast, it was the wrong thing to say," Pinkett said, referring to recent incidents in which eight people have been shot dead in the Maryland and Virginia suburbs of Washington.

Long before kickoff Saturday, fans were lined up outside the Notre Dame bookstore to purchase those green "Return to Glory'' T-shirts that have been the best-selling item on campus since "Rudy'' was released on video. Another 18,000 T-shirts were shipped to the bookstore on Friday. Before that shipment arrived, 64,000 had been sold.

Missouri opened practice for the "Season After Kareem Rush" on Saturday morning with little media fanfare. There were a few local TV crews on hand at the Hearnes Center. A couple of reporters from the Columbia newspapers.

Odd Notes & Stuff

It started over the summer, with Mike Modano telling radio-talk-show listeners in Dallas that the reason Jeremy Roenick didn't sign with the Stars when he was a free agent was because he couldn't stand Ken Hitchcock's style. "I called Hitch as soon as he signed with Philly and said, 'Now you've got the two guys who didn't want to come here [Dallas] because of you,' " Modano said in the interview on KTCK-AM. "Now you got stuck with them. It's pretty funny. [John] LeClair knew Dallas was very hot after him. I think after awhile, they [LeClair and Roenick] heard things about Hitch, the stories, and decided to go elsewhere."

The Detroit Red Wings have gone "Hollywood." 18 Wings showed up at a taping of the TV show "Friends" Friday afternoon, courtesy of a Mathieu Dandenault connection

Ed Belfour found the best way to silence his critics when he posted an opening-night shutout in his debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs. No goalie in Maple Leafs history had ever done that, including Hall of Famer Terry Sawchuk or Belfour's predecessor, Curtis Joseph.

HBO and junior welterweight/super middleweight champion Oscar De La Hoya have joined forces to create a boxing series that will be shown exclusively on HBO Latino. The series, "Oscar De La Hoya Presenta Boxeo de Oro," is scheduled to makes its debut in January and will showcase up-and-coming Latin fighters, the majority of whom will be members of De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotion stable. The program will air once a month on Thursday nights.

Sounds as if Test is in quite a bit of hot water in the WWE and could be gone before Christmas. Test angered federation officials when he refused to cut his hair and ditch the leather pants.

Vince McMahon has prodded his group of underachievers to write more realistic storylines, putting titles and matches aside to continue to favor entertainment over sports. That philosophy gave us Kane, the murderer.

Inside pro wrestling notes from Tom Robinson.
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