BenMaller.com - Rumors & Notes

Big Ben's Sunday Rumors & Notes

Baseball Rumors & Notes

The A's have begun talking about swapping superstar shortstops: Miguel Tejada for Nomar Garciaparra. Such a deal makes sense for Oakland. Garciaparra has two years remaining at $22 million total and would be cheaper to extend than Tejada, who's to make $5 million this year but probably will seek about $18 million to $20 million as a free agent after the season. A's general manager Billy Beane and Red Sox GM Theo Epstein talk daily, so if it can be arranged, they'll figure a way. The Angels could be another possibility for Garciaparra, who wants to play in his native California.

The Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets are all potential suitors for Miguel Tejada, but many in the industry are pointing to the Baltimore Orioles as the team to watch next winter.

Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig expects to hear by Opening Day whether the players union will approve changes to the All-Star Game. Selig said he is optimistic that players will agree to have the results of the game, which will be played July 15 at U.S. Cellular Field, determine home-field advantage for the World Series.

Players on the trade block who have the least chance of being traded: Dodgers starter Andy Ashby, Tigers outfielder Bobby Higgenson and Indians outfielder Matt Lawton. The best player available for trade remains Royals center fielder Carlos Beltran, who has a year to go before free agency and hard-driving Scott Boras as his agent. Kansas City continues to insist on a third baseman for the star center fielder

The Mets are also scouting other teams' pitchers. Special scout Bruce Benedict was seen in Jupiter at the game between the Orioles and Marlins, apparently watching Orioles starter Jason Johnson, in whom the Mets have some interest, or perhaps just curiosity. There was even word going around the Mets complex that they were talking to the Expos about Javier Vazquez, but two officials said there have been no talks about Vazquez since the winter. The Mets have been told by Expos general manager Omar Minaya that he plans to take this team into the regular season.

The Orioles are still looking for a power hitter, and their ears perked up a bit yesterday when they heard the Tampa Bay Devil Rays had released former 50-home run hitter Greg Vaughn.

San Francisco Giants superstar Barry Bonds doesn't know exactly when he will be inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame, but he hopes that banned all-time hits leader Pete Rose will there to greet him. Bonds bluntly joined the chorus of current and former players who think that it's time for baseball commissioner Bud Selig to reconsider the lifetime ban that makes Rose ineligible for Cooperstown.

"I fully expect Shea Hillenbrand to be a big part of this ballclub." - Boston GM Theo Epstein, denying rumors that Hillenbrand would be traded to the Cubs for Juan Cruz.

Giants lefty Kirk Rueter agreed to defer without interest $2.5 million of his $5.9 million salary this season as part of the two-year, $12 million extension he signed this week. The gesture probably will allow the Giants to keep right-handed reliever Felix Rodriguez rather than trade him.

If the Nederlanders buy the Angels, they might hire Reggie Jackson as an exec. Robert Nederlander was the Yankees' managing partner when George Steinbrenner was allegedly away.

Yanks manager Joe Torre told Sterling Hitchcock he would get reliever's innings instead of starter's innings for the rest of the spring. Assuming the Yankees don't trade him, the left-hander would start the season in the bullpen. Currently, the Yankees are having trouble finding a team to take Hitchcock.

With the money they won't have to pay Bubba Trammell next year, the Padres plan to pursue a high-profile shortstop such as Tejada or Japan's Kazuo Matsui.

Right-hander Jamey Wright, traded from Milwaukee to St. Louis last year and released by Seattle on Tuesday, signed a minor-league deal with the Brewers on Saturday. "I'm happy as hell to be back," Wright said. "I wanted to come here because I've been talking to Ben Sheets and Curtis Leskanic and Richie Sexson and they've been telling me how awesome it is here this year with Ned (Yost) and the coaches.

Pete Rose has still not asked baseball for permission to attend the home opener in Cincinnati, and he probably won't. He remains content to stay out of the public eye while his petition for reinstatement is reviewed.

On his worst day, 20 year old rookie Jeremy Bonderman got the best news. After allowing eight runs in four innings, including four home runs, he was informed he's made the Tigers rotation as their No. 2 starter.

Former Red Sox manager Joe Kerrigan, now the pitching coach for the Phillies, is still refusing to speak with the Boston media. Kerrigan, who worked on Phillies broadcasts in 2002, remains upset that a Boston Globe columnist wrote last season that he didn't return his leased company car after being fired. A top Red Sox official said yesterday, however, that blame should be placed on the club, which was supposed to provide a Philadelphia-area dealership to return the vehicle to, but forgot to do so until September.

Royals manager Tony Pena might have had the most novel way of deciding between Jeremy Affeldt and Runelvys Hernandez for the opening day start. He called them into his office and flipped a coin.

Roger Clemens exposed former Blue Jays manager Tim Johnson's lie about fighting in Vietnam War.

Joe Torre is upset at Raul Mondesi for missing a flight.

Cards manager Tony La Russa was already steamed by his team's six-single offensive brownout when the stadium public address announcer fueled his ire during the eighth inning. Low on position players, the Cardinals regularly use players from their minor-league camp in late innings. Saturday they summoned non-roster outfielder-first baseman William Ortega to pinch-hit for relief pitcher Gabe Molina. Since Ortega's No. 98 doesn't include a name on its back, the PA announcer introduced him by saying, "Now batting, the infamous player to be named later." La Russa quickly phoned the press box to dress down the announcer.

You've got to give the Red Sox credit. They may play in one of the oldest major-league markets in the game, but their thinking this off-season has been equal parts Dr. Phil, Rotisserie League and aromatherapy. Their general manager is 29. They hired stats maven Bill James as an adviser. And this spring they held "Media School" for players on how to best deal with the scoundrels of print, radio and TV. "[The players] need to know they're not in Kansas anymore," offered CEO Larry Lucchino. Plus other spring stories

The clubhouse leader for incident of the spring: Wednesday night, the Devil Rays' equipment van was totaled when it hit a cow on Florida State Route 70 as it traveled to Port St. Lucie in advance of a game against the Mets. Three members of the Devil Rays staff riding in the van suffered just minor injuries. No word on the cow.

NFL Rumors & Notes

The Ravens want Brian Griese after June 1. He would have the chance to beat out Chris Redman. The Dolphins may want him to back up Jay Fielder. And now the hot rumor is Bill Parcells wants him.... The Jaguars, after signing Hugh Douglas, now have both of the Jets' No. 1 picks from the '95 draft, along with Kyle Brady.

It doesn't appear that either the Bills, Jets or Dolphins are in the market for Tebucky Jones, the Pats' veteran free safety who has been designated as the team's franchise player. The Saints expressed interest and there could be one or two other teams willing to talk trade with the Pats, who are reportedly looking for a second-round draft pick, but have yet to find any team willing to pay that price.

Fullback Larry Centers is exploring his other options around the league before deciding whether to accept a relatively modest contract with the Washington Redskins, NFL sources said yesterday.

In Philly, Brian Mitchell had a regular gig on WIP radio with talkie Anthony (Cuz) Gargano. By all accounts, Mitchell rocked the airwaves. He was outspoken, ripping opponents and criticizing people around the NFL. With the Giants coming off a season in which Jeremy Shockey made headlines, blasting away at opponents during his weekly WFAN appearances with Mike Francesa and Chris (Mad Dog) Russo, do Mitchell's verbal stylings - and the prospects of a radio gig - have Big Blue brass feeling a bit queasy?

The Green Bay Packers will be among those expected still to be guarding against a raid of their free agents, most notably restricted veterans Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and Na'il Diggs.

Former Cardinals SS Pat Tillman, who retired from the NFL last May to join the Army, is part of the Special Operations and believed to be assigned somewhere in the Middle East. "I know this," Arizona coach Dave McGinnis said. "When I'm at Mass this weekend, I'll spend extra time and say a prayer."

It's looking more like the Texans will use the third pick in the draft on Arizona State defensive end Terrell Suggs, an underclassman who registered 24 sacks last season and won the Lombardi Award.

Rams coach Mike Martz likes the expanded playoffs proposal and the current overtime rules. "It's legal to play defense," he said in reference to the sudden-death overtime format.

Struggling Yankees third-base prospect Drew Henson, a top QB while at Michigan, is eligible for this draft. Someone will use a mid- to late-round pick on him to get his rights for a year should he decide to switch sports.

The free-agent signing of ex-Eagles linebacker Barry Gardner and the visit of ex-Giants cornerback Jason Sehorn are examples of the immediate influence new defensive coordinator Dave Campo is having on the Browns' pro personnel process. Campo is familiar with both players from his many years with the Dallas Cowboys.

The Lions may learn this week whether they are to be penalized for not adhering to the league's minority hiring guidelines during their courting of head coach Steve Mariucci.

Former Packers defensive end Sean Jones is among the group of analysts calling television broadcasts of NFL Europe games this spring. Others calling NFL Europe games are former Buffalo Bills receiver Andre Reed and New York Giants returner Brian Mitchell.

NBA Rumors & Notes

Elton Brand is a restricted free agent after this season and it doesn't look like he believes he'll remain with the Clippers. Brand was asked about the possibility of playing for the cap friendly Nuggets next season. "No one's out," Brand told reporters. "Denver's a great city. Like every city, they've got a shot. I know [General Manager Kiki] Mr. Vandeweghe. Actually, I call him K-Money or K-Dog."

Expect the Sonics to be among five or six teams to make a push to acquire Nuggets free agent Juwan Howard this summer. The best that the Sonics can offer, though, will be the $4.5 million mid-level exception and all the shots he wants in the Seattle offense.

If Andre Miller opts for altitude as a restricted free agent, it figures to be in Utah instead of Denver. Asked about the cap-rich Nuggets, the Clippers point guard said, "I don't know anybody [in the organization]." When asked about Utah, where he played collegiately, he said, "It's obviously somewhere I'm familiar with."

Hornets forward P.J. Brown said it's too early to start thinking about free agency and whether or not the Hornets will re-sign him at the end at the end of the season, when his contract expires. Hornets coach Paul Silas said it would be a tremendous loss if the Hornets don't re-sign Brown, a Louisiana native who played at Louisiana Tech.

With war in Iraq and martial law recently imposed in Yugoslavia, NBA general managers and scouts are rethinking whether they'll go overseas in the coming weeks to watch Darko Milicic, the projected No. 2 pick this June, along with other potential NBA players.

Here's a sobering thought for Billy Packer: In the first round of this year's NBA draft, the number of foreign players and high school players could well top the number of collegians taken. One league executive estimated that as many as 14 foreign players could be selected in the first round. Even if that's a little high, there appear to be three high schoolers who could make the leap: LeBron James of Akron, Ohio, Kendrick Perkins of Beaumont, Texas, and Travis Outlaw of Starkville, Miss.

After the Washington Wizards' loss Friday night to the Phoenix Suns, an angry Michael Jordan said that he will no longer try to carry the team to the playoffs. "I'm not going to try to save this team," said Jordan after scoring a team-high 14 points. "It's not my job. My job is not to try to carry this team like I did in '84 for the Bulls. We've got young, talented players on this team. If they're going to sit back and expect that I'm going to score 50 points they got a nice little awakening coming up. I told them at halftime, I'm not going to try to carry the team.

So, what does a guy have to do to get some Most Valuable Player consideration around the NBA? If the guy is Detroit Pistons forward/center Ben Wallace, he apparently has to do some more scoring, because he's already doing everything else. Wallace, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, is leading the NBA in rebounds and blocked shots

Despite the inviting spectre of a high school talent such as LeBron James on the NBA horizon as a No. 1 draft pick, the league likes the idea of getting players to college on several fronts. There is the obvious benefit of providing hardwood prodigies maturation away from the harsh NBA lifestyle and schedule, and it also allows teams a longer look at prospects before committing millions on a high first-round draft pick.

Charlotte is considering Seattle's Nate McMillan and ex-Wizards coach Bernie Bickerstaff for its head coaching position. But first, the expansion team wants to hire a GM this summer.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has his opinions about the United States' war in Iraq, but he'd rather keep them to himself. Before Saturday's game against Phoenix, Cuban also defended two of his star players -- Steve Nash and Nick Van Exel -- who have voiced their displeasure about the war, much to the chagrin of some Mavericks fans. "When you listen to sports talk show hosts, particularly here in Dallas, they'll say something to try and get a burst out of somebody, then they spend the next 25 minutes qualifying what they just said," Cuban said. "And Nick, Steve or whoever, doesn't get that chance to put things into context.

That point guard controversy that nagged the Bulls throughout the first four months of the season? Jamal Crawford owns the job, and Jersey guy Jay Williams is his understudy. End of issue.

Phil Jackson hopes that his mind games will have an effect on Rick Adelman and the confident Kings, who have had their way the Lakers this season and could possibly see the Zen-master's squad in the first-round of the playoffs.

Did you know? Sonics Coach Nate McMillan wears a $30,000 Rolex watch, with the inscription "Take It Easy," which Gary Payton gave McMillan upon his retirement as a player in 1999.

Insiders say that agent Aaron Goodwin is close to locking up LeBron James as a client. Goodwin already has Milwaukee's Gary Payton and Bulls guard Jamal Crawford among his clients, but he recently was dropped by Boston's Vin Baker, who is serving a suspension to undergo treatment for alcoholism.

Incredibly, a "Real Sports" segment that caught us up with Darryl Dawkins found Frank Deford extending Dawkins credibility as a social and political scientist. Dawkins claims in the piece - and in his upcoming autobiography - that the influx of European players in the NBA is a racist scheme to infuse the NBA with white faces. A very serious accusation, no?

College Rumors & Notes

John Calipari is interested in leaving Memphis and would like to join the Big East. If Ben Howland leaves Pitt for UCLA, look for Calipari to try and move to Pittsburgh.

Another reason Cleveland State would love to hire onetime CSU assistant and former Clemson University boss Larry Shyatt as men's basketball head coach: Once hired, Shyatt could persuade his old coaching colleagues in the high-profile Atlantic Coast Conference to play regular season games against the Vikings.

If you're a St. Joseph's fan, you might as well prepare for this possibility: Jameer Nelson heading to the NBA. Call it the price of fame. The desire for fortune. The reward for someone who has given so much to so many. Nelson had a field day with everyone who was placed in his path over the past few weeks, almost singlehandedly carrying St. Joe's into the NCAA tournament.

Did you know CBS has insurance that would cover at least half its losses if the NCAA men's basketball tournament had been canceled? In previous years that insurance cost $500,000 but, this year, the price was about $3.5 million.

There are seven coaches with teams in this NCAA Tournament who have won the tournament - Mike Krzyzewski, Rick Pitino, Lute Olsen, Tubby Smith, Jim Calhoun, Tom Izzo and Gary Williams. Of all of them, Michigan State's Izzo has the best winning percentage, at 17-4 (.810).

One of college football's most talked-about recruits for the Class of 2004 has picked a school. Quarterback John David Booty (6-4/195) of Shreveport (La.) Evangel Christian committed to Southern California. He plans to graduate in December and be available to enroll for the spring semester and practice. In the past two years, Booty -- the younger brother of former LSU quarterback Josh Booty -- has passed for 8,474 yards and 88 touchdowns, completing 64 percent of his passes.

Odd Notes & Stuff

Rangers GM/coach Glen Sather wasn't the first to say Islanders goalie Garth Snow "cheats" because of his oversize pads. In fact, the league's whole crackdown on the size of goalie pads, which clearly hasn't worked, was triggered because of Snow's equipment.

L.A. Kings GM Dave Taylor acknowledged that his deadline dealing was necessary to cut the club's payroll, but recognized that trading Ziggy Palffy would leave the team without a marquee player and probably trigger a significant drop in Kings season tickets. "And that's going to be an issue for us in the off-season," Taylor said. "We would like to speak to Ziggy.

So the Calgary Flames and Colorado Avalanche commit a trade deadline blunder with an illegal deal involving Dean McAmmond, and then the league suspends McAmmond for the remainder of the season while neither team gets fined. McAmmond's an innocent victim here, and yet he's the one who can't play. McAmmond should get a lawyer and sue the NHL. Better yet, the players' association should do it for him.

Dino Duva, president of Duva Boxing and promoter for heavyweight Kirk Johnson, has begun talks with representatives of WBC champ Lennox Lewis and HBO about a title bout in June between the Canadian fighters. "It would be the single biggest sporting event in Canadian history," Duva said. "I also believe that it is currently the biggest fight out there for Lennox."

Yes, she is related to Tony Dorsett. But, Bunny Dorsett doesn't make a habit of letting everyone know. Dorsett, who is the niece of the great Pitt and Dallas Cowboys running back, is a defensive back for the Pittsburgh Passion of the National Women's Football Association. While she is grateful to have such solid lineage, Bunny is battling to establish her own identity on the gridiron.

The Hulk Hogan era began in the early 1980s when Hogan arrived to help Bob Backlund in a feud with the Samoans. It could all come to an end in one week when now Hollywood Hogan and Vince McMahon face off in Seattle at WrestleMania 19. Hogan has done it all, and he should be a heavy favorite to have his way with the boss. However, I predict that McMahon will have an opportunity to put Hulkamania away forever. And don't be mis-taken, that is what is on the line. McMahon says if anyone is going to stop Hulkamania, it will be the man who created it--himself. Hogan argues he was the creator and the fans made it what it is.

To understand the ratings drop for "Raw," is to understand the history of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and The Rock. The once magical chemistry between the two feels more formulaic than spontaneous. Since the return of Austin and The Rock's sabbatical from Hollywood, ratings suddenly sparked for WWE's Monday Night staple, peaking at 4.5 three weeks ago. That number was the highest rating for "Raw" since last May.

permalink