Friday Tidbits: Feb. 13, 2009

Happy Birthday JP!

Luke Ridnour (thumb) will miss a month. The NBA messed around and took away LeBron’s Triple-double.  Charlotte traded Adam Morrison to the Lakers for Vladimir Radmanovic.  The Lakers snapped Cleveland’s home winning streak.  They also snapped 12 & 19 game winning streaks by the Celtics this year.  Steve Nash handed out 21 assists. 

Al Jefferson tore his ACL.  Sasha Pavlovic (ankle) will miss a month or so.  Doc Rivers got fined $15K.  Jason Terry broke his hand.  O.J. Mayo, Kevin Durant, and Joe Johnson will play a game of H-O-R-S-E as part of the All-Star festivities.  Mo Williams finally got named to the All-Star Game.  He replaced Chris Bosh. 

Chris Paul returned for the Hornets.  Cavs Coach Mike Brown got fined $25K for criticizing garbage ref Joey Crawford.  Rajon Rondo messed around and got a Triple-Double.


St. Louis cut Manny Legace.  Sean Avery was put on waivers.  Detroit’s Tomas Holmstrom will miss a month or more after hernia surgery.  Thomas Vanek (jaw) will miss a month.  Columbus put Steve Mason on the IR.  Andy McDonald signed a four-year extension with St. Louis. 

Sean Avery signed with the Rangers AHL affiliate.  Boston’s Michael Ryder will be out for three weeks after facial surgery.  Edmonton’s Lubomir Visnovsky (shoulder) will miss the rest of the year.  Pittsburgh D Sergei Gonchar (shoulder) has been cleared to play.  He hadn’t played all year. 

Mike Green tied a record for Defensemen with a goal in his seventh straight game.  Montreal’s Tomas Plekanec got suspended two games for tripping Denis Grebeshkov.  The Islanders will be without Doug Weight (knee) for six weeks.

Shutouts:  Nashville’s Dan Ellis vs. Minnesota, Tampa Bay’s Mike McKenna vs. NY Islanders, Detroits’ Ty Conklin vs. Pittsburgh, New Jersey’s Scott Clemmensen vs. NY Rangers, Columbus’ Dan LaCosta vs. Colorado, Phoenix’s Ilya Bryzgalov vs. Dallas, Florida’s Tomas Vokoun vs. Carolina, Calgary’s Miikka Kiprusoff vs. LA Kings

Randy Wolf signed with the Dodgers.  Word came out that A-Roid failed a steroid test in 2003 as well.  He admitted to taking PEDs from 2001-2003.  Baltimore signed George Sherrill. 

Shawn Hill won his arbitration case with the Nationals.  The Twins signed Luis Ayala.  Toronto signed Shawn Camp.  Ryan Howard signed a three-year deal worth $54 million.  Andruw Jones signed a Minor League contract with Texas.  If he can’t hit there, it’s beer league softball for him. 

Kansas City signed Mark Teahan.  St. Louis cut Adam Kennedy. Tampa signed Morgan Ensberg to a Minor League deal.  Jeff Weaver signed a Minor League deal with the Dodgers.  Miguel Tejada got charged with lying about his steroid use.  Tampa Bay won its arbitration case with Dioner Navarro. 

Adam Dunn signed a two-year deal with the Nationals worth $20 Million or what Mark Teixeira has in his change jar.  Bobby Abreu signed with the Angels.  Dan Uggla won his arbitration case with the Marlins.  Rick Ankiel signed a one-year deal with the Cardinals. 

Delmon Young signed with the Twins.  Braden Looper signed a one-year deal with Milwaukee.  Old Bud Selig said A-Rod shamed baseball. Bud, you shamed baseball.  How do you like them apples?

 

Todd Haley was named the new Kansas City Chiefs Coach.  The Cardinals will be without both Coordinators last year as D Coordinator Clancy Pendergast was canned.  The NFC beat the AFC in the Pro Bowl. 

Larry Fitzgerald scored 2 TDs and was named MVP.  You don’t see guys who play in the Super Bowl go all out in the Pro Bowl.  This guy is special.  Jamal Anderson was doing the Dirty Bird after he got picked up on drug charges.

Tampa re-signed Luke McCown.  The Giants signed David Carr and cut Sam Madison, Sammy Knight, and Reuben Droughns.  Big Ben claimed to have broken ribs during the Super Bowl.  Houston cut Ahman Green and Morlon Greenwood.  Hines Ward had shoulder surgery.  No. 4 retired…again. 

Jacksonville cut Joey Porter and Drayton Florence.  The Raiders picked Bruce Gradkowski off of waivers. 

South Florida beat #8 Marquette.  #16 Villanova beat #20 Syracuse as Dante Cunningham scored 31.  Nebraska beat #17 Texas.  DeJuan Blair had 32 points, 14 rebounds as #5 Pitt beat DePaul.  Duquense beat #9 Xavier. 

Florida State beat #10 Clemson.  Ohio State beat #19 Minnesota.  #15 Memphis beat #18 Gonzaga.  Indiana suspended Devan Dumes for throwing an elbow at Michigan State’s Tom Herzog.  #21 Illinois beat #13 Purdue.

#19 Missouri beat #15 Kansas.  #13Villanova beat #12 Marquette.  Dayton beat #14 Xavier.  #1 UConn beat #22 Syracuse.  NC State upset #8 Wake Forest.  #3 UNC beat #5 Duke.  Luke Harangody had 32 points & 17 rebounds as Notre Dame pasted #7 Louisville.  #18 Arizona State beat #6 UCLA.

 

Georgia Tech’s Jerrard Tarrant was re-instated after his rape chargers were dropped.  Oklahoma State suspended WR Bo Bowling after he was arrested for drug possession.

Michigan State WR Mitchell White pleaded guilty to assaulting fellow Spartan A.J. Sturges of the hockey team. Iowa signed Coach Kirk Ferentz to a seven-year extension.

Nick Watney won the Buick Invitational.  Vance Veazey won the Panama Championship on the Nationwide tour.  Katherine Hull won the Australian Ladies Masters.  Robert Garrigus and Dustin Johnson lead the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Kevin Harvick won the Budweiser Shootout.  Martin Truex, Jr. and Mark Martin got the top two starting spots for the Daytona 500.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat  Jeremy Chardy in the ATP SA Tennis Open.  Marin Cilic beat Mario Ancic in the ATP PBZ Zagreb Indoors.  Fernando Gonzalez beat Jose Acasuso in the Movistar Open.

That concludes the Tidbits. As always feel free to add any stories you liked this week in sports or discuss any of the stories I mentioned.  Be sure to check out my Links Page for some great sites.