Pirates are now negotiating with free agents

The Pirate recently are taking a look at some veteran to fill their ninth-inning vacuum. Attributing a source, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that the Pirates have had several discussions with free-agent reliever Kevin Gregg. The newspaper disputed the sourced report that an offer was made to Dotel, but said there were discussions.

In 72 games for the Cubs in 2009, Gregg was 5-6 with a 4.72 ERA and 23 saves in his cubs jersey. Also Dotel was 3-3 with a 3.62 ERA in 62 games for the White Sox last season.

Red Sox hold "conditional club option" for Lackey

According to The Boston Globe, It is said that behind John Lackey's recently signed five-year contract, the Red Sox hold a "conditional club option" at the minimum salary for the 2015 season to protect themselves in case the pitcher gets hurt. The conditional option would force Lackey to play for the Major League $400,000, if an old elbow injury forced him to miss "significant time" with surgery during the deal.

The right-hander missed time on the disabled list because of an elbow injury while with the Angels during the past two seasons. From 2003-07, Lackey made 33 starts each season. In his eight-year career he has thrown 200-plus innings. Well it seems that the red sox jersey is more "expensive" than other team jerseys.

MLB and WUA will sign new deal

Baseball sources said on Monday that Major League Baseball and the World Umpires Association will agree on an new agreement. The deal, which expires on Dec. 31, has been in negotiation all year and could be announced sometime in the next few days. A baseball official said that a deal is not done yet. MLB is seeking more flexibility in assigning umpires during the postseason.

That issue was negotiated with umpires outside of regular collective bargaining in 2008 and the program was put in place in August of that year. Commissioner Bud Selig said that he would consider expanding replay after missed calls plagued the postseason.

Former Astros scout dies at 95

It is announced that Stan Benjamin, a former scout for the Houston Astros, passed away last Thursday at the age of 95.
Benjamin joined the Astros in 1965 and worked in the organization for nearly 40 years as a scout at the amateur and professional levels. His duties included serving as a Major League scout covering the American League East clubs for several seasons. He also served as Houston's amateur scouting supervisor for the Northeast section of the country.

"Stan was a vital cog in the Astros organization," said Astros president of baseball operations Tal Smith. "He was a keen judge of talent and had great personal associations throughout the game as a result of his long career as a player, high school coach, college basketball official and scout," Smith added. "All of us who knew Stan will have great memories of him."

Fisher and Underwood will get marry

According to a official report, Ottawa Senators forward Mike Fisher and country music singer Carrie Underwood are engaged to be married. TSN reports that Fisher confirmed the news after rumors of engagement began spreading after a friend of Underwood's family congratulated the couple on their upcoming marriage on his Twitter page last Sunday.

Underwood, a past winner of "American Idol" attended the Senators' 4-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild. They have been dating for a year. She won the fourth season of "American Idol" and has sold more than 10 million albums.

A trial has been set for Dodgers ownership

According to a report, a court commissioner has set a May trial which is going to decide whether Jamie McCourt has an ownership stake in the Los Angeles Dodgers. The decision by Superior Court Commissioner Scott M. Gordon means the issue will not be decided by the start of the baseball season.

Frank McCourt, who is the sole owner of the Dodgers, had been struggling for the ownership issue to be heard in February before this season. Jamie McCourt's attorneys wanted the issue decided later in the year. Gordon will hold a two-day hearing in March on how much support Jamie McCourt can receive. The hearing was originally set on April 5.

Winter ice skating comes to Wrigley Field

Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster will throw out the first pitch on the ice in his cubs jersey on Saturday to celebrate the grand opening of an ice skating rink next to Wrigley Field. Tom Tunney and Cubs owners Tom and Laura Ricketts for the festivities are expected to begin at 11 in the morning. General superintendent of the Chicago Park District Tim Mitchell was also scheduled to attend. Ice dancers from the Starlights Synchronized Skating organization will perform, followed by a skate with participants from the news conference and opening ceremony.

The Rink at Wrigley will open to the public for the first time following the opening ceremony. The rink was to be open on Wednesday, but it was delayed due to the weather. The ice rink is located on the west side of Wrigley Field near the corner of Clark Street and Waveland Avenue. On Jan. 1, Wrigley Field is going to host the NHL Winter Classic between the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings.

A Collegiate baseball player was found dead

According to the Associated Press, a collegiate baseball player from Cal State Long Beach was found dead in a creek last week. A search and rescue team found the body of James Wernke, who disappeared over the weekend, at about 10 a.m. in what was described as a "steep, rain-swollen creek". He was last seen there walking his girlfriend's dog. Police Lt. Alex Bastreri also told the AP that rescuers assume Wernke fell into the creek. And there were no immediate signs of trauma.

Wernke disappeared last Saturday while walking a yellow Labrador. A nursing major at Santa Ana College, Wernke had just landed a baseball scholarship at Cal State Long Beach. He was a left-handed pitcher and was drafted by the Athletics in the 41st round but chose to go to college instead. If he had put on a mlb jersey, maybe he would have been an excellent mlb player.

Spezza may be out for weeks

According to a report in the Ottawa Sun, Senators forward Jason Spezza suffered a right knee injury and is expected to be out for several weeks. "It looks fairly serious. Right knee," coach Cory Clouston said after the team's Tuesday practice. "It means we're going to have to be more of a team than ever. It's a great opportunity for some guys."

Clouston said the injury is similar to one suffered several weeks ago by Chris Neil. The team is still awaiting more information, if it is similar to Neil's injury then he could miss four to six weeks. "We will know more tonight," said Clouston. "It's all speculation right now." Maybe he will take off his senators jersey and rest for a period of time.

Brodeur appears in NHL Hour

Martin Brodeur will be the guest on Thursday's NHL Hour with Commissioner Gary Bettman which can be heard on NHL.com and Sirius XM Radio at 3 p.m. ET. Broderu tied Terry Sawchuk at the top of all-time list. His next chance to own the record himself comes Friday against the Florida Panthers.

Earlier this season, Brodeur set the all-time mark and last season broke Patrick Roy's all-time wins record. He's also four games away from passing Roy to become the all-time leader in games played by a goalie. The NHL Hour With Gary Bettman encourages fans to call in with questions for the Commissioner.

Burke meets with five NHL GMs

Toronto Maple Leafs GM Burke, who is also the GM for Team USA, met with the five other NHL GMs who make up the selection committee. Burke is confident about the majority of America's 23-man roster is in place, with the 2010 Olympic Games just two months away. But there are still decisions to be made. "Canada can be wrong on three or four players and it's not going to change their team." Burke told The Globe and Mail in Toronto.

Team USA's roster will be named at Fenway Park on Jan .1 during the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic. Many fans believe Canada will win the gold medal on home ice. "Every time in this tournament will be bet on Canada and Russia," Burke said. "No one is betting on us and that's okay. But we're there to win."

Center fielder expressed desire to remain in the team

It is reported that both outfielder Marlon Byrd and catcher Ivan Rodriguez have turned down the Rangers' offer with Rodriguez agreeing to a two-year deal with the Nationals. The Rangers is in the hope of being able to re-sign Byrd to be their starting center fielder, and Byrd says that he wants to stay with the team. "We'll leave that one open," general manager Jon Daniels said. "We're in the same spot with Marlon. He's getting a sense of what the market is."

Also club officials are looking at other options and investigating the possibility of signing a veteran catcher to go along with Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Taylor Teagarden.

Outfielder signs one-year deal with Atlanta

The Associated Press reported that the Braves have avoided arbitration with Matt Diaz by signing the outfielder to a one-year deal. Diaz is projected as one of Atlanta's starting corner outfielders in 2010 after batting .313 and posting career highs with 13 homers and 12 stolen bases in 125 games in his braves jersey last season.

The contract represents a raise of more than $1 million he earned in 2009. With Diaz now under contract, the Braves' only remaining arbitration-eligible players are left-hander Boone Logan and right-hander Peter Moylan. Second baseman Kelly Johnson was non-tendered on Saturday afternoon.

Garko becomes a free agent

The Giants announced that they refused to tender first baseman Ryan Garko a 2010 contract. Garko was expected to be a run producer after the Giants obtained him from Cleveland for Minor League left-hander Scott Barnes on July 27. He hit .235 with two home runs, 12 RBIs.

Economics can account for Garko's leaving. He was eligible for salary arbitration, which would have guaranteed him a significant pay increase from his 2009 base salary. San Francisco faces arbitration cases with two-time Cy Young Award-winning right-hander Tim Lincecum and closer Brian Wilson, who are guaranteed astronomical raises. Left-hander Jonathan Sanchez and right-hander Brandon Medders also are arbitration-eligible. In addition, the Giants' pursuit of free-agent first basemen Nick Johnson and Adam LaRoche demonstrates that Garko would have occupied a subordinate role.
Now Garko has to take off his giants jersey and have a rest for a while.

Sidney Crosby injures his groin

It is reported that Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will not play on Saturday night in a showdown with the Blackhawks because of a groin injury.

"My groin is bothering me a bit," Crosby said. "I won't be playing tonight. It's something that's been bothering me for three or four days and I'm going to sit this one out. When it's getting worse each day, it's not a good sign. I've missed periods of time over the last few years with groin and I kind of know when it's time to take a step back and make sure that I'm careful. I feel like I'm at that point."

Capitals claim Chris Bourque off waivers

According to the Washington Capitals, the team have claimed forward Chris Bourque off waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins and assigned him to the AHL's Hershey Bears. Bourque returns to the Washington organization after recording 3 assists in 20 games this season for the Penguins in pittsburgh penguins jersey.

Bourque was the Capitals’ second-round choice in the 2004 Entry Draft and has scored 1 goal in 12 career games with Washington. He has played four seasons with the Bears and helped Hershey win the Calder Cup in 2006 and 2009. Last season, he scored 21 goals and 52 assists in 69 games in the Hershey scoring race with 73 points. Bourque tallied five goals and 16 assists in 22 playoff games.

Cam Ward is not in the injured list

President and General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes Jim Rutherford announced that the team has activated Cam Ward from the long-term injured list. Ward has missed the Hurricanes' last 13 games after being cut on his leg by a skate on Nov. 7. He is eligible to play in his carolina hurricanes jersey at New Jersey on Dec. 9.

Now he is in his fifth NHL season, and has compiled a 122-86-21 record in 239 regular-season games with the Hurricanes. Ward is the franchise's all-time leader in playoff wins and he captured the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2006 as the Most Valuable Player. The Hurricanes drafted Ward in the first round in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

Orioles decline arbitration to four agents

According to the Baltimore Sun, the Orioles decided not to offer arbitration to any of their four free agents including their third baseman Melvin Mora. It reported that the arbitration was not offered to Mora, relievers Danys Baez and Mark Hendrickson and catcher Chad Moeller.

Mora may have gotten the Orioles "sandwich pick" in between the first and second rounds of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft if he had been offered arbitration by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday and ended up signing with another club. But if he had accepted the Orioles' offer and chose to sign with the club, Baltimore would have to pay him at least $8 million next year.
Well accroding to the report Hendrickson is the most likely of the four players to rejoin the Orioles. Hope all of them can stay in the Orioles and play for their team in their orioles jerseys.

Pat Courtney is named 2009 Fishel Award recipient

Major League Baseball's vice president of public relations Pat Courtney was named recipient of the 2009 Robert O. Fishel Award for Public Relations Excellence Yesterday. He has been a member of the Major League Commissioner's Office for 18 years since 2003. Courtney was honored for his efforts in being a conduit to all 30 Major League clubs as well as a connection between reporters and the Commissioner's Office.

In his most significant roles, Courtney oversees all media operations during the World Series, All-Star Games and in collaboration with the MLB Players Association, the World Baseball Classic. His performance of those duties helped him earn this award.

Courtney is the 28th recipient of this award. Winners of this award are selected by a vote of active past winners and the Baseball Writers Association of America leadership compiled by 30 club representatives and American and National League officials. He was a New Jersey native and 1989 University of Richmond graduate.

Avalanche acquire Foote and Hendricks

The Colorado Avalanche announced that the team has acquired defenseman Adam Foote and forward Matt Hendricks from the injured reserve list. Both of them will be available in the game against the Minnesota Wild at Pepsi Center.
Foote has missed the last five games after suffering the injury on Nov. 17 at Calgary. Hendricks has missed the last six games due to a groin injury. He was placed on Nov. 19. Hendricks has two goals in 15 games this year in the nhl jersey.

The team also announced that the club has placed defenseman Kyle Cumiskey on IR and claimed defenseman Tom Preissing on waivers.

Gustavsson will undergo procedure this weekend

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced on Thursday that goaltender Jonas Gustavsson will undergo a heart procedure this weekend. The first procedure took place on September 15, 2009 during the training camp. The determination was made after he was examined several days ago by medical specialists.

Gustavsson played the first period in Tuesday's game at Montreal in toronto maple leafs jersey. Defenceman Carl Gunnarsson sustained a hyper-extended left elbow in the game against Buffalo Sabres. He is expected to be out of the lineup for about six weeks.