Iverson no longer a Grizzly
After appearing in just three games, former All-Star guard Allen Iverson’s tenure with the Memphis Grizzlies is over. Iverson, who took a leave of absence from the team over a week ago for “personal reasons,” was waived by the Grizzlies on Monday night. If Iverson clears waivers, as he is expected to, he will become an unrestricted free agent. The 34-year-old never played a home game for the Grizzlies, and expressed displeasure about coming off of the bench in the limited time he was with the team. The Grizzlies started their young core players over the aging veteran, leading to Iverson being a bench player for arguably the first time in his career. Iverson’s next move is unclear, but few teams showed an interest in signing “the Answer” this past offseason.
MLB announces Rookies of the Year
Baseball’s postseason awards period began on Monday, as the league announced the Rookies of the Year for each league. Florida Marlins left fielder Chris Coghlan took home the hardware in the National League, and Oakland A’s closer Andrew Bailey won the award in the American League. Bailey finished the season with 26 saves and an ERA of 1.84, and edged out Philadelphia Phillies pitcher J.A. Happ, who finished second in the NL balloting. Coghlan, who was originally a second baseman, batted .321 as the Marlins lead-off hitter, while bashing nine home runs, driving in 47 runs and posting an OPS of .850. Coghlan is the third Marlin to win the award since 2003, joining Dontrelle Willis (’03) and Hanley Ramirez (’06).
Report: Forsberg to remain at home
It’s become a yearly tradition in the NHL: which team will former great Peter Forsberg join for a late season run at the Cup? This year, the answer is, apparently, “none of the above.” Forsberg, who has been rumored to be skating in his homeland of Sweden in preparation for a return to the NHL, is staying in Sweden this season, according to TSN.ca. The site quoted Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis as saying that Forsberg was planning on playing out the remainder of the season with Modo, his Swedish Elite League team. Vancouver was one of the teams expected to bid on Foppa’s services. Despite the apparent lack of a Forsberg sighting on an NHL rink this season, make room on next year’s calendar for the “Foppa Sweepstakes.” Forsberg, despite battling chronic foot problems for years, is said to be shooting for a return to the NHL in 2010-2011.
Owner fined for “obscene gesture”
Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams’ wallet is a bit lighter this week, as he was fined $250,000 by the NFL for making an “obscene gesture” towards Buffalo Bills fans both while in his suite and on the field celebrating the Titans’ 41-17 victory. According to FoxSports.com, Adams “flipped the bird” in the direction of Bills fans, and was subsequently fined by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. The 86-year old Adams later apologized, saying that he was simply caught up in the emotion of the game.
Additional “Classic” event announced
As the calendar inches closer to Jan. 1, the buzz for the NHL/Bridgestone Winter Classic continues to grow, and earlier this week, the Bruins announced that another marquee event will be held on the Fenway Park rink. The event is called the AT&T Boston Bruins Legends Classic, and according to Boston.com, will take place on Jan 2. at 2 p.m. The game will feature a variety of Bruins and NHL legends, as well as celebrities. NHL’ers expected to suit up include Brian Leetch, Bob Sweeney, Cam Neely, Terry O’Reilly and Brad Park, while the likes of Denis Leary, Tim Robbins and Bobby Farrelly are expected to represent Hollywood.
