Wizards decide not to match Knicks' offer for Jeffries
Basketball Betting Lines
08/07/2006 - WASHINGTON (AP) -Having found a cheaper and more enthusiastic alternative in DeShawn Stevenson, the Washington Wizards said Monday they won't match the New York Knicks' offer sheet for restricted free agent Jared Jeffries. The Wizards had seven days to match the Knicks' five-year, $30 million deal. They spent the week signing Stevenson - who, like Jeffries, is known for his perimeter defense - to a contract that will pay him the NBA minimum of $932,000 for the upcoming season. ``Jared's representative made it crystal clear that he preferred being in New York,'' Wizards president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld said. ``And we feel we have plenty of players who can take up the slack. We have players that want to be here.'' The 6-foot-11, 240-pound Jeffries, selected by Washington with the 11th overall pick in the 2002 draft, has averaged 6.1 points and 4.9 rebounds in four seasons with the Wizards. Last season he started 77 games and averaged 6.4 points, but his greatest asset was his versatility as a defender. Grunfeld said the Wizards will make up for Jeffries' absence with Stevenson and the return of Jarvis Hayes, who missed most of last season with a knee injury. The Wizards have also signed forward Darius Songaila and have high hopes for second-year player Andray Blatche, who played well during summer league games. ``We've added a lot of toughness to this ballclub,'' Grunfeld said. ``Our toughness is going to get better, as well as our competitiveness. We're deep at every position. In all likelihood, this is the team we're going to camp with, and we're very comfortable with it.'' A tentative Wizards starting lineup has either Stevenson or Hayes playing next to All-Star point guard Gilbert Arenas, with forwards Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison and probably center Brendan Haywood in the frontcourt. Training camp begins in early October. When listing the key contributors for the upcoming season, Grunfeld did not mention first-round draft pick Oleksiy Pecherov, the latest indication that the Wizards are leaning against buying out the contract the 20-year-old Ukrainian has with a French team. With Washington's roster more or less set, Pecherov could benefit from the greater playing time he would get from another year in Europe before coming to the NBA. ``We think he has a good future in front of him,'' Grunfeld said. ``But he's only 20 years old, so we don't want to put too much pressure on him at this time.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Buck O'Neil hospitalized for fatigue; resting comfortably
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -Former Negro Leagues star Buck O'Neil was resting comfortably Monday after being hospitalized over the weekend.The 94-year-old O'Neil was admitted to a hospital Saturday after complaining that he didn't feel well, said Bob Ken
<< Could outrage over cycling, track spill over into MLB? Not.
Cycling and track and field yanked their biggest stars off the marquee in a matter of days after they were implicated in doping cases. Now that those sports have turned summer's center stage back over to baseball, can fans still seething over the us
<< Sunday's NFL Preseason Summary
Oakland 0 7 3 6-16Philadelphia 7 3 0 0-10First QuarterPhi-Westbrook 1 run (Akers kick), 7:50.Second QuarterOak-Anderson 12 pass from Brooks (Janikowski kick), 14:12.Phi-FG Akers 55, 9:41.Third QuarterOak-FG Janikowski 51, 2:42.Fourth
<< Raiders 16, Eagles 10
CANTON, Ohio (AP) -At least the placekickers were in good form.Sebastian Janikowski made field goals of 50, 51 and 24 yards Sunday night, lifting the Oakland Raiders past the Philadelphia Eagles 16-10 in the Hall of Fame game to open the NFL preseas
<< Notes from Sunday's games
OAKLAND: CF Mark Kotsay left Sunday's game in the seventh inning with back spasms but not before extending his hitting streak to 13 games with a single in the third inning. His career high is 16 games. ... DH Frank Thomas had four RBIs Sunday and mo
Lilly scratched from start due to stiff neck >>
TORONTO (AP) -Blue Jays left-hander Ted Lilly was scratched from his scheduled start Monday against the Baltimore Orioles because of a stiff neck.Lilly, 9-10 with a 4.22 ERA this season, was replaced by right-hander Brian Tallet for the opener of th
Thrashers re-sign Vigier >>
ATLANTA (AP) -J.P. Vigier, who missed half of last season due to injuries, re-signed with the Atlanta Thrashers on Monday.The 29-year-old forward had four goals and six assists in 41 games last season. He missed 14 games with a broken foot and then
Thome and Garciaparra among 12 finalists for baseball's comeback players of the year >>
NEW YORK (AP) -Jim Thome and Nomar Garciaparra were among 12 finalists selected Monday to vie for the comeback player of the year awards in the AL and NL.Thome and Garciaparra have bounced back from injury-plagued seasons with new clubs.Thome, trade
Panthers' Smith inching closer to return >>
SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) -Carolina All-Pro receiver Steve Smith appeared closer to returning from a hamstring injury Monday, going through agility drills and catching balls on the side during the Panthers' afternoon workout.Smith, who strained his lef
Monday's MLB Transactions >>
LOS ANGELES ANGELS-Extended their contract with the Arkansas Travelers of the Texas League through the 2008 season.National LeagueCINCINNATI REDS-Acquired RHP Ryan Franklin from Philadelphia for cash and a player to be named. Placed RHP Gary Majewsk
The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.
New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).
The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. online football betting Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.
Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.
Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.
The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.
Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.
The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.
Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.
However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).
The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.
Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.
In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.
Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.
Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.
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Bonds nearly hits HR 751, SF wins
4 and drove in
a pair of runs, and Barry Bonds nearly hit homer No. 751 as San Francisco beat
1, in the middle contest of three at AT&T Park.
6) allowed five hits and one run over 6 2/3 innings, fanning
eight and walking three.
game slide.
Bonds, who came within five homers of Hank Aaron's record on Friday, went
1 with three walks, an RBI double and scored twice. The double ...
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