La Russa to step down after season
Nearing the halfway point of a two-year contract with a team that isn't going to make the postseason, word is that Cards Manager Tony La Russa may follow through on the threat he made last off-season to just walk away from St. Louis. This time the word is that he wants to become a GM and the scuttlebutt is that he could end up calling the shots in Seattle. (Baseball Prospectus)

A-Rod saying Yankees are done?
Alex Rodriguez slipped advertently when he talked about Toronto as if it's out of the race for the postseason. Problem is, the Yanks are behind the Blue Jays in the standings so if Toronto is out, that must mean . . . (Newsday)

K-Rod headed to Cards or Tigers
It's early to be making predictions but nobody seems to think the Angels of Anaheim will be able to retain closer Francisco Rodriguez this off-season when he becomes a free agent. The Tigers appear to be the front-runners at this juncture but the Cardinals are also rumored to have huge interest. And why not? At the beginning of the weekend the ST. Louis 'pen had 30 blown saves and 30 bullpen losses. (Boston Globe)

Rangers to trade Laird for pitching
Rangers catcher Gerald Laird isn't very happy about sharing playing time with Taylor Teagarden but word is that he should start really enjoying his time in Texas because it's very likely that Laird will get traded in the off-season for pitching help. The Yanks are apparently looking for some backstop help. (Most Valuable Network)

Kent growing more likely to retire
When Jeff Kent hurt his left knee and went out for the rest of the season, there was some speculation that he may be done for his career. It's now apparently becoming a foregone conclusion that the Dodger second baseman is going to hang up his cleats in the off-season. (And his teammates are apparently shedding no tears about his absence.) (Chicago Tribune. L.A. Times)

NBA

Riley wants redo in New York
Everybody loves Pat Riley this week. One of the newest members of the NBA Hall of Fame is walking around on Cloud 9 but there is one part of his career he seems to wish he could adjust a little bit: his tenure with the Knicks. A couple of things he wouldn't mind revising: living in Connecticut instead of New York, a factor that may have helped his burnout and finding a finesse player to team up with the bruising Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley, and Anthony Mason. It would have helped if he had taught Charles Smith how to make a layup under pressure as well. (Miami Herald)

Knicks sending Randolph to Memphis
The Knicks have seemingly been trying to get rid of Zach Randolph since the first Patrick Ewing was still on the team. Now it's looking Donnie Walsh has finally gotten his wish and Randolph will be headed to Memphis. A trade like this will give New York an extra $10 million to play with when the summer of 2010 rolls around and folks like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudamire, and, um, Chuck Hayes all become free agents. Word is the Knicks will get Darko Milicic and Marko Jaric. At least attendance by Serbian basketball fans will skyrocket in New York. (New York Post)

Wells returning to Hornets?
Early this off-season, New Orleans was rumored to be interested in re-signing Bonzi Wells after he came there in February from Houston. And the rumors are persisting. Talks are supposedly underway and could be wrapped up before training camp gets started. After all, Wells comes "cheap:" He only made $2.3 million last year. (HoopsWorld)

Houston still planning comeback with Knicks
Word came this summer that Allan Houston was thinking that he'd try and get back on the NBA hardwood and rumor has it that he's still serious – and the Knicks are going to give him the chance. As long as he gets out of their hair by the summer of 2010, New York doesn't really care what Houston does. (Newsday)

NFL

QB Young could be done in Tennessee
Vince Young will be out for Few weeks due to injury but word is the Titans may want to just go ahead and dump the young quarterback now after he didn't bother to come out onto the field with the rest of the offense at one point during his team's victory against the Jaguars. He's apparently a sensitive soul and was busy blaming other players for various mishaps that had happened throughout the game. Way to build team spirit, Vince. (Tennessean)

Pats looking at QBs Simms and Ratty
Chris Simms spent the whole off-season trying to catch on with one team or another and now, thanks to what Randy Moss thought was a dirty hit on Tom Brady, appears to be his chance. Rumor has it that he'll audition for the Patriots today. The team will also supposedly bring in free agent quarterback Tim Ratty, who has been around the league for eight years and played last year with Arizona. (Boston Globe)

Barber looking doubtful for nest week
The ribs of Marion Barber will be getting lots of attention this week from the media and the Cowboys medical staff. X-Rays were negative and the Cowboys are supposedly thinking he'll be ready to play against Philly next week but there are some who seriously doubt Barber's ribs will be able to heal up quickly enough. (Dallas Morning News)

Reebok won't change Ocho Cinco's name
Chad Ocho Cinco warmed up Sunday wearing a shirt that had his brand-new last name on the back but played the game with his former last name, Johnson, on it. Apparently, Reebok, which makes the jersey, hasn't allowed the change to happen just yet for some unknown reason. You'd think they'd jump at the chance to sell more shirts to Ocho Cinco fans across America. (Cincinnati Enquirer)

Bengals to sign Shaun Alexander
Running back (and former NBL MVP) Shaun Alexander has been getting bounced around pretty good since Seattle cut him back in April. Now it's looking like a few teams are interested in signing him and the Bengals may be at the front of the pack. After all, that's where Alexander is from and all of his relatives in northern Kentucky are apparently already banking on the 31-year-old making that choice. (Akron Beacon Journal)

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