NFL: Report: Cowboys to Retain Wade Phillips

Despite an embarrassing 34-3 playoff loss in Minnesota Sunday, the Cowboys will reportedly bring Wade Phillips back for his fourth season as the team’s head coach.

ESPN’s Ed Werder, citing a high-ranking Dallas team source, reported Monday that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones plans to retain Phillips, whose contract includes a team-option year for the 2010 season.

Phillips’ fate has been up in the air all year, as Jones has opted not to offer him an extension. The Dallas owner has, however, voiced his support for Phillips on multiple occasions during the season — one in which Dallas finished 11-5, won the NFC East (for the second time in Phillips’ three years) and beat Philadelphia in a wild-card round playoff game.

“I really don’t know how you can sit here and make a change with the winningest-percentage coach that we’ve had in the history of the Cowboys,” Jones told reporters after Dallas’ Week 17 division-clinching win over Philadelphia.

Phillips is 33-15 in three years as Dallas’ head coach and 1-2 in the playoffs. For his NFL head coaching career, Phillips holds an 81-54 record — he has coached Denver, Buffalo and Dallas, in addition to brief in-season stints with New Orleans and Atlanta.

Dallas’ opening-round win over Philadelphia was Phillips’ first career postseason win. Following Sunday’s loss at Minnesota, he’s 1-5 all-time in the playoffs.

“It’s like the elevator falling from the top. It’s tough when it’s over,” Phillips said following Dallas’ season-ending defeat. “If you don’t win it all, you have not reached your goal.”

For now, it appears that Phillips will get at least one more shot to get Dallas over the top.

MLB: New York Mets, Scott Boras still bickering about Carlos Beltran’s surgery

No one seems willing to put aside the flap between the Mets and Carlos Beltran following the center fielder’s arthroscopic surgery last week. Perhaps the air is notso clear after all between the two sides, and bruised feelings linger.

Two days ago, GM Omar Minaya said the Mets have a “good relationship” with Beltran and weren’t unhappy with him, but with “the process” that led to the operation and not getting a chance to get an additional opinion on the diagnosis made by Beltran’s personal physician. Yesterday, Beltran’s agent, Scott Boras, said he wanted to “define the process.”

“This is an internal issue (for the Mets),” Boras said. “Carlos Beltran was not at fault. He followed the orders of the Met doctor, who told (Beltran’s doctor) to go ahead with the surgery (Wednesday morning).”

Boras said that Beltran’s physician, Dr. Richard Steadman, called Mets physician Dr. David Altchek on Tuesday afternoon and, “after hearing Steadman’s diagnosis, Altchek gave the OK.

“If Altchek and the Mets didn’t want the surgery and the Mets didn’t want the surgery, Altchek had the authority and control to direct Steadman not to do it.”

Boras noted that Beltran had called Minaya on Tuesday night to tell him about the surgery, and Minaya did not put the brakes on the operation.

“Omar spoke to Carlos after Dr. Altcheck made his decision and if the Mets chose to stop what Dr. Altcheck initiated, they had every opportunity to tell Carlos during that conversation or anytime that evening,” Boras said. “Altchek’s decision to proceed was the correct one as Steadman found 20-30 cartilage fragments in the knee and now Carlos has a chance to return early in the season.

“Without doing that, he may have been lost to the Mets for a substantial part of the season. Altchek did his job well. And Carlos is a dutiful employee.“

Minaya didn’t disagree with that assertion – “We have talked about this enough. As we’ve said, we have no issues with Carlos or the doctors. Our focus is getting Carlos back on the field,” he said in an e-mail – but the club’s actions tell a different story.

The Mets sent a letter to Boras outlining their unhappiness with what they maintain was a break in protocol, in order to reserve any legal rights they may have regarding Beltran’s contract. The Mets also have contacted Major League Baseball to discuss options, but the Players Association said last week the Mets have “no basis to assert Carlos Beltran violated his contract.”

It seems unlikely anything would happen with Beltran on the mend. He is supposed to resume baseball activity in 12 weeks. “His rehab is going well and he’s feeling very good about his prognosis to return to play,” Boras said.

MLB: Frank McCourt says divorce won’t affect Dodgers

The Dodgers have stayed on the sidelines of the free-agent market this winter and their season-ticket sales are down, but owner Frank McCourt said Friday that the fans he has spoken to stand firmly behind the team.

“I talk to fans too,” McCourt said in his first interview with The Times since it became public that he and his wife and former club president, Jamie McCourt, planned to divorce. “They’re very excited about the team. They’re very supportive of what we’re doing.”

McCourt declared the Dodgers are “headed in the right direction,” pointing to how they have reached the postseason in four of the last six seasons and settled on an organizational philosophy of building around a group of homegrown players.

“We’re going to do what it takes to put a winning team on the field,” he said. “We’re going to do that a smart way. We might not do it the way other people have done it. We’re going to do it our way.”

McCourt said that his team’s lack of activity in the free-agent market should not be interpreted as a sign that his team is facing financial difficulties as a result of his personal situation.

“My divorce has no bearing on the club whatsoever,” he said.

McCourt said the Dodgers will return a majority of the team that reached the National League Championship Series last season, and added, “We’re not through the off-season yet.“

McCourt was not specific on how much financial latitude General Manager Ned Colletti would have to sign players before the start of spring training next month. Jamey Carroll, who signed a two-year, $3.85-million deal last month, is the only free agent the Dodgers have signed to a major league contract this winter.

Alluding to recent high-priced free-agent signings such as Andruw Jones and Jason Schmidt who didn’t work out, McCourt cautioned that spending large amounts of money on players does not necessarily translate into victories.

“I’ve learned the hard way it’s not that easy,” he said.

So if the Dodgers cut their spending on free agents, does that mean they will allocate their resources elsewhere?

“I’m not going to get into a conversation with you on how we spend our resources,” McCourt said.

Kemp, Billingsley avoid arbitration

The Dodgers avoided salary arbitration with center fielder Matt Kemp and pitcher Chad Billingsley by agreeing to new deals.

Kemp was signed to a two-year, $10.95-million contract that buys him out of his first two years of arbitration. Kemp will earn $4 million this year.

Billingsley signed a one-year, $3.85-million contract.

In addition to Kemp, the Dodgers are looking to sign arbitration-eligible players such as Andre Ethier, Jonathan Broxton and James Loney to multiyear deals.

Loney’s agent, Joe Urbon, said his client is focused on signing a one-year deal.

Ethier, Broxton, Loney, Russell Martin, George Sherrill and Hong-Chih Kuo filed for arbitration Friday. They will trade salary figures with the Dodgers on Tuesday unless they agree to deals before then.

LA to Scout Sheets

The Dodgers are among the teams that will scout pitcher Ben Sheetswhen he works out for interested teams Tuesday, according to a club official who asked that their name not be used because they were not authorized to speak on this topic. Sheets, who missed the entire 2009 season because of elbow surgery, is believed to be asking for a contract worth $10 million a season. Sheets spent eight years with the Milwaukee Brewers before his latest injury.

NBA: For Amar’e, Suns Tenure Could Go Either Way

The agent for Amar’e Stoudemire, Happy Walters, will meet with Suns management soon to begin discussing a potential extension for the high-octane forward, reports Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. The assumption from both outside and apparently inside is that the Suns and Stoudemire don’t have the same dollar figure in mind, and that could lead to the Suns thinking trade before the league’s February trade deadline.

Coro suggests Amar’e is looking for Pau Gasol, near max contract money. (Gasol recently signed an extension worth $57 million for three years during the Laker’s 30s.) The Suns have been so hot-and-cold on Amar’e that it’s almost assured that pricetag is too high. The gamble at that point is in betting that a free agent market focused on the ultra-stars this summer will leave Amar’e in a pickle, and will leave Phoenix open to bidding closer to their price come July. The flip side of that bet is that the team could lose its No. 2 player and No. 2 asset for nothing.

And while Coro comes off as pessimistic as to whether the trade offers which will come in February will be enough to entice Phoenix, I have no doubt they can only improve. By all accounts, Stoudemire’s defense is still problematic. But his rebounding has improved dramatically over last season’s rough campaign (he’s back to his career standard) and his scoring is still ultra-efficient. He’s a real catch, with less of the mitigating issues which sunk his value last season.

Pending Chris Bosh movement, Amar’e could also be the best chance for a non-2010 bonanza team to slip in and make a massive upgrade. Phoenix will obviously want talent in order to give up such a solid asset, but expiring contracts could also help the Suns become a minor player in this summer’s free agency. The Suns are on pace to have a payroll of $45 million if you don’t count Stoudemire’s certain-to-be-declined player option. The salary cap for 2010-11 is expected to fall somewhere around $55 million.

The question will be (should it come to this) just how much talent Phoenix wants to get back. I suppose that goes without saying, but after last year’s odd flirtation with trading Amar’e, it deserves to be mentioned.

NBA: Marbury to China

NEW YORK – Stephon Marburywill play professional basketball again.

In China.

The two-time NBA-All Star has agreed to play in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) with China’s Shanxi Club, according to a Reuters report.

Marbury, 32, hasn’t played since leaving the Boston Celtics after last year. The Shanxi team website (www.sxcba.com) said Marbury would arrive sometime next week.

“The aim of signing Marbury is to pay back our fans and try to win more games in the rest of the season,” Shanxi boss Wang Xingjiang said on the team’s website.

Wang also said that Marbury wanted to promote his “Starbury” shoes in China, the world’s most populated nation.

Former NBA player Bonzi Wells played for Shanxi last season, scoring 50 points in a game. But Wells did not return to the team after a holiday break in January.

“It was a big cultural shock to me for the first few weeks,” Wells said, according to Agence France Presse.

“Since I have been here it has been all business and I haven’t had any fun yet, so I am looking for some fun.”

Shanxi is currently 15th in the 17-team league and the arrival of Marbury is expected to boost ticket sales and the team’s prospects of making the postseason.

Marbury’s Twitter feed makes no specific mention of the China deal, but he did say, “I have some things that are brewing.”

And He Still Played A Great?; NFL Playoff Roundup; Jose Offerman Punch;

Reggie Bushreportedly told Kim Kardashianthat if the Saints win the Super Bowl, he would propose to her. Thanks to Bush’s performance Saturday, he’s now just two wins away from beingtied down by a ball and chaingetting engaged to the sexy reality star.

NFL Playoff Roundup

Shonn Greene mocked LaDainian Tomlinson‘s touchdown celebration. …Kurt Warner got LAID OUT while trying to block after an interception. …Jim Nantz called Haiti, “Haitia,“ during yesterday’s Jets-Chargers game. … Did Wade Phillips feel Jerry Jones ‘eyes burning into the back of his head yesterday?

He Punches Worst Then He Hits

Remember mediocre baseball player, Jose Offerman? You may remember than in 2007 he charged the mound with his bat and started swinging at the pitcher who hit him with a pitch. Well, over the weekend, Offerman, who now manages in the Dominican winter league, punched an umpire.

Videos:

AndPants on the Groundofficially jumps the shark and becomes the uncoolest thing you can ever reference and/or sing.

Thanks to this thing called the Internet, we can go back and listen to whatJay Leno had to say in 2004 about Conan O’Brien taking over the Tonight Show

Vodpod videos no longer available.

more about “Jay’s 2004 Announcement from sustaina…“, posted with vodpod