Today's Top Sports Rumors......

Today's Top NFL Rumors


Patriots, Bills vying for Fred Taylor

According to Shalise Manza Young of the Providence Journal, the Pats and Bills appear to be the top candidates to land veteran running back Fred Taylor, who was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier this week in a salary-cap move. Taylor, 33, is expected to visit both teams this week. He is represented by Drew Rosenhaus.
Boston Herald


49ers looking for power RB

The 49ers want to lighten the load of running back Frank Gore in 2009, and coach Mike Singletary and general manager Scot McCloughan are talking about adding a power back to pair with the 5-foot-9-inch, 217-pound Gore. McCloughan said the 49ers are looking to the draft to fill the need, and he believes there is a deep crop from which to choose.
Boston Globe


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Today's Top College Rumors


Why Carroll and Meyers won't go to NFL

If you want Pete Carroll to stay at USC, the latest Super Bowl coaching matchup -- Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin versus Arizona's Ken Whisenhunt -- was right up your alley. Think Urban Meyer belongs at Florida? Then you have to love pro football's latest hiring trend: an inexperienced and relatively inexpensive coach who can relate to his players is better than the high-profile leader with the whopping price tag, especially in this down economy. For Carroll and Meyer, the NFL window of opportunity has slammed shut. That's not to say they won't ever have those jobs. It's also not to say they even want those jobs. But the dream scenarios -- huge paydays and total control of an NFL franchise -- are off the table. Carroll and Meyer have not hinted at leaving their current jobs, and why would they? Carroll makes $4.4 million per year at USC and surely could have more if he pushed for it. Meyer's yearly compensation is $3.25 million and he has a chance to win a third national championship in four years. Those guys would be nuts to walk away from what they have, because NFL teams wouldn't come close to matching either of those deals. Simply put, NFL jobs aren't what they used to be.
Los Angeles Times


Crabtree disputes surgery report

The draft stock of two-time Biletnikoff Award winner Michael Crabtree took an apparent hit Saturday when his physical at the NFL scouting combine turned up a stress fracture in his left foot. NFL sources said Crabtree, the former Texas Tech and Carter star, would need surgery to place a pin in his foot and would be sidelined for 10 weeks. That would put him out of action until early May -- and the draft is April 25. So Crabtree would not be able to provide NFL teams with a clocking in the 40-yard dash. NFL teams are paranoid about drafting a player without his full workout numbers -- and speed is a minor concern about Crabtree. But the Tech All-America bristled at the report. Crabtree said he did not plan to have surgery and that he planned on running a 40 at his private workout March 26. "I don't know where that report came from," Crabtree said. "It [stress fracture] has been there for about a year and it's never caused me any pain. I can play with it the rest of my life. It won't stop me from running. I'm going to run." Crabtree was rated as the best wide receiver in the 2009 draft and a potential top-5 pick. But his ability to run -- and run fast -- will determine how high he goes in the first round. One NFL observer said it is not a major setback.
Dallas Morning News


Five teams in mix for top point guard

Miami believes it's very much in the mix -- with Kansas, Baylor, Memphis and N.C. State -- for John Wall, the nation's No. 1 high school point guard. ''John is even more athletic than Derrick Rose,'' said scout.com Dave Telep, who said UM has a top-25 incoming class.
Miami Herald


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Today's Top MLB Rumors


Dodgers intensify Manny talks

On the phone and in newsprint, the Dodgers' negotiations with Manny Ramirez are intensifying. Colletti said he has spoken "much more" to Ramirez's agent, Scott Boras, over the last seven days than in any previous one-week period since they opened talks in November. "The conversations are more frequent and longer," said Colletti, who wouldn't say if the increased dialogue is a sign of progress. "Days are ticking off the calendar." There is no indication that Ramirez is backing down from his demands of a long-term deal. Ramirez's only known offers were made by the Dodgers -- two years at $45 million, one year at $25 million and an offer for arbitration -- but Boras said he is also in talks with other clubs. The agent said the Dodgers could be in trouble if they don't sign Ramirez.
Los Angeles Times


Bernie Williams seeks MLB comeback

Bernie Williams stepped into the batter's box at George Steinbrenner Field in Tampa Friday and started whacking line drives to the gaps. On his last swing, Williams hit a shot that cleared the wall in right, drawing applause from the crowd. "Stop it!" said former teammate Derek Jeter. "You're making us look bad." Williams, 40, has been out of baseball for two years. But he is getting ready to play for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, which he hopes to use as a springboard for a comeback to the majors.
Boston Globe


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Today's Top NBA Rumors


Celtics, Cavs both want Joe Smith

Times are desperate, but not so desperate that the Celtics and Cavaliers are going to get into a tug of war over Mikki Moore, the one-time cup-o-coffee, 10-day Celtic. The Celtics, with Kevin Garnett's knee injury shelving him for 2-3 weeks, and the Cavaliers, with their very public inability to pull off a deal for a big man by the trade deadline, are now locked in an arms escalation that shows just how much these two contenders have each other in mind. Both would like Joe Smith, if the veteran forward is bought out by Oklahoma City.
Boston Herald


Kidd, Mavs to talk extension

It seems Jason Kidd will end his NBA career right where it started - in Dallas - according to a league source. Kidd had been the subject of trade rumors this season and is making $21.3 million in the final year of his contract. But the source said the Mavericks and Kidd are happy with their working relationship and the team would like to re-sign him to a more economical extension. The concern for the Mavericks in re-signing the 35-year-old Kidd is making a deal that won't damage their hopes of being a major player in the 2010 free agent market. Kidd would be expected to have a lesser role in the future as the Mavs groom their point guard of the future.
Boston Globe


Garnett had knee trouble all season

The biggest revelation to come out when Kevin Garnett hurt his right knee vs. Utah - other than the injury - is that he has had trouble with the same knee this season. "It's been bothering him for a couple of weeks," said VP Danny Ainge. Diagnosed with a muscle strain, Garnett could miss up to nine games over the next three weeks, including two monster home games, against Cleveland on March 6 and Orlando on March 8.
New York Daily News


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Today's Top NHL Rumors


Kaberle adds Bruins to trade list

The Maple Leafs aren't certain they want to deal veteran defenseman Tomas Kaberle, but he has agreed to waive his no-trade clause and provided general manager Brian Burke with a list of 10 cities in which he will agree to play. According to two sources with direct knowledge of the list, Boston is among the 10 teams. "Kaberle is not going anywhere, unless someone blows me away," Burke wrote by e-mail yesterday.
Boston Globe


Sundin preferred Rangers or Habs

One more Mats Sundin truth: His agent contacted the Rangers and Montreal in a last-ditch effort to avoid signing in Vancouver. When neither responded, he moved West.
Toronto Sun


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Today's Top Soccer Rumors


AC Milan won't raise Beckham offer

AC Milan is not going to meet the Los Angeles Galaxy's asking price for David Beckham, according to vice-president Adriano Galliani. Galaxy supremo Tim Leiweke firmly declared on Friday that Beckham would return to the United States to continue his career with the Major League Soccer club on March 9 once his short-term loan spell ends with Milan, unless the Italians made a substantial increase to a reported $3 million offer that he rejected immediately.
soccer365.com


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Today's Top MMA Rumors


Sanchez, Stevenson, Thiago and Maia earn $40K UFC 95 bonuses

Diego Sanchez, Joe Stevenson, Paulo Thiago and Demian Maia each earned $40,000 "fight night" bonuses for their performances at "UFC 95: Sanchez vs. Stevenson."UFC 95 took place Saturday at The O2 in London. The event airs via tape delay on Spike TV Saturday night. The bonuses were down from January's UFC 94 $65,000 awards, but matched the bonuses issued at the organization's last trip to Europe, UFC 93.The bonuses were announced by the organization at the UFC 95 post-fight press conference and were confirmed by MMAjunkie.com.While the night's main event underwhelmed many fans when it was initially announced, lightweights Sanchez and Stevenson delivered 15 minutes of non-stop action. Stevenson moved forward without hesitation while Sanchez timed his counter-strikes effectively in his first bout at 155 pounds. While Sanchez did enough to earn the unanimous decision, Stevenson's ample performance helped earn the pair the evening's unquestioned "Fight of the Night."Little was known of UFC newcomer Thiago before his bout with the heavily favored Josh Koscheck. And while things weren't looking especially great for the Brazilian in the opening minutes of the contest, Thiago showed his hands are capable of ending a fight. Thiago evaded a Koscheck strike and landed a right uppercut followed by a left that dropped Koscheck to the mat. The bout was immediately halted, and despite Koscheck's protests Thiago picked up the win and the "Knockout of the Night."Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Maia showed once again why many analysts believe he may be the next true challenger to the dominating reign of UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. While opponent Chael Sonnen proved elusive to open the bout, Maia needed just a brief opening to secure the win. In one fluid, fight-ending movement, Maia tossed Sonnen to the floor, secured a triangle choke from top position and rolled to his back to force the tap. The move earned "Maia" the evening's "Submission of the Night," his fourth in five UFC bouts.