Source: Rubio to Barcelona not a done deal yet

Source: Rubio to Barcelona not a done deal yet

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Although there remains a strong possibility that Ricky Rubio will play in Spain rather than Minneapolis next season, a Spanish media report Wednesday of his agreement to a six-year deal with FC Barcelona was overstated, a knowledgeable NBA source told ESPN.com.

The Spanish newspaper Marca said Regal FC Barcelona had agreed to pay Rubio's former team, DKV Joventut, 3.7 million Euros ($5.28 million U.S.) for the rights to the 18-year-old playmaker who was taken by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the fifth pick of June's NBA draft.

"Ricky Rubio hasn't signed anything. Joventut hasn't accepted anything. It's not over yet," said the source, who was briefed early Wednesday on the ever-changing landscape of the protracted, trans-Atlantic Rubio saga

Report: Michigan players allege NCAA violations

Report: Michigan players allege NCAA violations

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DETROIT -- Several Michigan football players claim the program regularly violates NCAA rules limiting how much time they can spend on training and practice sessions, according to a published report.

Players from the 2008 and 2009 teams told the Detroit Free Press for a story published on the newspaper's Web site on Saturday that the amount of time they spend on football activities during the season and in the offseason greatly exceeds the limits. The players spoke to the newspaper on condition of anonymity because they feared repercussions from coaches.

Newest member of the PlaxyVic

DENVER -- Nuggets reserve forward Renaldo Balkman has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in Florida.

Balkman, 25, was arrested by Temple Terrace, Fla., officers at 4 a.m. Saturday after he refused a blood-alcohol test, according to a police report on the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Web site.

Balkman was released after posting $500 bond.

Nuggets executive Mark Warkentien said the team was aware of Balkman's arrest but declined further comment "out of respect for the legal process."

Balkman averaged 5.0 points and 3.8 rebounds last season, his first with the Nuggets.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

Welcome to the PlaxyVic club idiot.

Nowitzki's ex sentenced to five years in prison

Nowitzki's ex sentenced to five years in prison

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ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- A former girlfriend of Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki was sentenced Monday to five years in prison for violating probation.

Nowitzki

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Cristal Taylor admitted in court on Monday that she failed to check in with her probation officer in a 12-year-old forgery and theft case. She also acknowledged being arrested twice in Texas in 2000 for misdemeanors.

The 38-year-old St. Louis-area native has said she planned to marry Nowitzki and was pregnant with his child. A Texas judge last month ordered Taylor to undergo a paternity test to determine the father, and Nowitzki is seeking sole custody of the child.

Dirk is def gonna get custody of his unborn child now.

Adande: Beasley's troubled course

Adande: Beasley's troubled course

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Given that the NBA chose to overlook LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnett and numerous other straight-from-high-school success stories when it instituted its age requirement, we should use the same selective logic to say this sad Michael Beasley case demonstrates that a forced year of college isn't the magical solution to the league's youthful problems.

That season spent at Kansas State didn't make Beasley mature enough to be a professional basketball player, didn't provide enough guidance to help his decision-making and couldn't prevent him from -- according to sources -- checking into a Houston area rehabilitation center.

"I think people either decide to change or not," an NBA general manager said. "It's a very personal process. I don't think school helps or hinders that."

College improves you, but it doesn't eliminate your problems. And it can actually createproblems for the school, as we've seen from Memphis' asterisked run to the 2008 Final Four led by Derrick Rose, he of the voided SAT score. Ultimately, the NBA's wait-a-year rule doesn't do much good for anybody except the NBA scouts who don't have to spend as much time driving to high school gyms.

Hopefully he gets help, I don't think anyone wants to see him end up like Robert Traylor or Maurice Clarett.

Source: BoSox claim Mets' Wagner off waivers

Source: BoSox claim Mets' Wagner off waivers

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The Red Sox are the team that claimed Mets reliever Billy Wagner off waivers, an MLB source told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney Friday.

The Mets have until early Tuesday afternoon to work out a deal. The Red Sox would have to assume about $3.5 million still owed to Wagner. If no deal is consumated, the Mets can either allow Wagner to leave on the claim or pull him back off waivers. If the Mets pull Wagner back, they would no longer be able to trade him this season.

So basically they're trying to substitute one over the hill pitcher for another. If that was the case you guys should have been more patient with Smoltz, I mean he was still hitting 91 mph on the gun for crying out loud, and there is no better team guy then Smoltz, you could have used him both in the pen and in the rotation. Same can't be said about Wagner, he has a big mouth and is quick to point the finger at others whn things aren't going his way ....oh well I hope Theo knows what he's doing..check that I hope he doesn't and I hope the BoSox go down in a violent heap which in turn causes Bill Simmons to ball his eyes out and sleep in a ball for the next 2 and half months.

A's Duchscherer diagnosed with depression

A's Duchscherer diagnosed with depression

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Oakland Athletics pitcher Justin Duchscherer has been diagnosed with clinical depression and will miss the rest of the 2009 season as he undergoes treatment for the condition, his agent said Friday.

Duchscherer had been on the 60-day disabled list with an elbow injury, but the A's have reclassified his DL status to reflect the diagnosis of depression, agent Damon Lapa said. Club officials made the announcement before Friday's game against Detroit.

Lapa said that Duchscherer recently decided to come forward to aid in his recovery and to serve as an example to others suffering from depression.

Get Well Soon my man.

Knicks' Robinson arrested for not having license

Knicks' Robinson arrested for not having license

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NEW YORK -- New York Knicks player Nate Robinson was arrested Tuesday for driving without a license.

Police said Robinson was arrested after officers pulled him over in the Bronx at about 5:30 p.m. and discovered he had a suspended license.

The Knicks guard was taken to the 52nd Precinct and charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and issued a summons to return to court at a later date, police said.

A Knicks spokesman said they were aware of the situation and would discuss it with Robinson directly.

Welcome to the PlaxyVic club little man

Source: Roethlisberger injury is Achilles tendon

Source: Roethlisberger injury is Achilles tendon

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Two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Ben Roethlisberger injured his right Achilles tendon when offensive tackle Max Starks inadvertently stepped on it during the Steelers' practice Thursday.

But an initial medical examination revealed no significant damage, a team source said.

Roethlisberger initially complained about feeling considerable pain but later reported that it had begun to subside.

I wonder if any other two-time super bowl winning QB has had crappier luck following a championship season then Big Ben...oh well its still great to be him.

Tribune finalizes sale of Cubs to Ricketts family

Tribune finalizes sale of Cubs to Ricketts family

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CHICAGO -- Media conglomerate Tribune Co. announced a definitive agreement Friday to sell all but a 5 percent stake in the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field to the billionaire Ricketts family, capping a tortuous process that began nearly 2½ years ago.

Tribune valued the transaction at about $845 million.

"Our family is thrilled to have reached an agreement to acquire a controlling interest in the Chicago Cubs, one of the most storied franchises in sports," said Joe Ricketts, who founded the Omaha, Neb.-based online brokerage TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. "The Cubs have the greatest fans in the world, and we count our family among them."

Tribune had announced on Opening Day in 2007 that the marquee baseball franchise and historic ballpark would be sold at the end of that season. But the process was slowed by CEO Sam Zell's efforts to maximize sale profits, the collapse of the credit markets and Tribune's 2008 bankruptcy filing.

Thats a hellva lot of coin!