Blockbuster kicks Winter Meetings into high gear

Chris Ruddick

Philadelphia, PA - After a relatively quiet first day at Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings in Indianapolis, the New York Yankees - who else - fired the first salvo to really get things rolling.

The Yankees are on the verge of pulling off a three-team, seven-player blockbuster, as they acquired center fielder Curtis Granderson from the Detroit Tigers, with the Arizona Diamondbacks also having a part in the deal.

Detroit picked up righty Max Scherzer and left-hander Daniel Schlereth from Arizona, lefty reliever Phil Coke and outfield prospect Austin Jackson from New York, with the Diamondbacks netting right-handers Edwin Jackson from the Tigers and Ian Kennedy from the Yankees.

My first impression of the trade is that the Yankees made out here.

Forget Coke and Kennedy, Austin Jackson was the only thing they gave up. Considered one of the top prospects in all of baseball, Jackson's ceiling at best, though, was probably what Granderson is right now. An absolute no-brainer from Brian Cashman.

Granderson can play either center field or in left for the Yankees.

His contract is also manageable, as he's due $5.5 million next year, $8.25 million in 2011, $10 million in 2012 and then $13 million or a $2 million buyout in 2013.

Granderson can play either center field or in left and his arrival also puts a little pressure on Johnny Damon, who, really, is no longer needed in the Bronx. Of course, the Yanks would love to have him back, but not at the price he and agent Scott Boras dictated to the Yanks a few weeks ago.

Now there are some concerns with Granderson. He has been in a steady decline since his record-setting season in 2007 that saw him become just the second player in big league history with at least 30 doubles, 20 triples, 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a single season.

His season a year ago saw him hit a career-low .249, while also belting a career-best 30 home runs. The Tigers lacked pop last year and Granderson swung for the fences, probably hurting his average and overall on-base-percentage. Whatever pop he gives the Yankee lineup is gravy. If Granderson does what he does in that lineup, he will be an All-Star every year.

As for the Tigers, kudos to general manager Dave Dombrowski, who received a starter who can step in right away in Scherzer, a potential closer in Schlereth, an outfield replacement for Granderson and a quality setup man in Coke.

Now that is how you get younger and slash payroll all in one swoosh.

Now with the Diamondbacks, I have no idea what their thinking is here. If I am J.P. Ricciardi, Kevin Towers or any other general manager out there looking for work, I'd have my resume ready to go because Arizona GM Josh Byrnes is on borrowed time.

The Diamondbacks gave up perhaps the two pitchers with the most upside in the deal in Scherzer and Schlereth for what? Edwin Jackson, a one-half wonder last season who pitched to a plus-five ERA after the All-Star break and Ian Kennedy, who after failing to make the Yankees out of spring training, missed most of the year anyway with an aneurysm under his right armpit.

If you want to tell me Edwin Jackson is an upgrade over Scherzer I might listen. I don't agree, but I could live with it. But if you think Kennedy is going to give you more than Schlereth, I have a big problem with that. Kennedy has shown nothing in his albeit limited big league career. Plus there are questions with his makeup.

Not to mention Jackson can become a free agent in two years and with Boras as his agent, he is almost certain to leave.

Now where this deal leaves the Yankees with regards to Roy Halladay, who knows? Cashman lately has preached the growth of his farm system. I have a hard time believing he is going to unload any more to get the Toronto ace.

GAMMONS LEAVING ESPN

The bigger news to come out of the meetings on Tuesday, though, was the announcement from ESPN that Hall of Famer Peter Gammons would be leaving the network, effective at the conclusion of the festivities in Indy.

Now in a release Gammons made it perfectly clear that this was not a retirement and that he will pursue new endeavors.

I would be shocked if Gammo does not re-surface on the MLB Network in the coming weeks.

OTHER RUMBLINGS

* No movement on either Matt Holliday or Jason Bay. The popular belief is that if Bay does not re-sign with the Red Sox, which is becoming more and more less likely by the day, that they will go hard after Holliday.

Surprisingly, the Seattle Mariners have come calling on Bay, who went to school in the area and has a house near Seattle. The Mariners, though, are not sold on his ability to perform in left field at Safeco Field.

The M's finalized things with Chone Figgins and with possibly Bay in the mix, they think they have a terrific chance at unseating the Angels in the AL West.

* The Braves are listening on reliever Rafael Soriano, who accepted arbitration on Monday. With Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito already signed, Atlanta wants no part of having to pay Soriano. He has reportedly already given general manager Frank Wren a list of teams that had interest before the arbitration offer was extended.

* Everything is also quiet on the Halladay front. It is almost a little too quiet. If something happens in the next few days, I will have to tip my hat to Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos. We know he has been talking to some teams, but not a lick of information has been leaked. Kind of remarkable considering the age we live in.

* Speaking of the age we live in. The big winner of this year's Winter Meetings without a doubt has been Twitter. You can't find anyone without a Twitter account. That is where the news is being broken. It is also a bit of a detriment, as every single rumor on the planet is also being "tweeted".

Phils add depth with Gload

The Philadelphia Phillies continued to piece their bench together, as they have signed the versatile Ross Gload to what the team's official website is reporting a two-year deal.

Gload, a left-handed bat who will assume the pinch-hitting role that Matt Stairs had filled for the Phillies, led the majors last season with 21 pinch hits and is a .308 lifetime hitter in those situations,

The 33-year-old Gload appeared in 125 games for the Marlins last season and hit .261 with six home runs and 30 RBI, while playing right field, left field, first base, and even pitching a scoreless inning..

Gload is a career .283 hitter with 28 home runs and 192 RBI in 608 games for the Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals and Marlins.

Flyers' Gagne cleared for contact

Flyers winger Simon Gagne has been cleared to take contact in practice. He will not play this weekend, however, but is getting closer, coording to coach Peter Laviolette.

Sixers' ratings increase over 300 % with AI

The Sixers first game with Allen Iverson drew a 4.9 rating, a 300% increase over the Sixers average 1.2 rating this season.

Eagles sign Gamble, Norwood to practice squad

The Philadelphia Eagles have signed FB Joel Gamble to the practice squad and re-signed WR Jordan Norwood to the practice squad.

Gamble (6-2, 255) has spent time in both the Arena Football League 2 and the American Indoor Football Association, most recently playing for the AIFA’s DC Armor in June 2009. A four-year letterman, Gamble was a tight end at Shippensburg and has played fullback and linebacker professionally.

Originally a rookie free agent signing of the Cleveland Browns in 2009, Norwood spent weeks 3-11 on the Eagles practice squad and was promoted to the active roster on December 1. He played in his first NFL game at Atlanta (12/6). Norwood was released by the Eagles on 12/7/09.

Reid gets his extension

The Philadelphia Eagles have extended the contract of head coach Andy Reid through the 2013 season.

Reid, also the club's executive vice president of football operations, is in his 11th season as the team's head coach. He is the second-longest tenured coach in the NFL, behind only Jeff Fisher, who has been with Tennessee for 16 years.

The Eagles are 8-4 this season and tied for first place in the NFC East with the Dallas Cowboys.

Reid has a record of 105-66-1 in the regular season and a mark of 10-7 in the playoffs. He has taken the Eagles to the postseason in seven of his first 10 years, with five division titles and five trips to the NFC Championship Game.

The Eagles reached the Super Bowl only once, however, after the 2004 season, losing to the New England Patriots.

Last year's Philadelphia team made the playoffs on the final day of the season and, as the NFC's sixth seed, beat Minnesota and the New York Giants on the road before falling at Arizona in the conference title game.

After seven seasons as an assistant under Mike Holmgren at Green Bay, the last two as quarterbacks coach, Reid was hired by the Eagles. He took over a team that finished 3-13 in 1998 and had the Eagles in the playoffs in his second season.

Reid was rewarded as Coach of the Year after the 2000 and 2002 seasons.

Emery to have abdominal surgery

The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that goaltender Ray Emery will undergo surgery on Wednesday to repair a torn muscle in his lower abdominal wall.

He is expected to be out for approximately six weeks, according to club General Manager Paul Holmgren.

Dr. William Meyers, from Hahnemann University Hospital will be performing the surgery.

Emery, 27, has an 11-8-1 record with a 2.83 goals-against average and .901 save percentage, including one shutout, in 21 appearances with the Flyers this season.

Philadelphia also they have recalled goaltender Johan Backlund right wing David Laliberte from their American Hockey League affiliate, the Adirondack Phantoms.

Backlund and Laliberte will be available to play in tonight’s Flyers-Islanders game at the Wachovia Center.

Backlund, 28, has a 6-8-0 record, with a 2.81 goals-against average, .903 save percentage and two shutouts in 15 appearances with Adirondack this season. This is his second recall with the Flyers after he was originally recalled on Sept. 27. In addition to his time with the Phantoms, he also appeared in two contests with the Flyers during the preseason, stopping 14 of 16 shots in 29:27 of play in their game vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs at the John Labatt Centre in London, Ontario on Sept. 17, and 11 of 14 shots in 33:38 of play vs. the Minnesota Wild on Sept. 29.

A native of Skelleftea, Sweden, Backlund signed a one-year contract with the Flyers on March 26, 2009.

Laliberte, 23, has two goals and three points in eight contests with the Flyers this season after he made his NHL debut on Oct. 31 vs. the Carolina Hurricanes, where he recorded a goal and an assist. With the Phantoms, he has four goals and eight assists for 12 points and 10 penalty minutes in 17 games. His 12 points are tied for second on the team in scoring and his eight assists rank third on the Phantoms.

In parts of three seasons of play in the AHL (2007-08 to 2009-10), Laliberte has recorded 69 points (35G,34A) and 66 penalty minutes in 114 games, all with the Phantoms.

A native of St-Liboire, Quebec, Laliberte was originally selected by the Flyers in the fourth round (124th overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft and signed a three-year entry level contract with the Flyers on May 17, 2007.

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Eagles make practice squad moves

The Philadelphia Eagles signed offensive lineman Gerald Cadogan to the practice squad and released OL Greg Isdaner and CB Stoney Woodson from the practice squad.

Cadogan (6-5, 309) was a two-year starter as a left tackle at Penn State before signing with the Carolina Panthers as a rookie free agent following the 2009 draft. After being released by the Panthers on August 31, Cadogan spent time on the practice squads of the Cincinnati Bengals and San Diego Chargers.

A native of Portsmouth, OH, the 23-year-old Cadogan earned Academic All-Big Ten honors three times and Academic All-America honors twice at Penn State with a double-major of rehabilitation services and psychology.

The Birds will also likely bring back WR Jordan Norwood to the practice squad.

Iverson is home

By John McMullen

Philadelphia, PA - "You Can't Go Home Again" is a novel by Thomas Wolfe, published posthumously in 1940.

The book tells the story of George Webber, a novice author who pens his own work that makes frequent references to his home of Libya Hill, a town filled with residents that read the book and are upset about the "truths" Webber exposes.

The title of Wolfe's book comes from the finale of the novel when Webber realizes..."You can't go back home to your family, back home to your childhood ... back home to a young man's dreams of glory and of fame ... back home to places in the country, back home to the old forms and systems of things which once seemed everlasting but which are changing all the time -- back home to the escapes of Time and Memory."

Well, George Webber never met Allen Iverson.

For Iverson home meant 20,664 at the Wachovia Center cheering his every move from the minute he hit the floor. It meant kissing the Sixers' logo at center court.

Of course, it also meant showing up at 5:57 (et) for a 7:00 p.m. start and eventually it will mean the TGIF on City Line Avenue, The Borgata in Atlantic City and The Palmer Social Club in Center City.

But, for one night, the moribund Sixers were relevant again thanks to "The Answer."

"Just the fans. It meant so much," Iverson said when asked about his return to Philadelphia in a 93-83 loss to Denver. "It's like a marriage, both sides what to feel wanted and obviously I have a connection with these people."

The 76ers were a 5-15 club coming in to Monday's night game with the Nuggets. They were a team suffering through an ugly nine-game losing streak with a first year coach that has made the Johnny Davis-era in Philly a nice memory.

The Sixers are a team that can't shoot, can't rebound and can't defend. A team that has already lost two of its most important players, Lou Williams and Mo Speights, to injury.

In one fell swoop, Iverson erased all that, if only for one night.

The national media showed up in droves. The local media, which has been largely absent magically reappeared, and the building was taken over by electricity not seen since the 2000-01 NBA Finals.

Iverson was on his best behavior, save for the late arrival. He played unselfishly and deferred to the new "star" in town, Andre Iguodala.

At the end of the day, however, the Sixers faltered again to one of the NBA's best teams thanks to a 14-0 Nuggets run to start the fourth quarter, most of it with the enigmatic 10-time All-Star sitting next to Eddie Jordan on the bench.

"It was bittersweet," Iverson said. "I wanted the win so badly whether I played well or not. My heart said yes but my body said no. My legs were heavy. My arms were heavy. It was tough. I didn't know if I would play today but I gave it everything."

The Prince was going to show up at the Wachovia Center and figure out the slipper didn't fit sooner rather than later.

Iverson or no Iverson, Jordan still can't coach and the Sixers are a deeply flawed team.

But, for this one night, basketball was back in Philadelphia thanks to Allen Iverson.

Welcome home.

Eagles cut Norwood

The Eagles cut WR Jordan Norwood to make room for the returning Joselio Hanson.

Hobbs has surgery

The Philadelphia Eagles announced that CB Ellis Hobbs underwent a successful anterior cervical decompression and fusion for a herniated disk.

The procedure was performed today at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia by Dr. Alexander R. Vaccaro.

Hobbs is expected to make a full recovery and return to the field next season. Hobbs was placed on the Injured Reserve list by the Eagles on November 11, 2009 after suffering a neck injury three days earlier in a Sunday night game vs. Dallas.

The Tiffany Network is tarnished

By John McMullen

We all need to make a living, and disgraced former NBA referee Tim Donaghy is doing his best to do exactly that.

The ex-con scored a plum spot on CBS' 60 Minutes Sunday night to hawk his new book, "Personal Foul: A First-Person Account of the Scandal That Rocked the NBA."

The book was dropped in late October by Random House over liability issues, but that didn't stop a Florida-based company called VTi Group, Inc., from running with the sensationalistic garbage.

It also didn't stop the Tiffany Network, which evidently now feels ratings trump journalistic integrity, from giving Donaghy a virtually unfiltered forum.

Of course, unlike FOX News or MSNBC, CBS still has designs on keeping some of its credibility, so the network didn't let Donaghy do a Billy Mays impression. The result was the same, however, nothing more than an infomercial for a book described as an "in-depth look at the betting scandal that rocked professional basketball."

Evidently it's also a story of redemption, as the gritty Donaghy claimed he refused to make calls to affect games even if it meant he lost money and it angered the mob.

What a guy.

"I just told them that I wasn't making calls in games to influence the outcome," Donaghy told 60 Minutes. "And I'm not going to be able to obviously predict the winner every night, and they have to accept that's what's going to happen."

In his deluded world, Donaghy was just using his insider knowledge of other officials' biases, not his own. He claims he was winning 75 percent of his wagers, drawing the attention of the mob, which then threatened his family if he didn't provide his insider picks to them.

"They basically told me that I needed to give them the picks and if I didn't, that it's a possibility that somebody would go down and visit my wife and kids in Florida," Donaghy said.

Sure, those two statements contradict each other but you can never let the facts get in the way of a good story.

Eventually, Donaghy's connection with the underworld caught the attention of the FBI and he ratted on Tony Soprano and Company, believing that was the best course of action to protect his family.

"It's in the back of my mind, but I'm not going to live my life in fear," Donaghy said of possible retribution from his unsavory past. "I was informed by the FBI agents that they certainly had an eye on what they called these wiseguys and that if anything would come up they would inform me immediately."

By this point, I was wondering where to look for the book at my local Barnes and Noble.

I naturally gravitated to the fiction section.

Instead of ignoring this latest round of drivel by Donaghy, NBA commissioner David Stern took the bait and released a statement after the interview aired, pumping up Lawrence Pedowitz, a former investigator in the U.S. attorney's office, who led a review of the league's officiating.

"Mr. Pedowitz' review revealed that the NBA's core values of neutrality and accountability were not compromised by anyone other than Mr. Donaghy," Stern said.

So where are we?

As far as I can surmise, Donaghy was just a was a simple country boy, some might say a cockeyed optimist, looking for a little Christmas money by taking advantage of Joey Crawford's disdain of Tim Duncan when he got caught up in the dirty game of gambling and the Mafioso.

Scorsese is scouting locations for the film-shoot right now.

As for me, I'm about to ring CBS and ask for 20 minutes of time to peddle my own book on the 50 greatest Minnesota Vikings that currently sits on the shelf of a now-defunct publishing company based in the Midwest.

Hey, it's worth a shot.

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Phils are BA's Organization of the Year

Baseball America is set to name the Philadelphia Phillies as "Organization of the Year".

Screamin A. lands a job with FOXSports Radio

Kissing A.I's ass has its perks, Sports Business Journal is reporting Stephen A. Smith has landed a job at FOXSports Radio. He'll also keep his Philly Inquirer gig.

Iverson night on CSN

Comcast SportsNet will be providing six hours of coverage of Allen Iverson's return to the Sixers on Monday.

It begins with Daily News Live at 5 p.m., followed by SportsNite at 6 p.m., Sixers Pregame Live at 6:30 p.m., Sixers-Nuggets at 7 p.m., and Sixers Post Game Live and concluding with SportsNite at 10 p.m.

Marc Zumoff, Ed Pinckney, and Jamie Maggio will cover the game. Donyell Marshall and John Celestand provide analysis for the pregame and post-game shows.

World B. Free's ex murdered

The ex-lover of former NBA All-Star World B. Free was shot to death Sunday night, according to the New York Daily News.

Police say Audrey Johnson, 51, went outside her family's Clinton Hill, NY home about 9:30 p.m. after her niece's boyfriend, a former convict, was jumped. Shots rang out and Johnson was hit in her head.

"She's just an innocent victim of gun violence," her brother Kenny Johnson told the Daily News. "She was a beautiful person."

Iverson returns to Sixers tonight

They say hate isn't really the opposite of love -- apathy is.

And, the apathy Philadelphia fans have shown toward their basketball team is the reason Allen Iverson is back in town.

Hoops haven't been much fun in the City of Brotherly Love this season. The 76ers, who have struggled with Eddie Jordan's system and suffered a number of key injuries, are one of the NBA's worst teams and have been playing before half houses at the Wachovia Center.

Looking for a bit of a jump start and some relevance in a crowded sports market, general manager Ed Stefanski pulled the trigger last week and brought game the enigmatic Iverson, one of the franchise's all-time most popular players.

"The Answer" will be back in lineup tonight as the Sixers host the powerful Denver Nuggets, hoping to put the brakes on an ugly, nine-game losing streak.

Philadelphia's current slide is its longest since a 12-game skid from Nov. 25- Dec. 20, 2006.

Iverson, who spent the first 10-plus seasons of his career with Philadelphia previously announced his retirement only days after being released by Memphis, but the Sixers decided to bring the 10-time All-Star back after starting point guard Lou Williams was sidelined indefinitely with a broken jaw.

Iverson hasn't played with the Sixers since the 2006-07 season, when he demanded a trade and was sent to Denver. He split last season between the Nuggets and Pistons, then signed with Memphis in the offseason.

"He's something to get us going right now," said Sixers forward Elton Brand. "He's a prolific scorer, especially during my era of playing the game. We're going to make it work. We're glad to have him."

Most recently, Philly finished winless on a four-game road trip when Raymond Felton ended with eight assists and 18 points, none bigger than his go-ahead layup with 4.7 seconds left in regulation that helped Charlotte upend the Sixers, 106-105.

Willie Green scored 26 points, while Thaddeus Young chipped in 17 points and 11 rebounds the 76ers. Andre Iguodala added 22 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists but his potential game-winner as time expired hit all iron.

The Northwest Division-leading Nuggets, meanwhile, turned into a Western Conference power last season when they dealt Iverson to the Motor City for a package that included star point guard Chauncey Billups.

Denver opened up a four-game road trip in positive fashion Saturday when Carmelo Anthony poured in 34 points to lead the Nuggets in a 106-99 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

Billups notched 18 points and five assists and J.R. Smith scored 17 for the Nuggets, who rattled off a third straight win and seventh in the last eight games. Nene had 12 points and Ty Lawson 11 in the win.

"In the second half our defense tuned in," said Nuggets coach George Karl. "I think offensively Carmelo had the good hand all night. We just kept going at them, but I think our defense was the key to the game."

The Nuggets swept the home-and-home series between the two clubs last season and have won in three of their past four visits to Philadelphia.

First look at Iverson back in Sixers Uni

-Courtesy of Sixers Twitter account