Fingold intends to purchase Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Friday that a group led by real estate developer Sam Fingold has signed a letter of intent to purchase the team. The 34-year-old Fingold heads Kenyon Investments, a commercial real estate firm in Hartford, Connecticut.

Internet Sportsbook

A native of Toronto, Fingold said Friday he's committed to keeping the team in Pittsburgh, but will push for a new arena for the club. Fingold was reportedly interested in moving the Penguins to Kansas City if Pittsburgh didn't come up with a plan to replace Mellon Arena.

Sportsbook

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Fingold's offer was believed to be for at least $175 million.The letter of intent means Fingold's group has exclusive negotiating rights with the Penguins to broker a deal.

Sportsbook Online

The Penguins are currently owned by a group led by former Penguin superstar Mario Lemieux. Even if the two sides come to an agreement, the NHL would have to approve of the sale, which could take several months.

Fred Jones joins Raptors

The Toronto Raptors announced on Wednesday that they have signed free-agent guard Fred Jones to a multi-year contract. Jones joins the Raptors after spending his first four years in the league with Indiana.

Internet Sportsbook

The 6-2, 220-pound Jones was the 14th overall selection by the Pacers in the 2002 NBA Draft. The University of Oregon product averaged 9.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists last season for the Pacers.

Sportsbook

For his career, the 27-year-old Jones owns career averages of 7.7 points, 2.2 assists and 2.2 rebounds.

Sportsbook Online

"Fred Jones addresses our goal of infusing even more talent and athleticism to our revamped team," said Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo. "He will benefit greatly from the up-tempo style we intend to play". Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

USA hoops names 15 finalists for World Championship team

The United States men's basketball World Championship team named 15 players that were selected as finalists, USA basketball senior national team managing director Jerry Colangelo and USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski announced on Tuesday.

Internet Sportsbook

Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets; Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison of the Washington Wizards; the Houston Rockets' Shane Battier; Chris Bosh of the Toronto Raptors; Bruce Bowen of the San Antonio Spurs; the Clippers' Elton Brand; Kirk Hinrich of the Chicago Bulls; Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic; the Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James; Joe Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks; Brad Miller of the Sacramento Kings; Chris Paul of the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets; the Phoenix Suns' Amare Stoudemire and Dwyane Wade of the world champion Miami Heat were each named as finalists to make the team.

Sportsbook

The official 12-man roster that will compete in the FIBA World Championship must be submitted to FIBA at the technical meeting that normally is held the day prior to the start of the competition.

Sportsbook Online

The USA finalists will take a five-day break and will reconvene in Las Vegas on July 31 for the start of the second phase of the team's training. "I think everything in our first phase of training was set up well and what we wanted to do in this phase was to pick 15, 16 or even 14 players to go forward with," Krzyzewski said.

Recchi returning to Penguins

Veteran winger Mark Recchi is returning to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The club announced the signing on Tuesday, bringing back the 38-year-old winger who was a member of the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes last season.

Internet Sportsbook

Recchi skated in 63 games last year with Pittsburgh before being traded to the Hurricanes on March 9. In 20 games with the Hurricanes, Recchi netted just four goals with three assists and was a minus-eight.

Sportsbook

However, Recchi posted seven goals and nine assists in 25 playoff games, including six points during the Stanley Cup Finals. The British Columbia native becomes the second high profile midseason acquisition to leave Carolina this offseason.

Sportsbook Online

The Hurricanes acquired Doug Weight from the Blues in late January to bolster their Stanley Cup push, but he has since returned to St. Louis via free agency. In 1,256 games with Carolina, Philadelphia, Montreal and Pittsburgh, where he won a Stanley Cup in 1991, Recchi has 484 goals and 781 assists for 1,265 points.

Pacers and Mavericks to swap point guards

The Indiana Pacers and Dallas Mavericks are reportedly set to trade point guards, with Anthony Johnson heading to Dallas and Darrell Armstrong on his way to Indianapolis. The Pacers, according to the Indianapolis Star, would also receive forward Josh Powell in the deal. The paper said the trade needs league approval and could be announced as early as Monday.

Internet Sportsbook

Johnson has spent the past three years with the Pacers and averaged 9.2 points with 4.3 assists in 75 games this past season. He was at his best in the first round of the playoffs, producing 20.0 points and 5.2 assists in a six-game loss to the New Jersey Nets.

Sportsbook

Armstrong appeared in 62 games this past season for Dallas, averaging a mere 2.1 points and 1.4 assists in a limited role. The 12-year NBA veteran has also played for Orlando and New Orleans.

Sportsbook Online

Powell played in 37 games for the Mavericks last season, his first in the NBA. He averaged 3.0 points and 2.2 rebounds. This would be the second trade involving the teams this month, as Dallas sent guard Marquis Daniels to Indiana in exchange for forward Austin Croshere.

The Boston Bruins have agreed to terms with defensemen Jason York

The Boston Bruins have agreed to terms with defensemen Jason York and Wade Brookbank and forward Jeff Hoggan, the team announced on Friday.

Internet Sportsbook

York, 36, spent last year playing in Lugano, Switzerland where he recorded three goals and 17 assists in 34 games. Over 12 NHL seasons, which included stints in Detroit, Anaheim, Ottawa and Nashville, he has 41 goals and 180 assists in 708 games.

Sportsbook

His last appearance in the NHL was during the 2003-04 season when he played for the Predators. On the other hand, Brookbank, 28, has played for Nashville and Vancouver over his two NHL seasons and has three goals and two assists with 214 penalty minutes in 61 games.

Sportsbook Online

Hoggan, 28, played for St. Louis in his first NHL campaign in 2005-06 and recorded two goals and six assists in 52 games.

Hall lands with Rangers in three-team deal

The Nashville Predators were involved in a three-team trade on Wednesday that landed forward Adam Hall in New York with the Rangers.

Internet Sportsbook

Hall was shipped to the Big Apple in exchange for forward Dominic Moore. The Predators then sent Moore and forward Libor Pivko to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a third-round selection in the 2007 draft.

Sportsbook

The 25-year-old Hall scored 14 goals with 15 assists for 29 points in 75 games last season with Nashville. He has 43 goals and 42 assists for 85 points in 234 career contests with the Predators. The Penguins netted a pair of mid-twenties players in the deal.

Sportsbook Online

The 25-year-old Moore had 18 points -- nine goals and nine assists -- in 82 games with the Rangers last season while Pivko, 26, had 69 points in 69 games with Milwaukee of the American Hockey League last year.

Jackets re-sign goaltender Leclaire

The Columbus Blue Jackets have re-signed goaltender Pascal Leclaire to a two-year contract. The Blue Jackets selected the Quebec native with the eighth overall pick of the 2001 draft. He has a record of 11-17-3 with a 3.25 GAA in 35 career NHL games.

Internet Sportsbook

Leclaire appeared in 33 games last season as a rookie and posted a record of 11-15-3 with a 3.23 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage. He was 9-5-2 with a 2.85 GAA from January 1 through the end of the season.

Sportsbook

At the 2002 World Junior Hockey Championships in the Czech Republic, Leclaire went 4-1-0 with a 1.80 goals-against average and .937 save percentage to lead Team Canada to the silver medal.

Sportsbook Online

"When we drafted Pascal in the first round of the 2001 Entry Draft we saw a goaltender with great athleticism and confidence that had the potential to be a real important player for our organization," said Blue Jackets president and general manager Doug MacLean.

Quintanilla placed on 15-day DL

The Colorado Rockies placed infielder Omar Quintanilla on the 15-day disabled list prior to Monday's 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh with an injury to his right shin.

Internet Sportsbook

Quintanilla left Saturday's 3-2 loss to Cincinnati after he fouled a pitch off of his right shin and was listed as suffering from a right shin contusion.

Sportsbook

Quintanilla, 24, is batting .176 with three runs batted in since being recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs on June 3. He finished 1-for-14 in his last six games.

Sportsbook Online

The club also recalled infielder Ryan Shealy and pitcher Manuel Corpas from Colorado Springs (PCL); purchased the contract of infielder Jason Smith from Colorado Springs; and optioned pitchers David Cortes and Scott Dohmann to Colorado Springs.

Baker returns to Twins rotation against Devil Rays

Scott Baker returns to the Minnesota rotation tonight as the injury-riddled Twins begin a four-game series with the visiting Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Baker won the No. 5 starter spot out of spring training but failed to hold on to it after winning just two of five decisions and amassing a 6.06 earned run average through his first nine outings.

Internet Sportsbook

The young right-hander was sent to Triple-A in early June, where he went 3-2 with a 2.92 ERA in seven starts to earn his way back to the majors. This will be Baker's first career start against Tampa Bay. He threw one scoreless inning of relief against the Devil Rays last season.

Sportsbook

The Twins won the final three contests of its four-game home set with the Cleveland Indians over the weekend. In Sunday's finale, Jason Tyner's two-run double highlighted a three-run fourth inning which propelled Minnesota to a 5-2 victory.

Sportsbook Online

These teams will be meeting for the first time in 2006. Minnesota went 6-0 against Tampa Bay last year and has won eight straight in the series. The Devil Rays are just 3-9 at the Metrodome since the start of the 2003 campaign.

Prior returns to the disabled list

Chicago Cubs pitcher Mark Prior was placed back on the 15-day disabled list Friday, this time with a strained left oblique muscle. Prior was scratched from his scheduled start this past Sunday in Milwaukee because of the problem and the DL move is retroactive to July 5.

Internet Sportsbook

The 25-year-old right-hander began this season on the disabled list because of a shoulder strain and did not make his first start until June 18. He has not fared well on the mound, either.

Sportsbook

In four starts this season, Prior has a dismal record of 0-4 with a lofty 7.71 earned run average. He tossed a season-high six innings in his last outing on July 4 in Houston, but still allowed three earned runs in a 7-2 loss.

Sportsbook Online

Prior has battled injuries throughout much of his career and has a lifetime mark of 41-27 with a 3.39 ERA in 101 starts. The Cubs filled Prior's roster spot by recalling infielder Ryan Theriot from Triple-A Iowa. Theriot appeared in six games with the Cubs in May and was 0-for-4 with a run scored. He was batting .305 in 71 games with 21 runs batted in for Iowa

Division leaders start second half in Fenway

A pair of first place teams meet tonight in Boston as the Red Sox welcome the Oakland Athletics for the opener of a three-game series at Fenway Park. The Red Sox are 53-33 and hold a three-game lead over the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East.

Internet Sportsbook

The Athletics (45-43) are currently tied with Texas for the top spot in the West. The A's entered this week's All-Star break on a three-game losing streak and were dealt their latest loss last Sunday against the Angels.

Sportsbook

Meanwhile, the Red Sox had a three-game winning streak halted in Sunday's marathon loss to the White Sox. After, Tadahito Iguchi singled home Alex Cintron with one out in the 19th inning to lift Chicago to the 6-5 win.

Sportsbook Online

Mike Lowell homered and finished 3-for-5, while Mark Loretta drove in three runs for the Red Sox. Tonight marks the first meeting of the season between the Red Sox and A's. Boston went 6-4 in the series last year and is 14-5 versus Oakland since the start of the 2004 campaign.

FOX and TBS agree to new contracts with MLB

Major League Baseball announced a new seven-year television rights deal with FOX Broadcasting Company and Turner Broadcasting System. The agreements run through the 2013 season.

Internet Sportsbook

FOX will continue its exclusive coverage of the World Series and All-Star Game, while also broadcasting one of the two League Championship Series each year of the contract. The network will cover the American League Championship Series in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013, and work the National League Championship Series in 2008, 2010 and 2012.

Sportsbook

Baseball's broadcast partner for the LCS that FOX does not cover in each alternating year has not yet been decided. FOX will also expand its weekly Saturday game of the week from its current 18 weeks to 26 weeks. It will give baseball a weekly presence on network television from April to September for the first time since 1989.

Sportsbook Online

The agreement with TBS gives the cable outlet all regular-season tiebreaker games, all Division Series games and the All-Star Game selection show. In addition, beginning in 2008, TBS will telecast a window of MLB games on 26 Sunday afternoons. Currently, TBS is home to the Atlanta Braves, but the network will begin to scale back its coverage of the Braves in 2008. The agreements with FOX and TBS are each subject to ratification by Major League Baseball owners.

Blue Jackets re-sign Hainsey

The Columbus Blue Jackets re-signed defenseman Ron Hainsey to a two-year contract on Tuesday. Hainsey appeared in 55 games with the Blue Jackets last season. He recorded two goals and 15 assists for 17 points with 43 penalty minutes and lead the team in plus/minus with a plus-13. He was claimed off waivers from Montreal on November 29.

Internet Sportsbook

"We are very pleased to have Ron back with us," said club president and general manager Doug MacLean. "Last season he came in after he was claimed off waivers and played well the last 50 games of the season. We are pleased with his progress and think that he can develop into a strong player in the National Hockey League."

Sportsbook

He has played in 87 NHL games over three seasons with the Canadiens and Blue Jackets, scoring three goals and also dishing out 16 assists for 19 points with 49 penalty minutes.

Sportsbook Online

Hainsey has 29 goals and 87 assists for 116 points with 151 penalty minutes in 244 career AHL Games. Hainsey was Montreal's first pick -- 13th overall -- in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.

Italy basks in glory of fourth World Cup

France was the first to score; Italy was eventually the last, as Fabio Grosso converted the final penalty kick in a shootout to give Italy the tournament championship over France in Sunday's final match.

Internet Sportsbook

Grosso drilled a shot to give Italy the 5-3 win in penalties, after both teams finished 120 minutes of soccer in a 1-1 draw. France's David Trezeguet missed his penalty kick to allow Italy to take the advantage, with Grosso providing the final knock en route to Italy's fourth World Cup title.

Sportsbook

The Italian win came after a combined eight shots on goal in the 120 minutes of soccer. French captain, Zinedine Zidane, who is expected to retire, may have ended his career on a sour note, when he was ejected in extra time for head butting Marco Materazzi. The captain started the match off on a strong note, netting the first goal on a penalty kick to give France the early 1-0 lead.

Sportsbook Online

The goal was Zidane's second converted penalty kick in as many matches and was the fastest goal in a World Cup final since 1974. In the '74 match, the first goal was scored in just the second minute. With the goal, Zidane became the fourth player to score three goals in World Cup final history.

Morris leads Giants at Dodger Stadium

Giants’ pitcher Matt Morris will try to keep his recent unbeaten streak intact tonight when San Francisco and Los Angeles resume a four-game series from Dodger Stadium. Morris, who is 7-7 with a 4.12 ERA in 17 starts this season, has won his last four starts, including a July 2 victory over San Diego. Morris held the division-rival Padres to a pair of runs on four hits in 7 1/3 innings.

Internet Sportsbook

The right-hander lost to the Dodgers this season on May 12, surrendering five runs and eight hits through seven innings of work. For his career, Morris is 3-4 with a shutout and a 5.15 ERA in 11 games (nine starts) versus Los Angeles.

Sportsbook

San Francisco ended a two-game losing streak with Thursday's 5-4 win over the Dodgers in the series opener. Pedro Feliz went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI and Moises Alou added an RBI and a pair of runs scored. Alou was activated off the disabled list prior to the series opener with LA and had been sidelined since mid-June with a back strain.

Sportsbook Online

San Francisco is currently third in the NL West standings at 1 1/2 game behind San Diego for the top spot. The club also is 4-4 on an 11-game road trip and 21-22 as the guest this season.

Bobcats sign first-round pick Morrison

The Charlotte Bobcats have signed their first-round draft pick, forward Adam Morrison. Morrison was the third player selected in last week's NBA Draft after a stellar collegiate career at Gonzaga.

Internet Sportsbook

He played three years with the Bulldogs and led the nation in scoring last season with an average of 28.1 points per game, accumulating numerous postseason awards that included All-America and co-Player of the Year honors.

Sportsbook

"I am glad to sign my first contract and start my NBA career here in Charlotte," said Morrison. "I look forward to doing whatever I can to help the Bobcats take the next step as we build toward a championship." The Bobcats finished their second season with a 26-56 mark last year.

Sportsbook Online

"We are pleased to sign Adam and to get him on the basketball court with our team," said Bobcats general manager Bernie Bickerstaff. "He is a quality young man and a fine talent who we are excited to have as part of our organization. We have already seen how his skills will benefit our team and how competitive he is on the court."

Chicago continues series against Baltimore

The White Sox aim for their second straight victory tonight when they battle the Baltimore Orioles in the third test of a four- game series at U.S. Cellular Field. The White Sox ended a two-game skid with an easy win in Tuesday's game. Jose Contreras won his 17th straight decision and Juan Uribe went 3-for-5 with a homer and five RBI to lead Chicago to the 13-0 rout.

Internet Sportsbook

Contreras (9-0) allowed just six hits and struck out three over 6 2/3 innings. The right-hander has not suffered a regular-season loss since August 15, 2005 and his streak is the longest in the majors since Minnesota's Johan Santana also won 17 straight decisions from July 2004 to April 2005.

Sportsbook

Paul Konerko added a three-run homer and Scott Podsednik went 3-for-6 with a stolen base for the White Sox, who evened the set at a game apiece. Brian Anderson had two RBI for Chicago, which is 1 1/2 game behind Detroit for first place in the AL Central.

Sportsbook Online

Chicago has dominated this matchup in recent history. Last season the White Sox took six of the eight meetings, and they are 19-10 against the O's since the start of the 2002 campaign. Baltimore has also struggled in the Windy City in that span, winning just five times in 16 tries.

NL West showdown in LA

Los Angeles will try to keep pace in the crowded NL West standings tonight when it resumes a three-game series against the division- rival Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers are tied with Colorado at one game behind San Diego's lead, while the Giants are only a half game out of the race and Arizona is 3 1/2 games behind.

Internet Sportsbook

LA ended a brief two-game losing streak in the series opener on Monday, as Nomar Garciaparra was hit by a pitch three times in a 10-4 victory. Garcia Parra tied a major-league record by reaching base three times via hit by pitch. He also scored once, drove in two runs and extended his hitting streak to 15 games in the victory.

Sportsbook

Andre Ethier went 4-for-5 with two runs batted in and J.D. Drew had two hits and two runs scored for the Dodgers, who opened a seven-game homestand in style and improved to 24-16 at home this season.

Sportsbook Online

The Diamondbacks are 3-1 on a nine-game road swing and 21-20 as the visitor in 2006. The 2006 season set between LA and Arizona is tied at three games apiece, but the Diamondbacks have won 11 of the last 14 meetings in the series.

Struggling Athetics welcome Tigers

The struggling Oakland Athletics will have to face the team with the best record in the majors as the Detroit Tigers invade McAfee Coliseum for a three-game series beginning tonight. Oakland has dropped five of its last six games and lost all three contests to the previously-slumping Arizona Diamondbacks over the weekend.

Internet Sportsbook

Oakland still holds a tenuous lead in the AL West division, but its advantage has slimmed to one game over the surging Seattle Mariners. The Tigers, meanwhile, continued their season-long roll with a 9-8 triumph at Pittsburgh in Sunday's rubber match of a three-game set.

Sportsbook

Detroit, which leads the majors with a 3.52 team earned run average, looks for another strong pitching performance tonight out of Nate Robertson. Robertson is coming off an excellent outing last Tuesday, when the left-hander blanked the Houston Astros over seven innings to run his season record to 8-3. He has won three straight decisions and currently ranks fifth among AL hurlers with a 3.14 ERA.

Sportsbook Online

Oakland counters with Joe Blanton, who will try to rebound from a loss in San Diego on Wednesday in which he was charged with five runs -- four earned -- in four innings. The right-hander had been 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA in his three previous starts. The Tigers took two of three from the A's earlier this season, but Oakland has won six of the last nine meetings between the teams.