A new era is about to begin in Dallas football, while $103 million will ensure there is no such change for the New England Patriots.
On Wednesday, the Dallas Cowboys released former all-pro quarterback Troy Aikman, after a career highlighted by three Superbowl rings and ten concussions. The day also brought news for another star quarterback, as the terms of the contract extension for the Patriots' Drew Bledsoe were disclosed (10 years, $103 million).
Also this week, the Superbowl champion Baltimore Ravens signed quarterback Elvis Grbac for $30 million over five years. It looks like Trent Dilfer, the QB who guided the Ravens to the championship, may have to look for a new job - at least he can put Superbowl champion on his resum?©.
In college basketball, Division I conference tournaments are now underway. Although the high-profile tournaments do not end until this weekend, through Wednesday, 13 teams were already guaranteed a spot in the NCAA tournament, including Gonzaga, Butler, Princeton, and Western Kentucky. March Madness begins soon. Moving to the diamond - in an announcement that surprised no one and disappointed the Toronto Blue Jays, Bud Selig ruled this week that the David Wells-Mike Sirotka trade would be upheld. Toronto, which knowingly traded for an injured Sirotka - though now aware of the extent of the injury - was at least hoping for some compensation, if not an outright reversal of the trade. Selig's ruling - that the Chicago White Sox owe nothing to the Blue Jays - signals the end of the mini-saga.
At least we still have the Sheffield saga to entertain us. Last week the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger demanded a contract extension or a trade. The Dodgers, unwilling to talk about his contract, have been trying to send him to one of the three teams - the Mets, Yankees, or Braves - that he requested. This week, Sheffield has graciously expanded the list to nine teams and offered to reduce his $10 million annual contract by half (and defer the rest of it) if traded to one of these teams. The new additions are St. Louis, Cincinnati, the Cubs, Tampa Bay, Kansas City, and Texas.
Some news from the "Why isn't this a bigger deal?" file: Albert Belle will probably never play baseball again. On Wednesday, Belle and the Baltimore Orioles agreed that it is highly unlikely he will play this year or ever again due to a degenerative hip condition. Seventy percent of his contract - which has three years and $39 million left - will be covered by insurance.
More from the "Why is this such a big deal?" file: Lamar Odom, of the Los Angeles Clippers, and Isaiah Rider, of the Los Angeles Lakers, were suspended on Wednesday for five games for violating the NBA's drug policy. No further details were given, which means the drug they took were not performance enhancing. The NBA's vague justification referred to the need to uphold "image of the league."
Also in the NBA on Wednesday night, the Sacramento Kings overcame a 28-point deficit to beat the Phoenix Suns 100-89. Chris Webber, in his second game back after missing ten contests with a sprained ankle, scored 41 to lead the comeback, also the largest by any team this season. The Kings are now 40-19 and one of seven teams in the highly competitive Western Conference which have won over 60 percent of their games.
