Yankees ready to make some trades
The Yankees are only 3 1/2 games out of first so the bigwigs have given Brian Cashman the green light to patch the team up with whatever he can get by the trading deadline. Word is that he's in serious talks with Seattle to send Kei Igawa in exchange for Jarrod Washburn, who will be 34 in August and owns an ERA of  4.75. If that doesn't happen, a Yankees scout is spending extra time with the Dodgers. The rumor there is that the Yanks are coveting Derek Lowe.  (New York Daily News, New York Post)

More steroid users found in Clemens probe?
The Justice Department has been busy trying to figure out if Roger Clemens lied to Congress when he got to sit in the chair down the table from his former trainer, Brian McNamee, this past February. Word is that the feds have found a few more players who took advantage of the league's lack of rules on performance-enhancing drug use and will talk to this group in hopes of corroborating the testimony of McNamee. Apparently, Justice doesn't want to hang its investigation too heavily on McNamee. (New York Times)

Start of 2009 in jeopardy for Posada
Yankees catcher/first baseman/DH Jorge Posada isn't having much fun. He apparently was told yesterday that he needs surgery on his right rotator cuff, but he kind of wants to not get opened up and seems to think he can help the Yanks somehow this season. Recovery from the surgery, though, takes six months. So if Posada waits till the off-season to face the knife, he's likely not going to be behind the plate when the Yankees open up the 2009 season. (New York Post)

Who will get Favre?
The Packers are apparently not waiting for Brett Favre to file his reinstatement papers before talking to other teams about potential trades. The team has apparently already spoken to the Jets, the Ravens, the Dolphins, and the Texans as well as the Panthers, Buccaneers, Falcons, and Redskins. What? NO Vikings? (Wisconsin State Journal)

Westbrook wants $10 million this year
Eagles running back Brian Westbrook fired his agent earlier this off-season and hired a new one that supposedly has guaranteed him that he can get a certain amount for him. Rumor has it that Westbrook is seeking $30 million for the first three years of a deal. (ProFootballTalk)

Jags' purported cocaine felon in camp
When Jaguars running back Matt Jones was found by the police in a car cutting up cocaine with a credit card a few weeks ago, it was immediately thought that Jacksonville would send him packing. After all, the 2005 draft pick never fully lived up to his potential, anyway. But now the Jags say they'll be bringing him back. What good guys! Giving him a second chance! It doesn't hurt, of course, that two of the Jaguars other wide receivers (Jerry Porter, Mike Walker) are recovering from injuries. (WOKV)

Bengals don't want WR Henry
Cincinnati ditched receiver Travis Henry in the spring after his fifth arrest and word recently circulated that the Bengals were interested in bringing him back since the last charges against him were dropped. The word now is that the Bengals are finally done with the 25-year-old Henry and he'll have to take his show elsewhere. (Associated Press)

Coughlin talking to Torre and Wooden?
With Jeremy Shockey and Michael Strahan gone, there's a lot of doubt that the Giants can match their championship season from last year, but coach Tom Coughlin is apparently looking to some experts on winning to help him out. Word is that he's called Dodgers manager Joe Torre and John Wooden, who coached UCLA to 10 titles in 12 years, for advice on repeating. (New York Post)

NBA

Boozer might return to Utah
Carlos Boozer becomes a free agent next summer but he's already sounding like he's made a plan to stay in Salt Lake City. It doesn't hurt that his recently signed pal Deron Williams is onboard for the next four years. (Salt Lake Tribune)

Hawks prepared to make run at Childress
It appears that Hawks restricted free agent swingman Josh Childress may be ready to sign a supposed three-year deal for more than $20 million with Greek team Olympiakos but Atlanta is apparently not going to let him just escape. Hawks general manager Rick Sund says Atlanta will continue to offer a contract that is "extremely competitive to the NBA market." Hope you like moussaka, Josh. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Bobcats planning for Varejao?
Charlotte signed Anderson Varejao to an offer sheet late last year when he was holding out. Cleveland then matched the offer. Varejao's agent wants to get him out of Cleveland to a team that wants to re-sign him and Charlotte would apparently love to have him but there's one small hitch: The Bobcats can't offer him a deal until one year after their previous offer, which means they’ve got to wait till Dec. 5 to make any kind of move, which of course could really help ease the Emeka Okafor situation. Okafor wants out of Charlotte and the team will likely try to find some sort of sign-and-trade situation to fix that problem. (Charlotte Observer)

Nuggets ready to trade Iverson?
Denver is cutting salary. Sorry, Marcus Camby. Now it's looking like the next big bucks that could disappear belong to Allen Iverson. Of course, they could also lose Kenyon Martin, or Nene. Owner Stan Kroenke apparently has everybody up on the block because he wants to avoid paying the luxury tax. Iverson's expiring $20.84 million contract is attractive to any team that wants cap space next summer. Of course what everybody wants is cap space in two summers when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh will al be free agents. (Rocky Mountain News)

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