Zorn leaves Seattle to become offensive coordinator in Washington (ESPN.com)
Out goes Al Saunders, in goes Jim Zorn.
According to ESPN.com’s Mike Sando, the rumors are now fact: the Washington Redskins have hired Jim Zorn as the club’s new offensive coordinator.
The coordinator hiring is being made before the organization has settled on a new head coach to replace the retiring Joe Gibbs.
Davis asks Kiffin to resign; Kiffin tells him no (ESPN.com)
The ghost of Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis ceases to amaze those that follow the NFL.
Now comes word from ESPN.com’s Chris Mortensen that the aging owner has asked head coach Lane Kiffin to resign. However, Kiffin has told the owner that he refuses to accept the “invitation” to walk away and will likely be canned.
Mortensen reports that Davis provided Kiffin with a prepared letter for him to sign, only to have him rebuff the attempt.
Dennis Green, according to Mortensen, would likely be the replacement.
Earlier this offseason, coordinator Rob Ryan was essentially fired but returned to the organization after briefly being courted by the New York Jets. Ryan, by the way, still wants out of Oakland.
A nice little montage, courtesy of YouTube, on the Dana Jacobson controversy.
i-five to “ShortHop” for the hilarious tip.
Twins lock up Morneau, Cuddyer to mult-year contracts (MyFOX Twin Cities)
According to MyFOXTwinCities.com, the Minnesota Twins have locked up Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer to long-term deals.
The station reports that the club will conduct a press conference on Friday afternoon to announce the signings.
i-five to Rotoworld.com for the information.
***UPDATED at 6:06 PM ET***
News and notes while Paris Hilton and Terrell Owens exchange digits…
Marlins inch closer to stadium deal (MLB.com) The seemingly never-ending saga of the Florida Marlins landing a new stadium in south Florida apparently is inching forward as a Feb. 5 meeting of the Miami-Dade County commissioners looms.
Royals lead Santana race? (Joe Posnanski) The Kansas City Star’s Joe Posnanski pokes a little fun at the ridiculousness of the daily updates regarding the “race” for Minnesota Twins ace Johan Santana.
Final Vick defendant gets probation, fine (USATODAY.com) The final defendant connected to Michael Vick’s dogfighting case netted three years probation and a $500 fine after he cooperated with prosecutors.
Phoenix Suns president has outdoor pre-season game in works (Business Journal of Phoenix) The Phoenix Suns are planning to play the NBA’s first outdoor game during next year’s preseason at the Indian Wells (Calif.) Tennis Garden, Suns president and CEO Rick Welts said, according to the Business Journal of Phoenix.
IUPUI hoops coach’s shoe drive for charity a huge success (Indianapolis Star) UPUI coach Ron Hunter, who coached barefoot against Oakland University Thursday, got a huge response, with more than 110,000 pairs of athletic shoes donated.
…and finally…
Whitlock: ‘Mike & Mike’ aren’t big stars (FOXSports.com) Another Kansas City Star writer shares this space as Jason Whitlock, writing for FOXSports.com, takes a look at the Dana Jacobson controversy and offers an opinion on it within this notes column. (ifive to The Big Lead for the info.)
ESPN’s Dana Jacobson learns the Internet is always listening (The Press of Atlantic City)
Regina Schaffer of The Press of Atlantic City writes an overview of the current controversy surrounding ESPN’s Dana Jacobson and her comments at a “Mike & Mike” celebrity roast.
According to “At the Shore” editor Scott Cronick, Jacobson never uttered the magic phrase that has her in hot water with a portion of the Catholic faith.
“She was out of control,” Cronick said. “When she started slugging vodka straight from the bottle, the whole crowd just groaned. Most people in the audience, including me, felt bad for (Notre Dame head coach) Charlie Weis, because he was sitting right next to the podium and she was just going off on him and Notre Dame. They got her off the stage once, but she somehow found her way back to the stage and just dug her hole deeper.”
Also worth mentioning: The Big Lead has some pics up (as does The Press of Atlantic City) of Jacobson’s appearance at said event.
Djokovic stuns Federer, advances to Aussie final (ESPN.com Services)
The consecutive finals reached streak of Roger Federer is over.
Novak Djokovic, the major-league underdog, rallied from being down 3-5 in the first set to win that and the match, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (5).
Other notes of mention with Federer’s streak of not only consecutive finals reached, but his 19 consecutive wins in the Open:
• Federer’s first loss in straight sets in a Grand Slam tournament since a third-round defeat to Gustavo Kuerten at the 2004 French Open.
• His first loss in a Grand Slam match on hard courts in straight sets since the fourth round of the 2002 U.S. Open.
• The end of his 40-match winning streak in Grand Slam hard-court matches dating to the 2005 Australian semifinals.
• Only his his third loss in 75 Grand Slam matches played over the last 11 Slams. The other two: to Rafael Nadal in the 2006 and ‘07 finals at Roland Garros.
Historic, indeed. Djokovic will now face the unseeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who slapped around Rafael Nadal in the tourney’s other semi-final.
News and notes while Daniel Alfredsson lights the lamp…
Committee reviewing McNamee tapes (New York Times) According to Duff Wilson of The New York Times, the House oversight committee is reviewing the tapes and transcripts three conversations that feature Brian McNamee, Roger Clemens’ former personal trainer who claims he injected the multi-time Cy Young Award winner with PEDs.
2008 MLB master schedule released (BizofBaseball) Want to see every team’s schedule? The Biz of Baseball has it all in PDF form.
Redskins still trying to find their man (AP/NFL.com) After rumors of the hiring of Jim Fassel being inaccurate earlier this week, the Associated Press reports that other candidates have yet to be interviewed. Josh McDaniels or Steve Spagnuolo, anyone. (ifive to PFT.com for the tip.)
Iverson, Garnett make All-Star squads (AP/SI.com) Allen Iverson of the Denver Nuggets and Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtic headline the 2008 NBA All-Star Game starters, which will be held in New Orleans.
Cyclist sues USADA for drug testing plan (AP/USATODAY.com) An anonymous cyclist is suing the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for “overreaching its own rules and protocols.”
…and finally…
The Super Bowl bye week jamboroo, in which Drew pauses to make a serious point about blogging as journalism, then makes chili (Deadspin.com) A great read if you’re interested in blogging.
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