Per ESPN 1500 from Minneapolis.

http://1500espn.com/sportswire/Report_Arkansas_close_to_hiring_away_Gophers_coach_Tubby_Smith_031411

Tubby Smith's fourth season as Gophers men's basketball coach effectively ended on Sunday night, when the National Invitation Tournament passed on his slumping team for its 32-team field.

Now, it appears Smith may have coached his final game at the "U".

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported on Monday afternoon that Smith has had a face-to-face meeting with University of Arkansas officials, who are close to hiring the 59-year-old for their vacant head-coaching position.

Smith signed a seven-year deal with the "U" in 2007 and compiled an 80-53 record over four seasons that included two bids to the NCAA Tournament and a third to the NIT. But this year's team stumbled badly down the stretch as injuries and defections thinned the backcourt, losing 10 of its last 11 games to finish 17-14.

Arkansas -- which fired John Pelphrey on Sunday after four seasons and a 69-59 record -- also has had "informal contact" with former Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie, the Star-Telegram reported. Other coaches linked as possibilities for the opening include Missouri's Mike Anderson, Texas A&M's Mark Turgeon, Marquette's Buzz Williams and Kansas State's Frank Martin.

Never played for the Vikings..but this is a true tragedy..RIP!

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Former Titans quarterback Steve McNair has been killed. Police said McNair suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head in downtown Nashville.

The incident happened near 2nd South & Lea Ave. Police said it looked like a double homicide. A female victim was also found dead.

Stay with NewsChannel5.com for more information as it becomes available.

 

http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=10643962

NOOOO!....

It's from a spanish news station so i don't know whether to believe it or not..so take it for what its worth folks, although nothing is outta the relm of possibility.

http://basketball.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/60284/20090702/rubio_will_stay_in_spain_for_two_seasons/#

 

According to a report from El Periodico, Ricky Rubio has decided not to come over to the United States to play for the Minnesota Timberwolves and will remain with DKV Joventut for the next two seasons.

The Detroit Pistons have reached agreement with free-agent guard Ben Gordon(notes) on a five-year contract worth around $55 million, a source with knowledge of the talks told Yahoo! Sports Wednesday evening.

The Pistons are continuing to negotiate with forwardCharlie Villanueva(notes).

July 8 is the first day free agents can sign contracts.

Gordon and Villanueva, who played together for a year at UConn, traveled to Detroit on Wednesday morning to meet with Detroit president Joe Dumars.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-gordonpistons070109&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Rangers Send Scott Gomez, Tom Pyatt and Mike Busto to the Canadiens for Chris Higgins, Ryan McDonagh and Pavel Valentenko.

and apparently Buzz Eklund is reporting that Ottawa has shipped Danny Heatley to the Rangers...don't know what for at this point..More to follow.

Please Wild..do something this off-season...Brodziak was a decent start. now go get us a superstar!..Sake would be a nice Follow up...Or Better yet.BRING ME THE SEDINS!

Potential Wild players  Update #1: From Russo's Twitter: Contrary to reports, Havlat did not re-sign with Chicago; Fedotenko not done with Pittsburgh either; Bouwmeester did sign with CGY

and Eklund's Twitter is saying Havlat to Montreal..i don't know what to believe..i'd rather trust Russo though.

How high is Kahn on Rubio to turn down this deal?..i would take this without thinking

Ricky Rubio was reportedly in Minnesota this weekend to meet with Wolves GM David Kahn, whose decision to draft the Spanish guard is looking better by the minute.

Mitch Lawrence in Sunday's Daily News reported that the Wolves turned down a deal with the Houston Rockets that would have resulted in Aaron Brooks and Shane Battier headed to Minnesota for Rubio.

If the Wolves are receiving those types of offers—Brooks and Battier were starters on a playoff team - do the Knicks really have much of a chance to get Rubio? Donnie Walsh is offering Wilson Chandler but that's not going to get it down. Walsh originally offered Chandler to Washington to get the fifth pick last week.

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/knicks/2009/06/knicks-dont-have-knack-to-land.html#ixzz0Jq6fLmRj&D

This is from the St Paul Pioneer Press...Very Interesting Information...

A little birdie said Ricky Rubio and his father were to fly to Minneapolis on Saturday to quietly meet with Timberwolves President David Kahn, who was to welcome the team's top draft pick to Minnesota and chat about beginning his NBA future here.

The Wolves don't plan to exert any pressure on Rubio, the draft's No. 5 overall pick, to sign with them. But they will do what they can to accommodate the flashy point guard from Spain without interfering with his current contract status.

Rubio, 18, was paid just $97,000 last season to play with his Spanish team, which wants him to remain in his homeland so much that it attached a $6.6 million buyout to his contract. The Wolves have no control over Rubio's contract, but he's considering going to court to get the amount of the buyout reduced as well as negotiating with his team for a buyout reduction.

The maximum, by NBA rules, that the Wolves could contribute toward a buyout is $500,000. Even if there is a reduction, it's expected that Rubio would have to pay at least several million dollars himself.

How would he do that on a $97,000 salary?

Signing with the Wolves would guarantee Rubio approximately $6 million his first two seasons. Assuming he were to sign a four-year contract, as expected, the Wolves would have restricted rights for an additional two seasons, and that would be worth nearly $8 million more.

It's expected that Rubio would be allowed to pay his buyout over several years. Conventional wisdom

http://www.twincities.com/ci_12705123?source=most_viewed

According to the Spanish News Station Marca.com via Hoops Hype.com

http://hoopshype.com/rumors.htm

 

The Best-Case scenario for Rubio, and Marca.com can confirm that negotiations are underway,is a Trade with the Knicks. The Two Likely Candidates for the Trade are David Lee and Nate Robinson..While apparently the Timberwolves knew that Rubio wasn't going to play for them when they picked him.

I figured i'd just put the hoops hype link to save you guys the trouble of trying to translate spanish.

I Don't Know..If we could Resign Both Lee and Kryptonate...I Might not be against this deal...

This is from Mike Baldwin of the Oklahoman.

     The latest rumor out of Minnesota, according to a source that follows the Timberwolves, is they might want to trade the No. 5 and 18 picks to Oklahoma City for the No. 3 pick. The latest twist is Minnesota’s target is Tyreke Evans, not Ricky Rubio or Hasheem Thabeet.

      Sacramento, which picks No. 4,  is believed to have Evans at the top of its board. Minnesota might feel compelled to move up to take Evans but doesn’t want to give up the No. 5 and No. 6 picks to Memphis to get Evans since that would be a high price, especially since they also have interest in Rubio and Thabeet.

       If Oklahoma City GM Sam Presti were to trade down to No. 5, would Sacramento take Rubio at No. 4? The Kings probably would have no choice. They also might be willing to trade the pick to the Knicks or another team, although those teams don’t have extra draft picks.

       If the Thunder does trade down and has the No. 5 pick — and Rubio and Thabeet are both off the board — the question would then become does Presti prefer James Harden or Stephen Curry.

        If  Rubio were still available at No. 5, what would Presti do, draft and keep Rubio or trade down a second time? 

http://blog.newsok.com/nbainokc/2009/06/24/latest-minnesota-rumor/

If this is true..So help me god..if we trade for the #3 and Rubio or Thabeet are on the Board....How can we pass on that!..Tyreke Evans at #3? Sweet Jesus.. 

Childress: Favre pain free right now
June 19th, 2009 – 4:27 PM by Judd Zulgad

Vikings coach Brad Childress told KFAN Radio host Dan Barreiro this afternoon that his understanding is that Brett Favre is “pain free” right now. The retired quarterback indicated on HBO on Monday night that if his surgically repaired right shoulder shows the necessary improvement that he likely would end his retirement and play for the Vikings in 2009.

“My understanding is that he is pain free right now,” Childress said. “Does he have the endurance and the stamina in that arm yet? He does’t know that yet. It’s no different than grabbing a golf club for the first time during the year when you rip around 18 holes around and you wake up the next day and your side hurts. You say, ‘Geez, I haven’t felt that muscle in a while.’ So he’s got to build some endurance in that and see if he thinks he can get it back to where he wants to get it to.”

Childress said he isn’t getting daily reports from Mississippi. Vikings trainer Eric Sugarman visited Favre on Sunday to go over exercises he could do to help him recover from arthroscopic surgery he underwent in late May to repair a partially torn biceps. ”There is a little bit of time here,” Childress said. “It’s not a foregone conculsion that he will be here.”

Favre threw the ball to high school players this week and told a TV station, “I threw the ball OK, but OK isn’t good enough in the National Football League.”

http://blogs.startribune.com/vikingsblog/?p=2986

Only $105 with Shipping..

http://www.nflshop.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2252564&cp=2237409.2237504&parentPage=family

 Type in Favre and the number 4 into the Customizer and Buy this Jersey!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I needed filler to fill the 75 word max so i am typing this to fill said maximum of 75 words. lead us to the promise land Brett. Packers Suck, Packers Suck, Packers Suck, Viva La Vikings. 2010 Super Bowl Champions! end the filler now.

About time you grow a set and speak for yourself Brett.

http://blogs.startribune.com/vikingsblog/?p=2960#comments

Favre to end his silence

June 14th, 2009 – 7:18 PM by Judd Zulgad

There has been plenty of talk for the past month-plus about whether Brett Favre will join the Vikings for the 2009 season. But throughout this process, Favre has remained quiet. That silence will end at 8 p.m. Monday when the retired quarterback appears live in studio on the debut of “Joe Buck Live” on HBO.

Buck, who is Fox’s lead play-by-play voice for the NFL and baseball, was added to the HBO lineup after Bob Costas departed to start working for Major League Baseball’s new network.

 

Interesting quotes from the St Paul Pioneer Press today from the Agent.

 

Brett Favre's agent said Friday he believes the quarterback's surgically repaired arm will be fine, but he's still not sure whether Favre wants to return to play football.

The comments came after ESPN.com reported that, according to an unidentified source, a Vikings trainer and a member of the coaching staff will travel to Hattiesburg, Miss., in a few days to work with Favre. The Vikings want to gauge the progress of Favre's throwing arm after he had arthroscopic surgery last month to repair a partially torn biceps tendon.

Favre has started throwing footballs again, but apparently he's still uncertain whether he will be able to play this season.

Favre's agent, Bus Cook, told West Virginia TV station WSAZ: "Whether he plays anymore or not, I don't know. . . . I don't know because I'm not sure that Brett is sure what he wants to do. Physically, I think he'll be fine, maybe a couple of weeks. But we will know one way or the other. Then again, does he still want to play?

"Can he play? Absolutely. He's still as good as anybody in the business, even at 40 years old. It's just whether or not he wants to go play or not."

http://www.twincities.com/vikings/ci_12578074?nclick_check=1

From Judd Zulgad over at the Star Tribune..

 

Brad Childress shed little light on the Brett Favre situation after his team completed an OTA practice today, but the Vikings coach did acknowledge that he talked to the retired quarterback last week.

Childress would not comment on if Favre told him anything about the surgery he reportedly had to repair a partially torn biceps tendon in his throwing (right) arm. Childress said he made the call to Favre, who many expect to end his second attempt at retirement to play for the Vikings this season.

http://blogs.startribune.com/vikingsblog/?p=2953

From the St Paul Pioneer Press....

A little birdie says that if Kevin McHale remains the Timberwolves' coach, which now seems likely, he'll be required to hire a former NBA head coach as his top assistant for in-depth help. The Wolves will provide McHale with a list of candidates from whom to choose.

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_12556510?nclick_check=1

I'm loving the having to hire a former NBA head coach as an assistant idea...Now who could be those...PJ Carliesimo?...Pat Riley?....Hubie Brown? LOL

Breaking News: According to Ed Werder of ESPN, The Vikings have suspended their pursuit of retired free agent QB Brett Favre because he did not attend OTA's....

REALLY CHILDRESS, The Man Just has surgery a month ago on his shoulder and you expect him to come to OT Fucking A's....give me a break...You should lose your job over this because you are a disgrace of a head coach. FIRE CHILDRESS. Jesus H Christ.

This is Freaking Ridiculous but sounds so true..The Green Bay Post Gazette Reports

If Brett Favre signs to play quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings in the next week or two, his family and friends will be ready for his one game back in Green Bay.

 

About two months ago, a member of Favre’s inner circle blocked off 25 to 30 rooms at the Midway Motor Lodge near Lambeau Field for the weekend of the Vikings game against the Packers on Nov. 1.

Favre appears ready to sign with the Vikings relatively soon, contingent upon his throwing arm’s progress after recently having surgery on his injured shoulder. But friends and family members have been preparing for a while for his possible signing with the Vikings.

“They called and said if he goes to Minnesota they definitely want to be at

 

the game,” said Doug Warpinski, the Ashwaubenon hotel’s manager.

 

The group isn’t required to guarantee payment for the rooms until 45 days before the check-in date, so it can cancel the reservations in the next two months without financial penalty. Warpinski said Favre’s family and friends routinely stayed at the hotel for home games in Favre’s final five years with the Packers.

 

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20090608/PKR01/90608160/1978

From Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Just as I arrived at Minnesota's second day of minicamp, fashionably late after skipping the stretching portion, I saw the Vikings offense in a decidedly unfamiliar formation.

Rookie Percy Harvin was lined up as a shotgun quarterback. Sage Rosenfels was split out wide.

What?

Yep. The Wildcat.

I've spent most of the past month believing there was no way that coach Brad Childress would consent to such a trendy formation, even after the Vikings' decision to draft Harvin -- an ideal fit for the Wildcat -- in the first round. Childress is a traditional, meat-and-potatoes offensive coach who never embraced the formation as it became fashionable last season.

But the Wildcat was in plain sight Saturday morning. Harvin, tailback Chester Taylor and receiver Darius Reynaud will all rotating in the quarterback role. You can only imagine how dangerous this could be when defenses follow tailback Adrian Peterson wherever he goes.

The Story (Along with some other notes from day 2 of training camp) continues here: http://myespn.go.com/blogs/nfcnorth/0-11-126/A-significant-wrinkle-in-Minnesota.html

God i can't wait to see the Vikings run this.

Florio @ PFT is Linking a story from Peter King of SI.com saying this exact  story

 

All has been quiet on the Brett Favre front for nearly a week.  Even with Mike Vick eclipsing Favre on the SportsCenter loop, Favre has resisted the temptation to make news.

But there’s a development.

It comes not from the Favre camp, but from the team with which he has been linked ever since the knees of his Second Annual Retirement started to wobble late last month, when the Jets released his rights.

According to Peter King of SI.com, the Vikings want a decision from Favre soon, possibly by the end of the week.  Put simply, the team wants to know what their quarterback depth chart will look like for the 2009 season.

King also writes that Favre’s partially detached biceps tendon is “hanging by a thread,” and that the arthroscopic procedure necessary to detach it completely (which supposedly would solve Favre’s problems with the arm) would be an easy one.

So there you have it.  The Vikes finally want to put these Favre rumors to bed.

Which might open the door for a wave of Vick-to-Vikes rumors.

 

PFT Story: http://www.profootballtalk.com/2009/05/25/vikings-want-favre-decision-this-week/

 

SI Story: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/peter_king/05/24/memorialday/index.html

Pittsburgh Penguins Assistant General Manager Chuck Fletcher will be announced as the replacement to Doug Risebrough tomorrow according to Michael Russo from the Star Trib.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/wild/45746452.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUac8HEaDiaMDCinchO7DUs

Whats the Thoughts on this from Wilderness Nation?

Me Personally i love the pick...you see what he's had a hand doing in pittsburgh getting superstars like Malkin and Sid the Kid and building a contender around them.

Tom Penn.  Zgoda:

From everything I’m hearing, Tom Penn is signed, sealed and delivered (or at least completely agreed to, give me some poetic license for the Stevie Wonder reference). I’m guessing a Tuesday press conference, just hours before the team learns its draft lottery fate.

I’m still not completely positive the McHale situation is decided. I’d think they’d want to do this once, call a press conference and lay out their new head guy, new top personnel guy (Hoiberg) and their coaching situation.

But knowing the Wolves they could announce Penn and Hoiberg with their new titles and say the coaching situation is TBD by the new boss

Quick ed note: Hats off to Jerry for being all over this story.  He's done some fantastic work on this one.

From ESPN.com

The Minnesota Vikings haven't discussed the possibility of pursuing veteran quarterback Brett Favre. Yet.

 

Speaking on the first day of his team's rookie minicamp, coach Brad Childress said there hasn't been time to discuss the New York Jets' decision to release Favre. The move made Favre a free agent, raising speculation he was considering a return to the game despite releasing a statement in which he said his plans were to remain retired "at this time."

"We talk about everything," Childress said. "So yeah, I'm sure we'll talk about that."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4123764

God i'm getting giddy about the thoughts of Favre in purple.