SPORTS N STUFF

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is wearing a protective boot on his sprained right foot but is expected to play Sunday when Pittsburgh and Baltimore face off for first place in the AFC North.

Roethlisberger re-injured the foot during a 19-16 overtime victory in Buffalo last Sunday. He did not leave the game and had an 18-yard run while scrambling after getting hurt.

Roethlisberger may not practice Wednesday, but coach Mike Tomlin is optimistic he will play.

The quarterback has missed two of the Steelers last three games against the Ravens. He had a concussion when the teams played in Baltimore last season, and he sat out the Ravens 17-14 win in Pittsburgh on Oct. 3 while completing his four-game suspension.

The last-place Cowboys are getting another chance in prime time.

Dallas matchup Dec. 12 against the Philadelphia Eagles will remain on Sunday night even though the NFL could have moved a different game into the slot under its flexible scheduling rules.

The league said Tuesday the Patriots-Bears game in Week 14 will shift from 1 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. EST.

The Cowboys fell way behind in losing their last two prime-time contests.

The Eagles are 7-4 and tied for first place in the NFC East heading into Thursdays game against Houston. Dallas is 3-8 and plays at Indianapolis on Sunday.

Nov. 30 – Last day for free agents offered salary arbitration to accept the offers.

Dec. 2 – Last day for teams to offer 2011 contracts to unsigned players.

Dec. 6-9 – Winter meetings, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Dec. 6 – Hall of Fame veterans committee vote announced, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

2011

Jan. 5 – Hall of Fame BBWAA voting announced.

Jan 5-15 – Salary arbitration filing.

Jan. 12-13 – Owners meetings, Paradise Valley, Ariz.

Jan. 18 – Exchange of salary arbitration figures.

Feb. 1-21 – Salary arbitration hearings.

Feb. 13 – Voluntary reporting date for pitchers, catchers and injured players.

Feb. 18 – Voluntary reporting date for other players.

March 1 – Mandatory reporting date.

March 2-11 – Teams may renew contracts of unsigned players.

March 14 – Last day to place a player on unconditional release waivers and pay 30 days termination pay instead of 45 days.

March 28 – Last day to request unconditional release waivers on a player without having to pay his full 2011 salary.

March 30 – Opening day, active rosters reduced to 25 players.

July 12 – All-Star game, Phoenix.

July 24 – Hall of Fame induction, Cooperstown, N.Y.

July 31 – Last day to trade a player without securing waivers.

Aug. 15 – Last day to sign selections from 2011 amateur draft who have not exhausted college eligibility.

Sept. 1 – Active rosters expand to 40 players.

Sept. 30 or Oct. 1 – Playoffs begin.

Oct. 19 – World Series begins.

November – Free agent period to sign exclusively with former teams, first 15 days after World Series ends.

Dec. 1 – Last day for teams to offer salary arbitration to their former players who became free agents.

Dec. 5-8 – Winter meetings, Dallas.

Dec. 7 – Last day for free agents offered salary arbitration to accept the offers.

Dec. 11 – Collective bargaining agreement expires.

Dec. 12 – Last day for teams to offer 2012 contracts to unsigned players.

There will come a time in the near future when a plaque honoring Derek Jeter will join some of the great Yankees of the past behind the center-field fence at the new stadium in the Bronx.

Not a terribly large one, of course, because the oversized tribute to George Steinbrenner now hogs most of the space in Monument Park. But a plaque nonetheless, complete with a likeness of the shortstop and some numbers delineating his years of service to the Yankees.

That those years are winding down is the one thing both sides in Jeters current contract talks might agree upon. Shortstop is a position for a young player to occupy, and Jeter is now 36 and coming off a season where his batting average plummeted 64 points to .270.

His value to the Yankees going forward wont necessarily be in leading off a game with a double or flashing some leather up the middle. Hell earn his money by selling a new Yankee legend and making fans feel all warm and fuzzy when they reach deep into their wallets to watch him play out the string.

For that he reportedly wants to be rewarded with four or five more years on the payroll. Jeter would like another $100 million or so, boosting his career earnings from the only team he has ever played for somewhere north of $300 million.

Crazy money, sure, though not nearly as crazy as the money the Yankees are on the hook for over the next seven years for the 34-year-old who plays next to Jeter on the infield. The numbers suggest a supposedly steroid-free Alex Rodriguez is already in decline, yet the biggest portion of his 10-year $275 million contract has yet to be paid.

The Yankees dont want to repeat their mistake with Jeter. The problem is, they really dont have much choice.

The Boss would have realized that. His son apparently doesnt.

“As much as we want to keep everybody, weve already made these guys very, very rich, and I dont feel we owe anybody anything monetarily,” Hank Steinbrenner said last week. “Some of these players are wealthier than their bosses.”

Chalk that up as public posturing, if you will. But a baseball executive familiar with the negotiations told the APs Ronald Blum on Monday that Jeter and the Yankees havent talked in more than a week and that Jeters side hasnt made a formal counter proposal to the clubs initial $45 million, three-year offer to the future Hall of Fame shortstop.

Then again, theres no real need to hurry. Jeter isnt going anywhere else.

No other team is going to pay him superstar money in the twilight of his career. The Yankees dont have to get into a bidding contest for his remaining talents.

But they do have to sign him. And they will have to give him more than three years.

Assuming things dont get too acrimonious between employee and employer, it will be money well spent. Jeter is the face of the Yankees this generation, just as Reggie Jackson was before him and Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra were before that.

Hes played shortstop for five World Series winning teams in two different stadiums in the Bronx, come to bat 10,548 times as a Yankee, and lived his life in a fishbowl without a whiff of any kind of scandal. In an era where players – A-Rod included – routinely bulked up on steroids to cheat the game theres never been a hint that Jeter used anything other than talent and hard work to play shortstop at a consistently high level over 15 full seasons.

Jeter will break into the exclusive 3,000 hit club sometime next year, and will likely one day end his career in the top five in hits of all time. Hes done it all in one uniform under the most demanding expectations from both fans and a larger-than-life late owner.

Jeter is such a Yankee that he stood in front of home plate after the final game at the old stadium to lead the crowd in farewell to the stadium that Ruth built, then led his teammates on a slow lap around the field. Every time he comes to plate at the new stadium he is introduced at his insistence by a recording of the late public address announcer Bob Sheppard. Hes a link to Yankees of the past, a bridge to the Yankees of the future. His popularity is one of the reasons the Yankees were able to build a new stadium, and one of the reasons they have a television network that makes them huge profits.

Former baseball commissioner Fay Vincent suggested in an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal on Monday that players seeking huge contracts might be better off negotiating for a piece of the team instead. Indeed, the idea of Jeter owning a small percentage of the Yankees would likely be appealing to both the shortstop and New York fans, if not the Steinbrenners themselves.

In the absence of that, give him money and give him years.

And start polishing the plaque for the day that will surely come.

—-

Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg(at)ap.org

Nov. 29, 2010
CBSSpor Sidney Crosby was held to one assist by New York but then fired back at the angry Rangers after the Pittsburgh Penguins stretched their winning streak to seven.

Crosby helped set up Kris Letangs second-period goal that doubled Pittsburghs lead and sent the Penguins to a 3-1 victory Monday night. The Penguins captain then defended himself against charges from Brandon Dubinsky that he is a dirty player.

With five minutes left in the first period, Crosby and Rangers forward Ryan Callahan got tangled up near center ice, and Callahan fell. Callahan was called for interference, and Crosby went unpunished for what appeared to be a slew foot.

“Thats just a dirty play. Thats just the type of guy he is. He tried to get away with all that type of nonsense,” Dubinsky told MSG Network.

Crosby, who extended his point streak to 13 games, got red in the face when told about Dubinskys comments.

“How many penalty minutes do I have this year if Im that dirty?” said Crosby, who has 15, including a tripping penalty Monday. “I mean, please. Show me all those dirty plays. Its a battle and he falls. I think Dubie has done his fair share of things out there that are questionable. I guess hes talking again. Im not surprised.

“Hes holding me going up ice. Im trying to push him off. Is it that calculated? Im trying to get to the net. Im not worried about that kind of thing. If I tripped him, I tripped him, but am I a dirty hockey player? Come on. I think Dubie is smarter than that.”

Dubinsky was more reserved after the game.

“He did it again and he got called for it,” Dubinsky said of Crosbys third-period penalty. “Weve got to keep him honest and play him hard between the whistles, not focus too much on one person. I dont think he was the difference. We beat ourselves. They got goals from a couple of their other lines that hurt us.”

Callahan also believed it was a penalty and yelled at the officials as he went to the box.

“Absolutely. I thought he kicked my feet out from underneath me. Im not sure what the refs saw,” he said.

The Penguins, 9-0-1 in their past 10, havent lost since falling to the Rangers at home in overtime on Nov. 15. Their previous loss in regulation was Nov. 11 against Boston. It is the Penguins longest winning streak since another seven-game run from Oct. 8-23, 2009.

Maxime Talbot scored in the first, and goals by Letang and Chris Conner in the second made it 3-0. Marc-Andre Fleury finished with 25 saves to earn his ninth victory.

Fleury has played in every game of the Penguins streak except for their previous victory on Saturday, when Brent Johnson beat Calgary behind Crosbys hat trick.

Crosby, the leader in votes for the upcoming All-Star Game, has 12 goals and 14 assists during his point streak. He leads the NHL with 41 points.

“The team has been playing well, and its been going in,” Crosby said. “I dont think you can ever really explain those things. You just try to do the right thing and hope you get rewarded.”

Marian Gaborik returned from a one-game absence, despite still feeling the effects of the flu, and scored in the second period to cut the Rangers deficit to 3-1 with his fifth goal. Henrik Lundqvist stopped 24 shots while making his fourth consecutive start.

The Rangers earned a rare victory against the Penguins in the only other meeting this season, despite not having a single power play. But Pittsburgh re-established its dominance over New York in the rematch, improving to 18-5-8 since the start of the 2006-07 season.

Despite confetti that fell onto the ice late in the game, there was little for Rangers fans at Madison Square Garden to celebrate.

New York had won four of five overall before Monday, including back-to-back victories against Florida and Nashville on its just-completed road trip. The Rangers, 5-7-1 at home, went 0 for 3 on the power play including two chances in the third.

The Penguins started doing damage 5:10 in, less than a minute after Pittsburgh forward Chris Kunitz recorded the games first shot.

New Yorks Ruslan Fedotenko dropped the puck at his skates in his zone, but it got away to Talbot, who skated in front of the net and beat Lundqvist from in close to make it 1-0. The Rangers held an 8-6 shots advantage through one period, but their control didnt last.

The Penguins jumped out to a 13-3 shots edge in the second period and broke open the game when Letang and Conner connected 1:15 apart to build the lead to 3-0 late in the frame.

Letang took a beautiful backhand pass from Crosby that went from the right circle to the left for a one-timer that got past Lundqvist at 12:01. Conner received the puck from Tyler Kennedy in the slot and zipped in a shot at 13:16.

“Other than that six minutes in the second, I thought we played a pretty solid game,” Callahan said.

Notes

Crosby has 20 goals and 31 assists in 26 games against the Rangers. Lundqvist has won only two of his past 10 decisions vs. Pittsburgh. The Penguins were 3-0 in New York last season. Pascal Dupuis had two assists.

Nov. 29, 2010
CBSS LeBron James and Erik Spoelstra had a pregame meeting Monday afternoon to talk about Miamis offensive woes.

Early returns suggest it was a productive chat.

James scored 30 points, Dwyane Wade scored 26, Chris Bosh finished with 20 and the Heat beat Washington 105-94 on Monday night, keeping the Wizards winless away from home this season.

James had 20 of his points in the first half, Wade added 15 in the third quarter, and though it d its the fifth time already this season where the it was comfortable for Miami throughout.

“We have to figure out how to complement each other on the court,” James said.

That wasnt an issue Monday.

The Heat topped 100 points for the first time in seven games, and led by as many as 22 on the way to only their second victory in their past six outings. It came in the first contest following a Saturday loss in Dallas that remains a hot topic, for James shoulder-bump of Spoelstra during a time-out when Miami was coming unglued in the third quarter, then a 40-minute players-only postgame meeting.

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“We move on. You know, we cant dwell on this. Its a step in the right direction,” said Spoelstra, whose career record moved to 100-82. “And now we have to continue to build these habits and remember that pain. I wont forget the pain of the other night, the third quarter, and I dont want our guys to forget that, either.”

Andray Blatche scored 26 for Washington, which is 0-8 on the road. Gilbert Arenas added 23 for the Wizards, who lost to the Heat for the eighth time in the teams past nine meetings.

Nick Young scored 13 and JaVale McGee finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds for Washington.

“We knew they have a lot of talent,” Wizards guard Kirk Hinrich said. “You have to give them credit. Their Big 3 kind of carried them tonight.”

The Wizards were without No. 1 draft pick John Wall, who missed his second successive game with a bruised right knee, and went largely with a seven-man rotation for much of the night. Washington was also again without Al Thornton (ankle) and Yi Jianlian (knee).

“It got to the point late where we didnt have any enough runs left in us,” Wizards coach Flip Saunders said.

Miamis lead was only 55-49 got his scoring touch back.

He did it in a hurry, too.

Wade scored 15 points in the quarter, matching a Heat season best for any quarter this season, and needed only 6:17 to get that done. Back-to-back jumpers 27 seconds apart, both set up by James, got him started, getting all 11 of his remaining points either at the foul line or on driving layups.

“Bron kept telling me the whole game, stay aggreessive, stay aggressive. … Finally got some shots to fall,” Wade said.

Wades personal spurt ended with 3:17 left in the period, when he split defenders on a spin move, got fouled, made a layup from the left side and hit the free throw for a 76-63 lead.

From there, things got chippy.

Washingtons Hilton Armstrong and Miamis Juwan Howard were ejected with 32.3 seconds left in the third. Armstrong flagrantly fouled Heat center Joel Anthony on a layup attempt, pushing him with both hands in what was deemed a flagrant-2 infraction. Howards night ended after referee Bill Kennedy saw he had pushed Armstrong in the back while coming to Anthonys defense.

“I love what the veteran on our team did,” Wade said.

Armstrong sounded apologetic afterward.

“I wasnt really trying to hurt him or anything like that, I just didnt want him to have any easy dunk or an easy lay-up,” Armstrong said. “You clearly saw he lost his balance when he was in the air. I didnt mean to hit him that hard, but he fell. I went to go try to help him out, but then Howard came and pushed me in the back.”

Hinrich and Miamis James Jones were called for double technicals after getting in each others faces with 8:20 left to play, and Washingtons Trevor Booker was called for a flagrant-1 about five minutes later.

Spoelstra wanted the Heat to bring a more physical approach, and they responded.

“I think its great,” Spoelstra said. “We dont want guys getting thrown out of the game, but I think this was a direct residual of the weekend and guys are getting tired of it. We know we really have to get more physical, particularly under the glass. I like it when we come in with a chip on our shoulder.”

Notes

Arenas hit a 26-footer at the end of the half, drawing Washington within 52-44 at the break. Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria was courtside. Wade was sideli for a hangnail.

Authorities have identified a man who fell to his death from a ledge at Soldier Field during the Chicago Bears game on Sunday afternoon.

The Cook County Medical Examiners Office says 23-year-old Stewart Haverty of suburban Woodstock was pronounced dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Chicago police say Haverty fell around 4:55 p.m. Sunday during the NFL matchup between the Bears and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Chicago Fire Chief Joe Roccasalva says he landed on a small rooftop on the outside the stadium. Witnesses told authorities the man ran to a ledge and jumped.

Its the second death in a week at a major sporting arena. On Nov. 21, a 2-year-old boy fell from a luxury box at the Staples Center during a Los Angeles Lakers game.

Larry French/Getty Images

Rather than writing a standard post-game report, today we will break down the Baltimore Ravens (8-3) impressive 17-10 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-4) by every major position on the field.

Baltimore’s contest against Tampa Bay was one of several games with a 4:15 p.m. kickoff, and a few minutes into the contest, the Ravens would learn they had to come out victorious, in order to retain first place in the AFC North—thanks to a Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3) overtime win in Buffalo.

Most experts predicted a Ravens victory and agreed Sunday’s game at M&T Bank Stadium would be the first real test of the season for the traveling Buccaneers, who had yet to beat a team with a winning record in 2010.

For the most part, analysts were correct with their predictions. Tampa Bay kept the Ravens within reach for the majority of the game, and there were few fireworks on either side of the football.

However, the Ravens made big plays when it counted most, and that’s the reason why they came away with the important late-season win.

Now let’s take a look at how Baltimore fared against the Buccaneers at each position.

NEW YORK — Pitcher Javier Vazquez and the Florida Marlins reached a preliminary agreement on a $7 million, one-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

The deal is subject to Vazquez passing a physical, the person said Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity because no announcement was made.

The 34-year-old right-hander was 10-10 with a 5.32 ERA this season in his return to the New York Yankees, who acquired him from Atlanta. He was dropped from the rotation during the second half of the season and didnt appear in the playoffs.

He is 152-149 with a 4.26 ERA in 13 major-league seasons with Montreal, the Yankees, Arizona, the Chicago White Sox and Atlanta.

Because the Yankees offered salary arbitration, New York will receive draft-pick compensation next June.

A full postseason share on the World Series champion San Francisco Giants was worth $317,631, down from a record $350,030 for the New York Yankees in 2009.

The commissioners office said Monday a full share on the losing Texas Rangers was $246,280, down from $265,358 for the NL champion Philadelphia Phillies last year.

The players pool was $54.9 million, a drop from a record $59.1 million last year. It includes 60 percent of the ticket money from the first three games of each division series, and the first four games of each league championship series and the World Series.