Iverson clears waivers, now a free agent.

Knicks must weigh Iverson’s pluses, baggage. Allen Iverson would bring some baggage to the Knicks — something the organization is worried about after the Stephon Marbury fiasco. “We’re not there yet,” coach Mike D’Antoni said after Thursday’s practice at the MSG Training Center. “We’re just trying to evaluate where we are with our team and sit down with everyone and make a decision.”-Newsday.com

Iverson A Good Fit? Depends On Who You Ask. So the Knicks are considering bringing in Allen Iverson. I have mixed feelings on this, as should most Knicks fans, Apparently the Knick brass has misgivings about A.I. too.The biggest upside Iverson coming here is the name. He’ll put fannies in the seats, and legions of fans will buy an Iverson jersey.

If you’re Jim,”Mr. Bottom Line Even If We Haven’t Won in 37 Years” Dolan, you like this move. The Knicks had no interest in Iverson during the summer. Things change when you’re 2-9 and every hoops fan in America knows that deep down the Donnie Walsh-Mike D’Antoni Era starts July 1st. Dolan needs a reason for a few fans to show up THIS season. -CW11 New York WPIX-TV

Martin plays against Dolphins. Martin, wearing No. 83, played on special teams and finished with one tackle on a late onside kick.The Panthers signed Martin to their practice squad after the San Diego Chargers cut him near the end of training camp. -Farmington Daily Times

NY Giants looking for big play opportunities on the ground against Atlanta Falcons. Brandon Jacobs, going up against Raiders linebacker Thomas Howard in Week 5, says he looks to make big plays against every opponent.After nine games, Jacobs has just two runs of 20 yards or more, a 31-yarder against Dallas and a 25-yarder against Arizona. Teammate Ahmad Bradshaw has four, all in the first five weeks of the season. -The Jersey Journal

Concussions put Westbrook’s future in doubt. Questionable. Such is the career status of Fort Washington, Md., native Brian Westbrook after Philadelphia’s franchise running back suffered the second concussion of his NFL career in less than three weeks Sunday.While the initial prognosis for Westbrook is cautiously optimistic, players today are more aware than ever of the dangers of repeated head trauma, particularly when concussions begin to multiply. -Washington Times

Rollins, Victorino win NL Gold Gloves. Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins and center fielder Shane Victorino won National League Gold Glove Awards today.Rollins is the fifth Phillie to win at least three Gold Gloves joining Mike Schmidt (10), Garry Maddox (8), Manny Trillo (3) and Scott Rolen (3). The last NL player to win three straight Gold Gloves at shortstop was Rey Ordonez of the New York Mets (1997-99). -Delawareonline.com

Cubs deal Heilman to D-Backs. The Chicago Cubs today acquired left-handed pitcher Scott Maine and first baseman Ryne White from the Arizona Diamondbacks for right-handed pitcher Aaron Heilman.’We feel like we’ve picked up two solid prospects from the Diamondbacks,” Hendry said. “As we move forward in the winter, the way our big- league club sets up and the way we have a lot of arbitration guys, we just felt like we needed to move some people before we got to Indianapolis (for the winter meetings). -Daily Herald

Should Knicks take a chance on Iverson? 2 answers, pro and con.

LeBron James Is not Michael Jordan. In the past 10 days, King James has stated that he wants to retire Michael Jordan’s number and perhaps try his hand at NFL tight end.

I mean this respectfully: Shut the hell up, LeBron. Jordan won three titles before he gambled on (pun intended) a baseball career. Yes, Deion Sanders dabbled in baseball when he wasn’t playing his other non-contact sport, football cover corner. -Fox Sports

Not To Worry About Derrick Rose. John Jackson has an article in today’s paper titled “Passive Rose has to get aggressive”. It’s a fine piece, notable mostly because Rose says he’s not going to cut his hair until he gets out of this funk, and I happen to think Derrick Rose would look awesome with an afro.

But I digress. Aggressiveness isn’t Rose’s problem right now. His problem is his bum ankle. No offense to our hard-working copy editors at the Sun-Times, but this article should really be titled “Injured Rose needs to get healthy”. -Sun Times

Matsui, Damon, Pettitte set to hit open market

One stroke past midnight the Yankees lose exclusive negotiating rights to Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon and Andy Pettitte, who as of 5 o’clock last night hadn’t filed for free agency though he is expected to do so.

After midnight, Matsui, Damon and Pettitte are free to talk to 30 teams instead of one. -New York Post

Giants’ Lincecum Is Favored to Repeat as National League Cy Young Winner. Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants is favored to repeat as the National Leaguea s Cy Young Award winner, according to Internet gambling Web site BetUS.com . Lincecum had a 15-7 record with a 2.48 earned-run average and led the NL with four complete games, two shutouts and 261 strikeouts. -Bloomberg.com

At This Market, Yankees Feeling No Rush to Buy. “Last year, we had close to $100 million coming off the payroll,” General Manager Brian Cashman said Wednesday. “This year, that’s not the case. Last year, we had more to spend. Every year is different. The talent pool available this year is different.”

Cashman is holding meetings with his scouting staff this week, assessing possible acquisitions. The Yankees have about $50 million coming off their 2009 payroll, but with few elite players in this free-agent class, they are less motivated to make a splash. -New York Times

Holliday, Bay, Lackey top Metsa shopping list.

The Mets have identified Matt Holliday and Jason Bay as top candidates to fill the power void in left, John Lackey followed by Joel Pineiro and Jason Marquis for the No. 2 spot and Bengie Molina and Rod Barajas at catcher.

Aubrey Huff or Carlos Delgado on an incentive-laden deal (assuming he proves he is healthy) are among the options at first, and there are many possibilities for the setup role — maybe even re-signing J.J. Putz.-New York Post

DeRosa’s glove could fit Yanks. Mark DeRosa, who played for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2009, may be an option for the New York Yankees.If the Yankees bring back Johnny Damon, DeRosa would be a good fit because he could play left field on days when Damon serves as the designated hitter. DeRosa, who has started 212 games in the outfield, 311 at third base, 304 at second base, 139 at shortstop and 23 at first base, could also spell Alex Rodriguez at third base on his DH days, making him an ideal addition for the aging Yankees. -NY Daily News

Amazin’s need to make big splash in offseason. General manager Brian Cashman and the Yankees got the memo last off-season and it resulted in the club’s 27th World Championship.The player at the top of their shopping list must be right-hander John Lackey. If not, why are the Wilpons even in the game? The Mets should pull a Cashman and sign both Lackey and Holliday. Win now and the victories come in summer.-New York Post

In what was called a mutual agreement, the Grizzlies announced yesterday they have ended their one-year contract with the 10-time All-Star and former league MVP. Iverson complained about his playing time and a lack of a starting role before leaving the Grizzlies for personal reasons. -NYPost

Cavaliers LeBron issues moratorium on 2010 talk. Cavs star LeBron James finally had had enough. “I think, honestly, this free agent talk is getting old,” James said. “I think I’m going to stop. I think tonight probably will be the last time I answer any free agent questions until the off-season. I think I owe it to my teammates and I owe it to myself. It is getting old, I owe it to this season. “I don’t want to have any more distractions to my teammates or my organization or to my family, so this will be the last time I answer a free agent question until the end of the year.” – Cleveland Plain Dealer

Knicks may target Chris Bosh and Joe Johnson. If the Knicks find themselves struggling to woo LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, who can become free agents next summer, they’ll likely turn their attention to the players such as Chris Bosh and Joe Johnson, who are expected to headline the next tier of potential free agents at season’s end. Regardless of how much money the Knicks will have to spend, there’s no guarantee of landing a superstar given the state of the franchise, and because James grew up in Ohio and Wade appears to be staying put in Miami – on Tuesday Heat owner Micky Arison said he had “every indication” that Wade wants to finish his career where it started. And while Bosh isn’t the same caliber of player, he has already and quite infamously laughed at the idea of playing in New York. But luring Johnson may not be that hard of a sell. The Hawks guard, who was at the Garden taking on the Knicks last night, played for Mike D’Antoni early in his career and credits the coach for putting him on the path to success. – NY Daily News

Lakers Gasol might not play until Christmas. After giving daily updates and forecasts about when All-Star forward Pau Gasol and his stubborn right hamstring might finally be fit enough to play, Lakers coach Phil Jackson teasingly said Wednesday that Gasol might not play until Christmas. Just how much Jackson might’ve been teasing – or needling Gasol – with that comment is unclear. For his part, the Spaniard said he wanted to have at least two days of pain-free running on a treadmill and at least a couple of pain-free practices before returning to action, which roughly translates to at least another 1-2 weeks out of action. “It is mysterious, no doubt about it,” Jackson said. – LA Daily News

Belichick fears Manning – really. Everyone is blasting the Hoodie, and that’s easy and understandable, but he made the only decision he could, even if it exposed him as if he were running naked through Foxborough.Belichick knew in his gut that if Manning had the ball in his hands with two minutes to play, he would lead the Colts to a touchdown. That’s what Manning does. The Colts’ 30-yard line or the Patriots’ 28, it didn’t matter to Belichick from where a potential Indianapolis drive started. He knew where it was going to end -Philly.com

Lesnar has infection in intestinal tract.UFC president Dana White spoke with Lesnar on Monday and said he could be released from the hospital soon. Asked if he was in a Bismarck hospital, White said, “I think he is,” but did not want to say which hospital because he wanted to protect Lesnar’s privacy. -AP

Giants say hello after good bye. Charles Woodson and the Green Bay Packers blitz the Dallas Cowboys and Tony Romo, 17-7, on Sunday, keeping the New York Giants within striking distance of first place in the NFC East.”Lucky for us it puts things back in reach,” said defensive end Justin Tuck. “But we still can’t worry about what other people did. We have to go out there and win games for ourselves.” -NY Daily News

Phillies consider Figgins’ asking price too high. The Phillies, in their search for a third baseman to replace Pedro Feliz, apparently won’t target free agent Chone Figgins.That’s not because the defending NL champions wouldn’t like to add his bat, glove and speed to their already nasty lineup. It’s because Figgins is seeking a reported five-year, $50 million contract, according to MLB.com. -Sporting News

Twins unveil new uniforms. The Minnesota Twins have new logos and uniforms for their new era of outdoor baseball.Span wore a 1961-style cream-colored, red-trimmed jersey with blue “Twins” script lettering and pinstripes. That will be used on opening day at Target Field in April and Saturday home games in the 2010 season. -Saint Cloud Times

Free-agent preview: Middle infielders, catchers. This is the second in a series of position analyses heading into Friday’s start of the free-agent shopping season.Many of the names on this list will be back on the market next year; there won’t many multiyear contracts handed out to this group of middle infielders/catchers. But one-year deals worked out very well for some teams last year—the Dodgers, for example, with Orlando Hudson—and teams will be willing to wait until the calendar shifts into 2010 to find the right deals again this time around. -Sporting News

“He’s probably one of the greatest if not the greatest Blue Jay to ever put on the uniform,” Anthopoulos said, according to the National Post before going to tomorrow’s GM meetings. “But he wants to win and really, at this time, we were a 75-win team last year. I think he’s stated that his timeline for winning and ours may not mesh and may not match and for us right now. Roy’s position is to wait and see what kind of a club we have in 2010, see what we can do from a win/loss standpoint. We respect that and we understand that.”

New York Yankees will now deal with ‘budget’ concerns. But this team is the one that was able to commit $425 million in long-term contracts to three players last winter: Sabathia, Teixeira, Burnett.

The Yankees did this one year after committing around $400 million on three players: A-Rod, Mo Rivera, Jorge Posada.

Nick Swisher is a nice player, gave the Yankees more offense – and more right field – than anybody thought he would. Phil Hughes and Phil Coke and David Robertson finally gave the Yankees youth and real arms in the bullpen ahead of Rivera. Melky Cabrera is a nice player in center.

Sammy Sosa turning white?.The photos, taken at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Wednesday, have been widely circulated on the Internet. A friend told the Chicago Tribune Sosa the change is a side effect from a skin treatment. “He’s not trying to be Michael Jackson,” former Cubs employee Rebecca Polihronis, who talks frequently with Sosa, told the Tribune.

“He is going through a rejuvenation process for his skin. Women have it all of the time. He was surprised he came out looking so white. I thought it was a body double. Part of (the photo appearance) is just the lighting.

Martinez Without Magic in Finale. In the shadow of his famed mango tree, survival skills came naturally to Pedro Martinez . He had nothing Wednesday night — not enough zip on his fastball, not enough bite on his curveball, not enough energy in reserve-New York Times

Yankees parade: Friday 11 a.m. The Yankees will celebrate their 27th World Series title in grand New York fashion – with a “ticker tape” parade up the Canyon of Heroes on Friday.

Derek Jeter, A-Rod and the rest of the Bronx Bombers will be swimming in a sea of confetti and congratulatory cheers on lower Broadway from the Battery to City Hall starting at 11 a.m.

Mayor Bloomberg unveiled the parade plans after the Yanks’ stunning victory last night. -nydailynews.com

In addition to Fedor, many of the top mixed martial artists in the world including Brett Rogers, Jason “Mayhem” Miller, Jake Shields, and Gegard Mousasi will step onto the scale and then step into Kruck’s Korner during the LIVE broadcast. Heavyweight sensation Bobby Lashley, “King” Mo Lawal, and MMA legend Frank Shamrock are expected to join Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten to break down the card and to witness the excitement of weigh-in Friday.

“Friday weigh-ins are closely watched by MMA insiders because they often reveal who is ready to fight…and who isn’t,” said Andrew Simon, CEO of HDNet Fights. “Then, on Saturday’s CBS broadcast, we will debut a new commercial that will drive home the message that true MMA fans have to have HDNet.”

This episode of “Inside MMA” is the only place to see highlights of some of Fedor’s most recent, explosive victories including Fedor v Hong Man Choi, Fedor v Arlovski, Fedor v. Tim Sylvia and Fedor’s exhibitions with Gegard Mousasi and Shinya Aoki.

Pirates’ acquisition of Iwamura aimed at present. The Pirates acquired infielder Akinori Iwamura from the Rays in a trade yesterday.”Our goal for 2010 is to be a better team,” Huntington said. “We’ve made a lot out of having years of control, and our hope is that this is more than a one-year fit for us and for Akinori. But our expectation in 2010 is to play better baseball and to win more games, and we felt like this was an opportunity for us to begin to turn the corner, to move in a positive direction not just below the major league level but at the top level, as well.” -Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Martinez enjoys being centre of attention in N.Y. The Bronx has been the scene of many huge Pedro moments in which the immensely talented Martinez has been the man New York fans love to hate.”To have such a long career go full cycle and be able to compete once again in the World Series on one of the biggest stages,” Martinez mused of his date vs. Andy Pettitte. “Just to see two old goats out there doing the best they can and having fun with it.” -The Toronto Star

Howard chokes at worst moment. PHILADELPHIA: Ryan Howard’s World Series can be summed up like this: swing and miss.Over and over, Howard has gone down swinging against the New York Yankees. Overall, the Philadelphia Phillies’ slugger has struck out 12 times in the first five games, tying Willie Aikens for most whiffs in a World Series. Aikens did it with the Kansas City Royals against the Phillies in 1980. -ohio.com

Wells: Knock Utley down. Chase Utley needs to kiss the Yankee Stadium dirt tonight. Enough is enough, already. That is what I would have done Monday night if I were A.J. Burnett. What do you think Bob Gibson and Don Drysdale would have done? They would have knocked Utley on his fanny at the start of the game. -New York Post

The second part of Jimmy’s interview with Manny Pacquiao

Lakers getting an angel or demons?. When he’s on his game, Lakers forward Ron Artest is arguably the NBA’s best defensive player.He stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 265 pounds, which makes him large by small forward standards. He’s a capable scorer from the perimeter and the paint. He’s a superb defender, a strong rebounder, a deft playmaker, arare mix of strength and finesse. -Daily Breeze

Iverson makes debut, but seems upset in role with new team. Allen Iverson #1 of the Detroit Pistons looks on while playing the Cleveland Cavaliers on February 22, 2009 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. -NBC 15 Online

Defensive help is key for Pistons against Dwight Howard. Is it Magic center Dwight Howard’s size that makes him a difficult matchup for opposing NBA centers? Howard is 6-foot-11, 265 pounds and he isn’t nicknamed Superman for nothing, what with his broad shoulders. -Detroit News

Lee must avoid trap that caught Hamels. We saw what happened to Cole Hamels this season, after the large workload last season, the short offseason and the poor start from which he could never recover. -Delawareonline.com

Burnett a bust in Game 5, Yankees thumped by Phils. A.J. Burnett started walking briskly off the mound before manager Joe Girardi even got there. “You just feel like you let a bunch of guys down,” Burnett said. “It’s the worst feeling in the world to have the chance to do something special and fail like that.” -Athens Banner-Herald

Rest assured, Andy says he’s ready to deliver title. Joe Girardi reiterated that he will check with Andy Pettitte during Tuesday’s workout at Yankee Stadium to determine the veteran lefty’s availability to pitch on three days’ rest in Game 6 Wednesday. -New York Daily News

“Packer fans cheer for the Packers first,” Favre said. “I know that. But I hope that everyone in the stadium watching tonight said, ‘I sure hate those jokers on the other side, but he does play the way he’s always played.’ ” -AP

Giants looking for answers after beatdown. Head coach Tom Coughlin of the New York Giants looks on against the Philadelphia Eagles .“We’ve definitely put ourselves into whatever funk, however you want to describe this, but I just told the players in there nobody said this was going to be easy and we’re going to fight,” Coughlin said after Sunday’s 40-17 loss to Santa Anna, um, the Eagles. “We’re… -Newsday.com

Tony Romo mixing it around. As the world awaits the Tony Romo-to-Roy Williams connection to finally get hot, it should be noted that the last Cowboys quarterback to have a game in which at least 10 different players caught a pass was Chad Hutchinson. -The Dallas Morning News

Raiders JaMarcus Russell: I did pretty good job. Raiders hit midseason at 2-6, and it’s getting more and more like the movie “Groundhog Day.” They were 2-6 in every season dating back through 2003, except for in 2005, when they were 3-5. “I did a pretty good job,” Russell told reporters. “When it all boils down to it, you had a chance at the end to try and win. Didn’t do too much damage with the interception. No matter what happened, I think we came out and fought despite the score and just kept pushing and just came out short in the end.” Cable thought Russell responded in a positive manner to last week’s benching in leading the Raiders to 16 points and their fifth game of the season with less than 200 yards of total offense. – Contra Costa Times

The three-quarter-page Macy’s ad is on the back of the front section and features a T-shirt with the Phillies logo, the commissioner’s trophy and the phrase “Back To Back World Series Champions.”

Shades of 2000 in Damon’s Heads-Up Ninth. The Yankees will try on Monday to do precisely what they did in 2000, when they last won the World Series. With two out, the bases empty, and the score tied in the top of the ninth inning, Damon faced Phillies closer Brad Lidge, who had not blown a save this postseason. One more out, and the Yankees would have summoned Phil Coke in the bottom of the ninth.-New York Times

No longer a joke, A-Rod delivers again. Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez celebrate after scoring on Jorge Posada’s two-run single in the top of the ninth in Game 4 of the World Series.Now they stand one victory removed from doing it for the 27th time in their history and the first time in A-Rod’s history. Is there a place for him among the Gods of the Bronx now? -Newsday.com

Lidge’s perfect postseason ends at wrong time. The Yankees have a 3-1 lead and can clinch their 27th title in Philadelphia on Monday night.”You always want to go out there and have good results,” Lidge said. “Any time you don’t do well, it’s frustrating. Obviously, the guys did a great job coming back tonight. I really wish we could have come out with the win here. We’ve got to get back to New York and keep going. Hopefully I get another chance to get out there and get a win or a save for our team.” -Lincoln Daily News

Pacquiao calls out Mayweather. Pacquiao is training in Hollywood for his meeting with Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas, but the pound-for-pound champion spared a moment Thursday to evaluate his chances of fighting Mayweather, the unbeaten pay-per-view king. Although the matchup almost certainly would be a financial bonanza for both fighters, Pacquiao thinks fans shouldn’t hold their breath.

“I don’t think it’s going to happen,” Pacquiao said. “I’m sure he doesn’t want to fight.” -AP

Yankees’ Burnett makes most of his moment to shine. A.J. Burnett, the more dynamic of the Marlins’ promising duo, was relegated to spectatorship, to cheerleading.He witnessed hard-throwing, pedigreed cohort Josh Beckett begin an ascent to rarified fame in 2003, against the vaunted Yankees, who’d propelled themselves into the World Series thanks to an unlikely Aaron Boone homer. -Philly.com