Devin Harris Injured as Knicks Roll Past Nets 111-100

By Justin Worsley,

Devin Harris suffered a left knee injury in the third quarter and the New York Knicks offense exploded late in the third quarter as the Knicks handled the New Jersey Nets 111-100.

Harris suffered the injury while contesting a shot by Wilson Chandler with teammate Kris Humphries. Humphries landed awkwardly on top of Harris and action was immediately stopped. Harris did not return.

The Knicks took full advantage of the lacks of the Nets captain closed the quarter on a 21-8 run capitalized by a slam dunk by Amar'e Stoudemire to give the Knicks a 10-point lead. At the time of the injury, the Knicks only had a 67-65 lead.

Brook Lopez scored 36 points for the Nets, but continued to struggle from the glass, ending the game with only five boards after averaging 8.7 last season. The Knicks out-rebounded the Nets 42-37.

New York had three players score 20 points, including 35 from Stoudemire. Wilson Chandler had a double-double scoring 27 points and 11 rebounds, including a perfect 8-for-8 from the foul line.

The Nets are a pedestrian 2-8 on the road, however, New York isn't much better at home, posting a 3-5 record at Madison Square Garden.

Nets head coach Avery Johnson has already ruled out Harris for tomorrow's matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Jordan Farmar did everything he could to ease the pain from the loss of Harris, scoring 17 points off the bench, however, the Nets stuggled defensively and gave up a season-high 111 points.

New York (10-9) has won seven of their last eight and will travel to New Orleans Friday night.

Colorado Trades Hannan To Caps

By Justin Worsley,

The Washington Captials have acquired defenseman Scott Hannan from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for forward Thomas Fleischmann.

Hannan, 31, brings in blue-line defensive talent to Washington, a team known mostly for their high-powered offense. With Hannan, the Capitals will be more effective on killing power plays and more importantly, shutting down opposing scorers.

Hannan waived his no-trade clause to be sent to Washington. The Avalanche signed the 12-year veteran in 2007 as a free agent after he spent most of his career in San Jose.

Hannan currently has a plus-minus ratio of plus-1 and six assists for the season. At one point of the season, Hannan had a plus-4 rating, but he was on the line during all four of Vancouvers goals in a 4-2 loss on Nov. 24.

Washington won't have to worry much about Hannan spending much time in the box either. Hannan has only served six minutes in the box so far this season.

The Capitals are currently in first-place of the south division.

Eastbound and Down

By Justin Worsley,

Texas Christian University has formally accepted an invitation to join the Big East Conference as a full-time member effective July 1, 2012.

TCU will become the 17th member of the conference, however, only the ninth in the football division. This is the third conference TCU has been a member of in the last 10 years. The Horned Frogs were a member of Conference-USA between 2001-05 before bolting to the Mountain West Conference.

By joining the Big East, TCU is now a member of an automatic qualifying conference for a national title game. The Horned Frogs are currently 12-0 and began the season ranked sixth in the Associated Press poll, but may be on the outside looking in for the National Championship after Auburn and Oregon leap-frogged them during the season. In the latest poll, TCU received one first-place vote, behind Oregon's 36 votes and Auburn's 23.

The Big East has also extended an invitation to Villanova to become the conferences 10th football member. Villanova is a member in every sport except football, where they play in the Colonial Athletic Association, an FCS conference.

49ers RB Gore Breaks Hip, Out For Season

By Justin Worsley,

San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore suffered a broken hip last nights 27-6 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, sidelining him for the rest of the year.

Gore ripped off 52 yards on only five carries before suffering the injury, veteran tailback Brian Westbrook took his place and the 49ers did not miss a step as Westbrook ran for 136 yards.

The 49ers are 4-7 this season, but they're only one game out of first place, which is currently tied between the Seattle Seahawks and the St. Louis Rams.

Gore led the team with 853 yards on 203 carries and three touchdowns. He also has two receiving touchdowns on 46 receptions.

Westbrook is in his first season with the 49ers after spending the first eight years of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles. Prior to replacing Gore, Westbrook ran for nine yards on five carries.

With the Eagles, Westbrook was named to two Pro Bowls and was elected to the 2007 All-Pro squad, however, the Eagles released Westbrook due to his recent history of injuries. Westbrook was limited to nine games last year after suffering two concussions and has not played a full season in his career.

San Francisco travels to Green Bay next Sunday.

Johnson, Finnegan Fined $25k for Brawl

By Justin Worsley

The NFL has fined Tennessee Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan and Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson $25,000 each for fighting one another during the fourth quarter of Houston's 20-0 divisional win.

Finnegan agitated Johnson by jabbing his facemask at the line of scrimmage in the middle of the play. Johnson retaliated and both players ripped each others helmets off. Finnegan was thrown on the ground where Johnson threw two haymakers at Finnegan before the referees broke the two up. Both players were ejected with Houston fans cheering Johnson.

Neither player will be suspended for their actions. Johnson was fined $7,500 last season for throwing Finnegan to the ground by his facemask.

Immediately after the game, Johnson apologized for his actions and stated that he "lost his cool." Prior to being ejected, Johnson has nine receptions and a touchdown.

This is the third fine for Finnegan this season, who is perceived by many as a dirty player. Last year, Sports Illustrated asked 296 NFL players who they felt was the dirtiest player in the league, Finnegan finished sixth in the poll. The league fined Finnegan $5,000 for throwing New York Giants wide receiver Steve Smith to the ground by his helmet. Two weeks later, Finnegan was fined $10,000 for hitting Denver Broncos guard Chris Kuper after his helmet was knocked off.

Houston and Tennessee play each other once more this season, on Dec. 19 at LP Field.

Marlins Add RHP Vazquez

By Justin Worsley,

The Florida Marlins have signed right-handed pitcher Javier Vazquez to a one-year deal on Sunday.

Vazquez, 34, went 10-10 with the New York Yankees last season with a 5.32 ERA, one of the worst seasons in his career. His 10 wins were the lowest since 2002 and the only other time he posted a higher ERA was in his rookie season when his ERA was 6.00.

Regardless, several teams were reportedly interested in Vazquez including the Colorado Rockies, the Chicago Cubs and the Washington Nationals along with Florida.

Financial terms were not immediately disclosed.

The Yankees offered Vazquez arbitration, however, he declined the option by New York. If Vazquez accepted the arbitration, New York would have been compensated a draft pick by whoever signed Vazquez.

In his career, Vazquez has a 152-149 record with a 4.26 ERA. During his first stint in New York in 2004, Vazquez was named to the All-Star team.

Miami Fires Head Coach Shannon

By Justin Worsley,

The University of Miami in Florida has fired head coach Randy Shannon just hours after losing to the University of South Florida 23-20 in overtime.

Miami began the season ranked 13th in the Coaches' Poll and re-entered the poll on two other occasions this season, but lost back-to-back games to Virginia Tech and South Florida to finished the season 7-5.

Shannon, 44, was given a new four-year contract last May. Since taking over the team in 2007, Shannon has gone 28-22 including losing both bowl games Miami played in.

Miami was hoping Shannon would help return a National Championship to the university. Shannon was the starting outside linebacker on the 1987 National Championship winning team for Miami. He also had a brief NFL career for the Dallas Cowboys.

Offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland will be named interim head coach for Miami's bowl game. The university will find out which bowl game they will be invited to later this month. Shannon was just one of five black head coaches in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Merriman Placed on Injured Reserve

By Justin Worsley

The Buffalo Bills have placed outside linebacker Shawne Merriman on injured reserve, ending the former All-Pro's first season with the Bills before it even began.

Buffalo acquired Merriman, 26, from the San Diego Chargers last month when the team waived him. Merriman re-injured his achilles tendon just minutes into his first practice with Buffalo.

Merriman tallied only six tackles this season before San Diego placed him on injured reserve. The Chargers were forced to waive Merriman once he was healthy.

Buffalo is 2-8 this season and rank 29th in the league with 16 sacks.

Broncos Busted by NFL, Fined $100K for Videotaping Practices

By Justin Worsley,

The NFL has fined the Denver Broncos and head coach Josh McDaniels a combined $100,000 for videotaping a portion of the San Francisco 49ers practice prior to their Halloween game at Wembley Stadium in London.

The fine stems from the league's integrity-of-the-game policy. McDaniels was the offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots in 2007 when they were caught videotaping signals of the New York Jets. New England was fined $250,000 and were forced to forfeit a first-round draft pick. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was also fined $500,000.

The Broncos team video director, Steve Scarnecchia, recorded six minutes of the 49ers practice. Denver released Scarnecchia of his duties and commissioner Roger Goodell informed him that as a repeat offender, Scarnecchia willbe subject to a hearing which could determine whether of not he will be banned from the league for life.

The Broncos (3-7) lost the game to San Francisco 24-16 and have lost five of their last six games.

Dodgers Sign Garland as No. 5 Pitcher

By Justin Worsley,

The Los Angeles Dodgers and pitcher Jon Garland have agreed to a one-year, $5 million deal, taking the pitcher away from divisional rival San Diego.

Garland, 31, went 14-12 last season with a 3.47 ERA and 136 strikeouts. The right-hander solidifies a pitching rotation that brings back four other 10-game winners.

Garland also pitcher for the Dodgers in 2009, going 3-2 with a 2.72 ERA in six starts after the team acquired him in a waiver-wire trade for infielder Tony Abreu. Last season, Garland was the Opening Day starter for the Padres.

Los Angeles also brings back Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda and Ted Lilly.

Garland's deal includes a $3 million in incentives and a. $8 million club option for 2012 which the team will pick up if he pitches more than 190 innings. He has not pitched less than 190 innings since 2001, his second season.

Nevada Tops Boise State in Overtime

By Justin Worsley,

Nevada erased a 17-0 deficit and Boise State kicker Kyle Brotzman missed two crucial field goals as the No. 19 Wolfpack upset the No. 4 Broncos 34-31 in overtime.

Nevada defeated a top-ten ranked opponent for the first time in team history and the Wolfpack did not disappoint their fans who witnessed the first ever match-up between two ranked opponents in Reno.

Boise State running back Doug Martin had two touchdown runs of four and 51 yards in the second quarter to give the Broncos a 24-7 lead at halftime.

Nevada, however, would not go down as easily as all of the Broncos other foes this season. The Wolfpack started off the second half reeling off 17 points by doing what the team does best, run the ball.

Quarterback Colin Kapernick ran 18 yards for a touchdown and Rishard Matthews broke free early in the fourth quarter for a 44-yard score.

After a 23-yard field goal by redshirt freshman Anthony Martinez tied the game, Boise State scored immediately with a 78-yard touchdown pass by Kellen Moore to Martin.

Kapernick led the Wolfpack in a two minute drill and tossed a seven-yard touchdown to Matthews to tie the game with 13 seconds left.

Moore threw a 54-yard bomb to receiver Titus Young to place the Broncos in field goal range with just two-seconds left in the game and the Broncos began their meltdown.

Brotzman booted a 26-yard field goal in between the hash-marks wide right to send the game to overtime.

Boise State took the ball first in overtime and were again able to drive into field goal range, giving Brotzman an opportunity to redeem himself with a 29-yard attempt which was also in between the hash-marks. Instead, Brotzman kicked it wide left and Nevada only had to score to win.

Nevada running back Vai Taua had a pair of four yard runs to give Martinez a 34-yard attempt which sailed through the uprights.

The loss take Boise State out of the national spotlight and places the Broncos with Nevada and Hawaii into a three-way tie for the Western Athletic Conference title.

The game also posted a match-up of two potential Heisman Trophy candidates; Moore and Kapernick. Moore complted 20/31 passes for 348 yards and two touchdowns while Kapernick completed 19-of-35 for 259 yards with a touchdown and an interception as well as 45 rushing yards and more importantly, the win.

The loss is only the second of Moore's collegiate career and snaps a 24-game winning streak by Boise State. The Broncos are in danger of not being conference champions for just the second time since 2002. The winner of the conference will be determined the who the highest ranked team is in tomorrow's BCS Poll.

Josh Hamilton Wins AL MVP

By Justin Worsley,

Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton has won the American League MVP award on Tuesday, becoming the first Ranger since Alex Rodriguez in 2003 to win the award.

Hamilton, 29, received 22 first-place votes while runner up Miguel Cabrera of Detroit received five. Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays received the other first-place vote and finished fourth. New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano finished third.

Hamilton led the majors with a .359 batting average and hit 32 home runs and 100 RBIs despite missing 29 games, most coming in September due to a rib injury. His .633 slugging percentage also led the majors.

The Rangers not only won their first playoff series in franchise history this season, they also made it to the World Series, where they lost to the San Francisco Giants in six games. Hamilton was also named the ALCS MVP after hitting four homes runs and seven RBIs as the Rangers defeated the reigning World Series champions the New York Yankees.

The Rangers become only the third team in the MLB to have two MVP award winners on the same roster. Designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero won the award in 2004 with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Philadelphia Phillies (Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins) and the Minnesota Twins (Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau) also have multiple MVP award winners.

Victor Martinez Signs With Tigers

By Justin Worsley,

The Detroit Tigers have signed catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez to a four-year, $50 million deal, luring away the four-time All-Star from the Boston Red Sox.

Martinez, 31, received two contract offers from the Red Sox, who he spent the last two seasons with. One was a three-year deal at $36 million, while the other was good for four years and $42 million.

The Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox were also rumored to be in the hunt for Martinez. Martinez made $7.7 million last season.

Martinez, a switch hitter, batted .302 last season, just above his career average of .300, with 20 home runs and 79 RBIs. In Detroit, he will most likely play catcher, where he spent 110 games at last season, and be a mentor for rookie Alex Aliva, who batted only .228 in 104 games.

Detroit, who finished 81-81 last season, has also brought back the core of their team earlier this offseason, re-signing third baseman Brandon Inge and shortstop Jhonny Perlata.

Vikings Fire Childress After 3-7 Start

By Justin Worsley,

The Minnesota Vikings have fired head coach Brad Childress on Monday, a day after the Green Bay Packers routed them at home 31-3.

The Vikings were a game away from their first Super Bowl appearance since 1976 last season and were early favorites to play in the big game this year. Instead, Minnesota has started off 3-7 and are virtually out of the playoff hunt.

Vikings owner Zygi Wilf announced that defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier will serve as the interim head coach.

Childress is the second head coach fired this season. Earlier in the month, The Dallas Cowboys fired Wade Phillips after they started off 1-7. Since Jason Garrett took over as interim head coach, the Cowboys have won two straight games.

Frazier has announced the Brett Favre will remain the team;s starting quarterback.

Childress was not only losing on the football field, he was also losing in the locker room. Several reports came out of Vikings camp this season that many players in Minnesota disliked Childress, peaking when wide receiver Percy Harvin got into a verbal altercation with the coach last month over whether or not Harvin should have an MRI.

Childress also quarreled with Favre several times this season. Favre, who contemplated retirement this offseason, was visited by Childress along with several Vikings teammates to ask him to return for a 20th season. In several games this season, Favre has changed the plays called by Childress and instead, ran the offense himself, which Childress pointed out after a loss to the New York Jets.

Minnesota is currently winless on the road. Childress was 39-35 in three-plus season in Minnesota. Wilf gave Childress a four-year contract extension last season after the Vikings went 12-4. Late in last Sunday's loss to the Packers, many Vikings fans were chanting "Fire Childres."

Braves Acquire Slugger Uggla From Marlins

By Justin Worsley

The Florida Marlins have traded second baseman Dan Uggla to the Atlanta Braves for pitcher Michael Dunn and infielder Omar Infante.

Uggla, 30 batted .287 last season with 33 home runs and 105 RBIs. Pitchers also avoided the slugger at times, Uggla drew 78 walks this season.

While Florida loses a slugger in Uggla, Infante is a contact hitter. His .321 batting average was the third-best in the National League last season, however, he only hit eight homers.

Dunn, a southpaw, went 2-0 last season as a relief pitcher with a 1.87 ERA and 27 strikeouts.

Uggla recently won his first Silver Slugger award and was named to the 2006 and 2008 All Star teams. Infante was named to this years All Star squad.

With Chipper Jones sidelined with a torn ACL, the Braves needed to provide a slugger in their lineup who can also play the infield while they await Jones' return. Uggla is expected to play second base while Michael Prado and Freddie Freeman splitting time at third.

Uggla will be the second person from last year's Opening Day roster from Florida to join the Braves. Manager Freddi Gonzalez replaced retired manager Bobby Cox last month.

Roy Halladay Wins NL Cy Young

By Justin Worsley,

Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Halladay was named the National League Cy Young Award winner on Tuesday, capping off the most memorable season in his career.

Halladay, 33, was a unanimous choice for the award, receiving all 32 first-place votes. Adam Wainwright of the St. Louis Cardinals and Ubaldo Jiminez of the Colorado Rockies finished second and third respectively.

Halladay is only the fourth pitcher in the last 20 years to unanimously win the award and the first to do so since Jake Peavy won it in 2007 when he earned the pitcher's triple crown in San Diego.

The victory also makes Halladay only the fifth pitcher to win a Cy Young Award in both the National and American League. Halladay won the award in 2003 while pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Philadelphia acquired Halladay from Toronto last December and he has been dominant ever since, leading the National League with 21 wins while finishing second in strikeouts (219) and third in ERA (2.44,) leading Wainwright and Jiminez in all three categories except ERA, where Wainwright posted a 2.42 ERA.

On May 29, Halladay pitched the 20th perfect game in league history against the Florida Marlins. Halladay also became the first pitcher since Don Larsen in 1956 to pitch a post-season no-hitter, blanking the Cincinnati Reds in their first postseason game since 1995.

The American League winner of the Cy Young Award will be announced Thursday.

Cowboys Fire Head Coach Phillips

By Justin Worsley,

Jerry Jones announced immediately after the Dallas Cowboys embarrassing 45-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers that "people would suffer" after the Cowboys fell to 1-7 for the season, their worst start since 1989.

Head coach Wade Phillips has now become the victim, being fired by the team on Monday. Offensive coordinator and assistant head coach Jason Garrett will replace him on an interim basis.

Phillips coached Dallas to two NFC East titles in his three-plus years in the organization. Last season, Dallas also won their first playoff game since 1996.

Defensive line coach Paul Pasqualoni was also named interim defensive coordinator. Phillips served as the team;s defensive coordinator as well this season.

The Cowboys aspired to become the first NFL franchise to play in the Super Bowl in their home stadium. Dallas has now lost five straight games and have given up 115 points in their last three.

The combined record of the remaining teams on the Cowboys schedule is 37-26. Only two teams, the Detroit Lions and the Arizona Cardinals currently have a losing record and four of the remaining games are against divisional opponents.

The Charlie Whitehurst Era to Begin Early in Seattle

By Justin Worsley

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has been ruled out with a concussion for Sunday's game against the New York Giants, making way for backup Charlie Whitehurst to make his first career start.

Whitehurt, 28, was acquired by the Seahawks last March in a trade with the San Diego Chargers. In one of the more interesting trades of the offseason, Seattle gave up a third-round draft pick as well as swapping second-round picks with San Diego despite the fact that Witehurst was yet to throw a pass in the NFL.

Many believed Seattle drafted Whitehurst to be the successor of the 35-year-old Hasselbeck, who has not played a full season since 2007. Whitehurst has seen action in one game so far this season, but has not thrown a pass.

Whitehurst will be given a baptism by fire. The Giants have knocked five different quarterbacks out of the game including breaking the clavicle of their most recent victim, Tony Romo.

The matchup pins two first-place teams against each other. Seattle is surprisingly 4-3 after finishing the season a 5-11 a year ago. The Giants are 5-2 , tied with Tampa Bay and Atlanta for the best record in the NFC.

Titans Claim Randy Moss

By Justin Worsley

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Wednesday that the opportunity for wide receiver Randy moss to be claimed off of waiver began with the St. Louis Rams and ended with the Tennessee Titans.

In the end, Tennessee wound up being the only team to claim Moss and were therefore rewarded the 6-foot-4, 210-pound wideout who was recently released by the Minnesota Vikings.

The claim comes just days after Tennessee lost their top receiver Kenny Britt for at least four weeks due to a hamstring injury suffered in the Titans loss to the San Diego Chargers. The speedy Moss, 33, is second in the NFL in career touchdown receptions and has five this year while playing for Minnesota and the New England Patriots.

The Titans had an opportunity to draft Moss in 1998 with the 16th overall pick. Tennessee, then known as the Oilers, decided to avoid the troubled Marshall wide receiver and instead took Kevin Dyson from Utah instead. Dyson last five season in Tennessee before playing for three other teams and being out of the league by 2005.

The Vikings jumped on Moss five picks later and he had an immediate impact on the team, setting the record for most touchdown receptions by a rookie in 1998 with 17. In 2007, his first season in New England, Moss also set the record for most touchdowns receptions in a season with 23.

Several Titans lobbied head coach Jeff Fisher to bring in Moss, including running back Chris Johnson. Tennessee is hoping the arrival of Moss will help keep defenses from focusing on Johnson as well as help quarterback Vince Young, who currently leads the league with a 103.1 passer rating. The Titans, however, are also not passing the ball frequently, only averaging 187.6 passing yards per game, 25th in the league.

Tennessee is also the closest franchise to Moss' hometown of Rand, West Virginia. The Titans will pay Moss the $3.34 million salary he is due for the final eight games of the season. Linebacker Jamie Winborn has been place on injured reserve to open a spot on the roster for Moss.

Bills Get Merriman off Waivers

By Justin Worsley

The Buffalo Bills have been awarded Shawne Merriman off of the waiver wire, giving the 25th ranked team in sacks a pass rusher to help give the league's only winless team a jolt.

Merriman, 26, was ousted in San Diego after he refused to sign a restricted free agent tender until two weeks after training camp began. The outside linebacker who is nicknamed "Lights Out" had only played in three games this year and has posted six tackles. San Diego placed Merriman on injured reserve last month and had to waive the former three-time All-Pro once he was healthy.

Buffalo had the first opportunity to claim Merriman and were quick to bring in the 2005 Defensive Rookie of the Year to a new environment.

The Bills host the Chicago Bears in their annual home game in Toronto on Sunday. Merriman is not expected to play Sunday, but has five days to report to the team.

To make a spot on the roster for Merriman, right tackle Cornell Green on injured reserve with a knee injury.

"Wish my boy Shawne Merriman best of luck in Buffalo," Chargers tight end Antonio Gates posted on Twitter.

It has also been reported that division rival Miami Dolphins also put a claim in for Merriman, but were unable to obtain him due to the Bills record.

San Francisco Giants Win World Series

By Justin Worsley

Tim Lincecum yet again got the best of Cliff Lee and the Texas Rangers as the San Francisco Giants won the 2010 World Series in five game.

The win give the Giants their first World Series title since 1954, when the team was located in New York.

For most of the game, both aces dueled and no runs were surrendered through six innings until Lee caught himself in a jam. Cody Ross and Juan Uribe hit back-to-back singles in the seventh inning and both runners advanced to second and third base off of a sacrifice bunt by Aubrey Huff.

With only one out, a visibly nervous Lee went to face designated hitter Pat Burrell. Burrell, however, was unable to bring a runner in, instead striking out for the second time in the game.

Edgar Renteria, however, was more than able to. The shortstop took a 2-0 pitch deep to left center for a three-run homer, Renteria's second this postseason after hitting only three all year.

Texas came swinging in the seventh, with Nelson Cruz hitting a homer off of Lincecum. Lincecum then walked Andres Torres before shutting down the Rangers, retiring five consecutive batters before closer Brian Wilson pitched a perfect inning in the ninth. Cruz struck out swinging to end the game.

Lincecum struck out 10 batters and only walked two off of 101 pitches. More importantly, Lincecum only allowed three hits.

Lee was also his effective self, striking out six batters in seven innings off of 95 pitches, however, he also allowed six hits, including the go-ahead homer to lose his second consecutive postseason start. Lee entered the series with an unblemished 7-0 postseason record.

For Texas, their Cinderella season which included not only their first World Series appearance, but also their first playoff series victory as well, has come to an abrupt halt. The team will most likely focus now on trying to retain Lee, who will be a free agent.

The win makes San Francisco the first NL West team to win the World Series since the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001. Rangers catcher Bengie Molina will still receive a World Series ring as he pitched a majority of this season in San Francisco.

Vikings Waive Moss

By Justin Worsley

According to NFL Network, the Minnesota Vikings have placed recently acquired wide receiver Randy Moss on waiver, just a day after he caught only one pass by his former team, the New England Patriots.

New England traded Moss, 33, to Minnesota, the team who drafted him 21st overall in the 1998 NFL Draft, for a third-round pick last month. Moss will now enter the waiver wire, where any team can claim Moss while Minnesota will be stuck paying his salary. Teams have 24 hours to claim Moss, otherwise he will become a free agent. Buffalo, currently the only winless team, has the first shot at taking him.

Moss has caught 22 passes for 313 yards and five touchdowns this season. Minnesota was hoping Moss could provide a vertical threat the team lacked after wide receiver Sidney Rice was injured in the preseason.

The league fined Moss $25,000 earlier in the week after he made himself unavailable for interviews prior to his matchup with New England. After the game, a 28-18 win by New England, Moss stated he would only answer his own questions and praised New England, stating that he missed his former teammates and claimed Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was the best in the league.

Moss was in the final year of his contract and immediately after the interview rumors began circulating that Moss would return to New England this offseason.

Minnesota was unable to turn their season around despite having Moss. The team is currently 2-5 and is tied in last place in the NFC North with the Detroit Lions in a season where the team had Super Bowl expectations.