free agency

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On Last Day Before Lockout, MLB Teams Drop $1B

Free agents sign before baseball operations are frozen

(Newser) - On the last day before Major League Baseball's collective bargaining agreement with players expires, teams spent money like never before. The contract expires at 11:59pm EST Wednesday, CNBC reports. Talks broke off in the afternoon, per ESPN , and nobody involved was saying a deal was imminent. Unless the...

50 Years Ago Tuesday, Curt Flood Stood Up

The path to free agency began with the player's letter to baseball's commissioner

(Newser) - Curt Flood set off sports' free-agent revolution 50 years ago Tuesday, with a 128-word letter to baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn — two paragraphs that pretty much ended the career of a World Series champion but united a union behind his cause. St. Louis had traded the All-Star center fielder to...

Kaepernick Gets an NFL Invite, but Some Are Skeptical

All teams are invited to watch free agent at private workout on Saturday, but conditions give pause

(Newser) - Will Colin Kaepernick soon be back in the game? ESPN got its hands on an NFL memo Tuesday inviting all 32 teams to attend a private workout for the out-of-work quarterback this Saturday in Atlanta, an event that will offer an interview with the 32-year-old and a chance to see...

Manning in Ariz., Talking With Cardinals

Peyton shopping hard for a team before free agency starts Tuesday

(Newser) - Peyton Manning's Tour de NFL teams continues, last night making a stop in the Arizona desert for talks with the Cardinals. The hush-hush stop marks his second—the Colts' former golden boy earlier met with the Denver Broncos and will likely drop by the Miami Dolphins ahead of Tuesday,...

LeBron Sweepstakes Begins
 LeBron Sweepstakes Begins 

LeBron Sweepstakes Begins

And with it the biggest free agent summer in history

(Newser) - The scramble over the richest free agent class in NBA history officially tips off today, and all eyes are on one man. LeBron James won't be traveling to visit his suitors. The King will hold court at home in Akron, where first the Nets, and then the Knicks, Bulls, Heat,...

Believe It or Not, Baseball Offers Frugal Lessons

Sport re-evaluates its pay structure

(Newser) - Looking at baseball, you’d think the country wasn’t in a recession—clubs are charging exorbitant ticket prices and shelling out tens of millions of dollars on top free agents. Will the bubble ever collapse? Probably not, writes Nate Silver for Esquire. MLB is, after all, a legally protected...

Stars Dump Avery, But Can't Touch $15.5M Contract

'It was a bad marriage and it was time to separate,' coach says

(Newser) - Sean Avery won’t return to the Dallas Stars after his suspension, the Morning News reports. The team said it can’t continue with the volatile player, who had barely begun a 4-year contract that guarantees him $15.5 million. “It was a bad marriage and it was time...

NFL Union Chief Upshaw Dies of Cancer at 63
NFL Union Chief Upshaw Dies
of Cancer at 63
OBITUARY

NFL Union Chief Upshaw Dies of Cancer at 63

Hall of Famer helped players get free agency during 25-year tenure

(Newser) - Gene Upshaw, the Hall of Fame offensive lineman who, during a quarter century as head of the players union, helped get NFL players free agency and the riches that came with it, has died at 63, the AP reports. Upshaw died last night at his home in Lake Tahoe, Calif....

Free Agency Loses Some of Its Luster

So-so big-name players get only minor-league deals

(Newser) - Veteran baseball players of varying skill levels have been finding it harder to secure the contracts they used to pull in on name recognition alone, leaving plenty of big names unsigned and plenty more playing at cut rates. The New York Sun looks into just why Jeff Weaver is in...

NFL's Top 10 2008 Free Agents
NFL's Top 10 2008 Free Agents

NFL's Top 10 2008 Free Agents

This class isn't too deep, but there's some strong talent available

(Newser) - Free agents can mean the difference between a losing season and the Super Bowl. This year’s crop is wanting, but quality is available. Here’re 10 of the best:
  1. Patriot CB Asante Samuel: A playmaker
  2. Patriot WR Randy Moss: Stands pat?
  3. Bears LB Lance Briggs: Washington bound?
  4. Steelers OG
...

A-Rod Calls Bombers' Bluff and Opts Out

Uses clause in contract to declare himself a free agent

(Newser) - Superstar third baseman Alex Rodriguez is no longer a New York Yankee, Sports Illustrated reports. His agent tells the magazine that he notified the club that A-Rod is opting out of his $252 million deal to seek an even bigger one on the open market. The Yankees, who were reportedly...

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