Jones's Contract is Reworked

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Andruw Jones (left) reworked his contract, virtually assuring he will not be with the team for the 2009 season. The new, restructured contract will spread the $21.1 million Jones is owed over as many as 6 years, with the amount deferred for next season coming to $12 million. Jones will either be traded or released, though there is a small trade market for the struggling outfielder. Talks with the Mets broke down on the issue as New York wanted to send their own Andruw Jones: Luis Castillo. The $12 million saved is meant to go to Manny Ramirez and pitching.

College Basketball Roundup: Pac-10 Opener

UCLA - The Bruins defeated Oregon State 69-46, winning the Pac-10 opener and improving to 11-2. Darren Collison and Michael Roll both scored 16 points. The Bruins led the beginning with an 18-4 score, and made 6 of their 9 three-point attempts.

USC - The Trojans defeated Oregon 83-62, improving to 9-3 with the Pac-10 opener win. DeMar DeRozan had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, Dwight Lewis scored 26 points, and Daniel Hackett had 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists. Tajuan Porter led the Ducks with 12 points.

Clippers Feel the Heat in Phoenix

The Los Angeles Clippers were defeated by the Phoenix Suns 106-98, their 6th straight loss. Injuries continue to plague the Clips, with Baron Davis and Mike Taylor sitting out with Zach Randolph, Ricky Davis and Chris Kaman. Jason Hart also sat out in the first quarter with elbow tendinitis. A late Clipper rally came up short after trailing by 20 in the fourth quarter. Marcus Camby continues to sizzle with 19 points and 23 rebounds and Eric Gordon scored 21 points. Al Thornton scored 15 and Fred Jones had 16. Amare Stoudemire scored 23 points to lead the Suns to their third straight victory.

Lakers Celebrate New Year with Win

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz 113-100, improving to 26-5. The Lakers and Jazz went back and forth, with LA's lead going from 20 to 3 points at one time. LA had a .459 shooting percentage and 10 steals, and both teams combined to go 5-31 for 3-pointers. Kobe Bryant led the game with 40 points to go along with 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Pau Gasol became just the fourth European to have 10,000 career points after scoring 21 in addition to 11 rebounds. Lamar Odom came off the bench with 14 points and 7 rebounds, and Trevor Ariza had 12 points, 9 rebounds and 5 steals. Carlos Boozer was out for Utah, and Ronnie Brewer scored 20 points for the Jazz.

Dodgers Work to Unload Jones, Jump on Manny

The LA Times is reporting that the Dodgers are working to cut Andruw Jones (left) from the roster while still keeping $12 million of what they owe him. The Dodgers are looking at either an extension to take the money off the 2009 payroll, or a buyout to either trade or release Jones. The 10-time Gold Glove winner batted .158 last season, with 14 RBI and 76 strikeouts with 209 at-bats. The freed-up money is meant to be used for a new Manny Ramirez contract after the Denver Post said the San Francisco Giants are quietly pursuing the left-fielder.

Third Time's the Charm

The USC Trojans defeated Penn State 38-24 to become Rose Bowl Champions for the third straight year. USC outscored the Nittany Lions 24-0 in the second quarter, and led 31-7 at halftime. Trojan QB Mark Sanchez was named offensive MVP of the game, completing 28 of 35 passes while throwing for 413 yards and 4 touchdowns, as well as scoring a rushing TD. Kaluka Maiava was the defensive MVP, making 4 tackles and breaking up 2 passes. Damian Williams caught 162 of Sanchez's 413 yards and scored a touchdown. PSU QB Daryll Clark threw for 273 yards with 2 TDs, but also 2 interceptions. This was the last game for many on the defense, as well as offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, who will become Washington's head coach next season. The Pac-10 finished 5-0 in bowl games.

Clips Lose to Brand-less Philly

The Los Angeles Clippers were defeated by the Philadelphia 76ers 100-92, their 23rd loss of the season and fifth in a row. Philly was without ex-Clipper star Elton Brand, who has a dislocated shoulder. The Clips had a meek .405 shooting percentage, and committed 18 turnovers which resulted in 25 points. Al Thornton led LA with 24 points, along with 9 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. Eric Gordon added 21 points, and Marcus Camby scored 16 with 17 rebounds. Andre Iguodala had 28 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists to lead the 76ers.

Walker Leaves UCLA

UCLA defensive-coordinator DeWayne Walker is leaving the Bruins for the head-coaching position at New Mexico State. Walker will become the seventh African-American coach in NCAA Div-I football. Walker tried out for the Bruins' coaching position after Karl Dorrell was fired, but lost to Rick Neuheisal. Walker did coach for the Bruins, however, in the Las Vegas Bowl, losing to BYU 17-16.

Kings Trade LaBarbera

The Los Angeles Kings traded goalie Jason LaBarbera (left) to the Vancouver Canucks. In return, the Kings will receive a 2009 seventh-round draft pick. LaBarbera fell behind upon Erik Ersberg's performance, and with the emergence of Jonathan Quick, LaBarbera became expendable. The goalie will become a free-agent this summer.

Clippers Face Shortcomings

The Los Angeles Clippers were defeated by the Sacramento Kings 92-90, their 22nd loss of the season. The Kings scored just 2 points in the final 4:28, while the Clippers went scoreless during the last 3 minutes. Rookie Eric Gordan scored 24 points to lead the Clips, while Paul Davis made his first start of the season with 18 points. Marcus Camby came up with 15 points and 27 rebounds. Kevin Martin scored 20 points to lead the Kings. The Clippers will be without Zach Randolph for a couple of weeks with a bruised left knee, as well as Ricky Davis who, upon his return from his own injury, must sit out 5 games for a drug violation.

Editor's Note: USC Has High Expectations

While people will be uncorking the Dom Perignon at midnight tonight, celebrating the end of 2008 and the coming of 2009, the students of USC and Penn State will be thinking of roses. The roses of the parade, and the roses of Pasadena's Granddaddy of Them All. With a fourth consecutive Rose Bowl berth and the highest rated defense in the nation, the Trojans have high expectations to defeat the Nittany Lions. It's especially hard on the defense itself, as it will be the last time the entire squad, including Brian Cushing and Rey Maualuga, will be out on the field together. With the experience and depth of USC, it should win easily. Only they won't. Penn State is tough. Their only loss came at the hands of a last-second Iowa field-goal. They defeated Oregon State, the same Oregon State that nearly destroyed USC's hopes at a Pasadena berth (not that anyone was complaining). This game will be no cakewalk. Don't let the Trojan's 9-point spread deceive you. This will be the most challenging foe the Trojans have seen in years.

Manny's Agent Restarts Talks, LA Signs Vargas

Agent Scott Boras has decided to resume talks with the Dodgers and GM Ned Colletti, according to the Los Angeles Times, after three weeks of no contact. They will discuss a contract for Manny Ramirez, the slugger who carried the Dodgers through September and the Postseason. No market has materialized for Ramirez, with his lone offer coming from the Dodgers at the beginning of free-agency. Boras's decision comes a day after the Dodgers expressed interest in Adam Dunn and Bobby Abreu if Manny is not signed, with Ramirez still Colletti's #1 choice. The Dodgers made a move for pitcher Claudio Vargas (above), signing him to a contract. Vargas has pitched two double-figure win seasons, while last season he bounced from Milwaukee to New York to free-agency, all before the season ended.

League Suspends Davis

The NBA has suspended the Clippers' Ricky Davis (right) for 5 games for a drug violation. Davis, who is already out with a sore knee, must begin his suspension upon his return. Davis has only played in 13 games with the Clippers, during which he averaged 4.3 points.

Kings Get Stung in Shutout

The Los Angeles Kings were defeated by the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-0, their 16th loss of the season. Rookie-goalie Steve Mason made 24 saves for Columbus, and Kris Russell scored a power-play goal to give the Blue Jackets the win. Goalie Jonathan Quick made another start for the Kings, making 23 saves in 24 opportunities.

Dodgers Look At Dunn, Abreu

The Los Angeles Dodgers are interested in Adam Dunn (left) and Bobby Abreu should they fail to sign Manny Ramirez, says ESPN.com and MLB.com. Both outfielders are big run-producers, each having at least 100 RBI last year. Abreu hit 20 homers, while Dunn hit 40. Dunn is more of a defensive liability and is prone to strike-outs, while Abreu lacks his power but is more defensively capable. The Dodgers are also interested in trading Andruw Jones to the Mets, as long as they eat up the majority of his contract. It is unclear who the Dodgers would want in return for Jones.

NFL Gets More Interesting

The NFL regular season has come to a conclusion, and the playoffs have been determined. They are as followed:
AFC
1st Seed: Tennessee
2nd Seed: Pittsburgh
3rd Seed: Miami
4th Seed: San Diego
Wild Card #1: Indianapolis
Wild Card #2: Baltimore

NFC
1st Seed: New York (Giants)
2nd Seed: Carolina
3rd Seed: Minnesota
4th Seed: Arizona
Wild Card #1: Atlanta Falcons
Wild Card #2: Philadelphia Eagles

This season was incredibly unique, seeing things that have never come together in any other season. Star receiver Plaxico Burres (below) shot himself, Detroit went 0-16, St. Louis defeated the Cowboys, but ended at 2-14, Drew Brees threw for more than 5,000 yards but failed to make the playoffs in a tough NFC South, and Brett Favre returned to football with the New York Jets, only to lose a playoff spot to the guy he kicked out: Chad Pennington and the Miami Dolphins (who vastly improved after going 1-15 last season). Things will be sure to stay interesting as the playoffs progress.

College Basketball Roundup

UCLA - Josh Shipp returned to help the Bruins defeat Louisiana Tech 78-55, improving to 10-2. UCLA forced 21 turnovers and limited the Bulldogs to no fast-break points. Shipp scored 16 points, and Jrue Holiday had his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Magnum Rolle led La. Tech with 17 points.

USC - The Trojans defeated Oral Roberts 66-56, despite 18 turnovers, to improve to 9-3. DeMar DeRozan led with 18 points, and Taj Gibson had 16 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocked shots. Marcus Lewis led O. Roberts with 11 points.

Clippers Helpless Without Zach-Attack

The Los Angeles Clippers were defeated by the Dallas Mavericks 98-76, their 21st loss of the season. The Clips were without star forward Zach Randolph, while the Mavs were without star Dirk Nowitzki. LA shot a meek 38% with only one 3-pointer, while Dallas shot .417. Marcus Camby and Al Thornton both scored 16 points to lead the Clips. Camby also snagged 12 rebounds and 5 blocked shots. Baron Davis had 10 points and 9 assists. Josh Howard led the Mavs with 29 points and 9 rebounds.

Lakers Look Golden in Victory

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors 130-113, improving to 25-5. The Lakers forced 17 turnovers, scoring 31 points off of them. LA had a cool .516 shooting percentage, with 10 3-pointers as well. The Warriors, however, shot .494 while going 9-for-18 from beyond the arc. Kobe Bryant led LA with 31 points, and Derek Fisher scored 19. Sasha Vujacic had a season-high 17 points, and both Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol scored 13, Bynum also with 10 rebounds and Gasol with 9. Jamal Crawford led the Warriors with 22 points, and Ronny Turiaf made his return to LA after leaving via free-agency, with one assist but no points.

Kings Get Quick Revenge

The Los Angeles Kings defeated the Phoenix Coyotes 4-0, a day after Phoenix had defeated the Kings 2-1. 3 goals came in the first period. Jonathan Quick made 30 saves for his second shutout in 3 games, and Alexander Frolov scored 2 goals. Ilya Bryzgalov made 26 saves for the Coyotes.