Rumors: Halladay Still on Dodgers Radar

The Los Angeles Dodgers are still considering Roy Halladay as a mid-season trade acquisition. However, as Sports Illustrated reports, the price is still astronomical, with as many as six top-prospects needed to get a deal done. The Blue Jays would lower that number, but only if Chad Billingsley or Clayton Kershaw headline the deal. The Dodgers are reportedly balking at the asking price, and have focused their attention on acquiring George Sherrill from Baltimore. The Orioles are looking for a pitcher and third-baseman, and have interest in Scott Elbert and Double-A slugger Josh Bell.

Clippers Continue to Plummet

The Los Angeles Clippers fell to the Toronto Raptors 100-76, their 53rd loss of the season. The Clippers shot just .387 from the field, going 29-for-75. Toronto took 100 shots, and out-rebounded LA 57-34, including 12 offensive rebounds as opposed to the Clips' 2. Zach Randolph led the Clippers with 20 points and 7 rebounds, and Steve Novak scored 11 points off the bench. Chris Bosh had 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Raptors, and Anthony Parker had 10 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and two blocked shots.

Novak's Buzzer-Beater Saves Clips

The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Toronto Raptors 107-105, their 16th victory of the season. LA won after Steve Novak hit a 3-pointer as time expired with the Clips down by one. The Clippers shot 50% from the field, and committed only 12 turnovers. Toronto nearly won the game after going into the fourth quarter trailing by 6. Novak, in addition to the game-winning shot, led LA with 21 points, all coming on 7 three-pointers. Al Thornton and Baron Davis both scored 20 points, and Eric Gordon added 17. Vince Carter led the Raptors with 41 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists.

Lakers Slide Past Raptors

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Toronto Raptors 115-107, their 39th win of the season and 4th on this road trip. The Lakers committed just 5 turnovers, shot .506 from the field, and forced 10 blocked shots. Kobe Bryant followed up his stellar performance from Madison Square Garden by scoring 36 points, grabbing 9 rebounds, and getting 5 assists. Pau Gasol had his second straight 31 point game to go with 15 rebounds. Lamar Odom had 13 points and 6 rebounds, and Derek Fisher finished with 12. Joey Graham had a career-high 24 points for the Raptors, and Jermaine O'Neal scored 22 points and grabbed 9 rebounds.

Editor's Note: Manny Market Crumbles

The New York Yankees signed 1B Mark Teixeira to an 8-year, $180 million contract, effectively destroying any market that was available for Manny Ramirez. Both Angels GM Tony Reagins and Yankee GM Brian Cashman have said that Manny is not an option for their respective clubs. And while NY head-honchos Hal and Hank Steinbrenner have said Manny would be a great fit for the Bronx Bombers, signing him would create a huge breach of trust between them and Cashman, without having the benefit of the team as an excuse. With no suitors for the left-fielder, Manny's only option may very well be the Boys in Blue, just the kind of thing GM Ned Colletti planned out. He preached patience on this issue, and now it's almost as if Manny has fallen into his lap. Other teams considering Man-Ram have folded: Toronto is playing it safe due to the weak Canadian Dollar, while Boston has a better chance of signing Lou Gehrig than the guy who was "dogging it" every day. Everything has fallen into place for Colletti. All he has to do is wait for agent Scott Boras to come crawling back for that $45 million contract Boras scoffed at earlier.

Clippers Fall to Toronto

The Los Angeles Clippers were defeated by the Toronto Raptors 97-75, their 20th loss of the season. The loss was also devastating as the sizzling Zach Randolph left the game in the fourth quarter after injuring his knee. The Clips shot a meek 33% for field goals, and committed 17 turnovers. Randolph scored 19 points and snagged 8 rebounds, and rookie Eric Gordon scored 19 points as well. Chris Bosh scored 31 points for the struggling Raptors, who are in last place in the Atlantic division.

Furcal Chooses Braves

Rafael Furcal has apparently made up his mind, according to MLB.com, and has agreed to a 3-year deal with the Atlanta Braves, the team he played for before signing with the Dodgers. Teams like LA, Oakland, and Toronto are now shifting their attention to Orlando Cabrera, the now-top shortstop on the market.

Kings Blow Game in Seconds

The Los Angeles Kings were defeated by the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1, with the two winning goals being scored within 81 seconds. Alexander Frolov scored the Kings' only goal after just 57 seconds went by in the game, but two late penalties created a 5-on3 power play that was too much for LA. Matt Stajan and Mikhail Grobovski scored the two late goals for the Leafs.

Lakers' Lucky # is 14

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Toronto Raptors 112-99 to improve to 14-1, the best record in the NBA. The Lakers shot .511 from inside the arch, and had 10 steals. Pau Gasol nearly had a double-double with 24 points and 9 rebounds, while Kobe had 23 points with 7 assists. DJ Mbenga made his season debut, getting two blocks in just 3:04 playing time. Andrew Bynum accomplished his own D-D with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Chris Bosh gave the Raptors 12 points and 6 boards, while Anthony Parker led Toronto with 19 points.