Broncos say they will try to trade QB Cutler
The Denver Broncos said Tuesday they will grant Jay Cutler his request and try to trade the disgruntled Pro Bowl quarterback.
There is no shortage of teams interested in the 25-year-old rocket-armed quarterback whose unhappy offseason began with Mike Shanahan’s firing and has haunted new coach Josh McDaniels’ budding regime.
Broncos owner Pat Bowlen released a statement saying both he and McDaniels had been unable to get Cutler to call them back over the last 10 days. Bowlen said he spoke with Cutler’s agent, Bus Cook, on Tuesday and came away convinced “that Jay no longer has any desire to play for the Denver Broncos.”
Therefore, Bowlen said, “We will begin discussions with other teams in an effort to accommodate his request to be traded.”
Golf
Ballesteros speaks
Pale and thin but resilient as ever, Seve Ballesteros says he’s been given the mulligan of his life.
Speaking for the first time about his battle with cancer, Ballesteros appeared in photos in Madrid’s sports daily Marca.
He has lost 33 pounds since being admitted to Madrid’s La Paz hospital in October. The 51-year-old golf great has had four operations and chemotherapy to destroy a malignant brain tumor.
“This is the most important shot of my life. I’m fighting to win my sixth major,” the five-time major winner told the newspaper. “Life has given me a second chance.”
NBA
Cavs’ streak at 13
LeBron James made two crucial three-point plays down the stretch and finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds as the Cleveland Cavaliers won their 13th straight game, 79-73 over the visiting Detroit Pistons.
Cleveland improved to 36-1 at home and became just the sixth team in NBA history to win 16 games in one month.
•Blazers rout Jazz: LaMarcus Aldridge scored 26 points, Brandon Roy had 25 points and 11 assists, and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the visiting Utah Jazz 125-104.
The Blazers won their third consecutive game and gained outright possession of second place in the Northwest Division.
•Bobcats befuddle Lakers: Gerald Wallace had 21 points and 13 rebounds, and the Charlotte Bobcats continued their surprising mastery of the visiting Los Angeles Lakers in a 94-84 victory.
The Bobcats completed a season sweep of L.A., which has lost six of seven to Charlotte.
•Nice gesture by Ilgauskas: The ball Cleveland Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas used to score his 10,000th career point turned up in the hands of a local youngster who left with it after it was thrown into the seats at Quicken Loans Arena following a March 21 game against Atlanta.
Ilgauskas was hoping to find the ball and keep it as a memento. There was even an outcry for its return by some local media outlets.
The 8-year-old boy’s mother contacted the Cavs to say her son had the ball and wanted to return it. But the 7-foot-3 Ilgauskas, as gentle a giant as there is in the NBA, told the youngster to keep it as a souvenir.
“I felt bad for him,” Ilgauskas said. “He took an uncalled for beating for it in the last couple days. For me, it was more about the journey and not the ball. I want him to have peace with it. I don’t need the ball.”
•Thunder sign Livingston: Former first-round draft pick Shaun Livingston will get another chance to make a comeback in the NBA from his gruesome knee injury two years ago.
Livingston signed a multiyear contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder after spending three weeks with their NBA Development League team.
•Garnett sidelined: Kevin Garnett will miss at least the next four games with a sore right knee and may return for the final three games of the Boston Celtics’ regular season.
Baseball
Tigers release Sheffield
Gary Sheffield’s next home run will be his 500th in the major leagues.
The question is: What uniform will he be wearing when he hits it?
The Detroit Tigers released the nine-time All-Star, leaving him without a team as he closes in on becoming the 25th player to reach the milestone.
“(Tigers manager) Jim (Leyland) said, ‘We’re going to go with versatility.’ When he said that word I thought to myself, ’I’m probably the most athletic guy on this team.’ But they’re entitled to their opinion,” Sheffield said.
Any team can sign Sheffield for the $400,000 minimum, with Detroit paying the rest of his $14 million salary.
•New deal for Jones: Chipper Jones and the Atlanta Braves agreed to a $42 million, three-year contract extension through 2012, a deal with an option that could become worth up to $61 million over four seasons.
The agreement virtually guarantees that the 36-year-old Jones will play his entire career in an Atlanta uniform.
•Astros acquire Keppinger: The Cincinnati Reds traded shortstop Jeff Keppinger to the Houston Astros for a player to be named.
•Ex-manager dies: Former Major League Baseball player and manager Herman Franks has died of congestive heart failure at his home in Salt Lake City. He was 95.
Franks managed the San Francisco Giants from 1965-68, and the Chicago Cubs from 1977-79.
NHL
Bruins on a roll
Manny Fernandez stopped 24 shots and the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Bruins won their fourth straight game, beating the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1.
•Canucks edge Wild: Henrik Sedin scored with a minute left in overtime and Roberto Luongo stopped 33 shots, leading the Vancouver Canucks over the host Minnesota Wild 2-1.