World Wrestling to cut 10 percent of staff

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) - Sports entertainment company World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. said Friday it will cut 10 percent of its staff as part of a broader cost-cutting plan.

The company behind such television shows as "Friday Night SmackDown" said the staff reduction would occur across all areas of global operations, yielding expected annual savings of $8 million in compensation and benefit costs.

The cuts are part of a broader campaign to reduce costs by $20 million this year through stronger cost controls and other steps. World Wrestling Entertainment expects to record a $3 million restructuring charge against its first-quarter earnings as a result of the move.

NBA TV Top 10- January 8

MLB suspends 2 players for using banned substance

NEW YORK (AP) — Phillies reliever J.C. Romero and Yankees minor league pitcher Sergio Mitre were suspended for the first 50 games of next season after testing positive for a banned substance.

The suspensions were announced Tuesday by Major League Baseball.

Romero earned two wins in Philadelphia's World Series victory over Tampa Bay last season. He has called the penalty unfair, ESPN.com reported Monday night. He contends the supplement he took during the season was legal because he bought it over the counter at a nutrition store in the United States. An arbitrator decided against Romero in November.

Mitre is with the New York Yankees' Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Triple A team.

AP Source: Bradley, Cubs agree to $30M, 3-yr deal

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs and free agent Milton Bradley reached a preliminary agreement Monday on a $30 million, three-year contract, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

The deal is subject to a physical scheduled for Thursday, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been finalized.

Adding Bradley was one of the top priorities this offseason for the Cubs, who got swept out of the playoffs for the second-straight year after a lineup loaded with right-handers struggled against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

2008 NFL Coach of the Year award

Mike Smith and Tony Sparano performed so brilliantly as rookie head coaches it was almost impossible to separate them.

Atlanta's Smith edged Miami's Sparano by one vote Sunday for The Associated Press 2008 NFL Coach of the Year award.Both coaches oversaw sensational turnarounds, leading their teams from last-place finishes in 2007 to playoff berths this year. Their achievements were reflected by the closeness of the balloting, with Smith getting 23 1/2 votes and Sparano 22 1/2 from a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the NFL.

Eagles fly past Vikings with 26-14 playoff victory

MINNEAPOLIS(AP) — All but forgotten as postseason contenders, Donovan McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles have a playoff win.

Next up: the Super Bowl champions.

Brian Westbrook caught a short pass out of the backfield and zigzagged through the Minnesota defense for a devastating 71-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, and the Eagles spoiled the Vikings' first home playoff game in eight years with a 26-14 victory Sunday.

Unbeaten Utah stuns Alabama in Sugar Bowl - Associated Press

New Orleans — Utah is the best of the BCS busters.

Brian Johnson threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns, and the No. 7 Utes upset fourth-ranked Alabama 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl on Friday night to finish 13-0.

With the victory, Utah became the first team from a non-BCS conference to win two BCS bowls.

Johnson’s pinpoint passing led Utah to a 21-0 first-quarter lead and the Utes refused to wilt when Alabama pulled to 21-17 early in the second half.

Utah’s defense was equally impressive, intercepting John Parker Wilson twice and sacking him eight times, with the seventh sack forcing a fumble that sent crimson-clad Alabama fans streaming for the exits with just more than five minutes to go.

After surging to No. 1 in the rankings with a 12-0 regular season, Alabama closed the season with two consecutive losses, the first against Florida in the Southeastern Conference championship game.

NBA TV Top 10

How a Potential Rift Turned into Eagles' Revival

It was initially considered the beginning of the end for the NFL's longest-running coach/quarterback tandem.

It may ultimately be remembered as the watershed event that fueled Philadelphia to Super Bowl XLIII. The Eagles wouldn't be in Sunday's first-round playoff game at Minnesota if the franchise hadn't hit rock bottom in late November. The lowest point in the 10 seasons that Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb had spent together actually triggered a rebirth.

Call it "The Benching."

Reid — who had always stuck with McNabb through thick and thin — pulled his struggling quarterback at halftime of a 36-7 loss at Baltimore. Actually, Reid didn't do the literal pulling. He sent an assistant coach to give McNabb the news, making a touchy situation even more volatile.

Oddsmakers, though, have installed Philadelphia as a three-point favorite Sunday. Should the Eagles win, a trip to face the New York Giants awaits. Philadelphia would enter the Meadowlands with confidence, having posted a 20-14 road victory over New York in early December.All thanks to a dark moment that — amazingly enough, in retrospect — can be credited with saving Philadelphia's season as well as probably keeping the Reid-McNabb pairing intact for at least one more year.

Happy New Year-SPORTS HUMOR 2008