OSFFL

LeBron James is now shooting with a Golden Arch.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner will hold a news conference Friday to announce whether he will retire from the game, his agent said. Mark Bartelstein, in a telephone interview on Wednesday, said the announcement will be made at the Cardinals training facility in Tempe. Bartelstein declined to reveal Warner's decision.

Devils draft pick Patrice Cormier will appeal his suspension for the remainder of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League season and playoffs for a violent hit on an opposing player. Cormier is a 19-year-old forward selected in the second round of the 2008 draft by New Jersey. He was disciplined by the QMJHL for elbowing Mikael Tam of the Quebec Remparts.

Joel Branstrom figured he was about to be the butt of some kind of joke when he was blindfolded at a pep rally and told he would win tickets to the NCAA’s Final Four if he could hit a half-court shot.

Tebow says he’s going to follow the advice of Gators coach Urban Meyer to just be himself. He’s hoping that will be enough for the NFL coaches, owners and general managers.

Jerome Dyson scored a career-high 32 points and Connecticut (No. 21 ESPN/USA Today, NR AP) overcame a 10-point second-half deficit to upset top-ranked Texas 88-74 on Saturday.

Doc Rivers: KG looked great during workout

The judge in Mike Leach’s lawsuit against the university has order the sides to try to work out a resolution.

In an unexpected twist, Bengie Molina is coming back to the San Francisco Giants after all. The free-agent catcher reached a preliminary agreement with the Giants on a one-year contract, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement was pending a physical and had not been completed.

The Marlins spent some more money, agreeing to a $7.8 million, one-year contract with second baseman Dan Uggla.

Brett Favre threw four touchdown passes, and the Vikings’ defense put the clamps on the Dallas Cowboys in a 34-3 victory Sunday that sent Minnesota to the NFC title game.

Middle Tennessee coach Rick Stockstill is interviewing for the East Carolina opening, a source said Saturday.

Closer Heath Bell and the San Diego Padres agreed to a $4 million, one-year contract to avoid salary arbitration. Bell led the NL with 42 saves last year, when he took over as closer after Trevor Hoffman signed a free-agent deal with Milwaukee. Bell said Friday that the talks went smoothly. "Both sides are pretty happy," he said.

A person familiar with Josh Johnson's contract negotiations says the Florida Marlins ace has agreed to a $39 million, four-year deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Marlins hadn't announced an agreement. The deal was reached Thursday, only two days after the perennially frugal franchise announced an agreement with the players' union to…

Several members of the Florida Marlins are set to visit U.S. military troops in Iraq and Kuwait from Jan. 24 to Feb. 1. The team said Wednesday the trip is the first of its kind for a major league club since the war in Iraq began. NL Rookie of the Year Chris Coghlan, catcher John Baker, manager Fredi Gonzalez and president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest are among those scheduled to represent…

Former Cleveland Browns coach Romeo Crennel has spoken to the New
York Giants by telephone about their vacant defensive coordinator’s
job but is giving the Kansas City Chiefs the first shot at hiring
him.

Pete Carroll says the only reason he is leaving Southern California to become Seattle Seahawks coach is because the challenge was too good to pass up. The Seahawks hired the charismatic coach away from USC on Monday. At a news conference later on USC's campus, Carroll said "It hurts to separate." Carroll's departure ends one of the most successful runs in college football history.