Family of Tigers' Brayan Villarreal escapes armed kidnapping

Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Brayan Villareal is breathing a bit easier today after his family was unharmed after an armed kidnapping attempt in his native Venezuela.


The Tigers confirmed Sunday that the family of relief pitcher Brayan Villarreal was the target of an unsuccessful armed kidnapping on Friday night in Venezuela.

No members of Villarreal's family were harmed, however, and the incident won't require him to leave spring training.

Villarreal was not with the team on Sunday when it played the Braves. His next scheduled appearance is for Monday's game in Lakeland against the Braves.

Tom Gage of the Detroit News also confirmed that there was gunfire involved in the attempt.

It's not uncommon for players and their families from Latin and South America to become targets for financial gain. Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos was kidnapped and freed less than two years ago.

Hopefully the Tigers will help Villarreal get his family out of there so they'll never have to live through something like that again.

Florida Panthers have their goaltending coach in uniform

It's been quite a while since we've seen a player/coach in any sport. Today that came to an end.

With a little misfortune the Florida Panthers had no choice but to suit up their goaltending coach, Rob Tallas.

How did this happen? On Saturday, Jose Theodore tore his groin against the Carolina Hurricanes. So the next option was to call up minor league netminder, Jacob Markstrom, from their San Antonio affiliate. Problem solved. Not so fast. Markstrom made it to Florida for the game but his equipment didn't. It was lost with the other luggage at United Airlines. So that left Tallas as their lone option as the back up to Scott Clemmensen. So they signed the 39 year old coach to a one day contract until Markstrom's equipment arrived.

Tallas played 99 games in his NHL career, most recently in 2000-01 with the Chicago Blackhawks. He posted a career save percentage of .891 with the Hawks and Boston Bruins compiling a 28-42-10 record. So for those keeping score at home, that's 12 years in between games wearing a team sweater and gear for Tallas. (CBSSports.com)

Good thing that he didn't have to hit the ice. It might've turned out bad for the Panthers but good for anyone intrigued by seeing a coach actually playing and knocking off some rust in the process.

Grambling State completes a winless regular season

You gotta have a soft spot for the Grambling State Tigers basketball team. After getting losing once again, this time to Alcorn State (again), the Tigers managed to complete a winless regular season going 0-27.

Through 27 games you have to figure the law of averages would've kicked in by now. You have to win at least one game. Besides they play in the SWAC not the ACC. Not exactly known as a powerhouse conference. I know the chances are very slim but they do get a chance to make it to the NCAA tournament.

I doubt it happens, since they lost very game by double figures. Their closest loss was a 10 point loss to Prairie View A&M. They've lost by 40 points four times and by 50 to Auburn. Not exactly the Dukes and Kentuckys of the world.

The Tigers do have a chance for one win and a little March magic when the SWAC tournament starts. They'll be facing Alabama A&M on March 13. We'll see if the Tigers can get their one shining moment before their season officially comes to a close.

You have to feel for the kids that had to go through one of the worse seasons in college basketball history. But there is some upside since the only way you can go is up.

Delonte West to join D-League team Monday

After changing his mind about playing in the D-League earlier this season, well traveled guard Delonte West has had a change of heart and figured the way back to the NBA was through the D-League.

West gambled that some team would be willing to sign him during the season after the Dallas Mavericks dumped him in the preseason. No one was willing to sign West who also had problems during his stay with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics.

With playoff time coming up and teams willing to sign proven, low cost veterans to round out their roster to 10 day contracts, West will report to the D-League's Texas Legends on Monday according to a report by Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.


With NBA teams uneasy about taking a risk on his past behavioral issues, free-agent guard Delonte West intends to report to the Texas Legends of the Development League on Monday, a league source told Yahoo! Sports.

West, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, had planned to join the Legends earlier in February, but never arrived. Since coming to realize the D-League is likely his only avenue back into the NBA, West has reconsidered, a source said.

West could help a contender out if his head is straight and that's a big if. But if he performs and shows no signs of rust some team might be able to look past that.

Andre Iguodala says JaVale McGee is actually smart

When you think of the Denver Nuggets' JaVale McGee the first thing that comes to mind is one of the many boneheaded plays he's made in his short NBA career. Granted most of those were with the Washington Wizards so I can give him half a pass on that.

McGee has never been known to be the sharpest tool in the shed but his teammate Andre Iguodala tells a different story. During an interview with GQ magazine Iguodala revealed a much brighter side to McGee.

JaVale McGee is one of the smartest guys I know. Like, he's a nerd, plays with gadgets and is into technology. He's funny--he's got crazy jokes and his timing with jokes is really funny. You have to be really smart to think the way he does. He's a thinker, so his mind goes into a lot of different places, and I think that can be taken the wrong way when he's on the court--he can be an over-thinker at times.

Personally, I understand McGee a little more than I used to. If you ask me it just seems like he may outsmart himself every once in a while. The problem is that those moments are a bit too frequent which is why George Karl keeps him on the bench instead of giving him a starting role. McGee is talented and if he can ever cut down on his mistakes and not float, he can be a very good player.

Despite Iguodala's claims the Nuggets are still waiting for McGee to get with the program.

Tigers might bring back Jose Valverde

The Detroit Tigers are unsettled in their bullpen. The closer portion to be specific.

After a horrible postseason in which he allowed nine earned runs on 11 hits and one walk in 2 2/3 innings during the postseason, former closer Jose Valverde was shown the door. The Tigers are committed to making rookie Bruce Rondon the closer. Right now the Rondon experiment looks to be on shaky ground.

Valverde hasn't been signed by anyone and he dropped out of the World Baseball Classic (Dominican Republic) for personal reasons.

Last month Tigers manager Jim Leyland said he was "shocked" that Valverde hasn't been signed by anyone. Joel Sherman of the New York Post has reported that Leyland is interested in bringing back Valverde as a safety net in case Rondon can't hold down the job.

Leyland is interested but Valverde actually returning is another story. I would not entertain that thought for one minute. If I'm looking for a safety net, try Brian Wilson on an incentive laden deal.

Bringing back Valverde would do nothing except damage his now fragile psyche after the epic collapse he endured last season. Imagine the chorus of boos raining down on him at Comerica Park. He doesn't need to be back in Detroit and the fans don't want him back.
 

Vladimir Guerrero wants to attempt a comeback

You hate to see athletes way past their prime trying to hang on. Some know when to leave (John Elway, Ray Lewis, Marvin Hagler) and there are some who don't know when to say when (Rickey Henderson, Brett Favre). If there is anyone in the world of sports that wants one last shot at glory they should ask Willie Mays or Joe Namath how their last years turned out.

Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com reported that MLB slugger Vladimir Guerrero is entertaining the thought of a comeback. 

At age 38 he could possibly still have something left in the tank. But injuries have taken their toll on Guerrero and the last time he played in the majors he was a shell of his former self. There are no more out of the strike zone homers. No more shoe top doubles. He can no longer turn on a quality fastball.

Last season he signed a minor league deal with the Toronto Blue Jays and reportedly "hit well" in the 12 games that he played in. But he thought  he would call Toronto's bluff and told them to call him up or release him and the Jays cut him loose. Keep in mind that Toronto had a lot of injuries last season so that should've been a sign for Guerrero to quit.

Right now he's seeking a minor league deal. I don't know if he'll get one considering that Jim Thome still hasn't found a gig despite the politicking of Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire.

That's another sign that Guerrero should pump the brakes on his comeback.