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Ravens S Landry signs tender 06/08 17:04:00 ET

Owings Mills, MD (Sports Network) - Baltimore Ravens safety Dawan Landry signed his one-year tender with the club on Tuesday.Landry, 27, suffered a spinal cord concussion two games into the 2008 season, but returned and played in all 16 games for Baltimore last year, compiling 89 tackles and four interceptions while returning one pick for a touchdown.Baltimore's fifth-round pick in 2006 has logged 251 tackles and nine interceptions with two TDs during his four-year career.The only restricted free agent remaining on the Ravens' roster is fullback Le'Ron McClain

Alcohol not a factor in Chris Henry's death 06/08 16:27:16 ET

Charlotte, NC (Sports Network) - Alcohol was not a factor in the death of former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry last December.Henry died in Charlotte, North Carolina from injuries he suffered after falling out of the back of a pickup truck. He was 26 years old.Autopsy and toxicology reports were released Tuesday by the Mecklenburg County medical examiner's office.Police said Henry and his fiancee, Loleini Tonga, were involved in a domestic dispute at a house on December 16, which resulted in Tonga driving away as Henry jumped into the bed of the truck. The confrontation apparently continued and Henry fell out of the back of the vehicle, though details as to how that occurred remain unclear.Henry's death was ruled accidental

Kroenke makes proposal to NFL in pursuit of Rams                                                                            06/08 15:26:36 ET

St.Louis, MO (Sports Network) - St. Louis Rams minority owner Stan Kroenke has submitted a proposal to the NFL regarding the sale of the franchise.Kroenke currently owns 40 percent of the team and has the option to purchase the remaining 60 percent of the franchise from the Rosenbloom family, which earlier this year had announced its intention to sell its share of the club to Illinois businessman Shahid Khan.However, Kroenke first had the option to match the offer and exercised his right to do so. There is an issue with the NFL's cross-ownership rules, as Kroenke is also the majority owner of the NHL's Colorado Avalanche and NBA's Denver Nuggets.The NFL prohibits owners from holding a majority share of a team if they own a majority of another professional franchise in a different market, On Tuesday, the Denver Post reported that Kroenke has plans to shift majority ownership of the Nuggets to his son, Josh.Kroenke also released a statement through the Rams on Tuesday, indicating his plan to own all three teams."Although no final decisions have been made, we are pleased with the progress we have made to this point," Kroenke said. "We will continue to respect the Rosenbloom family and the league and its processes as we work to finalize a transaction in the coming months. My family looks forward to owning the Rams, Nuggets and Avalanche for years to come while being compliant with all stipulations set by the NFL. Our family remains committed to fans in St. Louis and Denver. As many people know, our son Josh has been involved with many of our organizations for several years and that family continuity remains a priority." Josh Kroenke is part of the Nuggets' front office and holds the title of vice president of team development

Falcons sign DT Peters                                                                                                                               06/08 15:08:41 ET

Flowery Branch, GA (Sports Network) - The Atlanta Falcons signed rookie defensive tackler Corey Peters on Tuesday.Terms of the deal were not released.Peters was a third-round pick (83rd overall) out of Kentucky where he totaled 146 tackles, 11 1/2 sacks, one forced fumble, three fumble recoveries and one interception.In 2009, he played in 11 games and had 49 tackles, four sacks, five passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery

Steelers add LS-LB Stewart                                                                                                                      06/08 14:21:07 ET

Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - The Pittsburgh Steelers signed veteran long snapper/linebacker Matt Stewart to a one-year contract on Tuesday.Stewart hasn't played since the 2006 season when appeared in 16 games, including four starts, with the Cleveland Browns.He spent time on Cleveland's active roster in 2007, but didn't play.He appeared in training camp with Arizona in 2008 and Dallas in 2009 before being released.He came into the league with Atlanta in 2001 and spent his first four seasons there before heading to Cleveland. Over 93 games in the NFL, including 60 starts, he has totaled 291 tackles and eight sacks with an interception.To make room for him on the roster, the team released long snapper Jared Retkofsky

Giants to train in Albany in 2010                                                                                                               06/08 13:11:06 ET

Albany, NY (Sports Network) - The New York Giants and the University of Albany on Tuesday reached an agreement to have the football club hold training camp on campus for 2010.Included in the pact is a two-year option that will allow the Giants to train on campus through 2012."Albany has been an ideal summer home for our football team," said Giants presidentJohn Mara. "With the support of President Philip and his predecessors and Mayor Jennings and the rest of his staff at the university, we have felt for 15 years that starting our season in Albany gives us the best chance to succeed each season." The Giants have trained in New York's Capital District since 1996, the longest single stretch for one preseason site in franchise history. The team held training camp at Pace University in the northern New York City suburbs for 13 seasons from 1975-87

Who is Hall worthy? 06/08 17:08:51 ET

On Tuesday, the World Golf Hall of Fame released the ballot for the PGA Tour and International class of 2011. Inductions for this round of candidates are to take place next spring. The big new names for this year are Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, two South Africans, the same age and with similar resumes. Yet despite the similarities, only one would get my vote.

Before I reveal the lucky guy, a word on how I'd vote for any and all Hall of Fames, if I had a vote. I tend to go more with the gut than numbers. It's my contention that a guy is either a Hall of Famer or not. The most ridiculous phrase in sports is "first- ballot Hall of Famer." Either you are one, or you're not. So when I look at the ballot, a name jumps at me, and that should be enough. I know enough about the careers to know basic win totals and major championships. The resume' is there already, and if I'm not familiar with it, then I haven't been doing my job and am not qualified to vote. With that being said, Els is a Hall of Famer, no doubt.

He won two U.S. Opens in a relatively short period of time and fairly early in his career. Els won the third major and a different one, the 2002 British Open Championship. Els has been an elite golfer for the better part of 15 years. He was No. 1 in the world for a period of time, and perhaps more importantly, there was a good chunk of time where he was the clear No. 2 to Tiger Woods. Mark my words, that will be just as important as being No.1. That's the difference between Els & Goosen.

Truthfully, not being the second-best player isn't a benchmark as to whether you get in the Hall of Fame. Goosen was a great player for the middle part of the 2000s and that's admirable. He doesn't have the longevity of Els. When the two were in their primes, Els was a world-class player who could be the best. Was Goosen? Hard to say he wasn't since he won two U.S. Opens, and truthfully, two of the hardest U.S. Opens any eyes have witnessed. But Goosen never struck me as someone who should be favored in every major he teed it up in.

Again, no formula for me, but my gut says no for Goosen.Remember, I'm a harsh critic. Wadkins, Crenshaw, Kite and some others wouldn't have gotten my vote. In fact, with Singh already in the Hall, Els, Woods and Mickelson are the only other active players who would get my vote. (Lee Westwood will probably get close, and maybe Jim Furyk.) So that eliminates guys like Fred Couples, Davis Love III, Jay Haas and Kenny Perry, who are on the PGA Tour ballot still.There is one name that appears on the ballot that illustrates my thinking perfectly.Colin Montgomerie never won a major title. He had his chances in 1994, 1995, 1997 and quite a bit during this decade. Most people would argue that no major means no Hall of Fame.Valid opinion for sure, but Montgomerie was still one of the best players in the modern era. He had a reasonable chance to win every single time he teed it up on the European Tour. Although Monty never won in the U.S., he had a great chance every time he played.So two names would get a check from me. Ernie Els and Colin Montgomerie would be enshrined if it were up to me.No specific reason, other than I know a Hall of Famer when I see one.

RANDOM THOUGHTS - You're hearing a lot about Rickie Fowler's chances of making the Ryder Cup team as one of Corey Pavin's picks. I'd like to see a little more consistency than three runner-up finishes in the last nine months. Three runner-ups is awesome, but six missed cuts is not.- I wish Tony Romo would've made the U.S. Open. As a lifelong Philadelphia Eagles fan, I hate Romo's bleeding guts, but I think it would be a spectacular achievement. Remember, it's an Open championship, so for those unhappy that Romo had as a good a shot to get in as Fowler, or Memorial champion Justin Rose, deal with it.- The AP is reporting that the PGA Tour policy board is floating a proposal where top-level players would have to add a lower-tiered event to their schedule. I love when independent contractors have limits and regulations put upon them.- Movie moment - Saw a good one on Monday - "Get Him to the Greek." As a huge fan of "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," I was excited for this one and it's good. Actually, parts are great and really funny, but there is one little flaw. It happened in another movie I liked a little less called "Funny People." I get that a movie needs a plot and that plot needs some level of resolution, but why can't we just make a comedy? No serious sub-plots about love lost or heartache, just three more bodily-function jokes and call it a day. Comedies get no real love, but it's OK if your comedy is just that, without a serious discussion about where this relationship is going.
Jim Brighters, Golf Editor Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network)

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