Seven-time Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Strahan had constructive talks with the New York Giants twice in the past 24 hours, and he expects to make a decision soon on whether to retire or play. General manager Jerry Reese described the talks on Monday night and Tuesday morning as “constructive and positive,” the team said in an e-mail to the media Tuesday afternoon.
Veteran defensive tackle Joe Salave’a was released Tuesday as the Washington Redskins trimmed their roster to 75 players on the NFL’s first mandatory cut date. Salave’a started 13 games for the 2005 team that made the playoffs, but he has been hindered by several injuries — calf, foot, heel, thigh, knee — during each of his three seasons with the Redskins.
Offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden passed his physical and was added to the Baltimore Ravens’ active roster after missing most of training camp with a turf toe injury. Ogden practiced Tuesday for the first time since last season. Coach Brian Billick said the 10-time Pro Bowl selection is unlikely to play Friday against the Atlanta Falcons, but Ogden said he hopes to be ready for the season opener.
Cherokee Jewel ran down Sugar Swirl on Monday to win the $80,000 Classy Mirage Stakes for owner Robert Susi and trainer Timothy Hills at Saratoga Race Course. Jockey Cornelio Velasquez rode the 4-year-old filly, who ran 6 1/2 -furlongs in 1:16.10, paying $8.70, $3.90, and $3.10. A daughter of Cherokee Run, Cherokee Jewel ran fourth on the rail before swinging out to win by 1 3/4-lengths.
The Phoenix Suns and D.J. Strawberry, their second-round draft pick, have agreed to a two-year contract that guarantees him a roster spot this season. Strawberry, the 59th overall selection in the June draft, will receive the rookie minimum salary of $427,163 for the 2007-08 season. The second year of the contract is a team option.
Juan Pablo Montoya and Jacques Villeneuve once had to be separated during a confrontation in Canada. But that was six years ago and their relationship has steadily improved since the contentious early days.
One final, sorrowful time, an Eddie Griffin highlight reel played for family and friends. Snapshots of Griffin as a child, as a Philadelphia prep star, smiling with his family and shaking hands on draft night with NBA commissioner David Stern seemed more appropriate for a big screen All-Star tribute than flashed on a plain white wall at a memorial service.
NBA star Allen Iverson’s stepfather was indicted on federal drug distribution charges after police said they found crack cocaine in his car in April. Michael Andre Freeman, 51, will remain jailed until his bond hearing Friday. He was to have been in court Aug. 24 but the hearing was postponed a week to give him time to find a lawyer, the U.S.
