East

Former Red Sox skipper Terry Francona has announced he will not manage a team next season, as the only available job left is with the Chicago Cubs.

On the heels of another dismal post-season at the plate, New York right fielder Nick Swisher offered assurances to Yankee fans concerned with the club's puzzling move to exercise his $10.5 million option for 2012.

"This was a no-brainer," said Yankees GM Brian Cashman. "The inactive roster poses a challenge to any professional athlete, and Carl has already demonstrated that he is uniquely capable of dealing with the pressures of inactive roster occupancy. He's also intimately familiar with the hospitals in the New York metropolitan area."

Jets head coach Rex Ryan and his brother Rob, defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, got together Monday afternoon for their annual "cow lunch," where the duo consumes an entire cow and shares stories about football.

Barber was told to show up at a local high school in the outskirts of Pennsylvania, where he ran drills and caught passes from a 15-year-old quarterback. That’s when things started to get fishy.

Many professional athletes have deferred money for the good of their team, but Alex Rodriguez just took things to a whole new level. Rodriguez, once called a “selfish 24+1 player,” proved just the opposite today when he came to terms on a five-year, $100 million contract with star free agent Jose Reyes.

"Yes, the allegations are true," Dolan said at his Long Island home. "I made up the entire NBA lockout. In reality, there is no CBA or Player's Association or even a commissioner, as David Stern is a figment of my imagination."