Rodgers, Brady lead Pro Bowl selections
NEW YORK, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady of the New England Patriots have been selected as the Pro Bowl starting quarterbacks, the NFL announced Tuesday.
The Pro Bowl rosters released by the league showed Brady starting for the AFC with Rodgers getting the NFC nod.
The Patriots and the San Francisco 49ers each had eight selections to lead the NFL, while the Packers and Baltimore Ravens followed with seven choices each.
The other signal-callers to get Pro Bowl invites included San Diego's Philip Rivers and Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger for the AFC, along with Drew Brees of New Orleans and the New York Giants' Eli Manning for the NFC.
The all-star contest will be held Jan. 29 in Honolulu -- one week before Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis.
Preds' Weber, Leafs' Liles concussed
NASHVILLE, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- Defensemen Shea Weber of Nashville John-Michael Liles of Toronto were both idled with concussions Tuesday, their teams said.
Weber leads the Predators in points and "will be evaluated on a daily basis with no timetable on his return," the team posted on its Twitter account.
The Predators' captain was hurt in a game at Dallas Friday.
Weber, 26, leads Nashville in points (29), assists (21) and plus-minus (+14).
Liles, 31, was placed on injured reserve by Toronto with concussion-like symptoms.
Liles absorbed a hard hit from Buffalo Sabres forward Paul Gaustad in a Dec. 22 game and didn't practice Monday or Tuesday.
The veteran blueliner has produced four goals and 21 points in 34 games this season, his first with Toronto.
Report: Dickey won't cancel mountain climb
NEW YORK, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- New York Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey will go ahead with mountain-climbing plans despite the team's objections, the New York Daily News reported Tuesday.
Citing "multiple sources," the newspaper said Dickey won't cancel plans to ascend Mount Kilimanjaro for charity next week, even though the Mets have warned him they reserve the right to cancel his contract if he is injured.
The knuckleballer is scheduled to receive $4.5 million in 2012 -- the second year of his two-year $7.8 million deal with the Mets.
Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson told The Wall Street Journal the Mets have tried to talk the 37-year-old Dickey out of the climb, which he is performing for the Bombay Teen Challenge, a charity that helps victims of sex trafficking.
Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa at 19,341 feet above sea level.
Pitino says he'll retire after 2017
LOUISVILLE, Ky., Dec. 27 (UPI) -- Louisville head basketball Coach Rick Pitino said Tuesday he'll retire from coaching after his contract runs out in 2017.
Pitino, who will be 64 when his deal expires, told reporters his age is a consideration in his future plans, The (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal reported.
"One thing I do because of my age is that I really don't look ahead," he said. "For years I have been preaching the precious present.
"When you're 59, you're realistic that you don't have a whole lot of years left," he added. "My contract is going to run out in 2017. I'm not coaching any more after that. I just enjoy exactly where I'm at."
Louisville Athletic Director Tom Jurich told the newspaper he'd do whatever he could to get Pitino to "change his mind."
"He's a very young guy. He's got a lot of fuel left in that tank," Jurich said.
