Jockeying for Glavine gets hotter
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- The Philadelphia Phillies have made it harder for Tom Glavine to think about the Atlanta Braves anymore by increasing their original contract offer to the veteran southpaw by $3 million.
Glavine, who became a free agent this offseason when he was angered by the Braves' offer of $9 million for one year, has said he would like to get a four-year deal.
MLB.com, baseball's official website, reports that both the Phillies and New York Mets have added a fourth year with a vested option to their respective offers. If he meets an unspecified innings-pitched incentive, he would get the extra year he is seeking.
Glavine's agent, Gregg Clifton, confirmed receiving both offers Wednesday afternoon.
New York Newsday reported Thursday that it has been told by a source that the Mets added a conditional fourth year to their initial three-year, $28.5 million offer.
The Mets were the first to make a solid offer, and the Phillies followed their lead.
Clifton faxed a counterproposal of four years and $45 million to both teams on Tuesday.
Jay Horwitz, the Mets' Vice President for Media Relations, issued a prepared statement:
"We responded to Gregg Clifton's proposal. Our proposal includes a fourth year with a vested option. We expect to hear from them some time after the holiday."
The Phillies earlier this week signed third baseman David Bell and also are waiting for an answer from slugger Jim Thome, who has indicated he wants a deal done quickly.
Westbrook does not leave quietly
CINCINNATI, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- Michael Westbrook, a former first-round draft pick, Wednesday was waived late Wednesday by the Cincinnati Bengals, who have the worst record in the NFL.
A wide receiver in his eighth season, Westbrook had just eight catches for 94 yards, placing him ninth on the Bengals in receiving. He played in nine of the team's 11 games, starting four.
It is just more bad news in a lost season for the Bengals, who are 1-10, with their only win coming over the expansion Houston Texans.
He had been unhappy in Cincinnati.
"It got to be a zoo, and my heart hasn't been in it for the last month and a half, two months," Westbrook was quoted as saying by the team's website after getting word from Coach Dick LeBeau that he had been cut loose. "Twenty-two years of playing football and my heart wasn't there because they gave up on me. I don't know if I'll play again. For now, I'm just going home to laugh at the whole nightmare. I went to (LeBeau) and told him I was thinking about retiring if they didn't release me. He didn't want me to retire and he wouldn't let me go."
Westbrook claimed he was never given a fair shot by the Bengals, especially after he got hurt in training camp.
"Since I was Michael Westbrook, it was like I couldn't make any mistakes," he said. "If I made a mistake, I went from having 40 plays to 10 plays. But another guy could make three mistakes and it wouldn't matter. I guess that was just a reflection of the people running the show. "
The website indicated that Westbrook would get about $1 million of a $4.5 million deal he signed in July.
The receiver of the "Hail Mary" pass thrown by Colorado's Kordell Stewart to beat Michigan in 1994, Westbrook was selected fourth overall in the 1995 draft by the Washington Redskins.
However, he never lived up to expectations, playing 16 games just twice in seven years with the Redskins and compiling 277 catches for 4,280 yards and 24 touchdowns. His best year was 1999, when he had 65 receptions for 1,191 yards and nine touchdowns, all career highs.
During his stay in Washington, Westbrook suffered multiple knee injuries and a neck injury that required the fusing of two vertebrae. He also was involved in an ugly fight with teammate Stephen Davis during a practice in 1997.
The Bengals' coaching staff has no immediate public reaction to Westbrook's comments.
To fill his roster spot, the Bengals activated offensive tackle Reggie Coleman from the reserve/suspended list. He is a rookie from the University of Tennessee.
LeClair suffers shoulder injury
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- In their 7-2 blowout loss at Pittsburgh Wednesday night, the Philadelphia Flyers lost a key player as left wing John LeClair, their leading goal-scorer, sustained a separated right shoulder late in the first period.
LeClair was scheduled to undergo an MRI Thursday morning.
The injury occurred when LeClair was checked by defenseman Marc Bergevin and fell into the boards in the Penguins' zone with just over six minutes remaining in the opening period.
A few minutes after returning to the bench, LeClair, 33, made his way to the locker room.
"I really can't tell right now," said Flyers Coach Ken Hitchcock when asked how long LeClair would be sidelines. "I saw him go down. I know that it dislocated, and I know that it popped back in. We just have to hope there is no ligament damage. If there is ligament damage, then we have some things to worry about. We just have to pray that we can avoid surgery."
With just 16 goals in their last 11 contests, the Flyers likely will be hard-pressed to replace LeClair's team-leading 11 tallies.
Jeremy Roenick had a goal and an assist Wednesday to raise his total to 18 points, one more than LeClair.
France, Russia in Davis Cup final
PARIS, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- It will be France against Russia when the French begin their title defense at the Palais Omnisports Paris Bercy in Paris.
France has won the crown a number of times recently, and will play in its fourth final of the team competition in the last seven years. They won last year and in 1996 to raise their Davis Cup victory total to nine.
In 2001, France upset heavily-favored Australia, which fielded a squad that featured world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt and two-time U.S. Open champion Patrick Rafter.
Russia has the big names this time around in No. 3 Marat Safin and two-time Grand Slam winner Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who also will play doubles together.
"The Russians are better than us individually," said French captain Guy Forget. "But there are always surprises. I am lucky to have players who can play the perfect match when needed. What makes our team so strong is definitely the friendship and collective spirit within the team. From that point of view, we are definitely stronger than the Russians, even if their potential is higher than ours."
France does not field a player ranked among the top 15 this year. Sebastien Grosjean finished 16th, only after winning his first title of the year in St. Petersburg, Russia last month.
Arnaud Clement was to be France's second singles player, but he has been inconsistent since reaching the Australian Open final in 2001.
A flare-up of an old wrist injury gave Forget the excuse to replace Clement with 20-year-old Paul-Henri Mathieu, who won his first two career tournaments in Lyon and Moscow last month.
Clement was replaced last year in the finals against Australia.
Mathieu, who has been practicing with the French team, will make his Davis Cup debut Friday. He officially was added to the team when the final draw was made Thursday.
Mathieu will open the final against Safin. Grosjean then will face Kafelnikov to complete the opening day. The Russian stars then will team up to face Nicolas Escude and Fabrice Santoro in doubles Saturday.
Sunday's reverse singles complete the event.
Russia made the finals in 1994 and '95, but lost both years to Sweden and the U.S., respectively.
"I love Paris and France," Safin said. "I feel comfortable, especially in Bercy. I like the stadium, I am happy when I play here, and hopefully I will make a big result this week."
Although Safin lost all three of his matches at the season-ending championships two weeks ago, Kafelnikov could be the weak link for the Russians. He finished the season at No. 27, his lowest ranking in nine years, and has struggled on clay since capturing his first career major at the French Open in 1996.
Kafelnikov, who has been hampered by injuries this season, has said he might retire if Russia wins.
Johl leads at Hong Kong
HONG KONG, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- Amandeep Johl, looking to become the second Indian champion in European Tour history, Thursday grabbed the first-round lead at the Hong Kong Open with a 6-under-par 63.
Johl had an eagle, six birdies and two bogeys at the Hong Kong Golf Club to open a one-stroke lead over four players at the second of two events co-sanctioned by the European and Asian tours.
Johl, 33, a native of New Dehli, India, is looking to follow in the footsteps of Arjun Atwal, who became the first Indian golfer to win a European Tour event at last year's Singapore Masters.
Johl, whose wife, Hardavin, is caddying for him this week, is a regular on the Davidoff Tour. He was 214th on the 2002 Order of Merit.
"I battled hard, as I am not used to the television guys running around," he said. "It's so easy to lose your concentration. I am not used to it, and suddenly these guys are moving all over the place."
The official 2003 season got under way with last week's co-sanctioned BMW Asian Open, which Irish star Padraig Harrington won.
Johl got off to a good start Thursday as he seeks a breakout victory. Winless on the Davidoff and European circuits, he dominated the shortened par-69 layout by playing a six-hole stretch in 6-under, beginning with an eagle at the par-5 ninth.
Pablo del Olmo of Mexico, Stephen Dodd of Wales, Tony Johnstone of Zimbabwe, and Sweden's Henrik Nystrom are tied for second after carding 5-under 64s. Thomas Levet of France was one of nine players to shoot 65.
