sports news update

Predators lose Weber indefinitely to concussion : The Predators will be without star defenseman and team captain Shea Weber indefinitely after the club announced Tuesday he has a concussion.

Celts without captain Pierce until at least Friday : The Celtics will be without Paul Pierce until at least Friday.

SEC unveils football schedule with A&M, Mizzou : The Southeastern Conference has unveiled its 2012 football schedule with its two newest members Missouri and Texas A&M opening play Sept. 8, and Alabama will visit LSU in a rematch of the Bowl Championship Series national championship Nov. 3.

SEC unveils football schedule with A&M, Mizzou : The Southeastern Conference has unveiled its 2012 football schedule with its two newest members Missouri and Texas A&M opening play Sept. 8, and Alabama will visit LSU in a rematch of the Bowl Championship Series national championship Nov. 3.

Who will be out of the Nats’ rotation? : The Nationals’ acquisition of Gio Gonzalez gives them six major-league pitchers vying for five spots in the 2012 rotation. Gonzalez joins a crew of starters that includes Jordan Zimmermann , Stephen Strasburg , John Lannan , Ross Detwiler , and veteran Chien-Ming Wang , who is returning to Washington on a one-year contract. In a conference call on Friday, Nationals’ GM Mike Rizzo implied that the rotation jobs of Gonzalez, Zimmermann, and Strasburg are safe; according to Rizzo, it is “fair to say” that Lannan, Wang or Detwiler will end up in the bullpen at the beginning of next season. Purely speculation, but Lannan and particularly Detwiler could net some value if the Nats decide to go that route. Anyway, the point is that either by a move to the bullpen, a demotion, or a trade, there’s going to be an odd man out somehow. But which one should go? First, ponder some splits for all three pitchers. Throughout their careers, all three are simi...

A baseball card mystery: Gary Gaetti’s 1993 Topps card : I vaguely remember Gary Gaetti playing for the California Angels. He also played for the Royals, Cardinals, and Cubs as he lingered aimlessly on the major league scene throughout the 1990s, far past his prime seasons of 1986, ‘87 and ‘88 with the Twins. But I have absolutely no recollection of Gaetti playing five games for the Red Sox in 2000, when he went hitless in 11 plate appearances before announcing his retirement. One would have to be a true Red Sox diehard to remember Gaetti’s early-season cameo at Fenway Park. More vividly than his tenures with the Red Sox and Angels, I remember Gary Gaetti as the consummate free swinger. For his career high, he averaged 54 walks per a season. Most years, his totals were in the twenties or thirties. A power hitter who loved to rip—he struck out two-and-a-half times for every walk he drew—Gaetti rarely met a pitch he didn’t like. Nicknamed “The Rat” for his long nose and weak chin, Gaett...

Arsenal can beat Manchester City - Arsene Wenger : Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger thinks his side can underline their status as the Premier League's form team by beating Manchester City on Sunday.

Red-carded Alan Hutton should know better - Alex McLeish : Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish says defender Alan Hutton "should know better" after his last-minute red card in Villa's 2-1 defeat by Arsenal.

Aston Villa 1-2 Arsenal : Yossi Benayoun comes off the bench to head a late winner as below-par Arsenal triumph at Aston Villa.

Arsene Wenger delighted with three 'very big' points : Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is pleased his side recovered from a difficult spell in the second half to go on and claim an important 2-1 win at Aston Villa.

Arsenal put Wolves match back 24 hours : Arsenal move their match with Wolves back 24 hours to 27 December because of the threat of industrial action by tube drivers.

Arsene Wenger may sign full-back in January transfer window : Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger fails to rule out signing a full-back in the January transfer window.

Arsenal may re-sign Thierry Henry, says Arsene Wenger : Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admits he is considering re-signing Thierry Henry on a two-month loan deal.

Mark Lawrenson's Premier League predictions : Mark Lawrenson on the festive weekend's Premier League ties

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger frustrated by Wolves draw : Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says he can't fault his players' spirit after the 1-1 draw with Wolves, but admits it is "very frustrating" to drop points at home.

My T-Shirt Design : I designed a Web Axe t-shirt on a neat new website, ooShirts.com (although I haven't tested the accessibility). ooShirts is an apparel startup company located in Berkeley, California. I hope to give away a couple Web Axe t-shirts sometime soon, maybe at CSUN 2012. And you can always order your own!

Roethlisberger, Pouncey might play against Browns : Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says injured quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and center Maurkice Pouncey have a 'shot' to play in the regular-season finale against Cleveland.

Denver castoff Orton standing between Broncos and playoffs : The Broncos benched then dumped Kyle Orton. But the QB displaced by people's choice Tim Tebow now leads the Chiefs, and Clark Judge says he stands as a motivated roadblock between Denver and the playoffs.

Power Rankings: Losing Sunday could ease Jacksonville's pain : Fans of the banged-up, 4-11 Jags have an odd twist on Week 17. Pete Prisco says they want to see their team lose to keep the Colts from getting Andrew Luck and torment them as Peyton Manning has.

Power Rankings: Losing Sunday could ease Jacksonville's pain : Fans of the banged-up, 4-11 Jags have an odd twist on Week 17. Pete Prisco says they want to see their team lose to keep the Colts from getting Andrew Luck and torment them as Peyton Manning has.

Stafford, Cruz highlight list of players Pro Bowl left behind : Matthew Stafford guides the Lions back to the playoffs. Victor Cruz is Eli Manning's top scoring threat in New York. Yet neither gets an invite to the Pro Bowl. Clark Judge says they highlight a list of glaring snubs.

49ers, Patriots each get 8 players into Pro Bowl : Tom Brady is one of eight Patriots and Patrick Willis one of eight 49ers to make the Pro Bowl, the most on each roster.

Report: Titans' Munchak is Penn State's top pick : Tennessee Titans coach Mike Munchak has been targeted for the job of Penn State head coach by a search panel tasked with finding a successor to fired Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Tuesday.

A Literary History of Word Processing : Scholars are trying to recover the literary history of word processing, one casual deletion and trashed document at a time, starting with the likes or writers like Stephen King and Frank Herbert.

Gwen and Gavin Take the Boys to Christmas Eve at the Zoo : Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale made it a fully festive weekend for their sons Kingston and Zuma in LA. On Friday, Gwen took the boys for a holiday train ride at Griffith Park and on Saturday the whole family was together to pay a visit to the zoo. Kingston and Zuma checked out the animals while Gwen and Gavin snapped a romantic photo of themselves on his phone. It's not much of a winter wonderland in Sunny LA, but the Stefani-Rossdales are still great at getting in the spirit in their red and green outfits. View Slideshow ›