07:22 AM ET 08.06 | Brett Favre nearly bit his tongue. Instead of stopping in front of the cameras, Favre hopped into his white Ford F-250 pickup truck. He began to close the door. Then -- you guessed it -- he seemed to change his mind. A reporter asked him if he could ride back to Favre's house in Favre's truck. "I'm not going back there yet," Favre said. "I'm going for a [bike] ride." Was there anything he wanted to say, in the wake of reports that he had told some Vikings teammates at training camp in Mankato, via text, that he was retiring and that the Vikings were prepared to offer him a raise if that would persuade him to return? "No," he said, quietly, shaking his head. "No." Favre started the engine, and, as shutters clicked, he was asked if the Vikings were aware of his intentions. "I talked to them," he said. "They know."

Minneapolis Star Tribune

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07:16 AM ET 08.06 | Kansas City ace Zack Greinke didn't seem as caught up in "raves from outside the organization" relating to the Royals farm as the franchise might be on the whole. "The biggest problem is I have two more years on my contract. Are those guys supposed to make it up by the beginning of next year?" Tell him, yes, some are projected to reach the majors next year, and Greinke just shakes his head. ... "It's been six years with me, and most people (who are Royals fans) have been through a lot more than I have. But for me, it's the third complete re-start/rebuilding phase." Would he be happier elsewhere? "I like Kansas City," Greinke said. "It's a town that fits me pretty well. But I don't know ... at least put a team together that has a fighting chance (to win)."

Kansas City Star

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07:20 AM ET 08.06 | The Mike Dunleavy-Clippers soap opera will likely see its last episodes played out in the courtroom. Finger-pointing. Allegations of fraudulent inducement. ... The latest curious twist in the battle between the Clippers and owner Donald Sterling and the team's former coach-general manager took a wild turn last week when the Clippers, trying to halt Dunleavy's arbitration claim, alleged that Dunleavy fraudulently induced the Clippers into entering an employment agreement. Dunleavy's lawyer, in an interview with The Times on Thursday, said the lawsuit does not pass "the laugh test." The Clippers quit paying Dunleavy when they fired him as general manager in March and he is owed $6.75 million on the remainder of his contract.

Los Angeles Times

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08:28 AM ET 08.06 | Jeff Vanderbeek wasn't talking specifically about the historic contract offer to Ilya Kovalchuk. Asked if he is tired of the delay caused when the league rejected the contract, prompting the NHL Players' Association to file a grievance on Kovalchuk's behalf, Vanderbeek said: "No, I'm not, only because it's going to be over with Monday at the latest. I can be not tired (of it) another 2-3 days. ... Both parties said they were going to put their best face forward and, all things considered, I think they did." Vanderbeek insisted he did not know what happened at the hearing today. "I know it happened," he said. "I read that Ilya Kovalchuk was there." He also claimed his decision to avoid speaking about the situation is his own and not a league gag order. "It's my choice," he said. "It's just not prudent."

The Star-Ledger

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09:41 AM ET 08.06 | In a departure, Florida will not be motivated by its recent failures. The usual offseason tactic for strength coach Mickey Marotti is to utilize the worst moments of the previous season to motivate for the coming year. Replays of the game in the locker room would have sufficed. Not this year, safety Ahmad Black says. ... Running back Chris Rainey told reporters Thursday that last year's team had "primadonnas," players who were worried about the NFL. The Gators had nine NFL draft picks in April, including three first-rounders. [Mike] Pouncey said the Gators lost the Alabama game because of "accountability issues," which might explain why numerous players referred to this team's focus on being "accountable" throughout the offseason. "We bonded more as a team this year," Pouncey said. "We lost some great players, but we still had great players here."

Orlando Sentinel

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10:57 AM ET 07.24 | Two-time French Open runner-up Robin Soderling has pulled out of next month's Legg Mason Tennis Classic for personal reasons. Tournament organizers announced his withdrawal Friday night. The hard-court tournament featuring Andy Roddick and Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych begins Aug. 1.

CBS Sports

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10:24 AM ET 08.01 | In a recent live chat hosted by MMAFighting.com, James Toney again talked about wanting to step in the cage with Brock Lesnar. Toney also explained that he believes Cain Velasquez has a serious chance of defeating Lesnar, whom he believes to be a coward based on his recent comeback win over Shane Carwin. "I like Cain Velasquez, and I think he has the ability to knock Lesnar out," Toney said. "I think that fight is a toss-up. Lesnar ran away from Shane Carwin like a girl, but then Carwin ran out of gas and quit. But I'll fight any of them, any time anywhere. That's my motto."

FightLine

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10:33 AM ET 08.05 |

Phil Mickelson has been a New Jersey favorite since his win at the 2005 PGA Championship at Baltusrol, and he got the rock-start treatment during his appearance at Ridgewood Country Club in Ridgewood, N.J., to promote the Barclays tournament -- maybe not Springsteen-level, but certainly Bon Jovi.

Conor Orr from The Star Ledger said everyone on the course stopped when Mickelson made his way to the first tee.

A pack of club regulars and caddies returning from their round saw the world's No. 2 golfer wielding his driver and came to a standstill. Mickelson wound up and uncoiled into his rapid downswing. Their heads followed as the aspirin-sized contour of the ball plunked into the rough along the right side of the fairway.

"Just need to hit a few of these," Mickelson said, laughing, over-exaggerating a back stretch. "Get loosened up."

If you've watched Mickelson's cheerful demeanor this summer, you'd never guess he's in the midst of a slump. However, he did acknowledge at Ridgewood that he hasn't been playing well lately and he's not sure why.

"I don't know exactly where my game is," Mickelson said. "I didn't play well in Europe, I've had two weeks off, I haven't really played great golf in six or seven weeks. I won't know until I get out there and play a championship course."

Golf.com

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11:30 AM ET 08.06 | Helio Castroneves may have apologized for his tantrum at Edmonton, but that doesn't mean that he regrets the moves that landed him at odds with IndyCar officials. "I thought, unfortunately, the calls were not very clear, the calls have been very inconsistent and I felt I should not have been black-flagged," Castroneves said. "The rules do not say that. They change. So it's sad." Castroneves was fined $60,000 and placed on probation after angrily confronting two officials at Edmonton following being cited for blocking.

USA Today

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11:01 AM ET 08.06 | Real Madrid has been offered Chelsea surplus striker Karim Benzema as part of Jose Mourinho's plan to lure fullback Ashley Cole to the Bernabeu. Aware that Chelsea are on the look out for another world-class striker after missing out on Liverpool's Fernando Torres, Real are prepared to offer the $47 million-rated Frenchman plus cash for the England left back. Cole has told Chelsea that he would be open to a move to reunite with former boss Mourinho due to personal problems in England. Mourinho is said to be unconvinced by his current options, Marcelo and Alvaro Arbeloa, and was unable to land primary target Aleksandar Kolarov in the summer.

Daily Mail

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