Former 7-time NBA best rebounder Dennis Rodman, 43, just cannot leave the game. NBA champion with Detroit and Chicago, Rodman signed to play two games in January with the Long Beach Jam of the American Basketball Association. He played just a couple of minutes for the Orange County Crush in December before a knee operation and several days after injuring his right hamstring. Rodman is expected to come back onto court on January 10.

NEW YORK (AP) -- With an offer in hand from the New York Mets, Pedro Martinez will wait to see what the New York Yankees do before deciding where he'll play next year.

The free-agent ace isn't close to making a decision on where to sign, a person close to Martinez said Tuesday on condition of anonymity.

Martinez is likely to wait until the Yankees determine their level of interest, which could hinge on whether they acquire Randy Johnson from Arizona in a trade that could send Javier Vazquez to the Diamondbacks.

NEW YORK (AP) — A month after winning their first World Series title since 1918, the Boston Red Sox were honored as Sports Illustrated's Sportsmen of the Year — the first major pro sports team to receive the award.
"Every Sox fan everywhere shares in this with the team," SI managing editor Terry McDonell said.

The issue hits newsstands on Dec. 1.

The Red Sox made an unprecedented rally from a 3-0 deficit to beat the New York Yankees in the AL championship series. They then swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series to put an end to the supposed "Curse of the Bambino."

Andrei Kirilenko scored 24 points, and Mehmet Okur had his best game since joining Utah with 12 points and 9 rebounds to help the host Jazz improve to 4-0 with a 102-91 victory over the Denver Nuggets last night.

Raja Bell added 17 points for the Jazz, which swept the home-and-home series with the Nuggets - the team that edged Utah for the final playoff spot last season.

Shaquille O'Neal remains bothered by a strained left hamstring, yet the 11-time All-Star center hopes to play Wednesday when Miami opens its season at New Jersey.

O'Neal missed most of Miami's practice Monday, sparking concerns that the injury is worse than feared. The Heat, however, did not place O'Neal on the injured list, indicating they believe the problem is minor.

Still, Heat coach Stan Van Gundy was clearly disappointed that O'Neal -- who sat out practices Friday and Saturday, and missed three of Miami's seven preseason games -- wasn't able to participate in Monday's workout.