Defenseman Parent is out for six weeks

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ryan Parent will undergo back surgery and miss almost six weeks, the team announced last Saturday. "After running the gamut with Ryan in terms of different things we have tried to relieve the discomfort he was having, we felt this was the way to go for Ryan's overall health," Flyers GM Paul Holmgren said in a statement.

Parent has missed the last 14 games due to the back injury. So far this season, he has registered two assists and 14 penalty minutes in 28 games in his flyers jersey.

Pirates and Donnelly reach a deal

A Major League source confirmed that the Pirates agreed to term on a one-year Major League contract with right-handed reliever Brendan Donnelly on Saturday. ESPN.com reported that the Major League deal gives Donnelly a base salary of $1.5 million. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette first reported the signing. They signed D.J. Carrasco to a Minor League deal and are closing on adding Octavio Dotel.

After posting a 1.75 ERA in 24 games with the Astros' Triple-A affiliate at the start of the 2009 season, Donnelly signed as a free agent with the Marlins in July. Over his eight-year career, the right-hander is 29-9 with a 3.02 ERA. Hope he can play well in the pirates jersey.

Red Sox acquire Shouse

According to multiple media, the Red Sox recently signed left-handed reliever Brian Shouse to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training. The club is expected to send out a complete list of Minor League signings by Friday.

Shouse posted a 4.50 ERA in 45 games for the Rays this past season. For his 10-year career, the 41-year-old, who was a member of the Red Sox in 1998, owns a lifetime 3.72 ERA with a 1.97 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Hope he can play well in the red sox jersey.

Rangers ink with Jorge Alfaro

According to industry sources, the Rangers have signed Jorge Alfaro, a highly regarded 16-year-old catcher from Colombia. He is a right-handed hitter known for his raw power and strong arm. He is currently batting .250 with two RBIs in six games for Los Montaneros Del Sur in the Dominican Prospect League. The Phillies, Mariners, Indians, Giants and Yankees also expressed interest in this outfielder.

The Rangers, under the guidance of A.J. Preller, have been among the most aggressive teams in Latin America over the past few years, concentrating much efforts on premium players. Among the organization's top prospects are Tomas Tellis, an 18-year-old catcher from Venezuela who hit .322 in the Arizona Rookie League last summer and catcher Leonel De Los Santos, who hit .272 in 65 games at Class A Hickory last season. Hope Alfaro will put on the rangers jersey and play for the club.

Capitals recall defenseman John Carlson

Vice president and general manager George McPhee announced that The Washington Capitals have recalled defenseman John Carlson from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League. Carlson ranks tied for 11th among AHL defensemen with 25 points in 32 games. He is tied for 10th in the league with a +17 rating.

January is a busy month for Carlson. He played in two games for the Capitals last week, represented the Bears in Portland on Tuesday in the AHL All-Star Game and led the U.S. National Junior Team to a gold medal in the World Junior Championship this month, scoring two goals in the gold-medal game. Carlson has played five games for the Capitals this season, averaging 14:34 of ice time with a +4 rating. The Capitals selected Carlson in the first round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft with the 27th overall selection. Hope he can play well in the capitals jersey.

Cujo announces his retirement

According to reports, goaltender Curtis Joseph announced his retirement from the NHL at a press conference at Toronto's Air Canada Centre last week. Joseph hasn't played this season after appearing in 21 games with the Maple Leafs in toronto maple leafs jersey last season. He is fourth on the wins list and was a three-time nominee for the Vezina Trophy, finishing second in the voting in 1999 and 2000.

He played for six NHL teams during his 19-year career with different teams. He had seven seasons of at least 30 victories. He took the Leafs to two Eastern Conference Finals in four seasons, losing to the Buffalo Sabres in five games and falling to the Carolina Hurricanes in six games in 2002. Joseph was a member of Canada's 2002 gold-medal team at the Salt Lake City Olympics.

Vermette and Erat will join in NHL Live!

It is said that Columbus Blue Jackets center Antoine Vermette, who scored his 100th NHL goal last week, will be among the guests on NHL Live! on NHL Network and NHL.com and broadcast on XM Radio.

Also slated to appear with hosts Rob Simpson and Billy Jaffe are Nashville Predators forward Martin Erat, NHL Radio insider Jay Feaster and NHL.com's Shawn Roarke, who will offer a look at the upcoming Olympic hockey competition in Vancouver.

Scott Niedermayer will appear on NHL Live!

Anaheim Ducks defenseman Scott Niedermayer will be among the guests on NHL Live! on NHL Network and NHL.com and broadcast on XM Radio.

Niedermayer is in the midst of his 17th NHL season. He has 4 goals and 22 assists in 46 games with the Ducks this season and has won four Stanley Cup championships between Anaheim Ducks and New Jersey Devils. Also slated to appear with hosts Rob Simpson and Stan Fischler are top amateur prospects Taylor Hall and Cam Fowler, as well as USA Today's Kevin Allen and Bob Harwood of Versus.

Negron will miss 50 games after positive substance test

The Commissioner's Office announced last weekend that Miguel Negron, a Minor League outfielder in the White Sox, was one of three players to receive 50-game suspensions after tested positive for substances in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Negron has been suspended for a second positive test for a drug of abuse. The left-handed hitter batted .279 with four home runs, 38 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 103 games for Triple-A Charlotte during the 2009 season. He played for Double-A Birmingham as part of the White Sox organization in white sox jersey in 2008.

Pitcher Rony Bautista of the New York Yankees organization was suspended after testing positive for a metabolite of Boldenone. Pitcher Roberto Toribio of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim organization tested positive for metabolites of Stanozolol.

Braves come to terms with Hinske

After introducing Troy Glaus as his new first baseman last week, Braves general manager Frank Wren indicated that he was close to a deal that would essentially end his offseason roster reconstruction. It seems that the process has been completed with the signing of Eric Hinske, who is expected to primarily be used off the bench. A Major League source confirmed that Hinske has agreed to term on a one-year contract with the Braves.

Hinske combined to hit .242 with eight homers in 190 at-bats with the Pirates and Yankees this past season. The veteran has been a member of each of the past three American League teams that competed in the World Series. While hitting .247 with 20 homers for the Rays in 2008, Hinske made 84 of his 115 starts as an outfielder. He hit .300 with three doubles and seven walks in 38 appearances in 2009. Hope he can still play well in the braves jersey.

Brian Wolfe signs with Ham Fighters in Japan

According to an article in the Kyodo News, former Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Brian Wolfe has signed with the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan. Wolfe becomes the third U.S. Major League pitcher to sign in Japan this offseason and the second player in the last 24 hours.

In 2009 Wolfe posted an 8.22 ERA in 14 games with the Jays and had a 5.05 ERA in 34 games at Triple-A Las Vegas. He also pitched in the big leagues with Toronto in 2007 and 2008 in the blue jays jersey, giving him a lifetime Major League ERA in 72 games.

Maple Leafs lose Grabovski and Primeau due to injuries

President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes Jim Rutherford announced that the club has agreed on forward Eric Staal (in hurricanes jersey) a leave of absence because of the death of his wife Tanya’s sister, Tamara Stephenson.

Stephenson, who was only 26, passed away in Thunder Bay on Tuesday after a long fight with cancer. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Tanya and Eric during this difficult time for their family," said Jim Rutherford.

Nationals has termed with Whitesell and Bruntlett

According to a report, the Nationals agreed to terms with first baseman Josh Whitesell and infielder Eric Bruntlett on 2010 Minor League contracts. Both of them have been invited to Spring Training. Whitesell, who returns to his original organization, was drafted by the Expos in the sixth round of the 2003 First-Year Player Draft. He posted a .346 on-base percentage in 46 games with the D-backs last year and has two home runs and 15 RBIs in 53 career games with Arizona. Whitesell has hit 113 home runs and posted .394 on-base in seven Minor League seasons.

Bruntlett joins Washington after playing the past two seasons with the Phillies. Bruntlett is a .231 hitter with 11 home runs and 72 RBIs in 512 career games in seven seasons with Philadelphia and the Astros. He can play all four infield positions and all three outfield spots. Bruntlett is best known for turning a triple play in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Mets on Aug. 23. Hope both of them can play well in the nationals jerseys.

Tigers' Laird brothers were arrested

According to Phoenix police, Tigers catcher Gerald Laird and his younger brother, Brandon were arrested on suspicion of assault and disorderly conduct last Wednesday in Phoenix. The two ballplayers, plus another man, were arrested after a Phoenix Suns game at U.S. Airways Arena. Gerald Laird was cited for assault, while Brandon was cited for disorderly conduct. Also arrested was Gregory Scott Collins on suspicion of assault after the Suns beat the Boston Celtics.

"While security guards were trying to arrest the suspect for disorderly conduct, the Laird brothers interfered and assaulted the security guards," Phoenix police Sgt. Andy Hill said. Brandon Laird is an infield prospect with the Yankees. He played for the Surprise Rafters in the Arizona Fall League. It seems that Gerald Laird will take off his tigers jersey for a while because of this incident.

Howe gave us a surprise in Olympic torch relay

It is said that the Olympic torch relay through southwestern Ontario had a surprise runner -- Gordie Howe. Hundreds of revelers cheered on the torch in Amherstburg, where cannons were fired when it arrived at historic Fort Malden. The crowd lining in LaSalle went wild when Howe arrived with the torch.

Howe, who was born in Floral, played 25 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, leading them to four Stanley Cup victories. He retired at age 52 after playing the 1979-80 season with the Hartford Whalers. Howe is one of 12,000 Canadians who will help carry the flame to Vancouver, where the 2010 Games will be held in February.