Looking back at Wednesday, March 17 nhl

---PENGUINS CO-OWNER MARIO LEMIEUX AND PRESIDENT DAVID MOREHOUSE TO ATTEND GAME IN BOSTON TONIGHT WHEN BRUINS FACE MATT COOKE FOR FIRST TIME SINCE HIT ON MARC SAVARD 11 DAYS AGO.

---JETS OWNER WOODY JOHNSON SAYS HE NEVER MEANT TO QUESTION ROGER GOODELL'S INTEGRITY REGARDING STADIUM COIN FLIP (Credit New York Times).

---REPORT: PACKERS RE-SIGN CB WILL BLACKMON (Credit Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

NBA:

---PACERS' DANNY GRANGER (CHEEK) OUT INDEFINITELY.

---REPORT: 49ERS GM SCOT McCLOUGHAN CONSIDERING STEPPING DOWN (Credit Santa Rosa Press Democrat)

-- RANGERS MANAGER WASHINGTON TESTED POSITIVE FOR COCAINE DURING 2009 SEASON: Rangers manager Ron Washington failed a Major League Baseball test for cocaine last season, but has apologized and will keep his job. "I had a very weak moment," Washington said at a news conference Wednesday. "I did wrong and I take responsibility for that and I'm sorry." Washington said he used cocaine only once and called it "stupid behavior." The 57-year-old manager met with his players earlier in the day and told them about testing positive in July.

-- MARINERS' CLIFF LEE SUSPENDED 5 GAMES FOR THROWING A PITCH IN THE HEAD AREA OF DIAMONDBACKS CATCHER CHRIS SNYDER IN SPRING TRAINING GAME.

---QB DEREK ANDERSON AGREES TO 2-YEAR DEAL WITH CARDINALS (Credit Adam Schefter for terms only).

-- NBA BOARD OF GOVERNORS APPROVES MICHAEL JORDAN'S PURCHASE OF BOBCATS.

-- OBAMA PICKS KANSAS TO WIN IT ALL: President Barack Obama went chalk, as in Rock Chalk, in his annual presidential picks. Obama stressed the importance of experience and guard play in selecting Kansas over Kentucky. Obama predicts Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky and Villanova to make the men's basketball Final Four. Obama filled out a bracket for ESPN for the second straight year. This time, he's also making picks for the women's tournament, selecting Connecticut, Notre Dame, Stanford and Tennessee. Last year, Obama correctly picked North Carolina to win the national championship. His bracket ranked 903,125th overall, just above the 80th percentile in the ESPN's online contest.

---NOTE: Obama's interview on the men's tournament aired today on noon SC. His discussion of the women's tourney will first broadcast on Thursday night's 1 SC from LA.

-- SETON HALL FIRES BASKETBALL COACH BOBBY GONZALEZ DUE TO CONDUCT.

-- SHERRIFF: NO REQUESTS FOR SECURITY CHANGES AT AUGUSTA NATIONAL: Security at Augusta National for the Masters is provided by a private firm and is supplemented by the Richmond County Sheriff's Office. Richmond County Col. Gary Powell said he has heard no requests for any changes to their security plan because of Woods' appearance. He said they don't anticipate any major problems with either the media or crowds. "We have that place sealed up tight," Powell said. Masters badges are considered one of the toughest tickets to obtain, but don't look for a big increase in pricing, said Mark Young, the owner of Corporate Sporting Events in Augusta. "When the vibe came around last week in regard to him most likely coming, there was a little bit of a change," Young said. "But it went away just as fast it came."

NFL:

-- SOURCES: TIM TEBOW INVITED TO NEW YORK FOR NFL DRAFT, ACCEPTS (Credit ESPN Sr. NFL Analyst Chris Mortensen).

-- REPORT: 49ERS GM SCOT McCLOUGHAN CONSIDERING STEPPING DOWN (credit Santa Rosa Press Democrat)

-- REPORT: JETS TO HOST GAME THANKSGIVING NIGHT (credit NY Daily News)

-- NFL OWNERS TO VOTE ON NEW PLAYOFF OT FORMAT: NFL owners will vote next week on whether to allow each team a possession in overtime in the playoffs if the team winning the coin toss kicks a field goal on the first series. If the team that falls behind by three points on the first season also kicks a field goal, then the game would continue under current sudden death rules. The proposal is only for the postseason.

-- JAKE DELHOMME CHOSE BROWNS FOR CHANCE TO START.

-- SOURCE: SEAHAWKS SET TO GET QB WHITEHURST (Credit ESPN's John Clayton): The Seahawks and the Chargers are finalizing a trade for Chargers third-string quarterback Charlie Whitehurst in which the Seahawks swap picks in the second round and will send the Chargers a third-round pick in 2011, according to multiple sources. According to a different source, the Seahawks, once the deal is complete, will sign Whitehurst to a two-year deal that could be worth $10 million.

-- SIGNINGS

Redskins sign QB Rex Grossman

Buccaneers sign S Sean Jones

Dolphins sign G Richie Incognito

Chargers re-sign DT Ian Scott

Titans to sign DE Jason Babin (Credit ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter)

49ers sign CB Karl Paymah

Seahawks sign RB Quinton Ganther

-- VISITS

Source: RB Willie Parker to visit Rams Thursday and Friday (credit Adam Schefter)

RB Justin Fargas visting Saints Wednesday

Report: PK Jay Feely to visit Cardinals this weekend (credit FoxSports.com)

-- EAGLES RELEASE OL SHAWN ANDREWS.

-- BEARS RELEASE CB NATHAN VASHER.

-- TENN. S ERIC BERRY CUTS SHORT TIMING SESSION WITH PRO SCOUTS; MINOR TOE INJURY

-- 49ERS LB PATRICK WILLIS UNDERGOES SURGERY FOR BURSECTOMY.

-- JAMARCUS RUSSELL, IN BETTER SHAPE, SHOWS UP FOR RAIDERS WORKOUTS

-- ROCKIES CLOSER HUSTON STREET TO HAVE MRI ON AILING RIGHT SHOULDER.

-- REDS' AROLDIS CHAPMAN CONTINUES STRONG SPRING, K'S 5 IN 3 IP

-- NATIONALS RELEASE OF ELIJAH DUKES

-- METS, MARLINS TO PLAY SERIES TO PUERTO RICO.

-- DAISUKE MATSUZAKA THROWS 40 PITCHES IN BATTING PRACTICE TO MINOR LEAGUERS.

-- CAL SUSPENDS F OMONDI AMOKE FOR LOUISVILLE GAME DUE TO VIOLATION OF TEAM RULES.

-- FLORIDA COACH URBAN MEYER RETURNS TO SPRING PRACTICE AFTER HIS LEAVE OF ABSENCE.

-- GEORGIA TECH PLAYERS CHECKING CELL PHONES AT DOOR AGAIN: Georgia Tech players plan to give up their cell phones once again - this time before the NCAA tournament. The Yellow Jackets have already reaped the benefits of muting distractions this postseason. Georgia Tech players relinquished their phones before last week's Atlantic Coast Conference tournament and then made a run to the championship game.

-- RUTGERS WILL BRING BACK BASKETBALL COACH FRED HILL.

-- PAT KNIGHT SAYS BOB KNIGHT MAY BE INTERESTED IN RETURN TO COACHING (Credit SNY).

-- NASCAR TO REPLACE WING ON SPRINT CUP CARS WITH SPOILERS FOR MARCH 28 RACE AT MARTINSVILLE.

-- BRAD KESELOWSKI CHOOSES "WON'T BACK DOWN" AS HIS SONG FOR INTRODUCTIONS SUNDAY AT BRISTOL.

NHL:

-- TOP LEAGUE OFFICIALS TO ATTEND BRUINS-PENGUINS, WARN AGAINST RETRIBUTION FOR COOKE'S HIT ON SAVARD

-- WARRIORS' STEPHEN CURRY SITS OUT WITH SPRAINED ANKLE

-- BECKHAM LEAVES CLINIC IN FINLAND AFTER SURGERY

-- RELATED / BECKHAM'S INJURY INSPIRES BRITAIN'S POET LAUREATE: 6 pm SC did a piece with the poem. OK for all shows to use.

-- LANDON DONOVAN WILL ATTEND TALKS AS MLS UNION TRIES TO AVOID STRIKE

-- SHAKIRA, BLACK EYED PEAS TO HEADLINE CONCERT ON EVE OF WORLD CUP

MISC:

-- JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL (RHEUMATISM) TO PULL OUT OF MASTERS.

-- REPORT: BOOK CLOSED ON AGASSI DRUG INQUIRIES (Credit Associated Press): Tennis officials have closed the book on Andre Agassi's drug revelations. International Tennis Federation president Francesco Ricci Bitti tells The Associated Press that despite appeals from the World Anti-Doping Agency, the statute of limitations in the case expired and no retroactive punishment is possible. In Agassi's recently published autobiography, "Open," he wrote that he took crystal meth in 1997 and lied to the ATP to avoid a suspension after failing a doping test.

-- USAIN BOLT TO RUN 300 METERS AT THE CZECH GOLDEN SPIKE MEET ON MAY 27.