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2B – Daily News – Friday, July 2, 2010 Lesnar grateful for health SERENA By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer Brock Lesnar had never heard of the illness that nearly killed him last year, yet he learned about more than diverti- culitis during his year away from the octagon. The UFC heavyweight champion discovered serious diets and real train- ing for the first time. The former pro- fessional wrestler and all-around tough guy says he even developed a deeper love for his friends and family. Still, health problems didn’t change everything about the UFC’s biggest pay-per-view draw, who fights interim champ Shane Carwin at UFC 116 on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Lesnar still drinks and swears. He still accidentally criticizes the UFC’s sponsors, much to president Dana White’s chagrin. And he’s still the toughest puzzle in the heavyweight division, even while many mixed mar- tial arts observers believe Carwin has a strong chance against the thick-necked Lesnar, who won the title in just his fourth pro fight. ‘‘This illness, it kills a lot of people, and it’s something I never even knew I had,’’ Lesnar said. ‘‘I think the setback for me actually has been a good thing. It allowed me to sit back and really focus on my diet, the way I trained. I really regrouped and rejuvenated myself. I took a new approach on it, and it’s been very refreshing. It’s been a great thing. I’m excited to fight.’’ The long-awaited bout between Lesnar and Carwin headlines the card at the MGM Grand Garden in the UFC’s hometown. They were sched- uled to meet twice late last year, but both bouts were canceled when Lesnar fell ill with the strength-sapping mala- dy that went undiagnosed for several weeks. The oversized heavyweight had been felled by serious inflammation and other problems in his intestine. ‘‘I laid in a hospital bed for over two weeks without any food in my body,’’ Lesnar said. ‘‘I couldn’t put any food in my mouth. I lost 42 pounds at that time. ... To wake up every day, to be on all them drugs and not be able to put any food in your mouth, yeah, you def- initely take a different approach on life. You realize that there’s nothing more important in life than your family, and you really find out who your friends are. I felt like I was on my deathbed.’’ The UFC realized the severity of Lesnar’s injury when he went to the Mayo Clinic for treatment, yet the league also lost a golden opportunity to capitalize on Lesnar’s burgeoning mainstream popularity after he beat Frank Mir last July at UFC 100. Lesnar’s absence also hurt Carwin, the 35-year-old mechanical engineer and former college wrestler who seemed deserving of a title shot from his first UFC bout in May 2008. Car- win (12-0) has never been in an MMA fight that reached the second round, stopping or submitting each of his opponents. ‘‘I don’t take any of these fights per- sonally,’’ the soft-spoken Carwin said. ‘‘I go in there and perform because that’s what I love to do.’’ Carwin waited on Lesnar (4-1) until last March, when the UFC matched him against Mir for the interim title. Carwin knocked out Mir in the first round and immediately set his sights on Lesnar, who was back in training after briefly questioning whether he should continue. ‘‘I really went back to the drawing board on life when I was sick,’’ Lesnar said. ‘‘When I finally decided that I could fight and continue this legacy, I thought, ’You know what, I’ve got to make some changes. I want to get bet- ter. When I come back I want to be in greater shape. I want to be a better fighter.’’’ So Lesnar hired a new strength coach and a new boxing trainer while changing his 3,200-calorie diet, which now is heavy on chicken breasts, steamed broccoli and boiled potatoes. In a multifaceted sport, the former col- lege wrestling champion realizes his bulk and wrestling skills won’t protect him forever. ‘‘I have a lot of areas that I feel like I just scratched the surface,’’ Lesnar said. ‘‘I can become that much better of a fighter in boxing and kickboxing and jiujitsu and even my wrestling.’’ Lesnar still is an unpolished striker after spending most of his life working on his formidable wrestling skills, but he has the sheer strength to do tremen- dous damage if the fighters stay on their feet. Carwin has proven one- punch knockout power to go with his wrestling background. ‘‘I can see the fight taking place everywhere,’’ Carwin said. ‘‘I’ve pre- pared in all areas, and I’m just ready to get in there and do what I love to do. This is fun for me.’’ Neither fighter has been in many lengthy bouts, yet Carwin lives and trains in Colorado’s high altitudes. Lesnar insists he won’t be rusty after a long training camp, but nobody will be certain about his conditioning unless he’s able to stretch Carwin to the later rounds. Lesnar still has mood swings and a quick temper, yet they’re balanced by that newfound appreciation for his career and his wife and children. ‘‘I really feel like ... I’m a cat with nine lives,’’ Lesnar said. ‘‘I think I’ve got about eight left.’’ Sharks sign G Antero Niittymaki to 2-year deal When San Jose set to By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer The San Jose Sharks moved swiftly to replace longtime goalie Evgeni Nabokov on Thursday, sign- ing veteran Finnish goalie Antero Niittymaki to a two- year, $4 million deal. Sharks general manager Doug Wilson targeted Niit- tymaki in the opening min- utes of free agency, and Niit- tymaki was thrilled that the first inquiry about his ser- vices came from Western Conference finalist San Jose, which won the Presi- dents’ Trophy in 2009 and finished with the West’s best record last season. ‘‘When they announced that they’re not going to offer Nabokov a new deal, every goalie in the league knew a spot was open,’’ said Niittymaki, who spent last season with Tampa Bay after starting his NHL career in Philadelphia. ‘‘Obviously you’re hoping, because the Sharks have been one of the best teams in the league for a couple of years now, that you get that call.’’ Nabokov was the Sharks’ starting goalie for most of the past decade, but the Sharks announced last month that they wouldn’t re- sign him. Wilson believes high-priced starting goalies are unnecessary luxuries in the NHL’s salary-cap era. work finding a lower-priced goalie in the mold of Chica- go’s Antti Niemi and Philadelphia’s Michael Leighton, Niittymaki stood out. ‘‘We felt that we wanted to go get the guy that we wanted, and we were cer- tainly proactive in that,’’ Wilson said. ‘‘We thought we’d be a pretty attractive fit for him. We’re excited to have him for our tandem, because we do have faith in our young goalies.’’ Niittymaki will join Ger- many’s Thomas Greiss and minor-leaguer Alex Stalock in the Sharks’ goaltending competition this fall. The Sharks have ample experi- ence with Finnish goal- tenders after fostering the careers of Miikka Kiprusoff and Vesa Toskala under the guidance of the late goal- tending coach Warren Strelow. Niittymaki spent last season with the Light- ning after playing four full NHL seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers. The Finnish goalie went 21-18-5 with a 2.87 goals-against average last year, but knew he probably wouldn’t return to Tampa Bay. ‘‘If you get a chance to play for one of the best teams in the league, you can’t really pass that up,’’ Niittymaki said. Scoreboard WORLD CUP Quarterfinals Today’s matches Netherlands vs.Brazil, 7 a.m., ESPN Uruguay vs. Ghana, 11:30 a.m., ESPN Saturday’s matches Germany vs. Argentina, 7 a.m. Paraguay vs.Spain, 11:30 a.m. MLB West Division Texas American League WL Pct GB Angels 44 36 .550 4.5 A’s WL Pct GB New York 48 30 .615 — Boston 47 32 .595 1.5 Tampa Bay 46 32 .590 2 Toronto 40 40 .500 9 Baltimore 24 54 .308 24 Central Division Minnesota 43 36 .544 — Detroit WL Pct GB 41 36 .532 1 Chicago 40 37 .519 2 Kansas City 34 45 .430 9 Cleveland 31 47 .397 11.5 ——— Thursday’s results Oakland 8, Baltimore 1 Cleveland 6, Toronto 1 New York 4, Seattle 2 Tampa Bay 5, Minnesota 4, 10 innings Texas at Los Angeles, late Today’s games Oakland (G.Gonzalez 6-5) at Cleveland (Talbot 8-6), 4:05 p.m. Toronto (Cecil 7-5) at New York (A.J.Burnett 6-7), 10:05 a.m. Seattle (Fister 3-3) at Detroit (Scherzer 4-6), 4:05 p.m. Baltimore (Bergesen 3-4) at Boston (Wakefield 2-6), 4:10 p.m. Chicago (F.Garcia 8-3) at Texas (C.Lewis 7-5), 5:05 p.m. Tampa Bay (Price 11-3) at Minnesota (S.Baker 6-7), 5:10 p.m. Kansas City (Davies 4-6) at Los Angeles (J.Saunders 6-8), 7:05 p.m. Wednesday’s late results Tampa Bay 9, Boston 4 Texas 6, Los Angeles 4 West Division National League WL Pct GB Padres 46 32 .590 — Dodgers 43 35 .551 3 Colorado 42 37 .532 4.5 GIANTS 40 38 .513 6 Arizona 31 48 .392 15.5 East Division WL Pct GB Atlanta 46 33 .582 — New York 44 35 .557 2 Philadelphia 41 36 .532 4 Florida 37 41 .474 8.5 Washington 35 45 .438 11.5 47 30 .610 — 39 41 .488 9.5 Seattle 33 45 .423 14.5 East Division Central Division WL Pct GB Cincinnati 45 35 .563 — St. Louis 43 36 .544 1.5 Milwaukee 36 43 .456 8.5 Chicago 34 45 .430 10.5 Houston 31 48 .392 13.5 Pittsburgh 28 51 .354 16.5 ——— Thursday’s results Colorado 7, San Francisco 3 Cincinnati 3, Chicago 2, 10 innings Milwaukee 4, St. Louis 1 Pittsburgh 3, Philadelphia 2 Washington 2, New York 1 Houston at San Diego, late Today’s games San Francisco (Lincecum 8-3) at Colorado (J.Chacin 4-7), 5:10 p.m. Cincinnati (Arroyo 7-4) at Chicago (Dempster 6-6), 11:20 a.m., WGN New York (Niese 5-2) at Washington (Atilano 6-4), 4:05 p.m. Philadelphia (Moyer 9-6) at Pittsburgh (Ohlendorf 0-6), 4:05 p.m. Florida (Jo.Johnson 8-3) at Atlanta (Medlen 5-1), 4:35 p.m. Milwaukee (Narveson 7-4) at St. Louis (J.Garcia 7-4), 5:15 p.m. Los Angeles (Kuroda 7-5) at Arizona (E.Jackson 5-6), 6:40 p.m. Houston (Oswalt 5-10) at San Diego (Latos 8-4), 7:05 p.m. Wednesday’s late results N.Y. Mets 6, Florida 5 North Division GOLDEN Golden League WL Pct. GB OUTLAWS 26 9 .743 — Calgary 20 14 .588 5.5 Edmonton 18 16 .529 7.5 Victoria 15 20 .429 11 St. George 14 21 .400 12 South Division Maui Yuma WL Pct. GB 21 13 .618 — 19 15 .559 2 Tucson 17 18 .486 4.5 Orange Co. 15 19 .441 6 Tijuana 7 27 .206 14 ——— Wednesday’s late results Chico 9, Orange County 3 Edmonton 15, Calgary 5 Maui 9, St.George 5 Tucson 6, Yuma 5 Victoria 8, Tijuana 2 Thursday’s results St. George at Chico, late Tijuana 7, Victoria 6 Calgary at Edmonton, late Yuma at Tucson, late Today’s games St. George at Chico, 7:08 p.m. Calgary at Edmonton, 6 p.m. Maui at Orange County, 6:05 p.m. Tijuana at Victoria, 7 p.m. Tucson at Yuma, 7 p.m. Saturday’s games St. George at Chico, 7:08 p.m. Edmonton at Calgary, 4:05 p.m. Maui at Orange County, 5:05 p.m., 1st game Tijuana at Victoria, 7 p.m. Tucson at Yuma, 7 p.m. Maui at Orange County, 7:35 p.m., 2nd game Sunday’s games St. George at Chico, 7:08 p.m. Edmonton at Calgary, 12:35 p.m. Tijuana at Victoria, 1:30 p.m. Yuma at Tucson, 7 p.m. WNBA EASTERN CONFERENCE WL Pct GB Atlanta 13 4 .765 — Washington 10 5 .667 2 Connecticut 10 6 .625 2.5 Indiana 9 6 .600 3 New York 7 7 .500 4.5 Chicago 7 9 .438 5.5 WESTERN CONFERENCE WL Pct GB Seattle 14 2 .875 — San Antonio 5 8 .385 7.5 Phoenix 5 10 .333 8.5 Minnesota 5 11 .313 9 Los Angeles 3 11 .214 10 Tulsa EASTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA Columbus 7 2 3 24 18 11 New York 8 5 0 24 17 16 Toronto FC 5 4 4 19 16 15 Chicago 4 3 5 17 17 16 Kansas City 3 6 3 12 11 16 New England 3 8 2 11 13 21 Philadelphia 3 7 1 10 14 22 D.C. ——— Thursday’s results Toronto FC 1, Houston 1, tie Today’s games New England at Real Salt Lake, 7 p.m. Saturday’s games D.C. United at San Jose, 7 p.m. Chicago at Columbus, 5 p.m. Kansas City at FC Dallas, 5:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Chivas USA, 7:30 p.m. Sunday’s games New York at Colorado, 6 p.m. Seattle FC at Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m. 3 12 .200 10.5 ——— Thursday’s results Atlanta 76, Minnesota 58 Chicago 92, Connecticut 80 San Antonio at Los Angeles, late Washington at Phoenix, late Today’s games No games scheduled Saturday’s games Seattle at Los Angeles, 2 p.m. Chicago at Atlanta, 4 p.m. Washington at Tulsa, 5 p.m. New York at Phoenix, 7 p.m. PGA AT&T National At Aronimink Golf Club, Newtown Square, Pa. Purse: $6.2 million Yardage: 7,237;Par: 70 (35-35) First Round Leaders Arjun Atwal Joe Ogilvie Jason Day Nick Watney 33-33 — 66 -4 32-34 — 66 -4 32-34 — 66 -4 34-32 — 66 -4 John Mallinger 34-33 — 67 -3 Brian Gay Michael Letzig 34-33 — 67 -3 Brett Quigley Ryan Moore MLS WESTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA Galaxy 10 1 3 33 22 4 Salt Lake 7 3 3 24 22 11 Colorado 6 3 3 21 15 11 FC Dallas 4 2 6 18 15 12 Houston 5 7 3 18 21 22 QUAKES 54 3 18 15 14 Seattle Chivas USA 3 9 1 10 14 20 33-34 — 67 -3 34-33 — 67 -3 32-35 — 67 -3 Carl Pettersson 35-32 — 67 -3 WIMBLEDON Thursday At The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, Wimbledon, England Purse: $20.3 million (Grand Slam) Surface: Grass-Outdoor Women Singles Semifinals Vera Zvonareva (21), Russia, def. Tsvetana Pironkova, Bulgaria, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Serena Williams (1), United States, def.Petra Kvitova, Czech Republic, 7-6 (5), 6-2. ARENA NATIONALCONFERENCE Midwest Division WL T Pct PF PA Chicago 9 3 0 .750 690 627 Milwaukee 7 5 0 .583 775 692 Iowa 5 6 0 .455 552 573 Cleveland 5 7 0 .417 714 681 West Division WL T Pct PF PA Spokane 9 2 0 .818 729 596 Arizona 8 3 0 .727 715 655 Utah 1 10 0 .091 495 734 AMERICAN CONFERENCE Southwest Division WL T Pct PF PA 7 5 0 .583 734 684 Tulsa Okla. City 4 7 0 .364 590 617 Bossier-Shrev. 3 9 0 .250 634 776 Dallas South Division 4 7 3 15 15 20 Tampa Bay 8 3 0 .727 642 565 Jacksonville 7 4 0 .636 603 587 Alabama 6 5 0 .545 586 575 Orlando 5 6 0 .455 585 596 ——— Today’s games Milwaukee at Utah, 4 p.m. Chicago at Tampa Bay, 5 p.m. Iowa at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. 1 10 0 .091 560 646 WL T Pct PF PA Arizona at Spokane, 8 p.m. Saturday’s games Alabama at Jacksonville, 4:05 p.m. Cleveland at Orlando, 4:30 p.m. Okla. City at Bossier-Shreveport, 5:05 p.m. DEALS 3 9 1 10 10 24 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie. Major League Baseball MLB—Suspended Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel one game and fined him an undisclosed amount for making contact with an umpire during Tuesday’s game against Cincinnati. American League SANFRANCISCO—Traded C Bengie Moli- na and cash to Texas for RHP Chris Ray and RHP Michael Main. BALTIMORE—Placed OF Luke Scott on the 15-day DL. Recalled INF Josh Bell from Nor- folk (IL). CHICAGO—Optioned LHP Randy Williams to Charlotte (IL). TEXAS—Optioned LHP Matt Harrison to Oklahoma City (PCL). National League HOUSTON—Traded C Kevin Cash to the Boston Red Sox for INF Angel Sanchez.Des- ignated INF Yordany Ramirez to Round Rock (PCL). SAN DIEGO—Activated INF/OF Matt Stairs and RHP Tim Stauffer from the 15-day DL. Optioned OF Aaron Cunningham to Portland (PCL). Designated RHP Sean Gallagher for assignment. TENNIS WIMBLEDON—Fined Venus and Serena Williams $4,000 each for skipping a news conference after their doubles loss on Wednesday. National Football League NFL—Suspended free-agent RB LenDale White for four games for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy and free agent DT Hollis Thomas eight games for violating its performance-enhancing substances policy. DETROIT—Agreed to terms with WR Tim Toone.Signed PK Aaron Pettrey.Claimed DT Leger Douzable off waivers. National Basketball Association MILWAUKEE—Agreed to terms with F Drew Gooden on a five-year contract. MINNESOTA—Agreed to terms with C Darko Milicic on a four-year contract. NEW JERSEY—Signed G Ben Uzoh and C Brian Zoubek. PHILADELPHIA—Named Michael Curry associate head coach and Brian James and Quin Snyder assistant coaches. UTAH—Signed G Gordon Hayward and F Jeremy Evans. National Hockey League SAN JOSE—Signed G Antero Niittymaki to a two-year contract. ANAHEIM—Signed D Toni Lydman to a three-year contract and D Tony Lydman. Re- signed C Saku Koivu to a two-year contract . ATLANTA—Signed G Chris Mason to a mul- tiyear contract. BOSTON—Signed F Daniel Paille to a two- year contract and F Jeremy Reich to a one- year contract. BUFFALO—Agreed to terms with D Jordan Leopold on a three-year contract. CALGARY—Agreed to terms with F Alex Tanguay on a one-year contract. Signed C Olli Jokinen to a two-year contract. CAROLINA—Signed D Anton Babchuk to a one-year contract. CHICAGO—Traded LW Andrew Ladd to Atlanta for D Ivan Vishnevskiy and a 2011 second-round draft pick. COLUMBUS—Named Dan Hinote assistant coach. Re-signed C Derek MacKenzie to a two-year contract. DALLAS—Signed F Adam Burish and G Andrew Raycroft to two-year contracts. EDMONTON—Signed D Kurtis Foster to a two-year contract. MINNESOTA—Re-signed LW Guillaume Latendresse to a two-year contract.Signed C Matt Cullen and LW Eric Nystrom to three- year contracts. MONTREAL—Signed G Curtis Sanford and D Frederic St.-Denis to one-year contracts. NASHVILLE—Signed D Teemu Laakso to a one-year contract. NEW JERSEY—Signed D Henrik Tallinder to a four-year contract and D Anton Volchenkov to a six-year contract. N.Y. RANGERS—Signed G Martin Biron. Agreed to terms with F Erik Christensen, C Derek Stepan and LW Derek Boogaard. Re- signed F Vinny Prospal to a one-year con- tract. OTTAWA—Signed D Sergei Gonchar to a three-year contract. Re-signed F Jesse Win- chester to a two-year contract. PHILADELPHIA—Signed D Braydon Coburn to a two-year contract extension, LW Jody Shelley to a three-year contract and D Sean O’Donnell to a one-year contract. PHOENIX—Re-signed D Derek Morris to a four-year contract. Bought out the contract of C Petteri Nokelainen. Signed LW Ray Whit- ney to a two-year contract. PITTSBURGH—Signed D Zbynek Michalek and D Paul Martin to five-year contracts. ST. LOUIS—Re-signed F Alex Steen to a four-year contract extension and F Vladimir Sobotka to a one-year contract extension. Named Dave Taylor director of player person- nel. TAMPA BAY—Signed RW Martin St.Louis to a four-year contract extension through the 2014-15 season.Traded D Andrej Meszaros to Philadelphia for a 2012 second-round draft pick. Re-signed F Mitch Fritz to a one-year contract. TORONTO—Signed F Colby Armstrong to a three-year contract. VANCOUVER—Signed C Manny Malhotra to a three-year contract, D Dan Hamhuis to a six-year contract and LW Jeff Tambellini to a one-year contract. Major League Soccer D.C.—Signed F Pablo Hernandez. College GEORGE WASHINGTON—Named Donyell Marshall men’s assistant basketball coach. KENT STATE—Named Jordan Mincy men’s assistant basketball coach. RUTGERS—Named Jim Carr director of men’s basketball operations and Brad Wach- tel assistant to the head coach. SAINT PETER’S—Promoted Marlon Guild to full-time men’s assistant basketball coach. Named Bruce Hamburger men’s assistant basketball coach. Promoted Dalip Bhatia to men’s assistant basketball coach. WINGATE—Named Akeem Miskdeen men’s assistant basketball coach. WRIGHT STATE—Named Brendan Mullins director of men’s basketball operations. YOUNGSTOWN STATE—Named Willie Danzer and Lyonel Anderson assistant strength and conditioning coordinators. (Continued from page 1B) or comparisons.’’ So she might not know that Williams is 12-3 in major finals. Or care that Williams has won five of their previ- ous six meetings. ‘‘On paper, it looks like I should win,’’ said Williams, who is wearing glittering, silver nail polish that some- times reflects the sun’s rays. ‘‘But Vera, she’s beaten some good people. Her last two matches, she’s been down a set, so she’s obvi- ously a fighter.’’ For Williams, it actually might be refreshing to look across the Centre Court net and see someone other than her older sister Venus. Serena never has beaten anyone other than Venus in a Wimbledon final, win- ning all-Williams matchups in 2002, 2003 and 2009. Five-time champion Venus got the better of Serena in the 2008 championship match at the grass-court tournament. ‘‘That’s interesting. I guess the crowd should like that — not another Williams-Williams,’’ said their mother and coach, Oracene Price. At least one of her daughters has reached the Wimbledon final in 10 of the past 11 years. Not fac- ing Venus on Saturday ‘‘makes it easier’’ for Sere- na to give it her all, Price said. Venus isn’t even in Eng- land; she flew home to Florida. She lost in Tues- day’s quarterfinals to the 82nd-ranked Pironkova, who along with the 62nd- ranked Kvitova was trying to become the first unseed- ed women’s finalist at Wimbledon. Jackson back with Lakers LOS ANGELES (AP) — After just one relaxing week in Montana, Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson decided he can handle another season of the NBA grind. The two-time defending champions locked up their most important free agent of the summer Thursday when Jackson announced he’ll return next season, putting off retirement for at least another year to chase his 12th NBA title. Jackson said last week he was worn out and leaning toward retirement after the Lakers’ third straight long season culminating in the NBA finals. He changed his mind after a week of rest and health evaluation at his offseason home, signing up for the unprecedented chance to win three con- secutive NBA championships for the fourth time in his career. ‘‘Count me in,’’ Jackson said. ‘‘After a couple weeks of deliberation, it is time to get back to the challenge of putting together a team that can defend its title in the 2010-11 sea- son. It’ll be the last stand for me, and I hope a grand one.’’ Jackson, who will turn 65 later this year, is the winningest coach in playoff history and the most successful coach in NBA history by almost any measure. He has a league-best .705 regular-season winning per- centage, a record 225 postseason victories and two more titles than Boston’s Red Auerbach, winning five champi- onships with Kobe Bryant’s Lakers and six with Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. His 1,098 regular-season victories are fifth-most in league history. Byron Scott heads to Cavs CLEVELAND (AP) — With LeBron or without him, Byron Scott has decided to get back on an NBA sideline. Scott accepted Cleveland’s coaching job just as LeBron James officially became a free agent and no longer property of the Cavaliers, who are hoping that landing the best coach available will convince the two-time MVP to stay home and try to win a title. Scott’s agent, Brian McInerney, said in an e-mail to The Associated Press that he and the Cavs are working through some final details, but doesn’t expect any problems and that Scott has agreed to become Cleveland’s next coach. Scott, who previously coached in New Jersey and New Orleans, may not know for some time if he’ll have James on his roster. But after working as a TV analyst, the 49-year-old has decided it’s time to get back to doing what he loves most.