Manager Ozzie Guillen expected Bartolo Colon to be pitching for Triple-A Charlotte on a minor league rehabilitation assignment by now but hasn’t seen or received any reports.

With each passing week, it appears Colon might not be in the White Sox’s plans for the second half.

The Sox have stressed patience with left-hander Clayton Richard, who became a permanent member of the rotation when Colon went on the disabled list June 8 because of knee inflammation.

Colon was only 3-6 with a 4.26 ERA in 11 starts, and he has been used extensively as a starter throughout his career, which limits his versatility to the Sox. Opponents are batting .284 against Colon.

“Who can help us the most?” Guillen said of the main factor in determining what happens when Colon
is ready. “But in the meanwhile, Colon has to throw more breaking balls and see if he could go back-to-back (starts). Then we will make that decision. Where he’s going to fit? We’ll figure out how we’re going to do it.’’

Scott Podsednik, meanwhile, anticipated no problems moving from left to center to make room for Quentin, who is expected to return after the All-Star break.

“Your reads on the ball coming off the bat are much truer in center than in left or right,” said Podsednik, who has played center field for most of his career. “I’ve been taking some balls in batting practice out there (in center). As of right now, I’m not anticipating any major problems.”

Related posts

• Ozzie wants Podsednik back for 2010?
• Anderson odd man out?
• White Sox bring back Pods
• Walker on hot seat again?

According to a good baseball source I spoke with a few hours ago, the Cubs sale is far more imminent than it was once believed. Tom Ricketts and the Tribune Company are working towards the deal that would give Ricketts possession of the Cubs and it should be done in the next two weeks, barring any unforseen circumstance.

Since Major League Baseball then has to approve the deal before Ricketts is officially the Cubs new owner, the entire process should be finalized before the end of August.

Related posts

• Weird Lasorda interview on “CTL”
• Mariotti finally heading to Tribune?
• Hendry: No Peavy deal without new owner?
• Cubs sale re-opened? Kenney speaks about trade deadline

If the offers are ruled invalid, the players could be deemed unrestricted free agents.

One source told TSN the players involved didn’t receive the necessary notification of the offers. The NHL is trying to determine whether the situation was remedied in time. Hawks GM Dale Tallon said the qualifying offers were mailed to the players in time — on June 29 — but said because of the July 1 Canadian holiday, some of the players didn’t receive them in time.

Additional sources said qualifying offers are not supposed to be mailed. Tallon said fax copies of the offers were sent to the league, so he doesn’t anticipate any significant fallout. But sources said some of the offers were not faxed to the agents.

Related posts

• Hawks won’t miss Wisniewski?
• Hawks trade coming?
• Havlat wants to stay, agent in talks with Tallon
• Blackhawks may move Barker

Piniella also mentions the roster decisions he must make next week when Aramis Ramirez, Reed Johnson, and Angel Guzman return, and how he regrets not playing Jake Fox at third when Ramirez initially went down.

”We’ll probably make some adjustments in our lineup [today],” he said of Soriano’s continuing struggles. ”We’ll leave it at that.

Soriano’s struggles — and Fuld’s early success — could create more problems in a few days when Aramis Ramirez and outfielder Reed Johnson are due to return from their injury rehab assignments.

Piniella made no secret even before Friday how much he likes Fuld, and he admitted he has considered keeping Fuld in the lineup.

”I thought about it all night,” Piniella said. ”We recognize the young man has done a real nice job and deserves to be in the lineup, too. I was going to put Soriano back in regardless. We need for Alfonso to start swinging the bat. We have all the confidence in the world in him, but we recognize the job the young man [Fuld] has done, and he deserves to be in the lineup, too.”

Jake Fox, who had the winning at-bat in the 10th inning Friday, is another favorite.

”I’ve beaten myself up a little for not trying [Fox at third base] sooner when Ramirez went down,” Piniella said. ”But we had so many different guys working out at third base in spring.”

Next week won’t be easy, Piniella admitted.

”We’ve got Ramirez and Reed Johnson coming back on board in the early part of the week,” he said. ”[General manager Jim Hendry] and I haven’t talked about who or when, but we’ll have some roster changes by Monday.”Soriano will start hitting. I have confidence in the young man and feel he’ll hit. I have all the confidence in the world in him. We need to get him jump-started somehow.”

The expected route is dropping Soriano in the order and returning rookie Sam Fuld to the top, where he excelled in two games while Soriano watched. Like Piniella, Soriano seems ready to accept the move for now after hitting just .173 (27-for-156) over his last 36 games.

”If [Piniella] thinks that, he’s the manager. It’s just more important to be available for the game,” Soriano said. ”It’s fine. The most important thing is to be available to play.”

Related posts

• Cubs may lose Gathright, Hendry looking for bench help
• Roster moves coming for Cubs?
• Piniella ready for changes?
• Lou still considering Soriano at second?

Tough as it is to lose Gordon’s scoring, the Bulls decided they would get only so far with a small backcourt. An argument could be made that Hinrich is a more valuable player, considering he can defend, score and handle the ball. Derrick Rose already began to take on some of the late-game scoring duties during his rookie season and that will continue.

The Bulls have 12 players under contract at $67.54 million. This includes center Aaron Gray, who received a qualifying offer from the Bulls, and both draft picks.

The Bulls are required to add a 13th player, which will probably be a backup point guard. Anthony Roberson and Demarcus Nelson might battle for that job in summer league, while the Bulls are very interested in bringing back veteran Lindsey Hunter as a player or coach.

Nothing says the Bulls can’t pay a small amount of luxury tax next season. But obviously, they’re not going to add much more to the payroll. So even low-priced free agents such as Rodney Carney or Kareem Rush are a long shot.

Cap room arrives in 2010: The No. 1 benefit to letting Gordon leave for Detroit is it opens salary-cap room for the summer of 2010, when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer, Joe Johnson and many others are expected to be on the open market.

Since the Bulls have roughly $23 million in expiring contracts between Brad Miller, Tim Thomas and Jerome James, they can keep the current roster intact and free up roughly $10 million-$12 million for next summer. That figure could rise or fall, depending on what the Bulls do with Tyrus Thomas. He’s eligible to sign a contract extension later this summer or can become a restricted free agent next year. Talk that the Bulls were desperate to unload Thomas on draft night was false.

Is Boozer available? The Bulls wouldn’t turn away Wade next summer, but their greatest need is a talented big man, and Toronto’s Bosh is their dream acquisition, either in a trade or as a free agent next year.

The Raptors seem set on keeping Bosh this summer, with the hope they’ll add a free agent such as Hedo Turkoglu, return to playoff contention next season and convince Bosh to stay long term.

Rather than wait on Bosh, the Bulls might try to get a jump on 2010 by targeting Boozer in a trade. Both Salt Lake City papers have suggested the Jazz plans to re-sign restricted free agent Paul Millsap this summer.

Related posts

• Some within Bulls want Tyrus moved?
• Suns prefer Tyrus?
• Stoudemire staying in Phoenix?
• Bulls still looking

Triple-A left-hander Neal Cotts is out for the season after undergoing elbow reconstruction surgery on Thursday in Cincinnati.

“Obviously it’s disappointing,” general manager Jim Hendry said. “He was starting to throw better at Iowa.”

Dr. Timothy Kremchek performed the surgery.Cotts was 0-2 with a 7.36 earned-run average with the Cubs before being demoted last month.

Related posts

• White Sox and Cubs GM meeting rumors
• Towers waiting on Hendry for blockbuster?
• Stone: Hendry hurting Ricketts
• Schilling wants to pitch for Cubs

Brian Urlacher is all about giving second chances. He supported Tank Johnson until Johnson eventually pushed the Bears over the limit.

Now the Bears evidently have backed away from another troublesome player, all but ending their pursuit of free agent receiver Plaxico Burress. And Urlacher says he’s not really surprised.

“I was surprised when I heard they were going after him at all because as a player, I [know there will be] some type of suspension,” Urlacher said Thursday during a break at his football camp.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has yet to discipline Burress for unresolved weapons charges after Burress shot himself in the thigh at a Manhattan nightclub. The Bears considered meeting with him but decided Burress’ off-the-field baggage was too much to overlook”My first thought with [Burress] was, would he even be able to play this year?” Urlacher said. “You have to wonder how long you’re going to have him or when he’s going to be available.

“[But] he’s a great receiver [and] I would have been open to it.”

The door appears to be closed now as the Bears seem content to enter the training camp with their roster as is.

Related posts

• Wideout market
• Urlacher blasts critics
• Plaxico still a possibilty?
• New Burress roadblock?

Outfielder Brian Anderson didn’t see the comments from White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen last weekend. But he never really needed to.

It’s a numbers game now. With every day that Carlos Quentin gives a thumbs-up on a rehab program to strengthen his injured left foot, Anderson and Dewayne Wise know it’s one day closer to one of them being gone.

That was obvious when Guillen was asked during the Cubs series if he had the confidence to move leadoff hitter Scott Podsednik from left field to center to make room for Quentin when the power hitter is ready to return. That would end the platoon of Wise and Anderson.

”Yes, I will,” Guillen said with very little hesitation. ”If [Podsednik] continues to play like that, and the other two guys play the way they’re playing, there’s no doubt he will be my center fielder. If B.A. [Anderson] and D. Wise keep playing like this, that’s one man out. Pods will be my center fielder.”

Podsednik will be his center fielder. That’s a no-brainer.

But general manager Ken Williams should make the decision easier on Guillen. That means it’s time to close the book on the Brian Anderson era and trade the former first-round pick — not only for the Sox’ sake by clearing the pending logjam, but more important, for Anderson’s sake.

Related posts

• Ozzie wants Podsednik back for 2010?
• Bring back Pods?
• White Sox still looking for centerfielder?
• White Sox sellers?

This is Hawks GM Dale Tallon talking Thursday afternoon: “We’re looking for the right guy, maybe on the back end. We have a lot of assets we can trade.”
This is how I believe the Hawks are going to find that big, physical defenseman they are lacking, via a trade, and Tallon came about as close as he could to confirming it.

The Hawks have a lot of forwards to offer around the league. I wouldn’t be shocked if it was a scorer such as Patrick Sharp or Kris Versteeg that the Hawks at least explore dealing for that “right guy.”
With a serious salary cap issue to deal with after next season, the Hawks can’t keep everyone. Maybe it’s Troy Brouwer they try to move. Dustin Byfuglien might have been a trade candidate before the playoffs, but you need that big body, and if he performs like he did in the postseason, then he is worth his $3 million salary.
Moving a high-priced forward would allow the Hawks to slip either Jack Skille or Kyle Beach into the lineup at lower salary cap hit.

Related posts

• Tallon: Hawks might get younger
• Did Hawks goof on offers?
• Wisniewski and Skille on the table?
• Tallon: We’ll try and keep them together

The Blackhawks and Martin Havlat couldn’t reach a contract agreement and both sides have moved on — albeit maybe not so amicably. Havlat, who led the Hawks in scoring last season with 29 goals and 48 assists, may not be leaving on the best terms, as indicated by several tweets late Wednesday. “Excited to be in Minny where I was welcomed and appreciated by management,” Havlat wrote. “The real story about what happened in Chicago [will] come out. “Thanks to all Hawks fans. … Will never forget your generosity and the great playoff run! There’s something to be said for loyalty and honor.”

Related posts

• Worry about Havlat?
• Tallon: We’ll try and keep them together
• Sassone: Re-sign Havlat, let Khabibulin go
• Hawks trying to keep Havlat