SI.com's Peter King wrote, "I've got tremendous respect for new NFL Players Association President Domonique Foxworth. We had a couple of long conversations when the labor negotiations were rocky, and I thought he was a terrific voice of reason with management at the toughest point of the talks." Foxworth retired from the NFL after the '11 season, "so maybe he can sell the players that the Pro Bowl is on the precipice of death, and it's up to their efforts to save it. But I doubt it" (SI.com, 6/4).
NO CRYSTAL BALL: In Ottawa, Mark Sutcliffe wrote with the NHL CBA set to expire Sept. 15, planning for next season is "almost impossible." Teams "don’t know whether they’ll be holding training camps, whether the season will start on time, or even how much money they have to spend when free agents become available on July 1." NHL GMs "might have a long way to go just to get to the minimum payroll for next year." Or they "might find out that the cap comes down" by $7M (OTTAWA CITIZEN, 6/4).
FEELING A DRAFT: In Boston, Gary Washburn wrote there "isn't much" the NBA can do with the draft lottery, "unless it goes back to handing the No. 1 pick to the team with the worst record, which offers zero anticipation and excitement for the draft." For NBA Commissioner David Stern, "it's best ... to stand pat with the current system." The team that has the best chance at the top pick "will always cry foul when it loses" (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/3).
