In Providence, Tim Britton reports the Red Sox and David Ortiz have "not yet figured out precisely what role he'll fill for the franchise moving forward." Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski said, "It's more a matter of when his own mindset is ready to sit down and talk about it. We really haven't pinned him down yet. He asked for more time himself because he did just want to relax and get away." Dombrowski: "He needed some time to make some commercials and watch the Super Bowl" (PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, 2/8).
ORDER OF THE PHOENIX: In Phoenix, Laurie Roberts wrote the Arizona Legislature has "no business creating a special taxing district" to help the Coyotes build a new arena. The Coyotes are "understandably in search" of a better arena deal, but the state "shouldn't help them by providing so much as a dime in subsidies" (AZCENTRAL.com, 2/7). ESPN.com's Scott Burnside wrote the moment the Arizona State Univ. hockey arena deal fell through, Coyotes ownership began "working on a Plan B for a new locale in the Scottsdale or back in downtown Phoenix." ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun noted the Coyotes "suffered a real blow when the Tempe arena project blew up ... but ownership has a few options." The NHL "believes that situation will iron itself out, but you wonder just how many times that situation can take yet another setback." The Coyotes "can't play in Glendale," and they "need a new rink in Scottsdale or Phoenix to survive" (ESPN.com, 2/7).
STAR WATCHING: In Baltimore, Jeff Zrebiec wrote though the Ravens "didn't have a single player" on the NFLPA's recently released Top 50 Player Sales List, it "isn't a referendum of the talent the team has on its roster." There is a lot that factors into merchandise sales, and the 49ers and Rams "having two players each in the top-50 suggests how little the report correlates to winning and losing." However, the list is a "reminder that the Ravens are still lacking in star power and in-their-prime playmakers, and they certainly don’t possess that one transcendent talent that can take over a game" (BALTIMORESUN.com, 2/7).
