Tiger Woods

After an 11-week hiatus from professional golf that included two missed majors and the firing of 12-year caddie Steve Williams, Tiger Woods will make his return to the PGA Tour next week at the Bridgestone Invitational.

Woods announced the news via Twitter on Thursday: ”Feeling fit and ready to tee it up at Firestone next week. Excited to get back out there!”

Currently ranked No. 133 in the FedEx Cup standings, Woods will face immediate pressure to perform at a high level. To qualify for the opening round of the playoffs at The Barclays, the former world leader must break into the top 125, and has just two tournaments to do so. Only next week’s PGA Championship lies between the Bridgestone Invitational and the playoffs at The Barclays.

Jurgen Klinsmann

For Jurgen Klinsmann, the third time was the charm.

U.S. Soccer wasted little time in finding a replacement for fired coach Bob Bradley. It announced Friday that Klinsmann, who almost got the job after the 2006 World Cup, and again last year before Bradley was given a contract extension, would be take Bradley’s spot on the sidelines.

“We are excited to have Jurgen as the head coach of our Men’s National Team,” U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati said in a statement. “He is a highly accomplished player and coach with the experience and knowledge to advance the program. Jurgen has had success in many different areas of the game, and we look forward to the leadership he will provide on and off the field.”

Klinsmann shined as both a player and coach for the German national team. He will be introduced as coach Monday in New York, and will make his debut Aug. 10, when the U.S. plays an exhibition match against Mexico in Philadelphia.

James Harrison

Controversial Steelers linebacker James Harrison made a public apology to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after the team’s Friday morning walkthrough in Latrobe, Pa. In the August edition of Men’s Journal, Harrison referred to Goodell as a “crook,” among other insults.

“The interview that I did and the comments that I made about Roger Goodell were inappropriate, at the least,” Harrison said Friday. “They were way out of line, and I was speaking out of anger and frustration at the time. Any comments that I made that offended anyone, I apologize.”

Harrison said he has not spoken to Goodell or anyone in the league office about his comments.

On Thursday, Steelers president Art Rooney II told ESPN that he discussed the comments with Harrison and that any disciplinary action would be internal and not result in Harrison missing any practice or game action.

Welcome to Friday’s Morning Mashup. For the latest news, start at our WEEI.com home page or click here for the top stories from our news wire.

WHAT’S HAPPENING LOCALLY FRIDAY:
MLB: Red Sox at White Sox, 8:10 p.m. (NESN; WEEI)

SATURDAY:
MLB: Red Sox at White Sox, 7:10 p.m. (NESN; WEEI)
MLS: Revolution at Sporting Kansas City, 8:30 p.m. (CSNNE)

SUNDAY:
MLB: Red Sox at White Sox, 2:10 p.m. (NESN; WEEI)

AROUND THE WEB:

♦ The Cardinals traded outfielder Colby Rasmus to the Blue Jays on Wednesday, and that’s fine with Rasmus’ father, who tired of Cards manager Tony La Russa picking on his son. La Russa had claimed that Rasmus stopped listening to the coaches and implied he was going to his father for hitting advice. Responded Tony Rasmus, a high school coach in Alabama: “Evidently Tony has absolutely made that stuff up. He’s got it on the brain. If I was working with my son I’d tell people. Tony needed pitching and wanted to force the GM into making a trade, so he belittled Colby to the fans.”

Added the elder Rasmus: “There are three or four guys in the St. Louis clubhouse right now, thinking ‘Uh-oh, who is the manager going to pick on next with Colby gone?’ ”

♦ Following a disappointing performance in the Gold Cup, Bob Bradley was fired as coach of the U.S. national soccer team. At Yahoo! Sports, Martin Rogers writes that Bradley never won over the American soccer community.

♦ The NHL has used a shootout to decide tie games for the past six seasons. At NHL.com, John Kreiser examines the results and writes about which players have had the most and least success. Former Bruin (and Boston College Eagle) Chuck Kobasew is 0-for-9 all-time.

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On July 29, 1988, the Red Sox traded Brady Anderson and Curt Schilling to the Orioles for which player?

(more…)

Former Yankees, Expos and Rangers pitcher Hideki Irabu was found dead in his southern California home on Wednesday and officials are suspecting the death to be a suicide by hanging, according to multiple Japanese reports (found here and here).

The Japanese righty entered the majors in 1997 with the Yankees to extremely high expectations but was never able to perform up to those expectations before returning to pitch in Japan in 2003. In parts of six seasons, he was 34-35 with a 5.15 ERA and 16 saves (all with Texas in 2002).

He was 42 years old.

Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson is holding out from Eagles training camp because he is unhappy with his contract, according to Philly.com. A team source confirmed to the website that Jackson was not present at the Eagles first day of training camp Thursday.

Jackson is entering the last year of the four-year deal that he signed as a second-round draft pick in 2008. He will earn $560,000 in base salary this season. The wide receiver will be fined $30,000 for each day of camp this he misses.

The two-time Pro Bowl player had 47 catches for 1,056 yards and six touchdowns last season. In 2009 he caught nine touchdowns.

Welcome to Thursday’s Morning Mashup. For the latest news, start at our WEEI.com home page or click here for the top stories from our news wire.

WHAT’S HAPPENING LOCALLY THURSDAY:
MLB: Royals at Red Sox, 1:35 p.m. (NESN; WEEI)

AROUND THE WEB:

♦ Controversial Lakers star Ron Artest reportedly is considering an offer to appear on “Dancing With the Stars.” Artest, who is in the process of changing his name to Metta World Peace, apparently is excited about joining the show, although the schedule might conflict with the early part of the NBA season should the work stoppage end.

♦ The University of North Carolina fired football coach Butch Davis Wednesday, after almost a year of accusations of inappropriate behavior by his players and staff members. In the Charlotte Observer, Luke DeCock writes that it’s the right move but the wrong time — Davis should have removed long ago.

♦ The suburban Cleveland man who became well known via YouTube last year for wearing a LeBron James jersey to an Indians game days after “The Decision” and was booed out of the park was in fair condition in a Toledo hospital Wednesday after being attacked early Monday morning. Matthew Bellamy, 30, had just left a bar with a group of friends and had stopped at a house to drop off someone. That’s when 23-year-old Robert Horton, who had followed in another car, attacked Bellamy, punching him three times as his head slammed against the concrete ground. An arrest warrant was issued for Horton, who fled when police were called.

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On July 28, 1983, the Rangers replaced which former Red Sox manager with which other former Sox skipper?

(more…)

Just because the NFL Lockout is over, doesn’t mean every player is ready to return to the gridiron immediately.

49ers running back Frank Gore plans to hold out from training camp, in hopes of securing a new contract, according to a tweet from Adam Schefter. In the last year of his current deal, Gore is slotted to make $5 million.

After being selected by San Francisco in the third round of the 2005 draft, he has averaged over 1,000 yards in six seasons. He managed only 853 yards last season, thanks to a right hip fracture that he suffered in Week 12 against the Cardinals.

The Cardinals traded away promising center fielder Colby Rasmus Wednesday after shopping him for months. The 24-year-old will bring an exciting new talent to the Blue Jays, but Cardinals manager Tony La Russa warned that Rasmus can pose a problem with the coaching staff.

“He doesn’t listen to the Cardinal coaches much now, and that’s why he gets in these funks, in my opinion,” La Russa said. “If he would just stay with what they teach, he would have … but I actually feel concern for him, because he hears it from so many places, he’s got to be confused.”

Rasmus, who is hitting .246 with 11 home runs and 40 RBIs this season, demanded a trade during the 2010 season and will join a Blue Jays team that ranks fourth in the league in runs scored.