Cycling: : Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong plans to meet with Tour officials before deciding to compete in the 2009 race. The Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Johan Bruyneel, Armstrong's team director at Astana, said the pair had asked for a meeting. Armstrong announced his comeback from a three-year retirement in September and joined the Astana team. Bruyneel teamed with Armstrong for all seven Tour de France wins from 1999 to 2005.
Baseball: : One week before trading slugger Manny Ramirez in late July, the Boston Red Sox were preparing to suspend him without pay for his unwillingness to play, ESPN.com reported, citing multiple sources. Ramirez had been complaining of a sore knee as the reason he did not play at time that month, although the slugger couldn't remember which one was hurt on the way to an exam during that period, sources told the Web site. The extraordinary measure of suspension was not taken because the Red Sox traded Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 31, ESPN.com reported. ... The New York Yankees hope that starting pitcher and former Oriole Mike Mussina will decide in the next few days whether he wants to pitch in 2009 or retire. Also, the Yankees have reached an agreement in principle to sell right-hander Darrell Rasner's contract to a Japanese team for $1 million.
