The Colorado Rockies have reportedly completed their first round of interviews of candidates for their vacant managerial position. Among the candidates that have been identified are current player Jason Giambi, bench coach Tom Runnells, former Rockies player Walt Weiss, and current Arizona Diamondbacks bench coach Matt Williams. Rockies front office personnel will meet later this week to discuss the position further and decide whether or not to pursue other interviews.

Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez was honored with a Rawlings National League Gold Glove Award for his defensive play in left field. It’s the second Gold Glove of Gonzalez’s career. Gonzalez recorded seven outfield assists from left field in 2012.

Here we go!

UNDATED (AP) — A new NBA season gets under way tonight and the Heat will raise their championship banner and hand out rings ahead of their opener against the visiting Celtics. Former Boston sharpshooter Ray Allen will be watching from the Miami bench after an offseason move. Current teammate and reigning league MVP LeBron James will be getting his first championship ring.

Five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant and the revamped Lakers will host Dallas this evening. Los Angeles added two-time MVP Steve Nash and Dwight Howard in the offseason. Bryant has been kept out of practice recently due to a foot injury and his status is up in the air. The Mavericks open without star forward Dirk Nowitzki, who is recovering from knee surgery and expected to miss at least the first 10 games of the season.

Washington at Cleveland rounds out the opening night slate.

Leyland has contract for 2013

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Tigers are bringing back manager Jim Leyland. And his coaching staff also has been invited to return as well.

Next year will mark Leyland’s 22nd season as a major league manager and his eighth in Detroit. He led the Tigers to the World Series this year for the second time during his time in the Motor City. Detroit was swept out by San Francisco on Sunday.

The 67-year-old Leyland leads all active managers with 1,676 wins. That is good for 15th on the career list.

Tigers president and general manager Dave Dombrowski says Leyland has done a fantastic job and the organization is thrilled to have him back. Leyland says he couldn’t dream of a better place to manage.

Wheeling-dealing begins

UNDATED (AP)— Baseball’s offseason business began with the New York Yankees exercising $15 million options on second baseman Robinson Cano and center fielder Curtis Granderson, two of the disappointments in their AL championship series loss to the Detroit Tigers.

In other baseball news:

__Oakland, the surprise AL West champion with a major league-low $59.5 million payroll, exercised a $4.5 million option for closer Grant Balfour. But the Athletics declined their half of a $10 million mutual option for shortstop Stephen Drew, who receives a $1.35 million buyout.

__Minnesota declined a $9.25 million option on right-hander Scott Baker, who missed the entire season because of a torn elbow ligament. The Twins are interested in keeping him at a lower salary.

__The Los Angeles Dodgers, who haven’t made the playoffs in three years, declined options on first baseman Juan Rivera ($4 million), right-hander Todd Coffey ($2.5 million) and catcher Matt Treanor ($950,000).

— Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Alex Gonzalez has become a free agent after coming off the 60-day disabled list. The team said Monday Gonzalez joined Brewers right-handers Shaun Marcum and Francisco Rodriguez in choosing free agency.

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Washington at Cleveland 6:00 p.m.
Boston at Miami 7:00 p.m. (LISTEN LIVE on ESPN Radio 1410)
Dallas at L-A Lakers 9:30 p.m.

49ers strengthen grip on division lead

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers cruised to a 24-3 road victory over the Arizona Cardinals last night and took firm control of the NFC West at the halfway mark of their season.

Alex Smith threw touchdown passes to Michael Crabtree and Randy Moss to help the Niners build a 24-0 lead.

Smith connected on 18 of 19 passes. That’s an NFL record for most completed passes with just one incompletion.

The Niners defense lived up to its No. 1 ranking, holding Arizona to just seven yards on the ground. And they didn’t yield a TD for the fourth time in five games.

The Cardinals’ fourth straight loss after a 4-0 start drops them two games behind 6-2 San Francisco in the division race.

Inspirational move in Indy…Chiefs QB picture uncertain…Reid sticks with Vick

UNDATED (AP) — Colts head coach Chuck Pagano made it back to the team complex for a short staff meeting Monday.

It’s the first time Pagano has been back since being diagnosed with a form of leukemia Sept. 26. Interim coach and offensive coordinator Bruce Arians the surprise visit gave the team a boost and notes Pagano went home when he became tired.

In other NFL news:

— Chiefs quarterback Brady Quinn is being evaluated for a possible concussion and his status for Thursday night’s game at San Diego won’t be known until later in the week. If he can’t go, Matt Cassel will be back under center for the Chiefs.

__ Three people familiar with the decision tell The Associated Press that Michael Vick hasn’t been benched by coach Andy Reid. Vick has struggled during the Eagles’ three-game losing streak. But Reid is hesitant to go with unproven rookie Nick Foles right now.

Kobe sits out final pre-season practice…Mavs release G West after pair of suspensions

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Kobe Bryant has missed the last week of practice with an injured foot. Ready or not, the NBA regular season is here.

Bryant sat out Monday while his teammates went through a lengthy workout ahead of tonight’s opener against Dallas, the first of four Lakers games in six days. The fifth-leading scorer in NBA history is resting his sore right foot.

Tuesday night’s other openers include the Washington Wizards at Cleveland and the defending NBA champion Miami Heat hosting the Boston Celtics.

In other NBA news:

— The Dallas Mavericks have waived guard Delonte West after suspending him twice in less than two weeks for conduct detrimental to the team. The move created a roster spot for center Eddy Curry, who was picked up last week and could end up starting in the opener against the Los Angeles Lakers because of an injury to Chris Kaman.

— The Portland Trail Blazers have appointed AEG Sports executive Chris McGowan as the team’s new president and chief operating officer. Neil Olshey, the Blazers’ GM appointed in June, will manage all basketball operations.

Husker senior running back Rex Burkhead sat out Monday’s practice as he continues to rest his ailing left knee. Burkhead did not play in Saturday’s game after missing the entire week of practice. In his postgame remarks Saturday, head coach Bo Pelini said Burkhead remained ‘day-to-day’ and expected that he would play in the next game. Junior quarterback Taylor Martinez did practice despite tweaking his left ankle in the game. He told reporters he was “beat up” but that he would be ready for this week’s contest at Michigan State.

Two Huskers were honored by the Big Ten Conference for their efforts in Nebraska’s victory over Michigan on Saturday. Senior kicker Brett Maher was named the Special Teams Player of the Week. Maher made three field goals, including a 51-yarder, and averaged 42 yards per punt. It’s the second Player of the Week honor of the season for Maher, and the fifth such award for his career. Redshirt freshman linebacker David Santos earned co-Freshman of the Week honors. Santos led the Huskers with 10 tackles on the night.

Husker freshman middle blocker Meghan Haggerty was named the Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week for her play over the weekend. Haggerty tallied seven kills and five blocks in a four-set loss to Ohio State on Friday. She came up even bigger in Sunday’s win over then-top-ranked Penn State, racking up 12 kills and seven blocks. The award is Haggerty’s third Freshman of the Week honor this season. The fourth-ranked Huskers play at Michigan and Michigan State this weekend.

The eighteenth-ranked Husker women’s basketball team opened their exhibition season with a 78-34 victory over Pittsburg State at the Devaney Center last night. The Huskers scored the first 22 points of the game and led 44-7 at halftime on their way to the victory. Jordan Hooper led all scorers with 17 points. Te’ara Loudermill added 12 points. The Husker women play their final exhibition game on Sunday afternoon against Nebraska-Kearney.

The Denver Broncos have lost linebacker Joe Mays for the remainder of the season. Mays fractured his left tibula just above his ankle in Sunday night’s win over New Orleans. The injury occurred when Mays was accidentally kicked in the leg while blocking on a punt return in the fourth quarter. Mays had lost his starting role at middle linebacker two weeks ago to veteran Keith Brooking and had been largely relegated to special teams duty. The Broncos have not decided what to do with the open roster spot.

Colorado Rockies left fielder Carlos Gonzalez has been named a finalist for a National League Gold Glove Award. Gonzalez previously won a Gold Glove in 2010. He’s one of three finalists for his position, along with Atlanta’s Martin Prado and Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun. The Gold Glove awards nominees are selected by major league managers and coaches from a qualified pool of players at each position. Winners from both leagues will be announced tonight.