All-Star football nominees are named

Alan Brogan - The Dublin forward is hotly tipped to be named player of the year The GAA and the GPA have named 45 players as nominees for the 2011 GAA GPA All-Star Football Awards sponsored by Opel. The county-by-county breakdown for nominees is as follows: Dublin 12, Kerry nine, Donegal seven, Mayo five, Kildare five, Cork three, Tyrone two, Wexford one and Derry one. The final team of 15 players will be presented at a banquet event at the Convention Centre, Dublin, on Friday 21 October. The full list of nominees is listed below. Goalkeepers: Brendan Kealy (Kerry), Stephen Cluxton (Dublin), Paul Durkan (Donegal). Full-backs: Michael Foley (Kildare), Neil McGee (Donegal), Frank McGlynn (Donegal), Marc Ó Sé (Kerry), Rory O'Carroll (Dublin), Tom O'Sullivan (Kerry), Joe

New Orleans Hornets All-Star David West Opts Out of Final Year of Contract, Becomes Free Agent

When New Orleans Hornets power forward David West saw his season come to an early end in April, many assumed that the former All-Star would exercise his option for the 2011-12 season. Apparently, West has other plans. West elected to opt out of the final year of his contract and test free agency, ESPN.com reported Monday. The 30-year-old tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in late March, and had season-ending surgery in April. The initial expected recovery time for the injury was six to eight months, but West has been recovering faster than expected. West, who averaged 18.9 points and 7.6 rebounds prior to his injury, is expected to draw interest from multiple clubs, including New Jersey and Indiana,

All-Star win drives up Carl Edwards’ value

Carl Edwards' victory in the Sprint All-Star Race was a very, very expensive win. Not for Edwards, who claimed the $ 1 million prize with his first win in NASCAR's annual showcase event. But his celebratory drive through the infield grass at Charlotte Motor Speedway tore up the front of his Ford, and rebuilding that car will be costly for Roush-Fenway Racing. That's just a small part of it, though. Edwards is in a contract year, and Saturday night's victory likely upped his worth should he reach the free-agent market. He ranks among the elite drivers in NASCAR and it's assumed his current deal with RFR puts him among the highest paid in the sport. NASCAR contracts are sensitive and secret, and nobody