NHL, PLAYERS' UNION SET TO MEET AT LEAGUE OFFICES: NEW YORK (AP) — The NHL and the union are back at the bargaining table and seem determined to work toward a deal to save the hockey season.
A full day of talks was planned for Tuesday, one day after negotiations resumed following nearly three weeks apart. On Monday, the players' association presented a counterproposal to an offer made by the league late last week. The NHL spent Monday night reviewing the document, then got together again with the union Tuesday.
Small groups from each side met and conferred by conference calls all afternoon about provisions of a potential collective bargaining agreement. A full meeting of the negotiating teams wasn't expected at the league office before 6:30 or 7 p.m. EST, a union spokesman said. The NHL then requested that the meeting be pushed back to 9 p.m.
What is clear is that time has become a real factor.
"We've said we need to drop the puck by Jan. 19 if we're going to play a 48-game season," Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "We don't think it makes sense to play a season any shorter than that."
That leaves a little less than two weeks to reach an agreement and hold one week of training camp before starting the season. All games through Jan. 14 have been canceled, claiming more than 50 percent of the original schedule.
FOOTBALL
REPORT: NO NFL TEAMS SERIOUSLY BIDDING FOR LA MOVE: LOS ANGELES (AP) — No NFL team has expressed serious interest in moving to Southern California, according to a top executive with the company proposing to build a football stadium in downtown Los Angeles.
AEG President Tim Leiweke told The Los Angeles Daily News in an interview Monday that he hasn't heard from any team that plans to apply to move to Los Angeles for the 2013 season. The NFL opened the application period on Jan. 1. Franchises have until Feb. 15 to apply.
The impending sale of Anschutz Entertainment Group, a $6 billion conglomerate of sports and entertainment enterprises, may be a concern for team owners, the executive said.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
ROBINSON RUSHES FOR 100 YARDS IN OUTBACK BOWL: TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Denard Robinson's big day running the ball for Michigan wasn't enough to overcome big plays by South Carolina in the Outback Bowl.
The senior quarterback lined up mostly at running back in his final college game and rushed for 100 yards on 23 carries in the Wolverines' 33-28 loss to the Gamecocks on Tuesday.
"It's a bittersweet feeling," Robinson said. "That's my family, that's my brothers out there. I've been with them for four years, and it's come to an end."
Devin Gardner threw for 214 yards in his fifth start for No. 19 Michigan (8-5) since Robinson injured his right elbow late in the season. Robinson took some snaps at quarterback Tuesday and even attempted his first passes in a game since Oct. 27.
RUSSELL'S WORST DAY DOOMS MISS STATE IN GATOR BOWL: JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Mississippi State quarterback Tyler Russell walked out of the locker room and headed straight for the bus.
He refused to stop and didn't utter a word.
There really was nothing to say after the worst game of his career.
The junior threw four interceptions in a 34-20 loss to No. 21 Northwestern in the Gator Bowl on Tuesday. The Wildcats (10-3) ended a 64-year postseason drought, earning their first bowl win since the 1949 Rose Bowl.
