Gem of Free Agent Receivers Nabbed By Seattle
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, perhaps the most desirable free-agent receiver on the market, signed a five-year deal with the receiver-starved Seattle Seahawks Monday. The former Cincinnati Bengals wideout will reportedly earn $40 million, $15 million of which is included as a signing bonus. Houshmandzadeh, 31, seriously raised his stakes in recent years, despite playing for the lowly Bengals. During the 2007 and 2008 seasons, he caught an impressive 204 passes. He will now apply his talents in Seattle, where no receiver had more catches last season than Bobby Engram’s 47. By departing for the West Coast, Houshmandzadeh breaks up one of the most fearsome receiver tandems in the league, he and “Ocho Cinco,” Chad Johnson. Together, in 2005 the duo gave the Bengals their first winning season in 18 years. However, that one-two punch never packed the same wallop again. The challenge now for Houshmandzadeh is to try to do in Seattle, which went 4-12 last year, what he couldn’t do in Cincinnati: turn the squad into winners.

Iverson Trade Isn’t Reaping Benefits for Pistons

The Detroit Pistons, hoping to find a way to generate wins as the season rolls toward playoff time, must be second-guessing its decision to trade guard Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson. Iverson has found it difficult to lead his team to wins – when he starts, the team is 22-28 and 29-29 when he’s out. He has been out for three straight games, nursing a back injury, and it’s not known when he will return. The team is expected to find out how serious the injury is later this week.

NBA player hopes to land back in Detroit. Ex-Detroit Piston Antonio McDyess is an ex-Denver Nugget just days after he was sent to Colorado in a three-man trade for Allen Iverson. Denver waived McDyess, who had already hoped to be re-routed back to Detroit, placing him in a 48-hour hold. If he goes unclaimed within the hold time, he could re-sign with the Pistons by Dec. 7 if no other team persuades him to suit up. McDyess, 34, reportedly wants to avoid having to re-locate.

Boston slugger’s wrist is healing well. Red Sox big-hitter David Ortiz says he’s about a month away from swinging a bat again after doctors advised him to recover from a wrist injury in the off-season. “It’s doing good,” Ortiz said at a news conference announcing a celebrity golf tournament in his native Dominican Republic. The slugger has been on the disabled list more than once for a partially torn tendon on his left wrist. Ortiz hit 54 homers in 2006, but his average has lowered since he went to Boston in ‘03.

Tatum Bell re-joins Denver Broncos. Running back Tatum Bell says he’s “humbled” and thankful to put on a Denver jersey in the NFL again. The 1,000-yard rusher in 2006 was cut by Detroit after a Broncos trade and hasn’t played in months, but he re-joins Denver this week. “I didn’t think I was going to get another chance, to be honest,” Bell says. “I thanked coach Shanahan for giving me this chance. I’ll do whatever it takes. I’ll play special teams, I’ll play center. I’ll do whatever it takes to help the Denver Broncos win.” Bell was in the middle of a dust-up in Detroit when he was accused of taking his replacement Rudi Johnson’s luggage. Bell calls the incident a mistake.

Iverson, Culpepper both Motown-bound.  The Detroit Pistons and Detroit Lions have received significant additions to their rosters on the same day. Daunte Culpepper announced that he’d join the Detroit Lions in a two-year deal, following his passing a physical. The 0-8 Lions hope Culpepper can help reverse their non-fortune this season, while the Pistons hope Allen Iverson can lead them back to championship glory. Iverson goes to Detroit in a swap for Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb, who’ll join the Denver Nuggets. Iverson’s expected to be introduced as a Piston in a news conference this afternoon.

Chiefs player feels fallout from fracas. NFL running back Larry Johnson will lose a $147,000 check due to suspension from next weekend’s game versus San Diego, but he’s already lost his agent. The Kansas City Chiefs player whose name has come up in more than a few unflattering headlines recently is being disciplined after cops charged him with assault for spitting on a woman at a bar last month. Johnson already has been sidelined by the Chiefs for the last two weeks. Johnson’s agent declined to say why he resigned as the player’s representative.

Maya Moore expected to lead Huskies. The women’s basketball squad at UConn is No. 1 in pre-season Associated Press rankings, in no small part because of sophomore Maya Moore’s return this season. Moore, who holds the all-time scoring record for boys or girls at her alma mater Collins Hill High, is expected to start again for UConn. “For this team to have a pre-season No. 1 ranking is special,” says coach Geno Auriemma. “They have battled through a lot. Finally making the Final Four last year and, now, earning this ranking means something to them.”

An NBA vet is investigated by the FBI on suspicion of fraud
A Detroit Pistons player is under investigation by the FBI and officials in Wayne County, Michigan for his role in possibly fraudulent deals on two or more homes. Lindsey Hunter’s believed to be a victim by county investigators, but the long-time NBA guard is reportedly the main focus of the federal probe, in which Hunter’s company allegedly swindled a boiler operator. Bruce McClellan says he was tricked into buying a $1.25 million home by people claiming to represent Hunter’s company, though McClellan only earns about $35,000 a year. Says Hunter’s lawyer Deano Ware: “While we are unable to comment on the specific facts involved in this matter because of the likelihood of potential litigation, Mr. Hunter emphatically denies any involvement in any wrongdoing on the part of other members of L&I Enterprises, Inc. Mr. Hunter was strictly a silent partner of L&I Enterprises, Inc., who relied upon representations made to him by individuals he believed in and trusted. He subsequently discovered the representations to be untrue. Immediately upon doing so, Mr. Hunter terminated any and all dealings he had with those individuals and L&I Enterprises, Inc.”