Florida Sentinel Bulletin

Jerry Stackhouse, after 18 years in the NBA, is ready to call it quits as a player, but expects to take a job with the NBPA.

“It’s not completely sold that I don’t get the bug (to play) again,” Stackhouse, currently playing for the Brooklyn Nets and acting as union vice president, said on Friday. “But, really, I think this is an opportune time to kind of step to the forefront to do something with the union and try to make sure we select the right executive director.

MINNEAPOLIS — The Los Angeles Lakers‘ snake-bit season continued Tuesday with Metta World Peace receiving an MRI exam in Minneapolis that showed a cartilage tear in the lateral meniscus of his left knee.

World Peace will return to Los Angeles, where he was examined Wednesday by team doctor Steve Lombardo, forcing him to miss six weeks. World Peace had been the only member of the Lakers’ season-opening starting lineup yet to miss a game because of injury this season.

World Peace has played in 70 of L.A.’s 71 games (sitting one due to suspension) and averaged 12.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

CLEVELAND — Brandon Weeden will have to fight off a proven veteran to keep his starting job with the Browns.

Cleveland signed free agent quarterback Jason Campbell to a two-year contract Tuesday night, bringing him in to provide competition for Weeden, who had an uneven rookie season in 2012.

Campbell has started 71 career games for Washington, Oakland and Chicago since being drafted by the Redskins in the first round (25th overall) in 2005. The 32-year-old will provide a legitimate challenge to Weeden, and his arrival could mean the Browns will part ways with former starter Colt McCoy.

NEW YORK – Forbes magazine on Wednesday estimated the Tampa Bay Rays have the lowest value among the 30 Major League Baseball teams.

The New York Yankees have the highest value for the 16th straight year at $2.3 billion, and the average for an MLB team increased by 23 percent in the last year to $744 million, the magazine said.

The Rays came up last with a value of $451 million. Tampa Bay took in $167 million worth of revenue in 2012, Forbes reported. However, the magazine noted the team’s ability to overcome the financial hardship on the field.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are second in MLB at $1.62 billion — nearly $400 million below the price paid for the team last May when a group headed by Mark Walter, Stan Kasten and Magic Johnson bought the franchise from Frank McCourt.

On his first day with the New York Yankees, Vernon Wells recalled a game in the International League more than a decade ago and he saw Darryl Strawberry in uniform for the opposition.

“I remember the first time I played the Triple-A Yankees, when I was 20 years old,” the outfielder, now 34, said Tuesday. “It was the first time that I actually got goosebumps playing against another team. And from that day I’ve quietly been a Yankee fan.”

“Obviously not when we’ve played against them,” Wells said, “but every time the Yankees were in the playoffs and I was sitting at home, I was cheering for the Yankees. Somewhat of a dream come true.” Wells’ trade to the Yankees was finalized Tuesday, when New York dealt a pair of minor leaguers to the Angels: outfielder Exircado Cayones and left-hander Kramer Sneed.

As Florida Gulf Coast celebrated the most improbable Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA tournament’s upset-filled history on Sunday night, the obvious question wasn’t how the Eagles toppled Georgetown and San Diego State this week.

It was how they lost twice to Lipscomb in the regular season. Anyone who thought Florida Gulf Coast’s upset of the second-seeded Hoyas was a fluke Friday night may have to reconsider after the beach-side school few had heard of a few days ago outclassed the seventh-seeded Aztecs two nights later.

Bernard Thompson scored 23 points and Sherwood Robinson added 17, breaking open a close game midway through the second half and propelling the Eagles to an 81-71 win. The next opponent for Florida Gulf Coast is the most fitting one possible for an underdog hoping to make the Final Four in its first-ever NCAA tournament. The Eagles will face in-state power Florida in the regional semifinals in Dallas with a spot in the Elite Eight on the line.

The Miami Heat were without Dwyane Wade, but had no trouble extending their historic winning streak to 26 games on Sunday night with a 109-77 home win over the Charlotte Bobcats.

Surprise, surprise.

LeBron James paced the way with a classic performance: 32 points (11-of-14 shooting), eight rebounds, 10 assists, three steals and three blocks.

If you’re looking for the 2013 version of Adrian Peterson, look no further than Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III.

RGIII may not break every record in the book and win the MVP in unbelievable fashion, but he, much like Peterson did, is quickly proving that normal rehabilitation rules don’t apply to him.

According to Dr. James Andrews, who operated on Griffin in early January, the dynamic quarterback’s recovery is going more than swimmingly. “I’ve been real mum on talking too much about RGIII. He wants his recovery to be fairly private, but I can tell you he’s way ahead of schedule. His recovery has been unbelievable so far.”

Mark Duper, a former player for the Miami Dolphins, was arrested earlier in the week for attacking his son three times in a day, and now faces a felony abuse charge.

The fights took place at the former NFL player’s Florida home. The one-time wide receiver has since been released from custody, after posting $5,000 bail. Duper reportedly beat up his 17-year-old son, Marcus, knocking the teen out twice. While he has admitted to the assault, the 54-year-old claims that it was all done in self-defense.

“This is a family matter,” Duper told the Miami Herald. “This is not an open book. I have to deal with this within my own family.” The argument reportedly stemmed from a text message the youngster sent to his ex-girlfriend. He was punched by Duper because he “wouldn’t listen about picking up his hat.”

According to police, Duper picked the boy up and slammed him several times, which led to him losing consciousness. The boy eventually ran outside, crashed his bike at his father’s car, and got punched in the face. He also fell off the bike. “Once [the victim] went to the ground on his stomach, Mark climbed on top of [him] grabbed [him] by the neck and began choking,” read the police report.

A sheriff deputy arrested Duper after seeing the boy’s injuries, which included several scratches, a bump on his forehead, plus a cut and swollen lip.