HOUSTON -- At times, Mark Sanchez is the personification of California cool, but his competitive fire raged last season when Rex Ryan told reporters he considered benching his quarterback in the third quarter of a December loss to the Miami Dolphins."I wanted to fight him," Sanchez says in the current issue of GQ magazine, which features the New York Jets' star on the cover. "I was really mad."In retrospect, the entire episode may have been a turning point in the Jets' season. It also was a coming-of-age moment for Sanchez, who raised his stature in the locker room by standing up to his coaches during a tense confrontation in practice -- and playing in pain a few days later in a pivotal win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.The pressure point occurred three days after Sanchez's poor performance against the Dolphins, his second straight subpar outing. [Read the full article]

Former Milwaukee Bucks star Sidney Moncrief has joined the team as an assistant coach.The 53-year-old Moncrief was an NBA assistant in Dallas (2000-03) and with Golden State (2007-09) along with a stint as head coach of the Fort Worth Flyers in the D-League in 2006-07.The five-time NBA All-Star played for 10 years in Milwaukee after becoming the fifth overall pick in the 1979 draft. [Read the full article]

The Detroit Tigers got some help for their outfield Monday, acquiring Delmon Young from the division rival Minnesota Twins for a minor league pitcher and a player to be named.Young doesn't have far to go to join his new team. The Twins are in Detroit to open a series against the Tigers at Comerica Park.Young, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 draft by Tampa Bay, didn't become the feared power hitter that the Twins were hoping for when they acquired him in 2008. He was hitting .266 with just four homers and 32 RBIs in 84 games this season.He's still only 25, though, and had what was probably his best season in 2010, hitting .298 with 21 home runs.The first-place Tigers add another potentially big bat to their roster as they try to hold on in the AL Central. [Read the full article]

Sidney Crosby's summer vacation is almost over. Still, there's no telling when the Pittsburgh Penguins star will return to work.General manager Ray Shero said Monday the former MVP is still dealing with concussion-like symptoms and it's too soon to know if Crosby will be available when the Penguins open camp next month. [Read the full article]