Odds and Sods

Police have implicated Philadelphia wide receiver Marvin Harrison in an investigation of a shooting outside of a North Philadelphia bar, Playmakers, that Harrison owns on Tuesday afternoon.

A source told ESPN that tests confirmed that the shots came from a custom-made Belgian gun, of a type that Harrison owns. Harrison admitted to ownership of that type of gun, but denied that it ever left his home.

Police have yet to make arrests or charge anyone for the crime.

Harrison is an eight-time pro bowler and one of four players with over 1,000 receiving yards. He has largely been known for a quiet off the field lifestyle, although he was sued in 2005 for allegedly assaulting teenage autograph seekers.

The NFL has no rules against firearm ownership, except that players cannot be armed at NFL functions. The policy does stipulate that players can be disciplined for violation of state and local laws, which could prove troublesome for Harrison.

Even if he is not the shooter, Pennsylvania statutes stipulate that gun owners can be charged if a crime is committed with their gun, whether or not they were the part responsible. Such a charge could lead to fines or even suspension for Harrison.

Whatever Harrison’s involvement, this certainly qualifies as the WTF story of the day.

Liverpool may make a part exchange offer for Aston Villa captain Gareth Barry.

Barry, 27, has made 325 appearances for Aston Villa and 18 for the English National Team.  He can play in the left and center of both defense and midfield.

Martin O’Neill has asked that Peter Crouch be included in the deal, though Liverpool could also be enticed to include on-loan keeper Scott Carson and defender John Arne Riise.

Villa reportedly rejected a previous £10m offer for Barry.

AC Milan midfielder Gennaro “the snarling dog” Gattuso has admitted his desire to play in the English Premier League, potentially next season.

Gattuso, 30, previously played in Britain for Scottish side Rangers and has an English speaking wife. He has been rumored in the past to be a target of Manchester United.

He is widely regarded as one of the premier defensive midfielders in football, known for his energy and savage tackling. If Milan will let Gattuso go, he would arouse interest from the top four in England as well as hopeful cash foisters, such as Newcastle and Tottenham.

Wenger mentioned bringing an experienced player into the Arsenal squad. It is hard to get more experience than Gattuso who has two Champions League winners medal and a World Cup.

He would give Arsenal some steel in the midfield. He would also provide flexibility, being able to play on the middle and on the right and in the midfield or in defense. It would seem to make sense.

Having lost the monikered Gattuso to Milan, would Arsene splash the cash to bring in the genuine one?

The Yankees placed golden boy Phil Hughes on the 15-day disabled list, after x-rays displayed a stress fracture in his rib, which will keep him out of the rotation until July at the earliest.

Hughes, 21, was 0-4 with a 9.00 ERA and a 2.14 WHIP in six starts so far this season.  He was 5-3 with a 4.46 ERA in an injury plagued 2007.

The injury to Hughes merely adds to the Yankees’ list of injury woes with newly contracted Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada as well as reliever Brian Bruney on the DL.

And, in case anyone would dare doubt Brian Cashman’s wisdom in withholding Hughes from a deal that would have netted the Yankees Johan Santana, the two-time Cy Young winner is off to a slow start as well.  Santana is only 3-2 with a 3.12 ERA, a 0.92 WHIP, a 39-8 K-BB ratio, and a BAA of .196.

The Mets are hoping he can get it together with the warm weather.