CFL boss sees NFL future in Toronto

Canadian Football League commissioner Mark Cohon said yesterday he believes all signs point to an NFL team being placed in Toronto. It's the first time the league has taken such a definitive stance on the subject. "All of the tea leaves are indicating that it's shifting," Cohon said. "You have guys like Ted Rogers and Larry Tanenbaum and Phil Lind, very powerful Canadians who are interested; you have an owner in Ralph Wilson in Buffalo who has said, 'When I die, my estate will sell the franchise'; you have the Bills interested in marking Toronto as part of their territory, which I believe is an indication that, 'Hey, this our territory, we don't want another NFL team coming here.' " Cohon said he hopes that should the NFL bring a team north, it will do so in partnership with the CFL.

Vikings rookie running back Adrian Peterson was upgraded to questionable, increasing his chances of playing against the New York Giants tomorrow. Peterson tore the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee two weeks ago against Green Bay . . . Bills rookie running back Marshawn Lynch will miss his second consecutive game because of a badly sprained left ankle . . . Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu (knee) and wide receiver Santonio Holmes (ankle) won't play against Miami Monday night after missing practice for a third consecutive day. The Dolphins will be without linebacker Zach Thomas, who has been ruled out for his fourth consecutive game because of a concussion. Miami running back Jesse Chatman (ankle) is day-to-day, and coach Cam Cameron would not commit to starting running back Ricky Williams, who recently returned after serving a 1 1/2-year suspension, if Chatman could not play . . . Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, slowed by a strained right oblique, ran the offense for the first time all week in practice and declared himself ready for tomorrow's game against St. Louis . . . Browns cornerback Eric Wright (knee) will miss tomorrow's game against Houston.

The American duo of Boo Weekley and Heath Slocum held on to a one-stroke lead in the World Cup of Golf in Shenzhen, China, shooting a 3-under-par 69 in the second round to lead England and Scotland. England's Justin Rose and Ian Poulter, and Scotland's Colin Montgomerie and Marc Warren both shot 68 to trail by a shot at 13-under 131. The South African team of Trevor Immelman and Retief Goosen were another shot back after a 69 . . . Sweden's Daniel Chopra shot a 7-under 65 to take a one-stroke lead over Australians Aaron Baddeley and Kurt Barnes after the third round of the Australian Masters in Melbourne.

Free agent closer Francisco Cordero has reportedly reached a preliminary agreement on a four-year, $46 million contract with the Cincinnati Reds, according to Internet reports. The deal, which includes a club option for a fifth year, is subject to Cordero passing a physical. Cordero, 32, was second in the National League with 44 saves last season for Milwaukee and made the NL All-Star team . . . In a ballyhooed fight for the WBC Continental Americas super middleweight title, Ricardo Mayorga scored a majority 12-round decision over Fernando Vargas on the strength of knockdowns in the first and 11th rounds at Staples Center in Los Angeles . . . Dallas Stars right wing Jere Lehtinen will be out indefinitely with an abdominal strain, but might not need surgery . . . Helped by a trio of stakes wins across the country, trainer Todd Pletcher broke his North American earnings record when The Leopard won the $111,800 Generous Stakes by 2 1/4 lengths at Hollywood Park. Pletcher had five victories worth $585,612, pushing his season total to $26,850,873, which topped his 2006 mark by $30,000 . . . Two-time world champion Stephane Lambiel edged American Johnny Weir in the short program of the Cup of Russia in Moscow. Kim Yu-na of South Korea closed in on her second Grand Prix gold of the year by leading Yukari Nakano of Japan after the women's short program. Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao of China led the pairs . . . Real Madrid is reportedly interested in American teenage star Jozy Altidore. Sporting director assistant Carlos Bucero had traveled to New York amid reports the Spanish champions were interested in signing the 18-year-old New York Red Bulls striker.