I have officially moved to www.omnipresentsports.com part of the rant sports network.
Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Ramble On - Michael Vick
Just when you thought that the sports news had dried up completely, it just got worse. The big story floating around today was Michael Vick's appearance on Hot 107.9 FM in Atlanta, GA on a program called "Gangsta Grillz." Yes the radio show is called Gangsta Grillz, but that's beside the point. Vick mentioned that of all the possible suitors for him as a starting quarterback in the NFL next year, he would love to play for the Carolina Panthers. When asked for his reasoning, he mentioned that he liked their uniforms and that being able to play against Atlanta twice a year while being close to home was important to him. Likes the uniforms? Wants to play twice against a team that dropped him amidst a humongous dog fighting scandal? Give me a break.
Carolina would be a great place for Vick to settle into a starting role, I am not doubting that. Jake Delhomme is iffy at best as the Panthers starting Quarterback. One day he looks like an all-pro, and the next he is throwing five picks and still only losing by one score. For someone that isn't even a free agent however, Vick shouldn't be labeling teams that he wants to be a part of. He is still a Philadelphia Eagle the last time that I checked. I haven't heard a response from the Philadelphia Eagles organization or fan base at this point, but if I were them I would be a little ticked off. Philly has three mediocre starters in Kevin Kolb (120+ passing attempts total in his career), Donovan McNabb (a city divided over whether the "almost there" aging quarterback will ever get them a championship), and Michael Vick (notorious, and apparently a "Gangsta Grill?). Vick actually gives this team the best chance to win in the National Football League next year. A career stopped dead in its tracks amidst being the highest paid player in the league after going into Lambeau Field and handing the Packers their first home playoff loss ever. It remains to be seen whether or not he is the same player he once was, but once thing is for sure; Vick needs a chance to be a starting quarterback in order to get the reps needed to perform at a high level.
So let's say that McNabb or Kolb stay with the team as starter and backup for another season in Philadelphia (contracts expiring). The Eagles at that point would obviously not want to pay Vick his five million dollar option for the 2010 season. It almost seems like the Eagles originally signed Vick in order to create some diversity on the team and have some trade bait. Getting him for just over one million for the first year with a steady increase in the second shows that they were more than likely going to release him or use him as trade bait. This could definitely work to their advantage, however any team that has a chance to keep Vick should do so. Though he hasn't proven much since his return, he has proved that he has the ambition, drive, and ability to get the job done. Coming into that playoff game against Dallas and throwing a bomb on his first play of the game after watching Donovan struggle immensely had to be eye-opening for many people. He's still got it folks whether you want to admit it or not. The throwing ability has always been a little softer than a Joe Montana, but he's got a cannon for an arm. Not to mention his running back like skills moving out of the pocket with his feet the way that guys like Vince Young and Pat White could only dream of accomplishing on the NFL level. What this guy did to dogs was disastrous (coming from a vegetarian), but as a football player this guy is all-world. Given the chance as a starter in this league once again will prove this point, I guarantee it.
Possible suitors for Vick include the recent talk regarding the St. Louis Rams GM Billy Devaney showing some interest in either McNabb or Vick. Drafting Ndomukong Suh and grabbing Vick could be just what this team needs with Kyle Boller and Marc Bulger not cutting it at the quarterback position. The other route would be to just draft a quarterback like Sam Bradford and go to town Detroit Lions style. Another suitor for both McNabb and Vick is the Minnesota Vikings. I really don't even want to get into that as there is no telling if Brett Favre is actually serious about his retirement (again). There's a clear notion that neither Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels are being shown clear confidence from the men upstairs. Aside from those two, there's the Chicago Bears, San Fransisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, and a host of other cities out there who would be glad to give the veteran a shot.
Hopefully it will trump the Brett Favre saga as the NFL's most exciting off-season news, but it's still not very exciting. I just hope it doesn't drag on for months so that we can start preparing for our fantasy leagues early (sad, I know).
My prediction - Even with all of the trade talk, I am not convinced that the Eagles will trade McNabb because of coach Andy Reid's loyalty to him. Vick will end up signing with another team, let's say Buffalo. There's really no way to tell where he's going to land, so this is just a long shot. So many different things have to fall into place before he's even moved. Who knows, the Eagles might want to continue their wildcat formations and have a go at another year of that idiotic system.
All I know is that although Carolina is Vick's first choice, I think he should be careful with the way he addresses this question in the future. He's still on a team who hasn't decided what they want to do with him yet, and there are a ton of possible suitors out there that he does not want to turn off. Being a starting quarterback next year in the NFL is a must for Vick if he wants to get the reps that he needs to resume his career and become successful once again.
Carolina would be a great place for Vick to settle into a starting role, I am not doubting that. Jake Delhomme is iffy at best as the Panthers starting Quarterback. One day he looks like an all-pro, and the next he is throwing five picks and still only losing by one score. For someone that isn't even a free agent however, Vick shouldn't be labeling teams that he wants to be a part of. He is still a Philadelphia Eagle the last time that I checked. I haven't heard a response from the Philadelphia Eagles organization or fan base at this point, but if I were them I would be a little ticked off. Philly has three mediocre starters in Kevin Kolb (120+ passing attempts total in his career), Donovan McNabb (a city divided over whether the "almost there" aging quarterback will ever get them a championship), and Michael Vick (notorious, and apparently a "Gangsta Grill?). Vick actually gives this team the best chance to win in the National Football League next year. A career stopped dead in its tracks amidst being the highest paid player in the league after going into Lambeau Field and handing the Packers their first home playoff loss ever. It remains to be seen whether or not he is the same player he once was, but once thing is for sure; Vick needs a chance to be a starting quarterback in order to get the reps needed to perform at a high level.
So let's say that McNabb or Kolb stay with the team as starter and backup for another season in Philadelphia (contracts expiring). The Eagles at that point would obviously not want to pay Vick his five million dollar option for the 2010 season. It almost seems like the Eagles originally signed Vick in order to create some diversity on the team and have some trade bait. Getting him for just over one million for the first year with a steady increase in the second shows that they were more than likely going to release him or use him as trade bait. This could definitely work to their advantage, however any team that has a chance to keep Vick should do so. Though he hasn't proven much since his return, he has proved that he has the ambition, drive, and ability to get the job done. Coming into that playoff game against Dallas and throwing a bomb on his first play of the game after watching Donovan struggle immensely had to be eye-opening for many people. He's still got it folks whether you want to admit it or not. The throwing ability has always been a little softer than a Joe Montana, but he's got a cannon for an arm. Not to mention his running back like skills moving out of the pocket with his feet the way that guys like Vince Young and Pat White could only dream of accomplishing on the NFL level. What this guy did to dogs was disastrous (coming from a vegetarian), but as a football player this guy is all-world. Given the chance as a starter in this league once again will prove this point, I guarantee it.
Possible suitors for Vick include the recent talk regarding the St. Louis Rams GM Billy Devaney showing some interest in either McNabb or Vick. Drafting Ndomukong Suh and grabbing Vick could be just what this team needs with Kyle Boller and Marc Bulger not cutting it at the quarterback position. The other route would be to just draft a quarterback like Sam Bradford and go to town Detroit Lions style. Another suitor for both McNabb and Vick is the Minnesota Vikings. I really don't even want to get into that as there is no telling if Brett Favre is actually serious about his retirement (again). There's a clear notion that neither Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels are being shown clear confidence from the men upstairs. Aside from those two, there's the Chicago Bears, San Fransisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, and a host of other cities out there who would be glad to give the veteran a shot.
Hopefully it will trump the Brett Favre saga as the NFL's most exciting off-season news, but it's still not very exciting. I just hope it doesn't drag on for months so that we can start preparing for our fantasy leagues early (sad, I know).
My prediction - Even with all of the trade talk, I am not convinced that the Eagles will trade McNabb because of coach Andy Reid's loyalty to him. Vick will end up signing with another team, let's say Buffalo. There's really no way to tell where he's going to land, so this is just a long shot. So many different things have to fall into place before he's even moved. Who knows, the Eagles might want to continue their wildcat formations and have a go at another year of that idiotic system.
All I know is that although Carolina is Vick's first choice, I think he should be careful with the way he addresses this question in the future. He's still on a team who hasn't decided what they want to do with him yet, and there are a ton of possible suitors out there that he does not want to turn off. Being a starting quarterback next year in the NFL is a must for Vick if he wants to get the reps that he needs to resume his career and become successful once again.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Spring Training Part 3 - AL West Predictions
No posts for a few days as I've been down in Florida escaping the terrible east coast snow storms. I want to continue my series of predictions for Major League Baseball with the American League West. It's the MLB's only four team division which makes for some good competition, but many feel that it creates an easier scenario for winning a division. I personally tend to lean more towards this pattern of reasoning, but there's a lot of talent here to force some great rivalry's. Here's how the division turned out last year.
AL West Standings
Los Angeles (97-65)
Texas (87-75)
Seattle (85-77)
Oakland (75-87)
The Angels won the division last year and almost won one hundred games in the process. Unfortunately for them they are not the same team that they were last year. Losing Vladimir Guerrero and John Lackey is going to prove to be quite hurtful for their team as well as Chone Figgins as their speedy leadoff man. Figgins signed with Seattle which is another team within the division, and Guerrero signed with the Rangers who are also within their division. Losing valuable talent is one thing, but losing it to teams within your division will really hurt you. They will be playing these teams quite a few times, and hopefully they can back it up with some young talent. The only major signing that the Angels had this off-season was Hideki Matsui who is aging and has horrible knees. He didn't even start a single game in the outfield last year for the Yankees, but managed to rack up a World Series ring and a World Series MVP trophy after it was all said and done.
John Lackey signed a huge $82+ million contract with the Boston Red Sox who are looking to stick it to the Yankees hard this year after getting beat in the playoffs by you guessed it, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The deal was of similar value to the contract A. J. Burnett received from the Yankees a year ago. They must have really taken notice to how fierce of a competitor this guy is, and the Angels will surely miss his ability to win big games. The Angels went on to lose the American League Championship to the Yankees after a very well fought battle. The Angels picked up Scott Kazmir in late August last season via a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, and is looking to have a much better season than he mustered up last year. This guy is an ace, and having him on any team is a plus for that organization. It would be better to have two aces instead of one however. The Angels have a very strong pitching staff with Joe Saunders, Ervin Santana (as long as he can stay healthy), and Jared Weaver alongside Kazmir. Despite the losses, the team is still strong and should make a push towards a title. This division is going to have one of the closest races of any in Major League Baseball this season.
The Seattle Mariners had a disappointing finish to their season once again, but they has some very strong positive reinforcement in the process. For starters, Ichiro Suzuki is still just as consistent as ever at the plate and in the field. Felix Hernandez is one of the top five pitchers in all of major league baseball and had a very impressive season last year. He was 19-5 with 217 strikeouts with a 2.49 ERA. Finishing second in the AL Cy Young voting behind winner Zack Greinke was a positive, but usually numbers like that are enough to win the prize. After a blockbuster off-season trade involving the Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, and the Oakland Athletics, the Mariners beefed up their rotation by adding 2008 Cy Young winner Cliff Lee. The only two victories for the Phillies in the World Series last year came at the hands of Lee's starts. This guy is truly something special the way he mixes his pitches despite having a relatively slow fastball for a major league ace. With those two at the top of the rotation the relievers won't have to work as hard, and the W's will add up quickly.
Jack Wilson came over as a shortstop from the Pirates, and as I mentioned Chone Figgins came over from the Angels this off-season as well. The infield will be solid, but the lineup does lack some strong power bats. Whether this team can score enough runs to win consistently is yet to be shown, but if their pitching stays healthy they are in good shape. Erik Bedard will still provide some power but aside from that they are relying on older guys like Ken Griffey Jr. and Casey Kotchman (who seems to jump around from team to team like a ping-pong ball) to keep the offense rolling. Like so many teams in this league today the Mariners will be relying on some very young talent to keep the runs coming in. Two years removed from a 100 loss season, the Mariners are looking for redemption. They will certainly be able to put up a bit more of a fight this year than last in this division.
The Oakland A's have had a tough time getting anything going in the last few years. They haven't had a winning season since 2006 when they got beat by Detroit in the ALCS. They appear to be headed in the right direction after signing some good players in the off-season, but it's still going to be a long road. I don't see them winning the division this year with all of the competition within, but you have to start somewhere. Signing Ben Sheets the notorious injury prone ex-Brewer was their biggest move since the end of the 2009 season. He took the year off after having yet another surgery before almost signing with the San Diego Padres. His agent tells us that he is the healthiest that he has been in a long time. As someone who lived in Wisconsin and followed the Brewers actions quietly for a long time, he is never able to get through an entire season without missing some time. Let's hope for this individual and this ball-club that he is good to go all year and can put up the great numbers that he does when he has been healthy. The team also signed Coco Crisp at about $4.5 million as well as resigning surging pitcher Justin Duchscherer. Young Pitcher Brett Anderson won eleven games last year, and the rotation could actually be quite good for a change in pace. Another big story is that their big power bat in Eric Chavez had another off-season of surgery. He appears to be recovered in time for spring training, and we will see how their run production will be. I am very impressed with the way that this team has progressed, and if some more young talent can step up big time the team will have a winning season and maybe make a run at a wild-card spot.
The last team in this small division is the Texas Rangers. The team was ten games over .500 last year and showed everyone that they are no joke at all. Surging stars Ian Kinsler, Michael Young, and Josh Hamilton along with young sensation Nelson Cruz led the Rangers to a ton of runs scored last season. Cruz even managed to take second in the State Farm Home-Run Derby at the all-star break. Not that it matters at all, but he's certainly showing that he is a presence to be dealt with. His second half-numbers weren't as good as his first half's numbers, but he still ended up with a .260 average and a whopping 33 home-runs. Josh Hamilton was injured for a lot of the year and didn't have as good of a season as expected, but he is ready for action this year and will hopefully help the team compete. Adding Vladimir Guerrero as a DH or possibly another outfielder is going to make them very offensive as a team. I wouldn't be surprised if this team scored as many runs this year as the New York Yankees. The worry with this team is going to be their pitching. The talent is very young, and has not proven much yet. The offense definitely kept them in the game for 2009. Adding another arm could be key sometime during the season in a trade where they could dish some young bats with the plethora of talent they already have.
After doing the research and looking at the intense moves that these teams managed to make this year combined with what happened in the previous season, this is going to be a great division to keep an eye on. I can't wait to see the games, and I know that the fans of teams in this division are surely looking towards the competition. I am going to predict the Angels to win the division purely because they are the defending champs, but any of these teams could topple them in a heartbeat. With Texas' bats, Seattle's arms, and Oakland's yet to be seen chemistry, this will be a fight to the end. Good luck to all of the teams! I know that I will be getting an MLB.TV subscription again this season, and surely these teams will be among those that I want to keep my eye on. I would love to hear others thoughts on this division, especially those who are fans of these teams.
AL West Standings
Los Angeles (97-65)
Texas (87-75)
Seattle (85-77)
Oakland (75-87)
The Angels won the division last year and almost won one hundred games in the process. Unfortunately for them they are not the same team that they were last year. Losing Vladimir Guerrero and John Lackey is going to prove to be quite hurtful for their team as well as Chone Figgins as their speedy leadoff man. Figgins signed with Seattle which is another team within the division, and Guerrero signed with the Rangers who are also within their division. Losing valuable talent is one thing, but losing it to teams within your division will really hurt you. They will be playing these teams quite a few times, and hopefully they can back it up with some young talent. The only major signing that the Angels had this off-season was Hideki Matsui who is aging and has horrible knees. He didn't even start a single game in the outfield last year for the Yankees, but managed to rack up a World Series ring and a World Series MVP trophy after it was all said and done.
John Lackey signed a huge $82+ million contract with the Boston Red Sox who are looking to stick it to the Yankees hard this year after getting beat in the playoffs by you guessed it, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The deal was of similar value to the contract A. J. Burnett received from the Yankees a year ago. They must have really taken notice to how fierce of a competitor this guy is, and the Angels will surely miss his ability to win big games. The Angels went on to lose the American League Championship to the Yankees after a very well fought battle. The Angels picked up Scott Kazmir in late August last season via a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, and is looking to have a much better season than he mustered up last year. This guy is an ace, and having him on any team is a plus for that organization. It would be better to have two aces instead of one however. The Angels have a very strong pitching staff with Joe Saunders, Ervin Santana (as long as he can stay healthy), and Jared Weaver alongside Kazmir. Despite the losses, the team is still strong and should make a push towards a title. This division is going to have one of the closest races of any in Major League Baseball this season.
The Seattle Mariners had a disappointing finish to their season once again, but they has some very strong positive reinforcement in the process. For starters, Ichiro Suzuki is still just as consistent as ever at the plate and in the field. Felix Hernandez is one of the top five pitchers in all of major league baseball and had a very impressive season last year. He was 19-5 with 217 strikeouts with a 2.49 ERA. Finishing second in the AL Cy Young voting behind winner Zack Greinke was a positive, but usually numbers like that are enough to win the prize. After a blockbuster off-season trade involving the Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, and the Oakland Athletics, the Mariners beefed up their rotation by adding 2008 Cy Young winner Cliff Lee. The only two victories for the Phillies in the World Series last year came at the hands of Lee's starts. This guy is truly something special the way he mixes his pitches despite having a relatively slow fastball for a major league ace. With those two at the top of the rotation the relievers won't have to work as hard, and the W's will add up quickly.
Jack Wilson came over as a shortstop from the Pirates, and as I mentioned Chone Figgins came over from the Angels this off-season as well. The infield will be solid, but the lineup does lack some strong power bats. Whether this team can score enough runs to win consistently is yet to be shown, but if their pitching stays healthy they are in good shape. Erik Bedard will still provide some power but aside from that they are relying on older guys like Ken Griffey Jr. and Casey Kotchman (who seems to jump around from team to team like a ping-pong ball) to keep the offense rolling. Like so many teams in this league today the Mariners will be relying on some very young talent to keep the runs coming in. Two years removed from a 100 loss season, the Mariners are looking for redemption. They will certainly be able to put up a bit more of a fight this year than last in this division.
The Oakland A's have had a tough time getting anything going in the last few years. They haven't had a winning season since 2006 when they got beat by Detroit in the ALCS. They appear to be headed in the right direction after signing some good players in the off-season, but it's still going to be a long road. I don't see them winning the division this year with all of the competition within, but you have to start somewhere. Signing Ben Sheets the notorious injury prone ex-Brewer was their biggest move since the end of the 2009 season. He took the year off after having yet another surgery before almost signing with the San Diego Padres. His agent tells us that he is the healthiest that he has been in a long time. As someone who lived in Wisconsin and followed the Brewers actions quietly for a long time, he is never able to get through an entire season without missing some time. Let's hope for this individual and this ball-club that he is good to go all year and can put up the great numbers that he does when he has been healthy. The team also signed Coco Crisp at about $4.5 million as well as resigning surging pitcher Justin Duchscherer. Young Pitcher Brett Anderson won eleven games last year, and the rotation could actually be quite good for a change in pace. Another big story is that their big power bat in Eric Chavez had another off-season of surgery. He appears to be recovered in time for spring training, and we will see how their run production will be. I am very impressed with the way that this team has progressed, and if some more young talent can step up big time the team will have a winning season and maybe make a run at a wild-card spot.
The last team in this small division is the Texas Rangers. The team was ten games over .500 last year and showed everyone that they are no joke at all. Surging stars Ian Kinsler, Michael Young, and Josh Hamilton along with young sensation Nelson Cruz led the Rangers to a ton of runs scored last season. Cruz even managed to take second in the State Farm Home-Run Derby at the all-star break. Not that it matters at all, but he's certainly showing that he is a presence to be dealt with. His second half-numbers weren't as good as his first half's numbers, but he still ended up with a .260 average and a whopping 33 home-runs. Josh Hamilton was injured for a lot of the year and didn't have as good of a season as expected, but he is ready for action this year and will hopefully help the team compete. Adding Vladimir Guerrero as a DH or possibly another outfielder is going to make them very offensive as a team. I wouldn't be surprised if this team scored as many runs this year as the New York Yankees. The worry with this team is going to be their pitching. The talent is very young, and has not proven much yet. The offense definitely kept them in the game for 2009. Adding another arm could be key sometime during the season in a trade where they could dish some young bats with the plethora of talent they already have.
After doing the research and looking at the intense moves that these teams managed to make this year combined with what happened in the previous season, this is going to be a great division to keep an eye on. I can't wait to see the games, and I know that the fans of teams in this division are surely looking towards the competition. I am going to predict the Angels to win the division purely because they are the defending champs, but any of these teams could topple them in a heartbeat. With Texas' bats, Seattle's arms, and Oakland's yet to be seen chemistry, this will be a fight to the end. Good luck to all of the teams! I know that I will be getting an MLB.TV subscription again this season, and surely these teams will be among those that I want to keep my eye on. I would love to hear others thoughts on this division, especially those who are fans of these teams.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Cut superstars day two
As everyone knows, yesterday former league MVP and probable hall of famer LaDianian Tomlinson was cut by the Chargers after another season with injuries and slowing production. He holds the NFL record in about ten categories including most touchdowns in a season, most rushing touchdowns in a season, most consecutive games with a touchdown scored, most points scored in a single season, and the list goes on and on. He's played his entire career with the Chargers and has over 12,000 yards rushing in his career through nine seasons. The last three years his touchdowns have gone down quite a bit. This relates directly to the injuries that he has been suffering causing him to not be at 100%. He's rushed for over one-thousand yards in all of his seasons except the last one. He only had 730 yards rushing last year, and the Chargers have apparently seen enough. It seems as though they don't think that he's the same player offensively, and that it's time to move on.
Today another superstar running back was cut in Brian Westbrook of the Philadelphia Eagles. Westbrook has been a favorite to all Eagles fans with his ability to catch the ball effectively coming out of the slot, return kickoffs and punts, and run the ball with speed. Being from the hometown area going to Villanova in college earned him quite a few points with the locals as well. He's just a few years removed from his best season ever in the NFL, but the concussions and other injuries are catching up with him. He has mentioned before that he is afraid of the long term effects, and the Eagles just decided that having their best player listed as questionable for another season is not in their plans. He was due some seven odd million dollars to play this year after signing a big contract in 2008, and the Eagles would rather move on without him in this cutthroat league even though he is probably the best running back in the teams history. After becoming the starting running back in 2004, Westbrook has helped the Eagles reach a Superbowl (which they lost), and has been a dominate force in the NFL. Unfortunately for him, that time is over.
So what's next for these two? Two faces of a franchise are let go after a few years of disappointment directly related to injury. I don't know if they were good decisions, but they were business decisions. Westbrook is very questionable with his play time severely affected, but L.T. seems to be over the hump of his. Unfortunately even though he is over his injuries for the most part, the production is just not there, and does not meet the money that he was given. If you get a humongous contract, you have to live up to it in the NFL. Unlike Baseball, Basketball, and Hockey, in the NFL the contracts are not guaranteed money. It's basically just a number that keeps you locked up on the team if they team wants you there. In baseball you can have a bruised buttocks (see Carl Pavano) and still get your huge paycheck. This won't be the last we see of this, and it hasn't been the first time that we saw it. Remember Terrell Owens getting cut by the Cowboys? That wasn't so much because of injuries or money, but it's the NFL and you can get cut without getting paid if there's something that the upper management does not like.
I don't know where these two are going to go, but it may be good for them to have a resurgence elsewhere. A lot of teams would be very happy to have a discounted price on these guys, even if they are backups. The real question is going to be their health and well-being.
Today another superstar running back was cut in Brian Westbrook of the Philadelphia Eagles. Westbrook has been a favorite to all Eagles fans with his ability to catch the ball effectively coming out of the slot, return kickoffs and punts, and run the ball with speed. Being from the hometown area going to Villanova in college earned him quite a few points with the locals as well. He's just a few years removed from his best season ever in the NFL, but the concussions and other injuries are catching up with him. He has mentioned before that he is afraid of the long term effects, and the Eagles just decided that having their best player listed as questionable for another season is not in their plans. He was due some seven odd million dollars to play this year after signing a big contract in 2008, and the Eagles would rather move on without him in this cutthroat league even though he is probably the best running back in the teams history. After becoming the starting running back in 2004, Westbrook has helped the Eagles reach a Superbowl (which they lost), and has been a dominate force in the NFL. Unfortunately for him, that time is over.
So what's next for these two? Two faces of a franchise are let go after a few years of disappointment directly related to injury. I don't know if they were good decisions, but they were business decisions. Westbrook is very questionable with his play time severely affected, but L.T. seems to be over the hump of his. Unfortunately even though he is over his injuries for the most part, the production is just not there, and does not meet the money that he was given. If you get a humongous contract, you have to live up to it in the NFL. Unlike Baseball, Basketball, and Hockey, in the NFL the contracts are not guaranteed money. It's basically just a number that keeps you locked up on the team if they team wants you there. In baseball you can have a bruised buttocks (see Carl Pavano) and still get your huge paycheck. This won't be the last we see of this, and it hasn't been the first time that we saw it. Remember Terrell Owens getting cut by the Cowboys? That wasn't so much because of injuries or money, but it's the NFL and you can get cut without getting paid if there's something that the upper management does not like.
I don't know where these two are going to go, but it may be good for them to have a resurgence elsewhere. A lot of teams would be very happy to have a discounted price on these guys, even if they are backups. The real question is going to be their health and well-being.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Miracle part deux
Waking up this morning on the 30th anniversary of the "Miracle" game called by Al Michaels where the United States beat the machines (USSR) on judgement day to win a chance at Olympic gold (which they got against Finland). I heard some interesting conversation on Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN Radio earlier today. They even interviewed Mike Eruzione who was captain of that American team who scored the winning goal against the Soviet Union to create one of our greatest sports triumph's ever as a country. The amount of pride that the country has for this event is referenced to quite often in the USA. Heck, Disney even made a movie about it. I think it was called Rocky 4 but I can't remember (sarcasm).
This time team USA men's hockey beat up the Canadians on their home ice (sorry neighbors). 5-3 was the final score in a really exciting hockey game. I was watching it via a live internet feed which didn't help my case, but it was still thrilling. I don't often comment on hockey very much at all, but that game was a spectacle. Only :41 in, team USA scored a lightning fast goal with Canada evening the score a minute later. The empty netter sealed it after Canada could not come up with the big game-tying goal after repeated attempts. This is the first time that the USA has beaten Canada in thirty years...thirty years. This is one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history (Hercules beating Hades in Curling was a close second).
Canada's national team is unbelievable. Their roster is stacked and is essentially an all-star team out there going to work. Sidney Crosby is one of the two best players in the game today, if not the best period. Brodeur had a tough outing giving up four goals with some questionable moves towards the puck. It was rough seeing the Devil's goalkeeper get smoked, but witnessing team USA win was even sweeter. Nothing has been said to date about whether he will remain goaltender for the rest of this event. He will go down as one of the greatest of all time at his position, and I imagine that they have not given up on him (although others have apparently). It was shades of last years first NHL playoff round where repeated goals in a short time put away the Devil's for good. This time it's for each individual's country and their national pride, not a giant silver chalice.
It's only the preliminary round, but now Team USA has earned a bye and will not have to fight uphill as vigorously as the Canadians will. It's certainly going to give the 2010 Olympics a name instead of blending in without excitement (the Winter Olympics usually deliver in some form). The next round starts on Tuesday with the elimination round and it is yet to be decided who will play. The American's will wait until Wednesday to play their first game.
The gold is still very far away, but within reach. If the USA can play this well throughout the tournament, a rematch with Canada is going to be in order. What will happen in that game? Who knows, but it's going to be electric.
This time team USA men's hockey beat up the Canadians on their home ice (sorry neighbors). 5-3 was the final score in a really exciting hockey game. I was watching it via a live internet feed which didn't help my case, but it was still thrilling. I don't often comment on hockey very much at all, but that game was a spectacle. Only :41 in, team USA scored a lightning fast goal with Canada evening the score a minute later. The empty netter sealed it after Canada could not come up with the big game-tying goal after repeated attempts. This is the first time that the USA has beaten Canada in thirty years...thirty years. This is one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history (Hercules beating Hades in Curling was a close second).
Canada's national team is unbelievable. Their roster is stacked and is essentially an all-star team out there going to work. Sidney Crosby is one of the two best players in the game today, if not the best period. Brodeur had a tough outing giving up four goals with some questionable moves towards the puck. It was rough seeing the Devil's goalkeeper get smoked, but witnessing team USA win was even sweeter. Nothing has been said to date about whether he will remain goaltender for the rest of this event. He will go down as one of the greatest of all time at his position, and I imagine that they have not given up on him (although others have apparently). It was shades of last years first NHL playoff round where repeated goals in a short time put away the Devil's for good. This time it's for each individual's country and their national pride, not a giant silver chalice.
It's only the preliminary round, but now Team USA has earned a bye and will not have to fight uphill as vigorously as the Canadians will. It's certainly going to give the 2010 Olympics a name instead of blending in without excitement (the Winter Olympics usually deliver in some form). The next round starts on Tuesday with the elimination round and it is yet to be decided who will play. The American's will wait until Wednesday to play their first game.
The gold is still very far away, but within reach. If the USA can play this well throughout the tournament, a rematch with Canada is going to be in order. What will happen in that game? Who knows, but it's going to be electric.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Spring Training, Part 2 - NL Central
Before I break down the NL Central, I'm just going to put in a little plug for MLB2K10 the video game. I've been watching the trailers for the game a lot today and it looks phenomenal. Last years version had far too many glitches and the graphics were a bit cartoonish. This year they improved the gameplay and graphics quite a bit. Check it out at http://2ksports.com/games/mlb2k10 and you can challenge me to a game online when it comes out on March 2nd.
On with it then...
Here's how the division played out last year:
NL Central Standings
St. Louis (91-71)
Chicago (83-78)
Milwaukee (80-82)
Cincinatti (78-84)
Houston (74-88)
Pittsburgh (62-99)
I'll start at the bottom with the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates who were one loss shy of one-hundred this season.The good news for the Pirates is that they consistently put out good young talent from their farm system. The bad news is that they don't have the power to keep that talent. Part of it is that they want to trade the talent for more young players to groom, and the rest is that with no production comes no money to spend. In the last few years the public has seen guys like Damaso Marte, Xavier Nady, Nyjer Morgan, Adam LaRoche, and Jason Bay among several others strewn into the market for young prospects. So far nothing has produced, but eventually it's going to catch up with them and they will have a breakout year. I do not see this as that year. This division was not very good last year compared to others in the National League, but with six teams it becomes quite competitive.
St. Louis won the division last year with slugger Albert Pujols ringing up 47 home-runs with an average of .327 and another MVP award. This guy is the best overall player in baseball at this time, and I have made that point before. After getting Matt Holliday at the trade deadline and then signing him to a huge long-term contract of seven years and $120 million dollars, they are going to be dangerous. This guy is another slugger that binds for one of the best (if not the best) three and four hitter combo's in the game. I'm predicting that a repeat win of the division is in order. A disappointing finish to the season last year after dropping out in the first round of the playoffs should have them hungering for more. Chris Carpenter coming back strong from surgery last year along with Adam Wainwright still pitching well makes for a good rotation up front. When you add Ryan Franklin who had a great season last year at closer you have some great pieces on your staff. 38 saves with a 1.92 ERA is not too shabby at all.
The Houston Astro's are at a difficult time just as much as some of the other teams in this division. They made a pretty nice push towards the wild-card last season, but never really got into the thick of things towards the end of the season. The Astro's got Brett Myers for $5.1 million which is good for one party at least. Myers gets to stay in the National league instead of facing the powerhouse lineups of the many quality squads in the American League. Not that the NL is something to laugh at, but with the pitcher batting instead of a designated hitter there's no doubt that the NL is a better fit for him. Pitching is certainly something that they needed, but I didn't see them giving away that much money for Myers. World series experience is worth a lot these days (see Pat Burrell). They also lost Miguel Tejada to the Orioles, and managed to have a great 2009 campaign. The Bagwell and Biggio days are over, this team needs some new life through the minors. They are not my pick for winning this division.
As baseball's only six team division, the National League Central is no laughing matter. Milwaukee came over from the American League in 1994 and in recent years has started to pick things up quite a bit Bringing up guys like Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder and locking them down with long-term contracts can do wonders for your teams confidence and playing ability. These two players are both all-star's and MVP candidates. At ages 28 and 27 years old (I believe), these guys are off to incredible starts. The Brewers lost Mike Cameron, Jason Kendall, and J.J. Hardy since last year but managed to get a few good arms in the offseason. Randy Wolff is a good starter who will eat innings and give you over ten wins. If he has a good season, he could give you much more than that. LaTroy Hawkins has a great arm and some good experience playing against big market teams from his days with the Yankees. He's a solid reliever who can have some pitching blips from time to time but should be a good fit with the team. Yovanni Gallardo is a young pitcher who is fast developing into an ace. He's had some injury problems, but last year he still managed to win thirteen games. He's looking for a great season this year, and is also only around 25 years old! Ricky Weeks disappointingly exited the season early with an injury, and he will be back to join the hit parade. The Brewers offense is going to be hot and if they can get some solid pitching they will be in good shape for a wild-card run or maybe even a chance at the division.
The Cincinnati Reds are another NL Central team that did not have a good 2009 season. They have not made any outstanding off-season moves to date. Their rotation is not looking settled at all and their lineup has been shaken up so much that I can't even tell you what their starting lineup will be. They certainly aren't spending a lot of money (or contributing to Ohio's current lack of championship ability), so it's possible that we could see some young talent developing at some point. Too bad they didn't get Stephen Strasburg (so close). Unfortunately this is a rebuilding year for the team, and I don't see them doing much as far as a post-season run is concerned.
The last team in the division is the Chicago Cubs. It's now been over one-hundred years since the Cubs won a world series. As one of baseball's first teams, the cubs are filled with history (and billy goat curses). The team failed to make the playoff's in 2009 after a disappointing finish. They got rid of big time bust Milton Bradley who ended up getting suspended for an extended part of the season for insulting Cubs fans in a national statement (essentially). Hopefully you weren't like me and called a breakout year for him on your fantasy team. Carlos Silva helps the team a lot, I think that it was a good trade for the team. It will be interesting to see how Bradley does in the American League with Seattle. Their pitching should be strong with Carlos Zambrano and Ted Lilly on the mound. Hopefully Ryan Dempster can keep his celebration dances to a point where he doesn't cause severe injury again, and where Kerry Wood can get some big saves.
It's going to be a close race between Milwaukee, St. Louis, and Chicago this year. I ultimately pick St. Louis to win the division, with the wild-card team coming from this division as well. Let's see how it all plays out. Remember, so much can change in the course of a week in basball. I can't wait...
On with it then...
Here's how the division played out last year:
NL Central Standings
St. Louis (91-71)
Chicago (83-78)
Milwaukee (80-82)
Cincinatti (78-84)
Houston (74-88)
Pittsburgh (62-99)
I'll start at the bottom with the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates who were one loss shy of one-hundred this season.The good news for the Pirates is that they consistently put out good young talent from their farm system. The bad news is that they don't have the power to keep that talent. Part of it is that they want to trade the talent for more young players to groom, and the rest is that with no production comes no money to spend. In the last few years the public has seen guys like Damaso Marte, Xavier Nady, Nyjer Morgan, Adam LaRoche, and Jason Bay among several others strewn into the market for young prospects. So far nothing has produced, but eventually it's going to catch up with them and they will have a breakout year. I do not see this as that year. This division was not very good last year compared to others in the National League, but with six teams it becomes quite competitive.
St. Louis won the division last year with slugger Albert Pujols ringing up 47 home-runs with an average of .327 and another MVP award. This guy is the best overall player in baseball at this time, and I have made that point before. After getting Matt Holliday at the trade deadline and then signing him to a huge long-term contract of seven years and $120 million dollars, they are going to be dangerous. This guy is another slugger that binds for one of the best (if not the best) three and four hitter combo's in the game. I'm predicting that a repeat win of the division is in order. A disappointing finish to the season last year after dropping out in the first round of the playoffs should have them hungering for more. Chris Carpenter coming back strong from surgery last year along with Adam Wainwright still pitching well makes for a good rotation up front. When you add Ryan Franklin who had a great season last year at closer you have some great pieces on your staff. 38 saves with a 1.92 ERA is not too shabby at all.
The Houston Astro's are at a difficult time just as much as some of the other teams in this division. They made a pretty nice push towards the wild-card last season, but never really got into the thick of things towards the end of the season. The Astro's got Brett Myers for $5.1 million which is good for one party at least. Myers gets to stay in the National league instead of facing the powerhouse lineups of the many quality squads in the American League. Not that the NL is something to laugh at, but with the pitcher batting instead of a designated hitter there's no doubt that the NL is a better fit for him. Pitching is certainly something that they needed, but I didn't see them giving away that much money for Myers. World series experience is worth a lot these days (see Pat Burrell). They also lost Miguel Tejada to the Orioles, and managed to have a great 2009 campaign. The Bagwell and Biggio days are over, this team needs some new life through the minors. They are not my pick for winning this division.
As baseball's only six team division, the National League Central is no laughing matter. Milwaukee came over from the American League in 1994 and in recent years has started to pick things up quite a bit Bringing up guys like Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder and locking them down with long-term contracts can do wonders for your teams confidence and playing ability. These two players are both all-star's and MVP candidates. At ages 28 and 27 years old (I believe), these guys are off to incredible starts. The Brewers lost Mike Cameron, Jason Kendall, and J.J. Hardy since last year but managed to get a few good arms in the offseason. Randy Wolff is a good starter who will eat innings and give you over ten wins. If he has a good season, he could give you much more than that. LaTroy Hawkins has a great arm and some good experience playing against big market teams from his days with the Yankees. He's a solid reliever who can have some pitching blips from time to time but should be a good fit with the team. Yovanni Gallardo is a young pitcher who is fast developing into an ace. He's had some injury problems, but last year he still managed to win thirteen games. He's looking for a great season this year, and is also only around 25 years old! Ricky Weeks disappointingly exited the season early with an injury, and he will be back to join the hit parade. The Brewers offense is going to be hot and if they can get some solid pitching they will be in good shape for a wild-card run or maybe even a chance at the division.
The Cincinnati Reds are another NL Central team that did not have a good 2009 season. They have not made any outstanding off-season moves to date. Their rotation is not looking settled at all and their lineup has been shaken up so much that I can't even tell you what their starting lineup will be. They certainly aren't spending a lot of money (or contributing to Ohio's current lack of championship ability), so it's possible that we could see some young talent developing at some point. Too bad they didn't get Stephen Strasburg (so close). Unfortunately this is a rebuilding year for the team, and I don't see them doing much as far as a post-season run is concerned.
The last team in the division is the Chicago Cubs. It's now been over one-hundred years since the Cubs won a world series. As one of baseball's first teams, the cubs are filled with history (and billy goat curses). The team failed to make the playoff's in 2009 after a disappointing finish. They got rid of big time bust Milton Bradley who ended up getting suspended for an extended part of the season for insulting Cubs fans in a national statement (essentially). Hopefully you weren't like me and called a breakout year for him on your fantasy team. Carlos Silva helps the team a lot, I think that it was a good trade for the team. It will be interesting to see how Bradley does in the American League with Seattle. Their pitching should be strong with Carlos Zambrano and Ted Lilly on the mound. Hopefully Ryan Dempster can keep his celebration dances to a point where he doesn't cause severe injury again, and where Kerry Wood can get some big saves.
It's going to be a close race between Milwaukee, St. Louis, and Chicago this year. I ultimately pick St. Louis to win the division, with the wild-card team coming from this division as well. Let's see how it all plays out. Remember, so much can change in the course of a week in basball. I can't wait...
Friday, February 19, 2010
2/19, What a circus!
Holy moly ladies and gents! Today was an unexpected chock full of sports news. Tiger came out and made his statement, we got a little sletter from T-Mac on his future with the Knicks, and Bode Miller wasn't able to get his first olympic gold medal among a few other things. The NBA trade deadline was yesterday at 3pm, and we saw a lot less moves than expected.
The big news of the day was Tiger Wood's and his press conference by far. On the radio before, during, and after work today it was just constant chatter over this thirteen minute arranged speech that Tiger gave to a room of close friends at TPC Sawgrass down in Florida. It was nice to see Tiger giving some words to everyone about what's going on in his now very well-known personal life. For me, the speech was so scripted that it really didn't peak my interest a whole lot. The fact that the media wasn't allowed to ask any questions just made it worse. I mean, more people probably watched this television speech than the entire olympic lineup to this date combined. For Tiger however, this is the first step in a road to recovery for his career and family. I like the part where he mentioned that he is going to be more respectful on the golf course as well. A lot of people would never rank him among the greats because of his behavior on the course throwing clubs and using foul language. To me it doesn't really matter because I don't see my self acting any better than he does in those situations, but it's a gentleman's game and you have to respect it.
Tracy McGrady was dealt to the Knicks yesterday in a three-team trade. McGrady is in a contract year, and said today that he would take a significant pay cut in order to stay with the Knicks in their big market if they were to bring in big free agents to play alongside him such as Dwayne Wade or LeBron James. As long as McGrady is healthy, he should be able to make an impact on the team if he can be a leader. Unfortunately for the Knicks however, this season is not salvageable. They team is 19-34 well past the halfway mark for the year, and they are headed towards another dismal season. They team has not been spending a large amount of money in the recent years, and should have some serious New York money to spend on big name players.
Another team that was expected to make moves before the deadline was Philadelphia. The 76ers decided not to trade Andre Iguodala to get some fresh talent. 76ers fans aren't very happy with the way Iquodala is evolving based on his play type, and they would much rather have a big impact player or some young guys to bring up the right way. I heard some references on the Mike Missanelli show, a local Philadelphia station, regarding the fact that his body type does not suit his position on the court. It was also mentioned that Donovan McNabb has similar issues which is an interesting look at what Philadelphia fans are thinking. The fans were so upset with the teams lack of moves that an executive with the team had to release a statement defending the team's choice to not make any moves aside from a small bench player to bench player trade with the Milwaukee Bucks. With Allen Iverson not playing very much at all because of his whatever and the rest of the team just not clicking, Philadelphia is not looking great right now for a run down the stretch.
Bode Miller the young World Champion from New Hampshire was not able to wrap up his first gold medal today, getting beaten by Norwegian Aksel Lund Svindal by only 0.28 seconds. Taking home the silver isn't such a bad thing though considering the strides Bode Miller has made for (and against) the American skiing program. Most notably his win at the World Championships a few years back. He has been World Champion twice in his career. Since then he's gotten into some trouble for excessive drinking that's gotten him into some bad situations. He also took some time off last year for poor performance relating to frustration. Looks like he's doing alright now, at least he isn't shoving this medals into girls mouths at after party's in his Team USA gear (see Scotty Lago).
There's been a lot of other news popping up around the world, but that's all I have time for right now. Enjoy the circus and have a safe Friday night. Please add me to Facebook, Twitter, and post some comments. Thanks for readin'.
The big news of the day was Tiger Wood's and his press conference by far. On the radio before, during, and after work today it was just constant chatter over this thirteen minute arranged speech that Tiger gave to a room of close friends at TPC Sawgrass down in Florida. It was nice to see Tiger giving some words to everyone about what's going on in his now very well-known personal life. For me, the speech was so scripted that it really didn't peak my interest a whole lot. The fact that the media wasn't allowed to ask any questions just made it worse. I mean, more people probably watched this television speech than the entire olympic lineup to this date combined. For Tiger however, this is the first step in a road to recovery for his career and family. I like the part where he mentioned that he is going to be more respectful on the golf course as well. A lot of people would never rank him among the greats because of his behavior on the course throwing clubs and using foul language. To me it doesn't really matter because I don't see my self acting any better than he does in those situations, but it's a gentleman's game and you have to respect it.
Tracy McGrady was dealt to the Knicks yesterday in a three-team trade. McGrady is in a contract year, and said today that he would take a significant pay cut in order to stay with the Knicks in their big market if they were to bring in big free agents to play alongside him such as Dwayne Wade or LeBron James. As long as McGrady is healthy, he should be able to make an impact on the team if he can be a leader. Unfortunately for the Knicks however, this season is not salvageable. They team is 19-34 well past the halfway mark for the year, and they are headed towards another dismal season. They team has not been spending a large amount of money in the recent years, and should have some serious New York money to spend on big name players.
Another team that was expected to make moves before the deadline was Philadelphia. The 76ers decided not to trade Andre Iguodala to get some fresh talent. 76ers fans aren't very happy with the way Iquodala is evolving based on his play type, and they would much rather have a big impact player or some young guys to bring up the right way. I heard some references on the Mike Missanelli show, a local Philadelphia station, regarding the fact that his body type does not suit his position on the court. It was also mentioned that Donovan McNabb has similar issues which is an interesting look at what Philadelphia fans are thinking. The fans were so upset with the teams lack of moves that an executive with the team had to release a statement defending the team's choice to not make any moves aside from a small bench player to bench player trade with the Milwaukee Bucks. With Allen Iverson not playing very much at all because of his whatever and the rest of the team just not clicking, Philadelphia is not looking great right now for a run down the stretch.
Bode Miller the young World Champion from New Hampshire was not able to wrap up his first gold medal today, getting beaten by Norwegian Aksel Lund Svindal by only 0.28 seconds. Taking home the silver isn't such a bad thing though considering the strides Bode Miller has made for (and against) the American skiing program. Most notably his win at the World Championships a few years back. He has been World Champion twice in his career. Since then he's gotten into some trouble for excessive drinking that's gotten him into some bad situations. He also took some time off last year for poor performance relating to frustration. Looks like he's doing alright now, at least he isn't shoving this medals into girls mouths at after party's in his Team USA gear (see Scotty Lago).
There's been a lot of other news popping up around the world, but that's all I have time for right now. Enjoy the circus and have a safe Friday night. Please add me to Facebook, Twitter, and post some comments. Thanks for readin'.
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