Hiatus!

Sorry for the postless month as I have returned back to school and have been working on my radio show and school blog.

So for the Time being check out the SCC Blog: The Steak, Crab, & Curry Show: Blog

Also check out our radio show:

Every Wednesday from 7:00pm to 9:00pm

Live on www.wmucsports.com

So far this semester we have had Tim Kurkjian, AJ Daulerio, Dayn Perry, and Michael Lombardi on among others.

Cleaning Up the Mess...

It is that time of week to once again bring to you the lastest signings, trades, and quarterback controversies!

On with the cleanup...

NFL NEWS:
* The Miami Dolphins will name Chad Pennington opening day starter at QB
* The 49ers will name JT O'Sullivan their starting quarterback
* More quarterbacks news! The Cardinals are reportdely going to name Kurt Warner their starter
* Giants DE Osi Umenyiora will be out for the season, and talk of Michael Strahan coming back has already begun
* Bengals Wide Receiver Chad 'Ocho Cinco' Johnson has a partial labrum tear
* Tom Brady is expected to start opening week for the Patriots, and why wouldn't he?
* The Falcons have signed veteran tight end Marcus Pollard
* The Atlanta Falcons have named Matt Ryan their starting quarterback

NBA NEWS:
* The Phoenix Suns have traded guard DJ Strawberry to the Houston Rockets for Sean Singletary
* The Dallas Mavericks have re-signed swingman Devean George
* The 76ers signed big man Theo Ratliff
* OK City has waived sniper Donyell Marshall
* Nuggets have re-signed JR Smith to a multi-year deal
* The Celtics are taking a chance and signing Darius Miles
* Veteran guard Michael Finley has re-signed with the San Antonio Spurs

MLB NEWS:
* Eddie Guardado has returned to the Minnesota Twins because of a trade with the Texas Rangers
* Mets pitcher John Maine's season may be over
* Kip Wells has signed with the KC Royals
* Mets have signed reliever Al Reyes
* The Astros have signed infielder Jose Castillo
* The Braves are bringing starter Rodrigo Lopez in after almost a year off


Anything I missed?

Beijing Olympics Coming to a Close

Well the 2008 Olympics are coming to a close with the closing ceremony today in Beijing. The Olympic committee will hand off the games to the 2012 Home, London and from what I have read Beckham will be in the building! Woo!

I must admit that going into the games I was not all that thrilled and excited for the games to begin, I was more occupied with the kickoff of NFL training camps and baseball pennant races. Not to mention the ongoing controversy about Tibet, the Olympic torch, and the initial sad note that the games began on with a heartless attack.

But thanks to many storylines and Olympic figures I became hooked and began setting the DVR every night to make sure I would catch all those story lines and games unfold throughout the 2+ week span.

Like many Americans, a swimmer named Michael Phelps from Baltimore initially captured my attention. Every race Phelps was in seemed to be a World Record and whether it be Phelps dominating the competition or winning by a fingernail, I was engaged. Michael Phelps, a perfect 8 for 8 in Gold Medals with 7 World Records to go along with it, came and went and I was wondering what story line or athlete would capture my attention next.

Naturally, being a basketball guru that I am, I was also interested in the Redeem Team. Thankfully they were doing as they were supposed to do and blowing out the competition. Early on they put it to Spain and Greece, two potential roadblocks. The team then went on to defeat the Aussies, Argentines, and Spanish can re-capture and essentially Redeem themselves as the kings of the hardwood and win the Gold Medal. I was very impressed by this unit and unfortunatly I do have to give some props to Coack K (ughh) for his job as coach. Dwayne Wade was able to show the World what he is capable of when he is healthy. Chris Paul and Deron Williams are proof that they are the new up and coming point guards of the league. Chris Bosh played exceptionally well defense with Dwight Howard patrolling the middle. Oh yeah, Lebron, Kobe, and Carmelo played pretty well also.

So what else caught my attention? Well a man named Usain Bolt from the island of Jamaica did the trick. I could not get over how incredible this guy was! Bolt is a 6'5'' sprinter who made a laughing matter out of three races. When a sprinter is able to taunt and showboat on a 100 meter race, that is incredible. It is typically a 10 second race and there is rarely any time to display any taunting. I was a big fan of Bolt and happy to see him set 3 world records with 3 gold medals.

What other story lines took place? Well there was the US Track & Field team who some would say struggled and failed to live up to the expectations. Tyson Gay failed to qualify and you had both of the 4X100 meter teams of men and women fail to qualify. However, the US Track and Field team was still able to land 7 Gold Medals.

You also had the controversy over the Chinese Women's Gymnastics team. The age of some of the winners were being questioned after they had defeated the U.S. and Russia and there were reports that one of the girls as only 13 years old. There was also the domination of Walsh/May-Treanor in the women's beach volleyball, the shocking upset of the U.S. softball squad, and the baseball team winning the bronze medal.

As we hand over the 2012 Summer Olympics to London and Beckham, I will say that I did enjoy the games this year and the coverage.

What for you are the top storylines of the Beijing Games? Was it the Redeem Team, Bolt, Phelps, Track, Chinese Gymnastics, Beach Volleyball or the opening and closing ceremonies?

Do Comment Below!

Top 10: Most Successful Active Coaches/Managers

Well I figured it has been a little while since I rolled out a Top 10 countdown, so it was time to compose another list for some banter and debate.

This time I have decided to take a look at the Top 10 active coaches and managers in the world of sports right now. I must be honest and say I do not know enough NHL coaches to include them in the countdown. This list includes guys from the NBA, NFL, and MLB.

So without further stalling, let's countdown...

10. Terry Francona ~ Boston Red Sox ~ 2 World Series Titles

09. Lou Pinella ~ Chicaco Cubs ~ 1 World Series Title

08. Jerry Sloan ~ Utah Jazz ~ 2 time Western Conference Champ

07. Tony LaRussa ~ St. Louis Cardinals ~ 2 World Series Titles

06. Larry Brown ~ Charlotte Bobcats ~ 1 NBA Title, 1 NCAA Title

05. Bobby Cox ~ Atlanta Braves ~ 1 World Series Title

04. Bill Belicheck ~ New England Patriots ~ 3 Super Bowl Titles

03. Greg Popovich ~ San Antonio Spurs ~ 4 NBA Titles

02. Joe Torre ~ Los Angeles Dodgers ~ 4 World Series Titles

01. Phil Jackson ~ Los Angeles Lakers ~ 9 NBA Titles

Pitching Galore!

Not much content to this post, but I thought I would point out that impressive list of starting pitchers who will be taking the hill tonight. Here are some of the studs who will be dazzling tonight:

* Cliff Lee (Cle) 17-2 - 2.43 ERA - vs. Kansas City

* Roy Halladay (Tor) 14-9 - 2.64 ERA - vs. NY Yankees

* John Lackey (LAA) 10-2 - 3.22 ERA - vs. Minnesota

* Carlos Zambrano (ChC) 12-5 - 3.38 ERA - vs. Cincinatti

* Brandon Webb (Ari) 18-4 - 2.85 ERA - vs. San Diego

Interesting to note that all of these pitchers will be pitching at home.

Other notables: Jamie Moyer (Phil), Pedro Martinez (NYM), Derek Lowe (LAD)

Michael Phelps

Olympics madness! Have you caught it?

I sure did for a little while at least. What Michael Phelps did in the pool was in-humane, actually it was more amphibian like than anything resembling a mammal. The point is, Phelps won 8 Gold Medals, and brought 7 world records while at it! Incredible!

The ratings proved how much attention Phelps was receiving and deservedly so. True statement, I was at the Borgata in AC on Friday evening when Phelps was going for Gold medal #7, and honest to God the whole casion stopped to watch and eventually cheer when Mr. Phelps won.

However, the attention of the Olympics has dipped a bit since Phelps' magical run has ended and he is back in the States. Sure, people still care about the Redeem Team, who have advanced to the semifinals of the Olympics and are looking pretty good so far.

The one gripe I do have with the Olympic coverage is the difficulty I have finding the events I want to watch. For example, this morning I was all ready to see the Bolt figure from Jamaica set another World Record in the 200 meter at about 10:20am, but only to find out that it was not broadcasted. Several sports updates and websites later I found out that he did indeed break the record.

Well there goes all that drama!

I want to leave you with this question, Is Michael Phelps the Sportsman of the Year?

Cleaning Up the Mess...

A day late, but not a dollar short! Come one, come all it is time to clean up the mess that the past week has left us!

On to the cleanup...

NFL NEWS:

- The Atlanta Falcons released WR Joe Horn, Horn mentioned he wanted to play in Dallas or Philly
- The New England Patriots released 36 year old TE Marcus Pollard
- The Bengals have brought back the recently released receiver Chris Henry (who has his own mugshot to hold onto)
- The Chicago Bears have decided that Kyle Orton will be their starting quarterback
- Quarterback injuries All -around! Tarvaris Jackson, Tom Brady, Derek Anderson, Peyton Manning.
- The New Orleans Saints signed safety Lance Schulters

MLB NEWS:
- The Los Angeles Dodgers are set to acquire Greg Maddux from the Padres
- The Reds have released catcher David Ross, who has drawn interest from the Red Sox and the Phillies
The KC Royals signed pitcher Kip Wells to a minor league contract
- Tom Glavine's career may be decided by Dr. James Andrews
- The Mets acquired pitcher Luis Ayala from division partner Washington Nationals

NBA NEWS:
- Former NBA All-Star Shawn Kemp has resurfaced by signing with an Italian League professional team
- Ex-Sun Gordan Giricek has signed on to play international ball in Turkey
- The Clippers re-signed big man center Paul Davis
- Goran Dragic, the Suns 2nd round pick, was in Phoenix for a physical and it looks like he will sign to play this season

I promise more posts to come soon. I do apologize for the lack of posts recently!

U S A ! U S A !

Messy Leftovers...

Well since the original weekly column dealing with the mess, there have been a few more notes out there. Let me quickly post those updates:

* The Boston Red Sox acquired pitcher Paul Byrd from the Cleveland Indians for a player to be named later

* Detroit Tigers placed DH Gary Sheffield on waivers

* The Detroit Tigers made more news by signing pitcher Freddy Garcia to a minor league deal

* The 76ers and Andre Iguodala reportdely agreed to a 6 year 80 million dollar deal

Olympics !!

Well well well, the Olympics are in full swing and I must admit I went from a "who cares" mentality to a "When is Tyson Gay racing the Jamaicans in the 100 meter race" mindset.

Maybe it was the Brett Favre saga that sucked all the media out of the great Summer games or maybe it was because NFL training camp was beginning? The Olympics in my opinion definitely snuck under the radar and have finally captured the attention they deserved.

I did miss the Opening Ceremonies on Friday night but was able to DVR and catch it later on and I must say they were amazing! Over 15,000 performers took part in the ceremonies and did not fail to entertain.

I know that watching the Olympics through the eye of NBC, you really only get an American perspective on everything and all of the back stories, but so what? The U.S. is currently atop the medal charts battling it out with China.

So far, Michael Phelps has captured the attention of the average fan and for example myself. I can't until the next swimming race to see if Phelps can continue on his quest for 8 gold medals. At last count he is 3 for 3 in 3 world record breaking performances. Unbelievable!

The women's beach volleyball team of Walsh and May-Treanor, who won the gold in Athens in 2004, have also been putting on spectacular performances and had me watching most of their match against the Cubans.

I also can not forget the Redeem Team, who is currently 2-0 after putting on a clinic against the host team, China and Angola. They will have some tougher challenges ahead when facing Greece, Spain, and Germany. I think the team will be alright, but they definitely need to work on the outside shooting, which has been awful so far.

It should be an entertaining 2+ weeks and stay tuned as I will continue to give my thoughts on the Summer Games!

Cleaning Up the Mess...

Well it is Monday (as of the start of this post), so it must be time to round up some of the top news and notes items of the past week from a busy time in sports!

Let's dive into the headline makers from the past week...

NFL NEWS:

* Did you hear that Brett Favre was traded to the Jets? A trade that seemed to have gone under the radar... (sarcasm)

* As a result of this Favre guy, the Jets cut Chad Pennington and proceeded to sign with the Miami Dolphins

* Safety Adam Archuleta signed a deal with the Oakland Raiders

* The Pittsburgh Steelers signed QB Byron Leftwhich to backup BIG Ben

* The 49ers signed line backer Takeo Spikes

* After a 17 day absence, Shawn Andrews reported to Eagles training camp

* Seahawks wide receiver Bobby Engram will be out 6-8 weeks with a cracked shoulder bone

* Willis McGahee will miss 2-4 weeks with knee surgery

NBA NEWS:

* The Atlanta Hawks matched the deal Josh Smith signed with the Memphis Grizzlies and signed him long-term

* 76ers 2nd year center Jason Smith tore his ACL and will most likely be out for the season

* Team USA took care of business in the opening game and defeated host country, China

* The Clippers signed veteran point guard Jason Williams

MLB NEWS:

* The Orioles traded reliever Chad Bradford to the Tampa Bay Rays, and DFA's Al Reyes

* The Cubs traded reliever Scott Eyre to the Philadelphia Phillies

* The St. Louis Cardinals signed infielder Felipe Lopez, formerly of the Nationals

* The Royals traded pitcher Horacio Ramirez to the Chicago White Sox

* The Mariners released DH Jose Vidro

* The Florida Marlines signed catcher Paul Lo Duca

* The Rays placed both Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford on the DL, activate OF Rocco Baldelli

* The Blue Jays released outfielder Shannon Stewart

* BIG NEWS!! -- The Cincinnati Reds traded outfielder Adam Dunn to the Arizona Diamondbacks for 3 minor leaguers

GRAB BAG NEWS:

* Paddy Harrington won the PGA Championship, making it back to back majors for Harrington

* Michael Phelps is a perfect 3 for 3 so far in the Olympics in his quest for 8 Gold Medals

* The Olympics Open Ceremonies were on 08/08/08 and started the games off with a bang

Anything I missed??

Top 10: Players Traded in '08

I have to say that so far in the year of 2008, I have never seen so many all-star and hall of fame caliber talents traded in one year. The NBA Trade Deadline was one of the most craziest time periods in NBA history. The months of June and July in baseball saw a lot of surprise teams and players make moves. And the NFL saw two of the best players in the league get moved to different conferences.

Let's take a look at the Top 10 Players Traded in the year 2008 so far!

(This list is based on the credentials each player had at the time of the trade)

10. Paul Gasol -- Memphis Grizzlies --> Los Angeles Lakers

09. Mike Bibby -- Sacramento Kings --> Atlanta Hawks

08. Ron Artest -- Sacramento Kings --> Houston Rockets

07. CC Sabathia -- Cleveland Indians --> Milwaukee Brewers

06. Jason Kidd -- New Jersey Nets --> Dallas Mavericks

05. Jason Taylor -- Miami Dolphis --> Washington Redskins

04. Ken Griffey Jr. -- Cincinnati Reds --> Chicago White Sox

03. Shaq O'Neal -- Miami Heat --> Phoenix Suns

02. Manny Ramirez -- Boston Red Sox --> Los Angeles Dodgers

01. Brett Favre -- Green Bay Packers --> New York Jets

Honorable Mentions: Ben Wallace (Chi-->Cle), Jason Bay (Pitt-->Bos), Rich Harden (Oak-->CHC), Jeremy Shockey (NYG-->N.O.)

FAVRE TRADED TO JETS

BREAKING NEWS: BRETT FAVRE TRADED TO THE NEW YORK JETS JUST LESS THAN 2 HOURS AGO

Jay Glazier of foxsports.com broke the story and has the scoop. The deal is believed to be for a draft pick in the 2009 Draft that could escalate up to a 1st Round Pick. This deal will also most certainly mean that Chad Pennington's time with the Jets is done. According to Glazier, both team did in fact confirm the deal through seperate press releases.

You can read the full article here.

UPDATE: Well the deal is done and the Brett Favre saga is over, or is it? Favre is scheduled to attend the Jets and the Browns preseason game tonight and obviously won't be playing but wants to check out his new squad.

The Packers accomplished their goal of getting him out of the NFC and especially the Minnesota Vikings. The deal is also pretty hefty if the Jets did decide to re-route Favre to the Vikings. The pick that the Packers will receive from the Jets will work like this,

"According to the NFL Network, if Favre takes 50 percent of total snaps with the Jets in 2008, the fourth-rounder becomes a third-round pick. If he gets 70 percent of the snaps and the Jets make the playoffs, it becomes a second-round pick. If he gets 80 percent of snaps and the Jets make the Super Bowl, it becomes a first-round pick."

I don't know if this will make the New York Jets a playoff team because when you look at the AFC you have to think that the Pats, Colts, Chargers, Jags, and at least an AFC North team. The Jets did indeed load up on the veterans this offseason, but I don't really think the offensive weapons in New York are that significantly better than they were in Green Bay.

Once again I ask, What happens to the Madden cover due to come out in less than a week!?

My Cut on Brett Favre

OK, so I have stalled long enough and avoided the issue and subject for long enough. It is finally time to talk about #4 and Mr. Brett Favre. In a story that seems to take on a new twist and turn every day, it also seems to get more and more annoying every single minute.

I have never really been a fan of Brett Favre, mainly because these retirement talks seem to pop up every offseason for the past 3 or 4 years, much like Roger Clemens in baseball. I sure do respect him as a player, but at the same time I do feel he is a bit overrated. Sure, he has a ton of records and obviously he is a first-ballot hall of famer, but in relative terms to all the hype he is given, I think he has a tough time cracking the top 5 all-time QBs in NFL history (for the record, I think Joe Montana, Johnny Unitas, Dan Marino, John Elway and then a toss-up between Favre/Young/Brady/Manning/Staubach/Tarkenton/etc.).

Let's go through a quick time-line of Favre events, courtesy of one of my favorite writers Gene Wojciechowski:

January 20: Brett Favre throws an interception to end the Packers season
March 6: Favre conducts retirement news conference and cries throughout
April 3: Denies rumors of a comeback
April 4: Agent reportedly contacts teams to gauge trade interest
April 9: Says he might consider comeback if opportunity was presented
June 20: Favre tells coach Mike McCarthy he may want to play again
July 2: Favre says reports of return were "all rumor"
July 6: Sends text message to Packers GM Ted Thompson
July 8: Favre asks for release with understanding he won't be starter
July 11: Packers receive letter from Favre formally requesting release
July 16: Packers file tampering charges with NFL against Vikings
July 19: Returns to Lambeau Field to attend Packers Hall of Fame ceremony
July 25: Favre tells Packers he plans to report to training camp
July 29: Faxes reinstatement request to NFL
July 30: Meets with Packers president Mark Murphy in Mississippi
July 31: Favre offered $25 million to not report to camp
Aug. 3: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reinstates Favre, Favre flies to Green Bay


Aug. 4: Brett Favre meets with coach McCarthy for over 5 hours to discuss the circumstances
Aug 5: Favre and McCarthy meet again and Brett claims, "the best thing... is for us to part ways" / McCarthy says Favre is not in the proper mindset to lead the Packers

So where to go from here?

Well according to profootballtalk.com, there are some serious talks going on between the Green Bay Packers and the Tampa Bay Bucs about a possible trade that would send Favre to the Bucs. Favre is apparently also warming to the idea of playing for Tampa Bay, which would also mean that Jeff Garcia would have to test the free agent market. (According to http://www.savebrett.net/, they claim this deal is done?!)

So who is the villian in this situation? Good question because an argument can be made for both sides. Is it fair that Brett Favre has continuously yo-yo'd the Packers franchise, coaches, and players? Is it fair that Mike McCarthy would make Brett Favre have to compete with Aaron Rodgers in a QB competition?

The whole situation is weird and awkward when it comes down to it. Brett Favre did end last season as the team's #1 quarterback and did have his best season in a number of years.

Where do I stand on the subject? Well my goal to try and cherish the last season of Favre and the magical run the Packers had last season, has easily left my memory. I am SICK of the stories, rumors, and twists that all come along with this saga. You know there are 31 other teams in the NFL that are playing this season, right? Now never having retired from a professional sports league, it is hard for me to put myself in Favre's timberland boots, but for the sake of everyone after that emotional circus he put on last March, what caused him to change his mind?!

What if Brett comes back, stays with the Packers, and they go 1-3 in the team's first 4 games? The season is probably shot, the Pakcers will want to move on to Rodgers and the Favre situation will continue to surface. He could just easily be as good as last year, sure, but when it comes down to it, he is 39 years old!

So what should the Packers do? Release him? Nah, then he'll go to the Vikings naturally. Trade him? He only really wants to go to Minnesota, but has apparently warmed up to the idea of Tampa Bay. Other teams rumored have been Baltimore, New York Jets, and the Bears.

I do also feel sorry for Rodgers. Sure, no one knows if he can play, but how will anyone find out until he gets some playing time. Everyone is quick to say that Rodgers is no Favre. How do we know this? Yes, it is a pretty lofty goal, but what if Rodgers goes to 6 or 7 Pro Bowls and takes the Packers deep into the playoffs. Will anyone complain?

I have no clue what will happen with this Favre~Saga, but all that I ask is that it ends soon! For the sanity of every NFL fan, let's go Brett!

The real question is, what if Brett Favre is traded? What happens to the Madden 2009 cover?!

What do YOU think will happen with Favre? Comment below!

Manny Being Manny

In a hilarious Sportscenter commercial about ManRam, ESPN lets Manny BE Manny.



Hope You enjoyed that!

**By the way, did anyone notice the bottomline mentioned all Manny News??

Cleaning Up the Mess...

So it is Monday, and that means it is time to Clean all the leftovers aka the mess from the week that was...

NFL NEWS:

- The Carolina Panthers suspended WR Steve Smith for 2 Games because of his fight with CB Ken Lucas during Training Camp

- Denver Broncos WR Brandon Marshall was suspended for 3 Games because of the league's personal conduct policy

- Ocho Cinco returned to full practice for th Bengals

- Brett Favre was reinstated!! ( a post to come on that subject)

- Packers RB Ryan Grant signed a 4-Year $30 Million Dollar deal

- The Redskins defeated the Colts 30-16 in the 2008 Hall of Fame Game

- Art Monk and Darrell Green were among inductees into the '08 Class

NBA NEWS:

- Sixers Guard Lou Williams resigned with the Sixers for 5 years and $25 million

- Ex-Magic Guard Carlos Arroyo went European and signed with an Israeli team

- Mavericks forward Josh Howard was arrested in a drag racing incident

- Luol Deng signed a 6 Year, $72-80 Million Dollar deal

- Disgraced referee Tim Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months in prison

MLB NEWS:

- The Trade Deadline came and went, check out the previous "Trader Rater" posts for all that dirt

- The Yankees signed P Victor Zambrano to a minor league deal

- 3B Eric Chavez is out for the season

- P Tim Hudson is also probably out for the season

- The Red Sox offered a minor league contract to P Joe Borowski

- Prince Fielder and Manny Parra got into a scuffle in the dugout which prompted a tag team match at Summerslam -- Prince Fielder & Ken Lucas versus Manny Parra & Steve Smith

GRAB BAG NEWS:

- The Coaches Poll came out and the Georgie Bulldogs are ranked #1

- Rafa Nadal will become number 1 in the Tennis rankings in the upcoming weeks

- Big Brown won his race at the Haskell Invitational

- Carl Edwards won the Pocono 400

- Vijay Singh won the Bridgestone Invitational

- Brit Andy Murray won the Cincinnati Masters

Anything I missed??

Top 10: National Play by Play Announcers

One of the great baseball play by play announcers, Skip Caray, who was the announcer for the Atlanta Braves and son of Harry Caray, passed away yesterday. I figured the next installment of the Top 10 should be dedicated to the Top 10 Play by Play announcers on a national level.

First let me mention a couple of my favorite play by play announcers in baseball as some Honorable Mentions: Vin Scully (Dodgers), Harry Kalas (Phillies), and Bob Uecker (Brewers).

On with the countdown!...

10. Bob Costas --> NBC/HBO -- Olympics

09. John Miller --> ESPN -- Major League Baseball

08. Brad Nessler --> ESPN/ABC -- College Football, College Basketball

07. Mike Breen --> ESPN/ABC -- NBA

06. Brent Musberger --> ESPN/ABC -- College Football, NASCAR, NBA, Little League World Series

05. Marv Albert --> TNT/NFL Westwood Radio -- NBA, NFL

04. Joe Buck --> Fox -- MLB, NFL

03. Jim Nantz --> CBS -- The Masters, College Basketball, NFL

02. Mike Tirico --> ABC/ESPN -- The Masters, Monday Night Football, NBA

01. Al Michaels --> NBC -- NFL

Steve Nash & Baron Davis

I thought I would pass along this pretty entertaining video a buddy of mine pointed out on Youtube. It's a knock off of the new movie StepBrothers, but it features Steve Nash and Baron Davis instead of John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell.



Enjoy!

Trader Rater 3.0: TEX, PUDGE, MANRAM, AND JUNIOR!

Just when you thought the Trade Deadline was looking a little slow, BAM! MANRAM! One of my favorite players was moved right at the deadline and is now going Hollywood! Another one of my favorite players was also moved from Ohio to Illinois.

Even though the day as a whole did not produce much in the means of quantity, I think you have to look at the whole time period leading up to the Deadline and consider it a blockbuster transaction period, beginning with CC Sabathia.

First, let's just note the minor moves that took place:

- The Seattle Mariners traded RP Arthur Rhodes to the Florida Marlins for a prospect
- The Washington Nationals traded RP Jhonny Nunez to the New York Yankees for SS Alberto Gonzalez
- The New York Yankees traded LaTroy Hawkins to the Houston Astros for infielder Matt Cusik
- The Washington Nationales released C Paul Lo Duca and SS Felipe Lopez

- EDIT: The Minnesota Twins released SP Livan Hernandez and OF Craig Monroe, and recalled SP Francisco Liriano and 1B Randy Ruiz

Now on to the BIG Stuff....

The Atlanta Braves traded 1B Mark Teixeira to the Los Angeles Angels for 1B Casey Kotchman and P Steve Marek
This was definitely a deal that had to be done fo the Atlnta Braves and the Angels for that matter. The Braves got a solid young first basemen who will be under their control for the next few upcoming years and compliments their lineup well. Kotchman has some pop and will fit well with the Bravos. For the Angels I think it was an extreme necessity for them to add a bat. Teixeira will be a free agent after the season and I hope that the Angels plan on resigning him. But to slot him in front of Guerrero and Torii Hunter, that is a solid lineup to go with the best rotation in baseball. The Angels will have a lot of offseason issues to deal with, but you gotta love when a team puts it all on the line to win NOW.


The New York Yankees traded RP Kyle Farnsworth to the Detroit Tigers for C Ivan 'Pudge' Rodriguez
In a move that single-handily represents that the Yankees are back, they did exactly what they needed to do to win the division this year. Sure, Pudge doesn't have the power he use, but he can still hit for a solid .300 average and play a sturdy defense. Recently, the Yanks have obtained Pudge, Sexson, Marte, and Nady and were heavily rumored to go after Jarrod Washburn. Farnsworth has been better as of late and will help the end of the Tigers bullpen. I think this was a great deal for the Yanks to help replace Posada for the stretch run.


The Chicago White Sox traded P Nick Masset and infielder Danny Richar to the Cincinnati Reds for Ken Griffey Jr.
I love this deal for the fact that it puts Junior back in the pennant race in the American League. Other than that though, I am not quite sure how it will work out. Prior to the trade, Quentin was in LF, Swisher in CF, Dye in RF, Konerko at 1B, and Thome at DH. Where exactly does Junior fit in? There is talk that Swisher will move to 1B and Griffey will play in CF again. That leaves Konerko on the bench, who is their team leader and captain and was the key to the World Series win in 2005. Like I said, I am glad that Griffey is back playing meaningful games, but the whole idea of him back in Center is a question mark in itself.


3-Way Deal Special! The Los Angeles Dodgers received LF Manny Ramirez, The Boston Red Sox received LF Jason Bay, and the Pittsburgh Pirates received OF Branden Moss, P Craig Hansen, 3B Andy Laroche and another prospect
So ManRam (Manny Ramirez) does indeed get traded and it is to the Dodgers. Rumors were running wild that this 3 team trade would take place but involve Manny going to the Marlins instead of the Dodgers. The Red Sox were able to accomplish getting Manny out of the AL and to be able to get a very capable replacement in Jason Bay. Bay will be slotted right into where Manny was, Left Field and middle of the order and provide significantly less headaches. I am not really sure why the Pirates felt the need to deal Bay, they never seem to want to win and continue to be in rebuilding mode. They received some decent prospects in the deal who for the majority have Major League experience. Manny brings a BIG bat to the middle of the Dodger lineup and yet another Red Sox personality to the team who already have Derek Lowe and Nomar Garciaparra. ManRam will be in LF every game and that will mean that Andruw Jones, Juan Pierre, Andre Eithier, and Matt Kemp will fight for 2 spots in the remaining games. I think this was a great move for the Red Sox and Dodgers, but for the Pirates...not so much.


Don't forget deals can still be done through out August, players just have to clear waivers.

Ron Ron Gets Traded !!

On the day of the MLB Trade Deadline, I have to comment on the developments of the recently proposed trade in the NBA. The Houston Rockets will send Bobby Jackson, Donte Greene, and next year's #1 Pick to the Sacramento Kings for Ron Artest.

I think this is a tremendous trade for the Rockets because it gives them a dynamic BIG 3 grouping on the roster with McGradey, Yao, & Ron Ron. Not to mention role players like Luther Head, Shane Battier, Luis Scola, and Rafer Alston. The Kings are obviously in rebuilding room and will a significance cap space run in them come 2010. With Kevin Martin, Jason Thompson, Spencer Hawes, and Greene among others the Kings are looking to the future.

But things got interesting with Rockets Center Yao Ming caught wind of the deal. Yao was quoted as saying, "Hopefully, [Artest isn't] fighting anymore and going after a guy in the stands." Obviously in reference to the Pistons-Pacers brawl a few years back.

Ron Artest just recently responded by saying, ""I understand what Yao said, but I'm still ghetto," Artest said, according to the report. "That's not going to change. I'm never going to change my culture. Yao has played with a lot of black players, but I don't think he's ever played with a black player that really represents his culture as much as I represent my culture. Once Yao Ming gets to know me, he'll understand what I'm about."

The reason this deal is not official is because Greene was drafted this year and a deal can not be completed until mid-August.

Is it possible this deal can fall apart? If it does indeed go through, will the Rockets finally win a playoff series!?

Off the Wall: News & Notes

A few stories, I have found today that I thought were interesting to pass along.

**According to www.profootballtalk.com, ESPN Sunday NFL Countdown has yanked Emmitt Smith from the coverage squad and he will be replaced in studio by Cris Carter. The squad as of now will include Chris Berman, Mike Ditka, Cris Carter, Tom Jackson, Keyshawn Johnson, and Chris Mortenson. You can read the post here.

**A sporting news blog recently took a look at what it would like with Brett Favre playing for several other teams in a Madden Simulation.

**WNBA News!! The WNBA has received the first A-plus given in Richard Lapchick's annual diversity report card on race and gender.

**Disgraced ref Tim Donaghy has been sentenced to 15 months in prison today. More thoughts to follow on this one.

**Mark Schlabach of www.espn.com, wrote up an article of the top 10 most hated college football programs as of today. #1 is THEE Ohio State. Read the full list here.