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.)

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??

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.

Cleaning Up the Mess

It's that time of week again, let's get to the Mess!...

MLB NEWS:
- Philadelphia Phillies shipped SP Adam Eaton to the Minor Leagues

- The Dodgers acquired 3B/OF Casey Blake from the Cleveland Indians

- The Yankees acquired RP Damaso Marte and OF Xavier Nady from the Pirates for 4 Minor Leaguers

- RP Goose Gossage was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame

- The Indians acquired SP Anthony Reyes from the St. Louis Cardinals

- Manny Ramirez is about done with the Boston Red Sox

- Oakland A's reliever Brad Ziegler has thrown 27 consecutive scoreless innings to break a record that has stood since 1907

NFL NEWS:
- Ocho Cinco aka Chad Johnson arrived at Bengals Training Camp as expected

- Shawn Andrews has not appeared at Eagles camp just yet

- Devin Hester was rewarded with a 4 year 30 million dollar extension

- The Dallas Cowboys appear ready to cut WR Terry Glenn (UPDATE: Terry Glenn appears ready to sign with the Miami Dolphins)

- Rams RB Steven Jackson has been a no-show so far at team camp

- The Raiders cut RB LaMont Jordan, who later signed with the NE Patriots

NBA NEWS:
- The Golden State Warriors are keeping Andres Biendrins with a 6-Year deal

- Josh Childress signed a 4 year deal to play professional ball in Greece

- Forward James Posey signed with the New Orleans Hornets

- Hawks point guard Acie Law was named to the All-Revue team for the Rocky Mountain Revue summer league.

- The Clippers signed swingman Ricky Davis to 2-year deal

- Former #1 Pick Kwame Brown has signed with the Detroit Pistons

- The Sixers have signed PG Royal Ivey and G Kareem Rush

GRAB BAG NEWS:
- Rafael Nadal beat Nicolas Kiefer 6-3, 6-2 on Sunday to win the Rogers Cup, his fifth straight tournament victory.

- Matt D'Orazio threw seven touchdown passes and ran for another score to lead the Philadelphia Soul to their first ArenaBowl victory, beating defending AFL champion San Jose 59-56 on Sunday.

- Carlos Sastre has won the Tour de France in one of the closest finishes in the 105-year-old race. He is the third Spaniard in a row to win cycling's premier event.


Anything I missed....?

Trade Deadline Madness

As previously mentioned, the Trade Deadline in baseball will take place on Thursday, July 31, so let's take a look at some of the bigger names who are rumored to be out there on the market, and where they may land.

Mark Teixeira - Atlanta Braves - 1B
Teixeira has not been completely placed on the market according to the Braves, but with Florida, New York, and Philadelphia all in front of them in the standings it will be tough for the Braves to pass three teams. 6.5 games is still a doable deficit in the division but unless Atlanta plans on resigning him, why shouldn't they trade him? The three teams that come to mind right away are the Angels, Diamondbacks, and the Red Sox. I think the most logical choice would be the D'Backs. They have the pitching and the young talent to make the deal. In a weak West, the Diamondbacks need some pop in their lineup and Teixeira would be the ideal choice.

Adam Dunn & Ken Griffey Jr. - Cincinnati Reds - OF
In the annual rumors of Dunn and Griffey being moved to a contender, once again I think that neither of them will be moved anywhere. I did once believe that Junior would be moved to Seattle for a final farewell tour, but once the Mariners season went south, I do not see either outfielder being moved.

Greg Maddux - San Diego Padres - SP
Maddux is 3-8 this year with a 4.18 ERA, but still may be of some value to teams looking for a veteran Starter with Cy Young credentials! Maddux has been rumored to say that he would only accept a trade to a National League team, preferably on the West Coast. I am sure Mr. Maddux would have been ok with a trade to the Cubs, Braves, or Brewers (where his brother is pitching coach), however for one reason or another all of those teams do not necessarily need him. The only logical scenario I can see is that if the Dodgers feel the need to re-aquire Maddux.

Brian Fuentes - Colorado Rockies - RP
The most coveted reliever on the market has been rumored to multiple teams including the Marlins, Mets, Phillies, Cardinals, Red Sox, White Sox etc. etc. The Rockies current asking price may be to high, but I guess it all depends on what exactly the team who receives plans on doing with him. Some teams are looking for a closer, some are looking for a set-up guy, and others are just looking for another left-handed arm in the 'pen. Early word was that the Marlins would look at Fuentes, but may be balking at the asking price. The word now is that the Cardinals are the front-runners.

A.J. Burnett - Toronto Blue Jays - SP
Burnett is one of the most interesting names on the market, talk about a hit or miss player. At times Burnett looks like a dominating pitcher, but typically in his next start he gets lit up for 6 runs in 5 innings. Burnett also has the interesting contract situation. He can either opt-out after this season or stay in the contract for another 2 season. So the catch-22 is that if you land Burnett and he pitches well, he leaves, if he is awful than you are stuck for 2 more seasons. My guess is that no one takes a flier on Mr. Burnett.

George Sherrill - Baltimore Orioles - RP
Sherrill is the 2nd most popular reliever on the market behind Fuentes, who is having an All-Star season as a closer for the O's. The latest word is that the Orioles are intent on keeping him. My question is why? With Chris Ray on his way back, who did an excellent job as closer for the O's, why not trade Sherrill while his stock is very high? I predict that Sherrill does indeed get moved, but to where? Not quite sure...

Other names rumored to be moved, but not very likely at all are Roy Halladay, Matt Holliday, Roy Oswalt, and Erik Bedard.

Stay Tuned!

EDIT: Thanks to PJ, and I do apologize for not updating this faster. But in a report in the New York Post, Manny Ramirez' days with the BoSox appear to be over again. Manny has said that he would not object trade (Manny is a 10-5 player therefore giving him a no trade clause) to another team. The big rumor in the Post, was that the Phillies would be the ideal fit, because of the history Manager Charlie Manuel and ManRam have previously.

Cleaning Up the Mess...

A Day late, but not a dollar short. I do apologize for the day-delay on the Cleaning up the Mess segment for the week that was.

Enough of that, let's clean up the headline grabbers from the past week!

(And yes this is the unofficial logo of this specific feature)

NFL NEWS:

- Pittsburgh Steelers released running back Najeh Davenport

- Commish Goodell recently said that rookies are being paid to much!

- Tampa Bay RB Earnest Graham signed a 3 year extension and will indeed show up to training camp

NBA NEWS:

- Derrick Rose was the number 1 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft

- Raptors trade TJ Ford among others to the Pacers for Jermaine O'Neal among others

- The Nets swapped Richard Jefferson to the Bucks for Yi and Bobby Simmons

- The 2008 Olympic Roster was finalized and it includes Lebron, Kobe, and Carmelo among others

- Elton Brand and Baron Davis both became unrestricted free agents

MLB NEWS:

- Nationals closer Chad Cordero is out for the season

- Alex Rodriguez will not participate in the home run derby in his own park

- Brett Myers accepted a demotion to triple-A to work out the kinks

- The Hall of Fame will not accept the 756 HR ball from Barry Bonds

- Manny Ramirez (aka ManRam) shoved a traveling employee last week

GRAB BAG NEWS:

- Uga VI, the beloved University of Georgia mascot, has died from congestive heart failure at his home in Savannah

- The Washington Capitols signed Goalie Jose Theodore

- The Tampa Bay Lightning signed Ryan Malone to a 7-year deal

- Spain won the 2008 Euro Cup

Anything I missed?

Top 10: MLB Players I would pay to see...

So this is part 2 of the series of players I would pay to see, ranging from 10 down to 1 in order. This particular post deals with Major League Baseball players and I will admit it was a bit more difficult than the NBA list. Also, this list does not include any pitchers.


TOP 10 MLB PLAYERS I WOULD PAY THE PRICE OF ADMISSION FOR...

10. Albert Pujols 1B St. Louis Cardinals


09. Hanley Ramirez SS Florida Marlins


08. Jimmy Rollins SS Philadelphia Phillies


07. David Ortiz DH Boston Red Sox


06. Ichiro CF Seattle Mariners


05. Alex Rodriguez 3B New York Yankees (One of the all-time greats)


04. Vladimir Guerrero RF LA Angels (A personal favorite of mine)


03. Manny Ramirez LF Boston Red Sox (you never know what Manny will do)


02. Chase Utley 2B Philadelphia Phillies (yes a little hometown bias, but he is the best 2B in the game)


01. Ken Griffey Jr. RF Cincinnati Reds (it's hard to argue this one)


There you have it, the top 10 MLB players I would pay the price of admission to see no matter what players surround them on the diamond.

I would love to hear who is on your list of players you would pay to see. Do Comment Below.