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.

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.

Trader Rater 2.0

The trade deadline is only 5 days away and a couple more deals have recently gone down. Although nothing as significant as the CC Sabathia or Rich Harden deals, more often than not it is the role player type deals that help certain teams get over the hump.

The New York Yankees traded 4 prospects to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Damaso Marte and Xavier Nady. According to the reports and the sources, the Pirates got back prospects who do not have much a chance to be impact players in the big leagues. I am not quite sure why the Pirates would make this deal, as I am sure a team like the Mets or Phillies could have given them a little more. For the Yankees, this was a great move, they picked up a very good situational left handed reliever and a great outfield bat who could play a lot of LF down the stretch. With this move and the Richie Sexson resigning , I am getting a sense of the of the old Yanks.

The Cleveland Indians traded Casey Blake to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a prospect. The Indians are clearly in seller mode and have plenty of young talent they would like to see develop at the big league level. Casey Blake was one of the players that had been rumored to move the most this season and it was a solid pickup for the Dodgers. Blake has 11 home runs already and can play both 3B and the OF. For the Dodgers he will help replace Blake DeWitt and Andy LaRoche at 3B. This move basically signifies that the Dodgers will not be looking for a SS before the deadline.
(Casey Blake in his LA Debut)

It is one of my favorite times of the year and stay tuned for some more trader rater as the deadline approaches!

Top 10: Sports Moments & Games from the First Half of 2008

Well it has been a while since we rolled out a new version of the Top 10. Now I know this is a bit overdue, but I have compiled a list of the top sporting moments and games from the first half of the 2008 season. I will be sure to complete this list when the end of the calendar year rolls around.

So without further hesitation, let's get to the countdown!...

10. Ken Griffey Jr. hits his 600th career Home Run against the Florida Marlins

09. LSU defeated Ohio State in the BCS Championship Game to become the champion of college football.

08. Detroit Red Wings defeated the young guns of the Pittsburgh Penguins to become the Stanley Cup Champions

07. Fresno State in one of the greatest upsets in sports wins the College Baseball World Series

06. Brett Favre retires and cries during his press conference to assure everyone he is done for good...

05. Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon Final which could possibly signify a changing of the guard in the Tennis world

04. Tiger Woods defeated Rocco in a sudden death round of golf to win the 2008 US Open championship

03. Mario Chalmers hit a 3 to send the game into overtime as the Kansas Jayhawks defeated the Memphis Tigers to become college basketball champs

02. The Boston "Three" Party is able to reclaim basketball supremacy for at least a year in Beantown as the Celtics win the 2008 NBA Title.

01. The 18-0 New England Patriots were upset by the underdog New York Giants who won the 2008 Super Bowl in a game which could be symbolized by the catch of David Tyree

I'm Baaack

Well I was away for the past week on vacay in Mexico, enjoying the beautiful weather, relaxation, and activities so I do apologize for the lack of posts recently.

In a somewhat modified version of Cleaning Up the Mess... I am going to run through some of the bigger moves and newsworthy items with my 2 cents attached to each big story.






** The Philadelphia Phillies acquired SP Joe Blanton from the Oakland A's for 3 prospects -- I think this is a solid move for the Phils considering the ever disappearing act of the Starting Pitcher market. With Oswalt and Bedard hitting the DL and Harden and Sabathia already gone, Blanton seems like a reasonable acquisition for not a steep price.

**The Washington Redskins traded 2 picks to the Miami Dolphins for All-Pro DE Jason Taylor -- This was a huge move from the Redskins in what has been a relatively quiet offseason for the Redskins considering their standards. The Redskins did not give up that much considering what they get in return. A great move for the 'skins and a necessary one for the Dolphins.



** The New York Giants traded Jeremy Shockey to the New Orleans Saints for 2 Picks -- Well it seems like this trade has been rumored every since the NFL Draft, but it is a necessary one for both teams. Drew Brees gets another weapon in a good pass catching Tight End in Jeremy Shockey, while the Giants get rid of their headache.


** Paddy Harrington won the British Open for the 2nd year in a row -- Yes, I was pulling for Greg Norman to pull the upset.

** Josh Hamilton stole the show in New York at the 2008 Home Run Derby, but Justin Morneau was the winner at the showcase.

** A classic All-Star game took place this season with the AL winning at about 1:30 in the morning on Wednesday.

** Some Media notes to take care of:


- The ESPYs were last night and Justin Timberlake was very entertaining as the host


- Billy Packer will not be back at CBS for the upcoming College Basketball Season.


- Doug Collins and Mike Breen will anchor the coverage of the Olympics and the US Men's Hoops Team


- Bob Papa: The New York Giants radio voice has been officially named the new play-by-play man for NFL broadcasts on the NFL Network. Papa


Those were some of the bigger stories from the past week, and I will be sure to comment some more of some of the bigger stories that I missed from the past week!

Trader Rater 1.0

Baseball offseason is upon us and about a week ago I took a look at the contender in the CC Sabathia Sweepstakes. Well, we do have a winner and we also have another big name pitcher off the market as well.

The Milwaukee Brewers were the winners and the team able to land the reigning AL Cy Young. The Brewers gave up 4 top prospects and it centered around Double-A star Matt LaPorta. I had suggested that the Brewers were the most likely landing destination.

The following day, the Chicago Cubs made a splash that essentially came out of nowhere. The Cubs were able to grab Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin from the Oakland A's for a package of 4 decent minor leaguers, with some major league experience. I really do think that the Cubbies stole Harden from the A's, assuming he can make most of his starts this season.

So what does this do for the National League? Well it definitely puts the Brewers and Cubs as the top 2 squads in the NL. Before the Harden deal, the Brewers were definitely pushing the Cubs for NL supremacy. A top of the rotation of Ben Sheets and CC Sabathia could only be matched by a say Carlos Zambrano and Rich Harden top of the rotation.

The next question is, What are your moves Philadelphia Phillies, St.Louis Cardinals, Arizona Diamondback, and New York Mets to counter?

NBA Free Agency!!

Surprises and Mini-Rivalries brewing!!

When Baron Davis opted out of his contract with the Warriors, the NBA was stunned and it immediately changed the landscape of the upcoming offseason. Soon there after, Elton Brand and Corey Maggette both opted out from their contracts with the Los Angeles Clippers setting up a decent crop of free agents, while also adding a few players to the list of teams with cap space this Summer. The Grizzlies, Sixers, Warriors, and Clippers were all now geared up to be the major players in the offseason.

To recap, there have been 3 significant moves so far in free agency.

The Los Angeles Clippers signed PG Baron Davis to a 5 yr - $65 Mil

The Philadelphia 76ers signed PF Elton Brand to a 5 yr - $82 Mil

The Golden State Warriors signed SF Corey Maggette to a 5 yr - $50 Mil

Soon after Baron aka B Diddy opted out of his contract, the Clippers thought they had made a big enough splash to not only retain Maggette and Brand, but to also become an instant contender in the West. With a starting 5 of Baron, Maggette, Thorton, Brand, and Kaman, that is a pretty legit lineup. Soon thereafter Brand decided to sign with the 76ers.

Even with Brand leaving, I still like the move by the Clips and it shows that they are ready and willing to spend the big bucks. I do not entirely blame the Clippers for Brand leaving, I feel that was more on Elton and his agent. Baron Davis gives the Clippers the true point guard they need to run a fast break offense and also impose his will at any point during a game. He will instantly make Kaman better, and also youngsters Thorton and Eric Gordon.

As a Sixer fan however, I am absolutely elated to have Elton Brand coming to Philly. A lot of people in town are doubting him and calling him the next Chris Webber (a busted trade that did not sit well with fans), but Brand is the perfect fit for a team who was exposed in the playoffs for not having a lost-post presence who can score in quantities, um hello Elton Brand fits that description. The Brand signing will significantly help Dalembert develop even further and become a better player. Also, Andre Miller and Brand have played together before with the Clippers and that year Brand was an All-Star. I don't think this move will make the Sixers the East favorites this year, but assuming everyone stays healthy they should be a top 4 seed in next year's playoffs.

Understandably, Clipper coach Mike Dunleavy was a bit ticked off by the recent events of the Brand situation and sounded off with displeasure on 710 ESPN in LA with the Mason and Ireland Show. This interview can be heard at their website on July 10th.

What do you think of the moves and the Brand/LA/Baron situation?