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.

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?

Blogs Unite!

Mr. Joe Petro, our buddy who does a fine job disecting the world of music inside and out at Certain-Songs MusicBlog, has published my top 10 of tunes rocked at baseball stadiums across the country in one of his features, The Mixbook.

Joe put together all of the songs on the countdown into a playlist that can be downloaded right on the spot! He also takes a look at "Take me out to the Ballgame" and its 100th Birthday, with some videos of different renditions of the classic baseball stadium tune.

Do indeed check out the blog, which is loaded with cool features and daily posts on all the new music and basically anything music related!

Once again, Certain-Songs MusicBlog is the site. CHECK IT.

TOP 10: Baseball Stadium Tunes

With the recent 100th Anniversary of "Take me Out to the Ballgame" I figured it was time for another edition of the Top 10! This time I am going to take a look at the Top 10 songs played at baseball games.

Onward to the countdown!

10. Steam - "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" - Typically played after a pitcher is taken out of the game or a player/manager is ejected.

09. AC/DC - "Hells Bells" - One of the great entrance songs for closers, as made popular by Padres closer Trevor Hoffman. The San Diego fans know the end is near when AC/DC is cued up.

08. Zombie Nation - "OhOhOh (Remix) - This song is used more often in basketball arenas, but has began to gain popularity in all sorts of sporting events.

07. Village People - "YMCA" - Although tough admit by many, this song is one of the best between inning jams that gets the crowd pumped and everyone doing the motion to follow Y M C A.

06. Kool & The Gang - "Celebration" - What better way to celebrate your team's victory than to pump a little Kool & the Gang?

05. Queen - "We Will Rock You" - Although is not usually played in its entirety, the chorus is enough to get on the visiting team's nerves and attempt to either continute pouring on the runs or mount a comeback.

04. Metallica - "Enter Sandman" - Hands down the best entrance music for a closer, Mariano Rivera and Billy Wagner utilize this awesome song to essentially put the opponents to sleep.

03. Gary Glitter - "Rock & Roll Part 2" - For as long as I can remember, this song has been played at major league parks and can always be related to attending a ballgame. An extreme favorite of mine and many other I am sure.

02. Guns N Roses - "Welcome to the Jungle" - Need a rally or a comeback? The beginning portion of the song will surely get your team up and most importantly the fans pumped up.

01. "Take me out to the Ballgame" - As made famous by Harry Caray and many others, this 100 year old song is a staple to the 7th inning stretch and should around as long as baseball is.

Cleaning Up the Mess...

COME ONE, COME ALL, FEAR NOT Y'ALL... IT'S ONCE AGAIN TIME TO BECOME WOMEN AND MEN AND BUST OUT THE BROOMS!

Let's get on with the news and my favorite picture, the Cedric Benson mugshot!

NFL NEWS:

- Former SD Chargers safety Terrence Kiel was involved in a terrible car accident and passed away Friday evening.

- "Inside the NFL" will be moved to Showtime and will be hosted by James Brown, Phil Simms, and Cris Collinsworth

- Dan Patrick will join the ever-growing crowd on the NBC Football coverage and will accompany Keith Olberman, Bob Costas, Jerome Bettis, and Tiki Barber among more!

- Imprisoned Michael Vick has filed for bankruptcy protection

- And YES, Brett Favre may unretire again, and for some reason I can care less every time this is brought up.

MLB NEWS:

- All Star teams were indeed announced with Clint Hurdle and Terry Francona as the team's managers. You can find the all-star rosters here: http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2008/roster_team.jsp

- The Brewers were able to acquire CC Sabathia from the Indians for 4 prospects including stud Matt LaPorta

- The Final Vote contestants for the All-Star games are: Aaron Rowand, Corey Hart, David Wright, Carlos Lee, and Pat Burrell for the NL and Jason Giambi, Evan Longoria, Jermaine Dye, Brian Roberts, and Jose Guillen for the AL (in which you can use the widget in the upper right hand corner to vote with)

- Home Run Derby Participants so far: Chase Utley, Grady Sizemore, Josh Hamilton, Dan Uggla, Lance Berkman, and Vladimir Guerrero

NBA NEWS:

- The Seattle Sonics will be relocated to Oklahoma City

- Baron Davis will sign with the Clippers

- Antawn Jamison and Gilbert Arenas will return to the Wiz

- Chris Duhon will sign the Knicks

- Vinny Del Negro added some experience to the bench, adding Del Harris and Bernie Bickerstaff as assistants

GRAB BAG NEWS:

- Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer to win the 2008 Wimbledon in a classic

- The next Winter CLassic in the NHL will be at Wrigley Field next year and it will be between the Blackhawks and the Red Wings

Anything I missed?

Top 10: Recent Rivalries

After today's epic showdown between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, I decided it was time for another top 10 and a countdown of the Top 10 rivalries in sports in the recent years.

10. Philadelphia Flyers v. Pittsburgh Penguins ~ NHL - This instate rivalry has intensified lately with the NHL's unbalanced schedule and with having both teams being relatively young and talented, although this year's playoff series was not very competitive.

09. University of Southern California v. Notre Dame ~ College Football - This has been a relatively storied rivalry with the game pitting Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush versus Brady Quinn immediately coming to mind as an all-time classic.

08. Cleveland Cavaliers v. Washington Wizards ~ NBA - These teams seem to meet every year in the playoffs with the Cavs primarily getting the upper hand. After this year's fiasco with Soulja Boy, Deshawn Stevenson and Lebron James, these two will surely continue to battle.

07. Philadelphia Phillies v. New York Mets ~ MLB - Up until the past few season, these two teams never seemed to be good at the same time, but recently every game has been heavily contested and the crowds at these games are second to none.

06. Ohio State v. Michigan ~ College Football - This famous rivalry will always be intact and it seems like every year these two teams play on the final weekend of Big 10 football and it usually involves the conference title being on the line. It should be interesting how new coach Rich Rodriguez fits into the rivalry.

05. Chicago Cubs v. Chicago White Sox ~ MLB - This is one of the few situations in which interleague play has helped enhance this cross-town rivalry. These two teams have been involved in several potentially volatile situations, ejections, and brush-backs. With 6 games taking place every season and both teams on the up and up, it should be a very entertaining rivalry.

04. Duke v. North Carolina ~ College Basketball - Duke and UNC always put on a great show every year when they matchup and it is more often than not a matchup of two top-10 teams in college basketball. With the quick turnover of many players and programs in college hoops, UNC and Duke are always two constants.

03. Rafael Nadal v. Roger Federer ~ Tennis - Federer and Nadal have been ranked 1 and 2 for almost 3 years now, respectively. Head to Head Nadal leads 12 to 6 overall, and also leads 4 to 2 in Grand Slam Finals. After today's epic 5 set match in the Wimbledon's final, Nadal was finally able to defeat Federer on his own game on the grass. The next step is for Federer to take one from Nadal at the French Open.

02. Boston Red Sox v. New York Yankees ~ MLB - This rivalry pretty much speaks for itself with everything from epic playoff series to players switching sides in the rivalry. It's tough to imagine either one of the teams letting themselves slip out of contention and spoiling this rivalry.

01. New England Patriots v. Indianapolis Colts ~ NFL - In a matchup of two teams who seem to play at least once, if not twice annually even though they are not division rivals, these two teams always deliver. In the beginning the Pats owned the Colts, with recent history showing the Colts starting to even up the series a little bit. This also features the classic rivalry of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.

Honorable Mentions: Eagles v. Cowboys, Texas v. Kansas (MBB), Texas v. Oklahoma (CFB), Tiger Woods v. Phil Mickelson, San Antonio Spurs v. Phoenix Suns, Indiana Pacers v. Detroit Pistons.

Agree? Disagree? Do Comment Below.

All Star Starters Leaked

According to a report from the New York Post (in which the link has recently been removed), the All-Star starters have been leaked for the game at Yankee Stadium. Here is what is reported,

NL All-Star Starters:
C: Geovany Soto (Cubs)
1B: Lance Berkman (Astros)
2B: Chase Utley (Phillies)
SS: Hanley Ramirez (Marlins)
3B: Chipper Jones (Braves)
OF: Alfonso Soriano (Cubs)
OF: Kosuke Fukodome (Cubs)
OF: Ken Griffey Jr. (Reds)
SP: Brandon Webb (Diamondbacks)

EDIT: So the report wasnt entirely correct as Milwaukee Outfield Ryan Braun did surpass Griffey as starting outfielder.

AL All-Star Starters:
C: Joe Mauer (Twins)
1B: Kevin Youkilis (Red Sox)
2B: Dustin Pedroia (Red Sox)
SS: Derek Jeter (Yankees)
3B: Alex Rodriguez (Yankees)
OF: Manny Ramirez (Red Sox)
OF: Ichiro Suzuki (Mariners)
OF: Josh Hamilton (Rangers)
DH: David Ortiz (Red Sox)
SP: Cliff Lee (Indians)

Hopefully this report is valid and it will be able to confirmed at the TBS All-Star Game Selection Show today. I'm guessing that the DH for the NL will be Albert Pujols.

Who do you wanna see on the squads? The only players I disagree with as starters are Soriano, Griffey, and Pedroia. I know it is based on fan voting but hopefully the guys who deserve to be on the team find their way on the teams and not suffer from the we need at least one Royal or Pirate on the team rule.

CC Sabathia: Oh the places he'll (potentially) go...

Well it is July, so that means the baseball rumors start to heat up and everything from borderline bogus to so outrageous it just may work is given some thoughts in hopes and anticipation of improving the ballclub.


Every year there seems to be a big name or two who is rumored to go everywhere and anywhere depending on what newspapers and websites you check out from day to day. The big name in this year's deadline talks CC Sabathia of the Cleveland Indians.
Let's take a quick look at the possibilities of landing locations for the CY Young aka CC Sabathia.

Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays clearly have the talent to make the deal and have plenty of young prospects both in the minor leagues and at the big-league level. The rotation has a very solid young foundation right now with James Shields, Scott Kazmir, Matt Garza, and Andy Sonnastine, but adding Sabathia would round out a very tough to beat deep rotation. Do the Rays have the guts to pull it off? And would they actually sign CC long-term?

Boston Red Sox: When healthy, it's tough to argue the Red Sox would have a glaring need for Sabathia. Remember last Winter they toyed with the idea of going after Johan and eventually backed off. The Sox rotation of Beckett, Dice-K, Lester, Masterson,Wakefield and Colon/Bucholz lurking, is good enough to carry this squad.

Los Angeles Dodgers: The Dodgers are another team who always seem to have a lot of young talent, but never seem to make the big move on in-season trades. In a division that is basically there for the taking with no one over .500, it would be wise of them to add Sabathia to Derek Lowe, Hiroki Kuroda, Billingsly and the injured Brad Penny. Will the Dodgers make the move and trade some of their prospects a la Andy Laroche and Matt Kemp?

Milwaukee Brewers: Lately, the Brewers have been the team with the most about of publicity going for Sabathia. Offering top prospect Matt LaPorta among other talent seems to have caught Indians GM Mark Shapiro's eye. The Brewers have some interesting in-house pitching issues to deal with, such as free agent to be Ben Sheets. However, in a short a series I would like to have Sabathia-Sheets-Gallardo on my side.

Philadelphia Phillies: Probably the team that needs Sabathia the most. With the recent demotion on Opening Day starter Brett Myers to Triple-A, the Phillies need another staring pitcher in the worst way. Kyle Kendrick and Jamie Moyer have pitched pretty well for Philly, but a pairing of Sabathia and Cole Hamels would make opposing lineups cringe. The issue at hand here is, do the Phillies have enough prospects besides Carlos Carrasco that would interest the Tribe?

Chicago Cubs: At this point in the Sabathia sweepstakes game, it appears as though the Cubs will be a long shot to land this year's deadline prize. The word is, is that the Indians are looking for infield help most notably at third base and second base and the Cubs don't appear to have any prospects who will be able to help for another 2 to 3 years. What the Cubs do have is pitching talent in the upper minor league levels, but the Indians seem to be set with their staff.

If I had to predict as of today which team Sabathia will go, I would have to say the Brewers. They seem to have the talent to make the deal and GM Doug Melvin has a recent track record of making in-season deals.

Who do you think will trade for CC?

Interview with Tim Dierkes!

Tim Dierkes, the creator of one of my favorite websites to check routinely http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/, was good enough to answer a few questions for me and your viewing pleasure.

Eric: What should the Phillies do with Brett Myers? Should they look bullpen, trade, DFA, or keep him in Lehigh Valley?

Tim Dierkes: Keep him in the minors. They are fortunate that he accepted the assignment. With his velocity down I'd be hesitant to move him to the pen.

E: Who will be the next manager to be fired this season? Which managers are on the hot seat?

TD: It is not something I follow closely, to be honest. Cecil Cooper seems like the one remaining possibility to be dismissed.

E: Are we looking at a possible postseason without both the Mets and Yankees?

TD: It's definitely looking that way. Is that a bad thing?

E: You have bases loaded, bottom of the 9th, 7th game of the World Series and 2 outs, which current closer are you handing the ball to to seal the deal?

TD: I would go with Jonathan Papelbon. Need a guy with good control.

E: Which NL/AL combo has the best overall teams? Los Angeles (Dodgers, Angels), New York (Mets/Yankees), Chicago (Cubs/White Sox), or the Sunshine State (Rays/Marlins)?

TD: I have to take the Cubs/Sox on this one. I am a little biased, seeing both teams every day.

Good stuff by Tim as always.

I wanna know your answers to the questions. I'm gonna have to say K-Rod at the end of the game, the electricity he brings into a game to shut it down is simply stunning.

Do Comment Below, no need for an ID to do so.

And a HAPPY 4th of July!

The Great Debate: Interleague Play

Another debatable topic and another potential feature on the site, which would take a look at controversial topics from around the world of sports and lay out some of the pros and cons.





With Interleague play wrapping up this past weekend and another dominating performance by the American League, is it worth keeping interleague play around?

It is interesting to note that the AL went 149-102 against the NL, with only three National League teams having records over .500 (Mets, Braves, & Reds).

Pros:

- Increase attendance

- Geographical rivalries (New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago among others)

- Fans get to see players they may not otherwise ever have the opportunity to see

- Past World Series Rematches

Cons:

- AL teams have an advantage in terms of having an extra everyday bat in the lineup, whereas the NL is forced to use a utility hitter as their DH against AL teams

- AL pitchers can not hit

- Royals - Pirates matchups do not intrigue anyone!

- Schedules become unbalanced when Team X in the AL Central has to play 3 of the top 5 NL Teams, whereas Team Y in the AL Central plays the bottom half of the NL

- The World Series loses a bit of its mystique

Personally, I think Interleague Play should be put away for a good while. A lot of the matchups have been exhausted and if your favorite team is not playing in a city where there are two teams, you are forced to have an "un-natural" rival. Meanwhile, every year the Cardinals get to play the Royals, while the Dodgers and Angels are always knocking each other around a bit. Let the World Series restore some of its glory and let baseball get back to its historical and traditional roots.

Do you like interleague play? Should it be eliminated? Comment Below!!

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?