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??

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.