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!

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.

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

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?

2 Weeks of Hype!

Well here it is, the two weeks of hype leading up to Super Bowl 42 on February 3 in Arizona between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots. The Giants defeated the Green Bay Packers in an overtime game in the -4 degree weather in which Brett Favre can be held accountable for the loss. Favre threw an ill-advised pass that was intercepted by Webster and gave the Giants favorable field possession to win the game. I had almost certainly been convinced the Packers were the team of destiny here and were going to win the game. With all the magic Brett Favre had all season long and with the two missed field goals by Tynes (not to mention GB winning the overtime coin toss) it seemed to be Green Bay's Year. Eli Manning definitely stepped up and has been playing some good football lately to bring the Giants back to life. Plaxico Burress single-handily ripped apart Al Harris all game and Ahmad Bradshaw came out of nowhere to play a big role for the G-men. Winning 10 road games in a row, it seems as though the Giants have earned their position in Super Bowl and are not exactly unfamiliar with the Patriots. I should also point out in a previous post I did not give the Giants a chance to win the NFC, I'm just saying...


As for the opponent for the Giants, it is some team that has not lost a game yet but recently has come back down to Earth with the Eagles, Ravens, Giants, Jags, and Chargers all giving them pretty good games, the Patriots. MVP Tom Brady has especially looked human-like in the game against the Chargers where he threw for 3 interceptions (side note: Cromartie is good). Laurence Maroney had one hell of a game rushing for over 120 yards and helping the Pats salvage a shakey passing game. Where has Randy Moss been lately? Wes Welker is looking like the number one option on most plays. I do give props to Philip Rivers for having surgery prior to the game and still giving all he had for San Diego in a gutsy performance. (A second side note: I hope the Dolphins noticed that Wes Welker and Chris Chambers had some pretty decent performances in this game). The whole LT thing really baffled me for the fact that he was able to start the game and was not on the injured list but was pulled after a series. It was reported that it was Norv Turner's decision and if this is indeed true, this just exemplifies another reason why he should not be a head coach.

Personally, Two week is WAY to much time between the conference championships and the Super Bowl. Now I know it all has to do with money, commercialization, and the media, but seriously if your team is not in the Super Bowl by Wednesday of the first week you can't even turn on Sportscenter for more than 3 minutes without hearing some back lifestory of the 3rd string Offensive lineman who walked on at some small college.

It did not even take a day before the first ridiculous storyline came out for this year's Super Bowl. I'm sure you all know that I am referring to the continuing coverage of Tom Brady and "BOOTGATE". (Incase you are living under a rock and haven't heard about this then peep this, http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid285859616/bclid294430730/bctid1386375873). It's really a shame when ESPN and all the media is stooping to this level and to treat Tom Brady like he is Britney Spears being carried away on a stretcher. Maybe I should just sit back and get a good laugh at all the ridiculous stories that come out during this two week period? By the way did you that Jerome Bettis is from Detroit?!

Also in response to the comment from the post on the NFC Conference Championship preview --
I did enjoy the matchup of Plax vs. AL-HA throughout the game with Burress doing some serious work. As a former Eagle, and not a very good one, I never understood the hype that Harris received for being so good because he got torched all game and it did end up being one of the key matchups of the game, although an uneven one in the end. Eli definitely had some really good performances these playoffs and once again it's a showdown between Brady and Manning (Eli). I am not to sure if the doubters will be silenced just yet for two reasons. (1) He plays in New York, just ask Randy Johnson, Jason Giambi, A-Rod, Tiki, Stephon Marbury, etc. etc. about the mental fatigue the city puts on you. No matter what he does it will most likely not be enough. (2) He is the younger brother of Peyton who has already won a super bowl now and been successful for years. Both Mannings will always be compared with each other especially in how they fare against Brady. If Eli pulls off the upset he will definitely have earned some of the doubters to be silenced, but who knows with New York. I guess you could say it's better that Eli is always under the microscope in NY because he could be Chad Pennington on the lowly Jets where no one really gives two hoots about them anymore. Appreciate the feedback (Don't forget to peep Certain Songs: a music blog <-- )

...til next time

-E

-don't forget to vote in the new poll

Australia-Bound!

Mates:

I will be taking out for Australia tomorrow until the 17th of January. Not to sure how much I will be able to "chime" im but I hope to give some thoughts on a cricket match or the tennis tourny taking place in Sydney if the opportunity is there.

I'm Just saying....

...Roger Clemens is a moron for the fact that all he has to do is deny he ever took "PEDs" or claim he only took them to recover from an injury. THERE IS NO PROOF EXCEPT HEAR-SAY!

...Johan Santana will not be traded to either New York team and I got a fever he will be headed to Boston.

...Eddie Sutton and the San Francisco hoops program is a joke. To let this guy come back as an interim coach for his 800th victory after having to retire because of a DUI is a bit odd and ridiculous.

...Tom Brady will most likely win MVP, but shouldn't Brett Favre be more deserving? A Brett Favre-less Packers team finishes 4-12.

...Mike McCarthy should win Coach of the Year. Before week 16 my vote would have gone to Romeo Crennel.

...the Tampa Bay Bucs have a legitimate shot at winning the NFC.

...the New York Giants do not.

...The Jacksonville Jaguars will be scary in the playoffs and Fred Taylor has found a second life.

...Donovan McNabb should be starting in Philadelphia next season, not Chicago, Minnesota or Miami.

...The NFL Pro Bowl is a joke and it's a joke Mario Williams, Marques Colston, and Fred Taylor did not make it and Marion Barber III did.

...Kevin Durant will be very good once he has a "NBA" body.

...The Bulls will get it together and make the playoffs.

...The Miami Heat are T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E and Shaq is cooked.

...NBA East All star starters should be Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnett, Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Jason Kidd

...NBA West All star starters should be Tim Duncan, Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, and Carmelo Anthony

...The Celtics are legit

...The Blazers have some good players.

....The suns and warriors are the most fun teams to watch in the NBA


Off to the Land Down Under...

...til next time

-E