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?

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: 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.

The NFL: Thug?

A mere three years ago, the National Basketball Association was considered the hip hop sport where many of its athletes were considered thugs and many people lost interest in the NBA because of its image. Incidents such as the brawl at the palace between the Pacers and the Pistons, the character of Dennis Rodman, continuous rap albums released, and the antics of Allen Iverson helped give birth to this image of the NBA.

However, I would I like propose that the NFL has since taken over the throne as the sport and league in which athletes and criminals have become synonyms. Sure the NBA still has its issues, Carmelo receiving a DUI, Tim Donaghy, and still more Ron Artest. But ever since the NBA and David Stern instituted the dress code prior to the 2005 regular season, the Association was literally and figuratively attempted to clean up the league and has done a pretty good job doing so.

My proposal: The NFL is the new NBA (a la late 90's/early 2000's).

Sure, ever since Roger Goodell took over the commissioner position in the NFL he has imposed a tougher and harsher penalty on players and off the field issues, however I would argue that the amount of off the field antics has not decreased in the slightest. I recently found an article from an Atlanta based website, that lists 17 players in the NFL who have been arrested in the past year.

1. Cedric Benson - Chicago Bears (boating while intoxicated; resisting arrest)
2. Ahmad Brooks - Cincinnati Bengals (assault for punching woman in the face)
3. Charles Grant - New Orleans Saints (involuntary manslaughter)
4. James Harrison - Pittsburgh Steelers (simple assault, criminal mischief after domestic altercation with girlfriend)
5. Chris Henry - Cincinnati Bengals (misdemeanor assault, property damage for punching a teen in the face and breaking a car window with a beer bottle)
6. Adam "Pacman" Jones - Tennessee Titans (now with Dallas Cowboys) (speeding -- on the heels of multiple charges of assault and vandalism charges)
7. Kenyatta Jones - New England Patriots (now with AFL's Tampa Bay Storm) (battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest after urinating on the dance floor of a nightclub)
8. Nick Kaczur - New England Patriots (illegal purchase of OxyContin)
9. Kenton Keith - Indianapolis Colts (disorderly conduct, resisting law enforcement for refusing to leave a nightclub's parking lot)
10. Marshawn Lynch - Buffalo Bills (hit and run)
11. Bryant McKinnie - Minnesota Vikings (felony aggravated battery stemming from a bar fight)
12. Roscoe Parris - Buffalo Bills (DUI)
13. Lofa Tatupu - Seattle Seahawks (DUI)
14. Michael Vick - Atlanta Falcons (federal dogfighting, conspiracy charges)
15. Fabian Washington - Oakland Raiders (domestic battery)
16. Cedric Wilson - Pittsburgh Steelers (slapping his girlfriend)
17. Kenny Wright - Cleveland Browns (unlawful restraint, evading arrest, multiple charges of marijuana possession)

To add to this list ...

18. J.J. Arrington - Arizona Cardinals (disorderly conduct)

19. Ahmad Bradshaw - New York Giants (30-days in jail after probation violation)

20. Jevon Kearse - Tennessee Titans (DUI)

At least 20 different players arrested within the last year and that does not include multiple charges or Marvin Harrison and his whole fiasco! This is just ONE YEAR! It's ridiculous.

Do not get me wrong, the NBA still has its own bad boy image, but to be honest I am getting sick and tired of hearing about an NFL arrest every other day it seems like. Yes, it is a good move for Jerry Jones and the Cowboys to look after Pacman and basically assign him babysitters to make sure he stays out of trouble, the man obviously has a way of finding trouble and needs the help to stay out of it. But come on, Babysitters!? These are grown men, they should be able to police themselves a little bit and avoid situations that can get them in trouble with the law and the league.

What are your thoughts on the current state of the NFL and its image and the players continuing to pile of the trouble?

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

Here is part 3 of the series of players I would pay to see, ranging from 10 down to 1 in order. This particular post deals with National Football League players and this list was a bit difficult because of the quantity of players in the League.


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

10. Vince Young QB Tennessee Titans

09. Brian Westbrook RB Philadelphia Eagles

08. Devin Hester KR/WR Chicago Bears

07. Adrian Peterson RB Minnesota Vikings

06. Terrell Owens WR Dallas Cowboys

05. Tom Brady QB New England Patriots

04. Peyton Manning QB Indianapolis Colts

03. Randy Moss WR New England Patriots

02. Chad Johnon WR Cincinatti Bengals

01. LaDainian Tomlinson RB San Diego Chargers


I will admit that the NFL was very difficult to pin down in terms of athletes I would pay to see. Football is such a team sport that it is hard to really only watch one player. Interesting to note that no defensive player popped into my head when running down the teams and really I just picked from the Offensive "skill" positions.


What NFL players would you most want to see?

Comment Below.

NFL Draft Schedule Released Today !!

Ok, so the NFL is releasing the schedule today for the 2008 season...big deal? In previous years, No. This year, yes...why? Good question. In the ever growing overexposure of the NFL, ESPN is hosting a TWO HOUR SPECIAL this afternoon to reveal the schedule for every team in the NFL...1 by 1.

Personally, I feel it is a bit over the top broadcasting 4 days straight of the combine, but then again it is on NFL Network so people have to go out of their way to order that to watch it. But the NFL Schedule, Really!? Considering the fact that...

* 6 games every year are pre-determined by division rivals

*another 4 games are determined by your opposite conference rotation (for example, NFC East plays AFC North this year, AFC East last year)

* 3 other games are determined by what place you finish in, in the division (1st place in the NFC East plays 1st place from North, South, and West)

*The Final 3 games are a similar rotation system through your same conference.

So in the end you already know all 16 opponents! Why is it such a big deal to know when you play each opponent?

This is not necessarily anti-schedule release day post, but rather an overkill of the NFL. Why is it that NFL Live is the only specialized program that runs every day of the year and not Baseball Tonight or NBA Fast Break?

The NFL season is now becoming a 12 month a year season. It was fine when after the Super Bowl, you had maybe one big week of free agency, then the Draft, and then Training Camp in August.

It is also not really like you can predict all of the games for your favorite team considering the fact the Draft still has to take place and there are several other "Cut Days" left before the season begins.

Eh, I guess they need something to air on tv during the day.

...til next time

-E