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Jeremiah Masoli done for the 2010 season, the Ducks have issues, and new reports on Tiger's black friday

Sat, 13 Mar, 2010 02:36:24 GMT

Thought #1

Ever wonder how much two laptops and an old guitar cost? How about 5 grand, 12 months probation, 140 hours of community service, and, oh yeah, a year of your college career.

Well that's the price Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli will be paying for going Captain Sticky Fingers on a frat house. Jeremiah pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary for his part in the theft of a pair of laptops and guitar.

Now I get it, the thrill of stealing things got to you. I mean I saw Ocean's Eleven. You get some cool disguises, start running some witty dialog, and come up with some ridiculously brilliant scheme. It's fail proof and awesome! Only you didn't come up with some great scheme to steal diamonds or rob a casino, you just jacked a few undergrads Macs and a guitar, obliviously had no disguise, and I'm seriously doubting you said a darn thing that was slightly witty.

Listen Jeremiah, you are....were the starting quarterback for one of the top teams in the Pac-10. Your face is plastered all over ESPN, and even more so all over the entire campus of Oregon. You can't just run around lifting some random frat boy's toys. For the record, robbing millions from evil casino owners is cool. Jacking computers and musical instruments from frats is stupid and lame, which makes it double stupid.

Thought 1a.

And by the way, what is going on in with you guys in Eugene? The same day Jeremiah is in court his teammate LaMichael James is in there pleading guilty to misdemeanor assault. Are you guys trying to one up each other? At this rate the Eugene courthouse might as well go ahead and put in a team room for you guys.

Come on Oregon, you aren't some division three bottom feeder, you were a legit title contender last season. Grow up and quit acting like this is some National Lampoons' college football comedy and realize you are costing your school it's chance to become one of the big boys on the national stage.

Thought #2

Just as reports begin to surface about a potential Tiger Woods come back, which by the way has the golf world drooling profusely, new information about the night of his "accident" surface.

New reports from that night have come up saying that the emergency crew that responded to the event refused to let Tiger's wife, Elin, ride in the ambulance with him because they feared it was a domestic violence case.

Now Tiger has come out and stated that Elin has never hit him, which Lord knows took mad restraint, but apparently things appeared quite different that night. They have also reported that Tiger had taken some level of pain killers earlier that day.

So let's think about this. Tiger's wife finds out he's been cheating, he gets in some ridiculous wreck in his own driveway, and then doesn't make a public appearance for months after. Hmm, is that enough time for a few stitches and a black eye to heal? Yep.

Bottom line is that something bizarre happened that night and Tiger is keeping his lips sealed about it, which makes it all the worse. As much as he would like it, this isn't going away until dude comes out and has a real press conference, ditches the script, and answers some real questions. It is long overdue, but really it is the only way this will ever die down.

Yankees Position Battles Update (3/11/10)

Fri, 12 Mar, 2010 02:27:01 GMT

Today's Yankees game against the Braves has been rained out, so this is a perfect time to take an updated look at the position battles this spring. The pitching continues to be a big focus as Joba Chamberlain has struggled in his two appearances so far. Nick Johnson has come back from a brief injury and is performing well. As is Curtis Granderson. See their battle and the others.

Stats as of 3/11/10, 8:00 pm

5th Starter

	W	L	ERA	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	HBP	K
Joba Chamberlain	0	0	27.00	3.2	8	11	1	6	0	2
Phil Hughes	0	1	3.86	4.2	4	2	2	1	0	2
Chad Gaudin	0	1	6.75	4	4	3	2	1	0	3
Sergio Mitre	0	0	0.00	5	2	0	0	1	0	4
Alfredo Aceves	1	0	0.00	6	0	0	0	0	0	4

Bullpen

	W	L	ERA	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	HBP	K
Chad Gaudin	0	1	6.75	0	4	4	3	2	1	0	3
Sergio Mitre	0	0	0.00	0	5	2	0	0	1	0	4
Alfredo Aceves	1	0	0.00	0	6	0	0	0	0	0	4
Chan Ho Park
Jonathan Albaladejo	0	0	47.25	0	1.1	12	7	1	1	1	0
Boone Logan	0	1	3.86	0	4.2	2	2	0	1	0	3
Mark Melancon	0	0	0.00	0	2.2	2	0	0	0	0	3
David Robertson	0	0	10.80	0	1.2	3	2	0	2	0	1

Backup Infielder

	AB	R	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	OBP	SLG	AVG
Juan Miranda	16	1	0	2	0	4	0	.250	.375	.250
Ramiro Pena	13	2	1	2	1	3	1	.286	.462	.231
Kevin Russo	11	3	0	1	3	1	0	.500	.545	.364
Eduardo Nunez	14	4	0	2	0	3	2	.357	.500	.357
Brandon Laird	12	1	0	0	0	1	0	.417	.500	.417

Outfielder

	AB	R	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	OBP	SLG	AVG
Brett Gardner	14	2	0	1	2	0	0	.250	.143	.143
Randy Winn	9	2	0	0	1	4	0	.200	.111	.111
Jamie Hoffmann	16	1	0	0	0	1	0	.125	.188	.125
Marcus Thames	12	0	0	0	0	4	0	.154	.083	.083

#2 Hitter in Lineup

	AB	R	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	OBP	SLG	AVG
Curtis Granderson	15	1	0	1	3	3	0	.333	.333	.200
Nick Johnson	8	3	2	3	2	1	0	.500	1.250	.375

Roethlisberger used the word "intercourse" with police, Milton Bradley thinks hate was racial, and The Back Porch podcast!

Fri, 12 Mar, 2010 01:20:30 GMT

Thought #1

One of my goals in life is to never have to use the word "intercourse" when talking to the police. I figure if I'm ever caught in a situation where that has to be uttered to some officer of law enforcement at some level things have gone horribly wrong. So far, goal achieved. It's too bad for Ben Roethlisberger and Steeler fans that he can't say the same.

This week it was reported that the Steelers' QB did in fact talk to the police the evening he was accused of sexual misconduct. He denied having sex with the 20-year-old, but did admit they had "contact." It was added that it was not, "consummated."

Is it just me, or is this possibly the absolute last conversation you ever want to have with a cop? Heck I don't even comfortably use the word intercourse with my friends, much less consummated. It just seems awkward. Are we to really believe after a night out at the bars, Ben used those terms to describe what happened between him and this girl? Really? You're telling me a guy out celebrating his birthday suddenly got a thesaurus deep vocab about a 10 minutes relationship he had in a bar bathroom? Dude has been kicking back brews all night and suddenly he's talking like a English grad student. Yeah, not sure I'm buying this one. Then again, not sure I'm buying that a girl would go through all the trouble of spending the evening in a hospital and consistently being harassed by her classmates just for a long shot at scoring some coin.

Thought #2

Milton Bradley has come out and claimed the he never felt comfortable in Chicago because the fans were racist. He said he felt like a prisoner in his home, rarely going out, and that people only respected African American players who were great, such as Andre Dawson and Ernie Banks.

So let me get this straight. You didn't go out much, didn't make yourself available to the fan base and afford yourself the chance to build some relationships meanwhile batting .257 and managing 12 home runs, but they didn't like you because of your race? Riiiiight. Pretty sure you just killed your own argument there Milton. Yeah Chicago fans don't dig African Americans who are underachieving and over payed, just like they don't dig Irish Americans, Native Americans, Latin Americans, or any combo of the above who play halfhearted baseball and leave the bat on their shoulder when they get in the box. Check yourself Milton, it wasn't your race that earned you haters, it was your attitude.

Why read when you can listen? The Back Porch podcast!

March Madness Teaser: #3 Syracuse Loses to #22 Georgetown

Thu, 11 Mar, 2010 09:35:19 GMT

Right about now most people including myself are getting into their "bracketology" mind frame in order to prepare for the greatest time of the year, MARCH MADNESS. When it is tourney time all bets are off, or should I say all bets are ON. Everyone is looking for the cinderella team that could take their bracket to the finals and help them emerge victorious in their office pools or give them year long bragging rights over their weak minded friends.

This is not a cinderella team report instead it is a potential pretender alert. This afternoon #3 Syracuse suffered two devastating blows in the Big East Tournament. First they lost to #22 Georgetown by a final score of 91 -84. Secondly, and much worse of the two, Syracuse may have lost starting center Arinze Onuaku for the entire NCAA Tournament to a knee injury. The injury looked pretty minor, however, Onuaka could be seen writhing in pain for quite some time.

Even with this potential loss, Syracuse could still be named a #1 seed at the start of the NCAA Tourney next Thursday. If this were the case, look out for a quick exit by Syracuse due to a lack of depth as they used a 7 man rotation before the injury and could be dead men walking if they are reduced to a 6 man rotation. But isn't this what college basketball is all about; the entire season is for show but the tournament is for the dough!

Strasburg Again? Yep, Another Update

Thu, 11 Mar, 2010 01:04:50 GMT

As the baseball world watches Stephen Strasburg pitch in Spring Training, and the fans wait to see him on the National's roster, Washington's GM Mike Rizzo is taking his own notes. Only Rizzo is not going to use said notes, as they seem to be meaningless to him. Rizzo says he is "sticking to his plan" with Strasburg, and will not rush the phenom to the Bigs. Rizzo has not made his plans clear to anyone outside of the Nats' circle, but he has a history of "protecting" his prospects and not forcing them up the ladder before they are ready.

What Rizzo fails to see is that Strasburg is ready. Right now. The Nats will not be contenders this season, however, so it only makes business sense to keep dude in AAA to start the season and protect the front office, not Strasburg, by keeping him from becoming a Super Two. Man up, Rizzo, and tell the truth and let your plan be known by the masses. I'm not saying Rizzo has lied about anything, ever. I'm merely saying I want him to tell me the plan so I can tell you, the loyal non-existent reader of The Fantasy Pitch. I am not going to be giving daily updates on Strasburg going forward. If something actually happens, you will read about it here. Until then, we will turn our eyes in other directions.

New Era to sponsor Pinstripe Bowl

Wed, 10 Mar, 2010 06:17:27 GMT

The Yankees have announced the official name for the college football bowl game that will be played at Yankee Stadium this year. New Era Cap Company, Inc has signed a four year deal to be the title sponsor for the game that will be known as the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. A combination of the company and the famous pinstripes the Yankees wear on their home uniforms.

The game has been scheduled for December 30, 2010 at Yankee Stadium. ESPN will televise the contest between the Big East #3 team and the Big 12 # 6 team. ESPN Radio has also secured rights to the game.

While the game is being played on December 30th, both teams will arrive in New York City on December 27th and stay in Manhattan. The Big East team will stay at the Grand Hyatt while the Big 12 participant will stay at the Sheraton New York.

New Era Cap Company will have exclusive headwear licensing rights and non-exclusive apparel licensing rights on merchandise relating to the game.

A variety of events, promotions, and special offers will take place throughout New York City in hopes of making the bowl game experience unforgettable for fans and families of the participating teams.

What better place for a bowl game party then New York City during the Holiday season.

Strasburg Makes His Debut

Wed, 10 Mar, 2010 06:02:28 GMT

First of all, everyone needs to keep things in perspective right now. It is Spring Training, and a lot of deceiving stats are going to be floating around. You have to really look into a box score to get a feel for a game, unless you were fortunate enough to watch it. For someone like Stephen Strasburg, however, the stats are going to be much more accurate. Dude faced the top of the Tigers' lineup, and threw two scoreless frames. He failed to throw a single fastball under 96 MPH, and only threw first pitch strikes to a mere two of the eight batters he faced.

Strasburg gave up two hits, both with two outs in the second inning. He responded well, not giving up a single run in his two frames of work. He struck out two, and his other four outs were all induced by ground balls. Not too shabby of a Spring Training debut.

We will continue to monitor Strasburg and update his roster status has March goes on. Right now, I am starting to think the Nats may choose to keep him in AAA to start the year, and call him up in June. This comes from comments about them "doing what is best for the club", not the season. Fiscally speaking, it is certainly in the Nats' best interest to keep dude from becoming a Super Two player, unless they are going to just go ahead and lock him up for the next five years like Tampa Bay did with Longoria, or Milwaukee did with Braun.

Chiefs Sign Thomas Jones, Create NFL's Best Running Back Tandem For 2010

Wed, 10 Mar, 2010 01:42:39 GMT

Back in 1993, then Chiefs General Manager Carl Peterson signed a highly productive running back whose former team thought he was washed up at 33 years of age. That running back was former Oakland Raider great Marcus Allen.

Allen was brought in to take 26 year-old running back Harvey Williams under his wing, and provide the team some insurance should Williams falter in the running game. It wasn't long before Allen replaced the ineffective Williams, he went on to provide the Chiefs with five solid seasons.

The signing of Thomas Jones by the Chiefs current GM Scott Pioli bears a remarkable resemblance to the signing of Allen 17 years ago.

Jones, at 31, is younger than Allen was when he came to the Chiefs. He has also rushed for more yards in his ten pro seasons before coming to the Chiefs (9,217), than Allen rushed for in his eleven seasons as a Raider (8,545).

However, unlike the situation Allen found himself in with an unproven back like Williams to compete with, Jones joins a backfield with the up-and-coming Jamaal Charles.

Charles, at just 23, is much better after two pro seasons than Williams was at any point in his career. With 1,477 rushing yards in 257 attempts, Charles is averaging 5.7 yards per rush, and should not be in any jeopardy of losing his starting job anytime soon.

So why did Pioli bring Mr. Jones to Kansas City?

After all, it's not often that you see a running back who gained 1,402 yards the previous season signing a deal to be a backup.

In short, Pioli is bringing Jones to Kansas City to share the load with Charles.

While Charles is fully expected to be the Chiefs starter at running back this season, Coach Todd Haley and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis won't be asking Charles to break Larry Johnson's record for rushes (416) anytime soon.

Charles should get a bulk of the carries, and Jones should be expected to spell him as needed.

What's more, in addition to being the Chiefs leading rusher last season, Charles was a vital piece of the Chiefs passing game as well. No other running back on the Chiefs roster last season, provided the Chiefs the same receiving threat out of the backfield when Charles needed a breather.

The signing of Jones gives the Chiefs another back who is also an excellent receiver out of the backfield, preventing opposing defenses from scheming differently based solely on which back the Chiefs have in their backfield.

At the end of the day, Jones will also serve as an insurance policy if Charles can't make it through the entire season as the club's starter.

Even if Charles stays healthy, and there's no reason to think he won't, Jones should get plenty of carries and provide the Chiefs with what is possibly the best running back tandem in the NFL in 2010.

Tomlinson might make the Vikings a fantasy team, Carl Edwards gets a smack on the wrist, and Jim Sorgi holds another Manning's playbook

Wed, 10 Mar, 2010 01:14:52 GMT

Thought #1

The 2010 Minnesota Vikings may very well look like my 2008 fantasy football team. Reportedly LaDainian Tomlinson will visit the Vikes Thursday with the possibility of replacing former back up running back Chester Taylor on the table. Taylor, who signed with the Bears recently as put of their opening day spending spree, left some decent sized shoes to fill in Minnesota but if this works out there is no doubt LT's feet might very well burst the seems out of those puppies though.

Could their possibility be a more dream scenario for Vikings fans? Now granted 2010 LT isn't the same as 2006 LT, but he's made it no secret that he is ok with playing the mentor role. Could he possibly teach Peterson the elusive art of holding onto the rock? Maybe even convince him to upgrade his wardrobe to include that tinted visor? You know that thing adds something to the "holy crap what's he going to do next," mindset.

Can you imagine being a defense against that combo? "Whew, AD's finally taking a breather, now all we have to worry about is getting lit up by a completely rested LT." The Vikings would honestly be one Andre Johnson and the Jets defense away from a legitimate contender in the major of fantasy leagues around the country. And if this does go down, Brett is going to have a heck of a hard time choosing football in that field with his dog over playing with these two.

Thought #2

Carl Edwards was officially put on 3 weeks probation today by NASCAR for his intentional wrecking of Brad Keselowski and his unintentional attempted homicide of Brad and endangerment thousands of fans.

Now I will say, I'm a fan of the whole rubbing is racing philosophy, but NASCAR has got to decide what they really want here. If you are going to come out and say you want the fellas to settle things on the track, don't come out when something goes horribly wrong and act surprised. And worse than that, don't come out and offer up some ridiculous fake punishment. Probation? Really? What does that even mean? "Ok Mr. Edwards, for 3 weeks no almost killing other drivers and fans on the track. You just watch yourself buddy or you'll be on double secret probation come that forth week." Yeah, this about as effective as a kid's punishment being to have a "conference" with the principal at school after being caught smoking in the Boy's room. Sure, after that in depth chat he won't do it again, that is until he swipes another pack of his non-filters and a hall pass.

The bottom line is that NASCAR has be losing fans and was hoping a little beating and banging would increase the increase of the casual viewer. Let's make this clear, they aren't upset for what Edwards did, it was exactly what they wanted, they are just upset of the outcome. If that car doesn't go airborne, then this goes down as just another little rivalry they can try to build up during the pre-race show. Now that things got a little more serious, sure they are apologetic, but secertly you know they are digging the fact that people are talking about stock car racing on a random Tuesday in March.

Thought #3

Congratulations Jim Sorgi, you've gotten a new gig. No longer to have to spend your Sundays wearing an ugly hat and carrying around for Peyton Manning, you can now wear an ugly hat and carry one for Eli. Sorgi just got signed by the New York Giants, where he will compete for the role of clip board holder #1. Now on one hand you think, man dude can't get a break, but on the other you think, sweet pay check and he'll still have the ability to walk when he's 50. Let's face it, back up QB might be one of the best jobs ever. Decent pay check, free travel, free team gear, and no need to take that awkward post game shower. Just walk off the field, ask the coach where the clean jerseys go, and head to the post game buffet. Sure you'd like to play someday, but at the same time you look at the guy on crutches beside you, struggling to get his blood stained pads off and think, "hmm, maybe I'm good."

Football Follies: Terrell Owens To Join Ochocinco, Signing With Bengals

Tue, 9 Mar, 2010 11:46:08 GMT

If you believe what NFL players post on Twitter, then in a matter of hours, Terrell Owens will be a Cincinnati Bengal.

Late this afternoon, Owens replied to a tweet by the Bengals Chad Ochocinco, all but saying he was on his way to Cincinnati to sign a contract with the Bengals.

As far as how "conversations" go on Twitter, here's how it went down between Ocho and T.O.:

OGOchoCinco@terrellowens hey where you at? You sign on that dotted line yet
terrellowens@OGOchoCinco i'm on the plane!

So what's this mean for Bengals fans? It means that Carson Palmer has the best 1-2 receiving combination that he's had since T.J. Houshmandzadeh left for Seattle after the 2008 season.

It also means that the Bengals will have the two most-overhyped badboys (in perception only) amongst wide receivers in the league. And quite honestly, that should be good for the Bengals.

Both receivers are huge competitors, and should only make each other better as they compete for passes from Palmer. They also respect each other immensely and are friends off the field, which should negate any finger pointing that may have gone on in past years for either player.

It's a dream combination for Bengals fans, and it looks like that dream will likely come true in the next few hours.

Let the media circus and celebratory antics begin!

New York Mets Position Battles Update (3/9/10)

Tue, 9 Mar, 2010 01:47:52 GMT

The New York Mets as a team are off to a good start in spring training, with a 6-2 record. While many players like David Wright, Johan Santana, and Jason Bay know their roles are are simply preparing for the season, there are others in position battles. Some trying to make the roster as bench players and others fitting for a spot in the starting lineup. Let's take a look at the latest update on how these players are performing.

Stats updated as of 3/9/2010, 8am ET

1st Base

	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	OBP	SLG	AVG
Daniel Murphy	12	2	1	0	1	2	1	0	.200	.083	.083
Fernando Tatis	8	1	1	0	1	0	1	0	.125	.250	.125
Mike Jacobs	6	2	1	1	1	3	1	0	.444	.667	.167
Ike Davis	17	5	10	1	8	2	3	0	.632	.941	.588

Centerfield (While Beltran is rehabbing)

	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	OBP	SLG	AVG
Angel Pagan	12	3	4	0	1	2	1	2	.429	.417	.333
Gary Matthews Jr	10	5	3	1	1	3	3	0	.462	.700	.300
Fernando Martinez	17	6	10	2	5	0	1	0	.556	1.176	.588

5th Starter

	W	L	ERA	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	HBP	K
Jon Niese	0	0	3.38	2.2	3	1	0	2	0	5
Fernando Nieve	0	0	3.00	3	3	1	0	2	0	2

Bullpen

	W	L	ERA	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	HBP	K
Nelson Figueroa	1	0	0.00	0	6	3	0	0	3	0	8
Fernando Nieve	0	0	3.00	0	3	3	1	0	2	0	2
Pat Misch	0	0	0.00	1	6	4	0	0	2	0	3
Eddie Kunz	0	0	27.00	0	1.1	2	4	0	3	0	0
Ken Takahashi	1	0	0.00	0	3	1	0	0	0	0	6
Tobi Stoner	1	0	3.86	0	2.1	1	1	1	0	1	1
R.A. Dickey	0	0	9.00	0	5	9	5	0	3	0	2

Bench Players

	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	OBP	SLG	AVG
Frank Catalanotto	5	2	1	0	2	1	0	0	.333	.600	.200
Fernando Martinez	17	6	10	2	5	0	1	0	.556	1.176	.588
Nick Evans	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	.500	.000	.000
Jason Pridie	12	3	3	0	4	1	5	0	.308	.417	.250
Chris Carter	5	2	3	2	4	0	0	0	.600	1.800	.600
Mike Jacobs	6	2	1	1	1	3	1	0	.444	.667	.167
Jolbert Cabrera	5	1	0	0	0	1	2	0	.286	.000	.000

So, Mets fan, what do you think so far? Who should get roster spots? Do you think I left a player out, let me know and I will look into them.

The Situation - Stephen Strasburg

Wed, 10 Mar, 2010 12:48:21 GMT

The other day we discussed Jason Heyward, and his chances to make the Braves' opening day roster. An update to that would simply state that dude is still mashing, and actually hit his first homer yesterday. His chances of making the roster are looking better and better, probably about 85% at this point. How do I come up with 85%? That would be via the Mike Bohn Gut Algorithm.

Today we look at Stephen Strasburg, however, who makes his Spring Training debut for the Nationals later today. Strasburg will be facing the Tigers, and likely only go for two innings. The entire baseball world will be watching, so updates on the game should be extremely easy to come by.

Strasburg jumped onto the scene last year while he was playing for Tony Gwynn's San Diego State baseball team. Dude was a killer on the mound, and he first hit my old blog, thesportsidiot.com, almost a year ago. Now that he will pitching in game situations, we will do our best to update you on his chances to make the opening day roster, as well as where you should slot him in your fantasy draft. Make no mistake, Strasburg will have an impact on this season, but like Heyward it is only a matter of when it will start.

Allen Iverson, drinking and gambling his way into the life of a hobo and the Spurs are hurt yet again

Tue, 9 Mar, 2010 11:57:58 GMT

Thought #1

It's pretty clear that the career of Allen Iverson is snowballing out of control right now. Recently all ties between AI and the 76ers were cut following reports of him being out at night club while on leave from the team to attend to his sick daughter. Today ESPN has reported that several sources claim Allen is facing some serious alcohol and gambling problems.

Not exactly what hope to hear from a guy watching his career come to a stumbling hault. You know when you hear about guys losing their jobs typically you hope they pick up the pieces, maybe find pleasure in some related field, or just kind of slide out of the limelight gracefully. Turning to the bottle and slot machines for comfort is not exactly the most positive alternative. In fact, the combination of boozing and decision making with large amounts of money, rarely seems to work out well as a successful coping mechanism.

This is just the latest problem Allen is facing, along with his wife filing for divorce and full custody of their children, and of course his fading career. With this recent addition "The Answer" is moving dangerously close to Dennis Rodman sketchy ex-athlete territory. You know, the place where a player is known far more for their off the court misgivings, than their on the court brilliance. Think about it, what's Rodman known best for? That's right, rocking a wedding dress and creeping out little kids, not his amazing rebounding ability. If Iverson isn't careful and turn this thing around, his amazing NBA career will very likely be overshadowed by the image of hobo AI, throwing back Old Crow whiskey and shooting dice in an alley with ashy Larry.

Thought #2

Tell me if you've heard this before; The San Antonio Spurs will be without one of their stars for a while. Sound familiar? Sound like every season for about the past 6 years? It should. The Spurs learned today that they will be without guard Tony Parker for six weeks following breaking his right hand.

Are the Spurs ever healthy? They remind me of that kid in elementary school who had no immune system. That kid would miss about 75 days of school a year, and the days he was there, he stayed in the nurse's office half of the day. He was allergic to gluten, all forms of nuts, milk, eggs, sugar, tap water, and air. Anytime your class had a party, that kids mom had to truck in some special soy bean crackers for him to nibble while the rest of you slammed cupcakes. And you know you didn't want to be within 10 feet of that kid and his massive supply of hand sanitizer. I swear that kid's mom bathed him in that stuff and he still couldn't make it to Halloween before having the swine flu twice.

The Spurs are the NBA's version of the sick kid. They are always hurting in some way, and right when you think they're turning the corner, bam, Tony goes down with a hand, Duncan turns an ankle, or Manu gets attacked by a bat. The good news is, being the sick kid, you get used to dealing with it, seeing it coming, and cope a little better than most. All that experience missing school and watching the Price is Right has taught the Spurs how to stay in contention through their illnesses.

Rutgers Men's Basketball Players Win Awards. No, Seriously

Mon, 8 Mar, 2010 05:52:19 GMT

Another losing season for the Rutgers University Men's Basketball team. Fans have been calling for coach Fred Hill Jr. to be fired.

However, it's not all bad news for the Scarlet Knights. A pair of players have received end of year awards this year. Freshman Dane Miller was one of two unanimous selections to this years Big East All-Rookie Team. This is the second year in a row a Rutgers player has been named to the All-Rookie team.

Miller, a forward for Rutgers, averaged 11.9 points per game this season. He also averaged 6.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 2.6 assists, and 1.2 blocks in league games.

The lone senior on Rutgers roster also received an honor this weekend. Hamady Ndiaye was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year. The 7 foot tall center who came to Rutgers from Senegal is currently third in the country in total blocks and blocks per game.

Ndiaye needs just five more blocks to become Rutgers all-time leader in that category. He has the ability to change games on the defensive side of the ball. The senior has become so good defensively that the potential for him to play professional basketball has grown immensely of late.

Congratulations to these two Rutgers Scarlet Knight men's basketball players on their recent honors.

Sanity has returned to Redskin Park

Mon, 8 Mar, 2010 05:39:23 GMT

Jim Turner

turnersportsdesk.com

March 8, 2010

If one required tangible evidence that the days of the free spending free agency days of the Redskins are gone look no further than your closest news outlet. Turns out the Redskins never even contacted Julius Pepper's agent despite all kinds of reports that they were first in line for his services. Bruce Allen targeted two veteran tackles, Chad Clifton, Tony Pashos and both chose to seek life elsewhere. Pashos even chose Cleveland of all places.

Thus far the Redskins have concentrated on resigning their own guys but they managed to bring in free agent Guard Artis Hicks. Times are changing and as a seasoned Redskin fan boring is great. How many times during the Dan Snyder era have we watched as the Redskins jump the free agent market only to lay an egg during the season. Redskin Coach, Mike Shanahan spent his year off analyzing team structures and operations. Maybe he noticed that the two most successful teams this decade (Colts/Pats) spend more time and energy drafting the right guys for their system. Those teams also keep their players which means more consistency.

So for my fellow Redskins fans that want to sign every big name that flashes across the screen I have a phrase for you...been there failed that. Now is the time for an emphasis on building the foundation of a winning franchise. It is time for some non-famous players/coaches to step up and bring this franchise back into prominence.

Guest Bloggers debate Joba vs Hughes

Sun, 7 Mar, 2010 06:26:51 GMT

The battle for the 5th starting spot on the Yankees is up for grabs this spring. While in all reality there are about five players in contention, many believe it will come down to either Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes, with the "loser" moving to the bullpen.

I asked a couple friends of Double G Sports to guest blog and give their side of the battle. Daniel Moroz is the blog host at Camden Crazies. Being an Oriole fan, Daniel knows the Yankees well as they are a division rival of his favorite team. He has taken the pro-Joba role for this blog. Jason Wuerfel from Five Tool Prospects is the pro-Hughes role. Jason has obviously followed both Joba Chamberalin and Phil Hughes as they have developed. His blog covers many of the top prospects in the game of baseball.

Both of these bloggers have great baseball minds and their blogs are a fun place to visit and read. Joba vs Hughes, Camden Crazies vs Five Tool Prospects.

Daniel Moroz, Camden Crazies - Joba Chamberlain

With the majority of the Yankees' 2010 rotation set - CC Sabathia, Javier Vazquez, AJ Burnett, and Andy Pettitte - there remains one spot open and two good young pitchers in the mix for it; Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes. Both Yanks have seen time both as starters and as relievers, whether that be due to team need, effectiveness, or an effort to limit innings. To begin this upcoming season, I think that Joba should take the 5th starter spot, with Hughes working out of the pen (though preferably still getting a fair amount of innings) - and here's why:

(1) Joba was used almost exclusively as a starter last season - totaling 31 starts and pitching 157.1 innings - and so he would be in a much better position to handle the workload of being a full-time starter, compared to Hughes (7 starts out of 51 games, and 86 IP).

(2) Joba's role has been jerked around more, and so leaving him in the rotation would provide him some extra stability and allow him to focus more on his pitching.

(3) Small sample sizes, but Hughes has excelled out of the pen more - relatively speaking - than Joba has. Phil has a 5.22 career ERA as a starter, with a 1.9 strike-out to walk ratio and about a 4.43 FIP, compared to a 1.40 ERA as a reliever, with 5.0 strike-out to walk ratio and about a 1.93 FIP. Joba, meanwhile, has a slightly better record as a starter (4.18 ERA, 2.0 K/BB, 4.17 FIP), and a slightly worse one as a reliever (1.50 ERA, 4.0 K/BB, 2.00 FIP). Therefore if we were to assume that these rates would persist, then it would make sense to use the resources most efficiently (Joba as a starter, Hughes as a reliever).

All that said, I think that there is very little chance that the Yankees can get through 2010 with only five starters, and so Hughes should be making an appearance in the rotation at some point. Long-term, the best thing for New York is to have both guys starting, since they should both be above average there - and an above average starter is more valuable than even a shutdown reliever.

Jason Wuerfel, Five Tool Prospects - Phil Hughes

Hughes the Man - Joba Should go to the Pen in 2010

The New York Yankees have more money than they know what to do with - if you walked into their locker room, closed your eyes, spun around and pointed your finger, you'd have a 40% chance of landing on a $9+ million dollar salary.

However, in 2010, the Steinbrenner family via GM Brian Cashman pulled some money back from the large pile usually set aside for free agents, opting to fill their holes with "bargin" players in trades for 4th starter Javier Vasquez and center fielder Curtis Granderson, and downgrading at DH from Hideki Matsui ($13mm) to Nick Johnson ($5.5mm) and in left field from Johnny Damon ($13mm) to Randy Winn ($2mm).

In order to fills the holes left by the Yankees recent (relative) stinginess, they face the decision of continuing to run with either Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain as their 5th starter, both of whom have been effective relievers with spotty records as big league starters. Hughes, who was hampered by injuries in his first two Major League seasons, finally looks ready to be a productive starter for the Yanks and return Joba to where he belongs - the bullpen.

The New York Yankees drafted starting pitcher Joba Chamberlain in the 1st round out of the University of Nebraska in 2006, where he had a rather average junior year as a starting pitcher relative to his high draft status - 6-5, 3.98 ERA, 89 innings in 14 starts, with 102 K and 34 BB. He signed late that summer and didn't appear in a game in the Yankees farm system until the beginning of 2007. He was in the express lane in the minors from the first time he toed the rubber, finding himself in triple-A by the end of July.

Then, with the big club having a need for a set-up guy to Mariano Rivera, the Yanks wanted to get a look at Joba out of the pen. Chamberlain threw one inning on July 30th, striking out all three batters he faced, hopped back to double-A for one more inning on August 1st, striking out two of three, then back to triple-A for a two-inning stretch on August 4th, striking out five of six. His minor league bullpen totals - three appearances, four innings, one hit, 12 batters faced, 10 strikeouts. His fastball was touching 100 mph and his slider was off the charts. He got his big league call-up and continued his dominance out of the pen, going 2-0 with a 0.38 ERA in 19 appearances and 24 innings, allowing just 12 hits and six walks while striking out 34.

Hughes, on the other hand, was a 1st round draft pick in 2004 out of Foothill High School in Santa Ana, California , and had been groomed professionally for 3+ seasons before getting the call in 2007. Hughes has career minor league totals of 330 innings in 65 appearances, 62 starts, racking up a 31-8 record, 2.37 ERA, and 367 strikeouts against 80 walks. In 2007, at just 21 years old, Hughes had a respectable 5-3 record in 13 big leagues starts, throwing 72.2 innings with a 4.46 ERA. He struck out 58 versus 29 walks and allowed just 64 hits.

In 2008, with Hughes injured, Ian Kennedy getting torched, and Chien-Ming Wang going down for the season, the Yankees were having difficulty getting the ball to Joba and Mariano at the end of games. That was when the decision was handed down the Joba would gradually be stretched out from starter to reliever, often throwing additional game-speed bullpen sessions after getting removed form the game. If Yankees had a time machine, there is no doubt he'd go back to 2008 and stop themselves from making the mid-season decision to stretch out Joba Chamberlain from a reliever to a starter. The result of his decision is clear - they took one of the most dominant set-up men in the game, who appeared just few years of grooming away for seamlessly taking over for Mariano Rivera, to a slightly above average 4th or 5th starter without the minor league innings to be able to handle the full-season workload at the Major League level. Consequently, Chamberlain spent time on the disabled list in 2008 and came back back with reduced zip on his fastball and explosiveness on his slider, both of which continued to flatted out in 2009. The evidence is in Joba's K/9, which has sunk from 12.8 in his relief-exclusive late-season call-up in 2007, to 10.6 in 2008 where he had 12 starts amongst 42 appearances, and all the way down to a suburban 7.6 in 2009. With his stuff waning, Joba has picked at the corners more as a starter, too, watching his BB/9 rise from 2.3, 3.5, to 4.3 over the same time period.

Like Chamberlain, Hughes benefited from a move to the bullpen in 2009 after getting fully healthy from previous injuries and developing his slider into a more effective cutter to go with his curveball. Hughes' cutter is his biggest advantage over Chamberlain for the 5th spot in the 2010 Yankees rotation, because he gives him a pitch to get lefties out, which is vitally important at the new Yankee Stadium (.253 against lefties in 2009 vs. .336 against lefties in 2008). Word out of Yankees camp is that Hughes is continuing to develop his change-up, but he has barely used it his entire career, only throwing 6.3% and 5.3% as a starter in 2007 and 2008 and reduced that number to 0.6% as a reliever.

Chamberlain, on the other hand, continues to be primarily a two-pitch pitcher despite his move to the starting rotation. In 2009, when he worked exclusively as a starter, he only threw his change-up 4.7% of the time and his curveball 9.2% of the time, leaving the bulk of his work up to the fastball/slider combo that made him so effective out of the pen in 2007. Comparatively, teammate CC Sabathia, who has arguably a better fastball than Chamberlain as a starter, throws his change-up 18.2% of the time. The change-up and/or cutter, as Hughes has adapted, is vital in the arsenal of a starting pitcher because it helps get opposite-handed hitters out. Starting pitchers who throw two pitches 85-90% of the time just don't last very long in the big leagues.

My guess is that Cashman and manager Joe Girardi are gun shy to flip-flop the roles of Hughes and Chamberlain again and risk messing with what came of their success in 2009. However, Chamberlain clearly lacks the durability and conditioning to continue as a starting pitcher. He is a power pitcher with a power slider and the type of presence and mental mindset necessary for a set-up man and/or closer. Let's not forget that Mariano will eventually need to be replaced and Phil Hughes doesn't have the same kind of fire that we saw out of Joba in 2007.

The answer is clear - Hughes has a more fitting arsenal of pitches for the starting rotation and Joba has a better physical and mental make-up as the current set-up man and future closer of the Yankees. There shouldn't even be an argument that despite Hughes' young age at the time of his MLB debut and his recent injuries, he has more experience and better success as a professional starting pitcher than Chamberlain, who was rushed through the minors in just 18 appearances, 15 of which were starts. The only reason, and I mean only reason, that Hughes won't end up in the rotation in 2010 is because the Yankees don't want to draw the media scrutiny of reversing their previous decisions.

Overview

I would like to thank both Jason and Daniel for their contributions to this blog. I encourage everyone to visit them and see just know knowledgeable they are of the sport. So, the question is, who do you think should be the Yankees 5th starter?

Thomas Jones To Visit Chiefs Monday

Sun, 7 Mar, 2010 02:59:49 GMT

Running Back Thomas Jones remains a free agent after the New York Jets released him on Monday. According to NFL.com, the Chiefs are one of the teams interested in Jones and is scheduled to meet with the Chiefs on Monday.

Should the Chiefs sign Jones, it would solidify the ground game by giving the Chiefs two 1,000+ yard backs. Jones would join Jamaal Charles who had a breakout season last year with 1,120 yards rushing with 8 TD's while only starting 10 games.

It's still unknown if Charles small frame could withstand the punishment of being the primary ball-carrier for an entire season. However, adding Jones could give the Charles the needed rest and inevitably make him a more dangerous back in 2010.

The Contract Year Theory

Wed, 10 Mar, 2010 12:50:48 GMT

It is no secret that players seem to play better when they are in a contract year. The list of players in contract years this season is tremendous. It will be easy to track these guys, and see if the contract year theory carries weight this time around. Of the top 100 batters according to Bloomberg Sports, here are some of the names that jump out at me:

Prince Fielder is coming off a monster 2009 campaign that saw him belt 46 homers, drive in 141 runs, cross the plate 103 times himself, and post an OPS of 1.014. Oh yeah, big boy also played in all 162 games and has averaged 159 games per season over the past four years. CHONE has him ranked as the second best offensive player on the board, so when the guy before you takes a flier on Ryan Howard and his steadily declining OPS, pull the trigger on Fielder if you are targeting a one bagger with your first pick and you are drafting second or later.

Jayson Werth is also coming off of a monster year, his first season as a full-time player. Werth had a great year both in the real world, and the fantasy one. He almost cracked triple digits in both runs and rbis, and put up 36 bombs and 20 stolen bases. He has already stated that he plans on testing free agency after this season, and while Citizen's Bank Park is not the bandbox it is perceived to be, the Phillies lineup is every bit as good as advertised. Werth could certainly put up better numbers this year than last, so make sure you have him highlighted on draft day.

Carlos Pena is another great one bagger to target. He will not hit for average as well as Fielder will, nor will he come close to the rbi total of Fielder. Pena will break the century mark in rbis, though, and is a 40 homer threat. So while Pena is no where near as good of an option as some of the first tier one baggers (tiers are coming, I promise), if the contract year theory is in effect he could put up numbers similar to Adrian Gonzalez, who also happens to be in a contract year.

Julio Borbon is one of my favorite sleeper targets this draft. If you want to compete in your league, you have to at least be respectable in all categories. That includes stolen bases, and Borbon could break out as a 50 bag threat. Keeping in mind that the contract year theory requires us to be optimistic, Borbon will also hit close to .310 while crossing the plate about 90 times. While his power numbers will leave a lot to be desired, his help to your average, runs and stolen bases will make you happy that you passed on Brad Hawpe (another contract year guy).

Paul Konerko is another interesting first baseman on the list. Last year dude did what he always does, matching his career .277 batting average and hitting for an OPS of .842 (just one thousandth off of his career .843). While his homer run totals have gone down, he still is no slouch. Dude had 28 in 2009, and could dial in and go for 35 this season.

These are just a few of the many contract year targets this fantasy baseball season. While I'm not endorsing all of these players as guys to necessarily target, they are all guys who should be on your radar and selected if the value is there. Of course guys like Fielder will not make it out of the first round anyway, but will you pass on Howard and take him if given the chance?

Roethlisberger accused of sexual assault yet again, The Bears go Redskins on the market, and NCAA tourny thoughts

Sun, 7 Mar, 2010 01:58:25 GMT

Thought #1

With children one thing is for certain; if you let a kid get away with something once, the odds of them doing it again shoot throw the roof. Think about it. Kid steals a cookie before dinner, you let it slide, be darned sure that kid will be pounding 3 or 4 more before the meal and then refusing to eat the tuna helper you whipped up. Let a kid get away with playing hooky from school and suddenly that kid is on Web MD and claiming he has the last known case of the black plague.

Turns out NFL players and kids have a lot in common and Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback Ben Roethlisberger may have just proven this theory correct yet again. Big Ben, fresh off one case of sexually assault accusations in Lake Tahoe, is under investigation for similar actions in Georgia following a night of barhopping with his boys.

Now granted nothing has been even close to proven, in fact Ben has not even be charged, but you have to think that when you consistently are seeing smoke, eventually you are going to find a fire. Ben may or may not be guilty of the assault, but he is guilty of making some poor decisions. When you are a multi million dollar and extremely well known QB, hanging out at bars with sketchy chicks until the wee hours of the night is probably a bad idea. In fact, that's kind of like mixing up a batch of vinegar and baking soda and then hoping that old home made volcano doesn't take off on you. Come on Ben, I know you got off untouched in the last situation, but dude, learn from your mistakes. If you want to pick up some ladies try a Barnes and Noble or a Starbucks or even the mall. When is the last time you heard someone get accused of sexual assault buying a venti cup of joe and an overpriced muffin? Exactly, doesn't happen. Better decisions equal less accusations Ben.

Thought #2

Did the Chicago Bears just become this year's Washington Redskins? As the free agency season kicked off yesterday, the Bears looked like an old lady at a K-mart going out of business sale, rushing down the aisles, snagging as many cans of discount pinto beans and bottles of oil of olay as possible.

The Bears hit the market hard yesterday, scooping up Julius Peppers, Chester Taylor, and Brandon Manumaleuna. On one hand its hard to blame the Bears for diving in head first being that they don't have a draft pick this year until round three. On the other hand, they pushed a lot of their chips in last year when they made moves to get Jay Cutler and with this recent round of betting they've moved to the point of playing on the casino's credit. This is going to go one of two ways for Chicago. They are either going to make out like bandits, grinding it out and punching the rest of the NFC North in the mouth, or they are going to get blown up on the scoreboard by their opponents, not be able to keep up, and realize Peppers and Taylor have reached their ceiling already, having no where to go but down. Since they are still lacking a decent threat at wideout and Jay Cutler has looked painful at best, my money will be on the latter.

Thought #3

Big day for plenty of college hoops teams and of course much of the talk surrounds who is in the dance and who will get left out. Of course anytime this conversation takes place the idea of expanding the tournament comes up. What an awful thought.

Do you remember the 50 yard dash on field day in elementary school? Remember how there were really only about 3 or 4 kids who could compete to win, but yet they let nearly have the school run and get that plastic participation ribbon? Yeah, that's what some people want the NCAA tournament to become. Everybody's in, everyone's a winner, and everyone get a juice box and pack of goldfish at the end of the day. Bad idea.

It's like the girl who says every guy she dates is special. Listen chick, you tell yourself whatever you need to so that you sleep better at night, but the bottom line is if every dude you're with is "special" non of them are really special. If everyone is a winner, no one is a winner.

More is not always the answer. Let's be honest, if you aren't one of the best 64 teams, why do you deserve to play anywhere in March?

Redskins miss out on Clifton

Sat, 6 Mar, 2010 05:42:26 GMT

Jim Turner

turnersportsdesk.com

March 6, 2010

ESPN reports that Chad Clifton resisted the Redskins and will resign with the Green Bay Packers. Meanwhile the Redskins continue their pursuit of veteran right tackle Tony Pashos. Pashos was with the 49ers this past season and has history with Redskins Offensive Line Coach Chris Foester.

Clifton was the left tackle on a Green Bay offensive line that gave up a ton of sacks so maybe his resigning with the Pack is not such a bad thing. Minus Clifton the Redskins will either continue their pursuit of a veteran left tackle or draft one. According to the depth chart the Skins have Levi Jones and Stephon Heyer. Obviously Shanahan believes an upgrade is needed.

What does this mean in terms of draft strategy?

It is obvious the Redskins are doing everything they can to get a veteran line in place prior to the draft. Many believe they are drafting a QB but with the tender to Campbell they may be setting themselves up to be in a position to draft the best player available. According to the Scouts Inc. big board the highest rated QB is Sam Bradford who grades out at 95 and he is the 9th best player in the draft. The next best QB is Jimmy Clausen who grades out at 88 which puts him in the early second round.

The Rams are rumored to have serious interest in Bradford so the Redskins must face the possibility that their prized QB could be gone by the time they are on the clock. If Bradford is indeed gone they would be insane to pick Clausen at 4 and pay him starter money when they can get him or Colt McCoy in the second round and save millions. If the Redskins do not fill the left tackle position by the draft they will likely take the highest rated left tackle Anthony Davis.

So even though Clifton decided to stay with the Packers the Redskins still find themselves in pretty good shape if they can land Pashos. Looks like the Skins have a plan and for the first time in many years it is a solid one.

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Jake Delhomme Gets "Blindsided" With Tears

Sat, 6 Mar, 2010 03:32:25 GMT

On a day when most NFL players were getting over-valued contracts, Jake Delhomme was getting the 'pink' slip.

Delhomme formerly of the Carolina Panthers was released even with $12.5 million in guaranteed money coming his way.

There were a few reasons for the release. The main reason was because he is a few years past his prime and now the Panthers believe they have a quarterback ready to take the reigns from Delhomme in Matt Moore.

Another reason for his release was because of the fact that there was no salary cap hit when dumping a large contract this year. Without a collective bargaining agreement in place, teams can dump contracts without being monetarily penalized.

Delhomme, 35-years old was a few years past his prime and just came off his worst season as a NFL starter. He ended the season with 8 TD's and 18 interceptions.

As Delhomme stated, he was "blind-sided" by the release. However, what was most surprising was how he cried so publicly over his release.

It's one thing to be emotional over leaving your home over the past 7 seasons, but it's another thing to break down in front of the people who just told you that we won't be needing your services anymore.

I mean really....whatever happened to "Never let them see you hurting"?

Giants add to secondary by signing Antrel Rolle

Sat, 6 Mar, 2010 02:45:56 GMT

The New York Giants secondary was a major problem last season due to injuries. The safety position was a spot of need this offseason and the team got their man. Antrel Rolle visited yesterday and left with a new deal, a big one.

Rolle signed a five year deal worth $37 million with $15 million guaranteed. It's one of the top deals ever for a safety. The $15 million in guaranteed money is behind only Bob Sanders, Adrian Wilson, and Troy Polamalu. Those are some big names.

The Cardinals drafted Rolle eight overall in the 2005 draft as a cornerback and had been on the team since then. He was converted to safety before the 2008 season. Last season Rolle had four interceptions and was named as an alternate on the NFC Pro Bowl roster.

The Giants had also been in talks with other free agent safeties but they were all back up plans in case the Rolle deal did not work out. Darren Sharper was the main back up plan, with Antoine Bethea and Oshiomogho also on their radar. In the end, they got the guy they wanted, Antrel Rolle.

The addition of Rolle gives the Giants a pair of athletic safeties to roam the field. Kenny Phillips is currently rehabbing from microfracture surgery but is expected to be back next season. Giants fans will be happy if they do not have to hear the names Michael Johnson and C.C. Brown as starting safeties.

The Situation - Jason Heyward

Sat, 6 Mar, 2010 02:22:07 GMT

Apparently there is a show called Jersy Shore, and on this show there is someone named or called "The situation". I have no clue who he is, or what he is about. What I do know is that a lot of fantasy baseball players are wondering what to do wth Jason Heyward. Well, the situtation breaks down like this, Jason Heyward is going to be an impact player this fantasy season. The question is when will that begin?

With Heyward mashing in Spring Training to a .375 average in his eight at-bats. Here is a breakdown of Heyward's stats so far:

Date	ab	h	AVG	so	bb	r
2-Mar	1	1	1.000	0	2	0
3-Mar	2	1	0.666	0	1	1
4-Mar	2	0	0.400	0	0	0
5-Mar	3	1	0.375	0	0	1
Totals	8	3	0.375	0	3	2

rbi	hr	sb	cs	e	2b	HBP
0	0	1	0	0	0	0
1	0	0	0	0	1	0
0	0	0	0	0	0	1
1	0	1	1	0	0	0
2	0	2	1	0	1	1

One thing that pops out is the fact that dude has drawn three walks, and been hit by a pitch. That puts his OBP at .583 over the course of his four Spring Training appearances. Heyward is also showing that he can lay off the curve, and has yet to strike out.

Sure, he has not sent a ball over the left fied wall yet. No worries, it will not be long before he dials a heater into the parking lot. The fact that he is not swinging for the fences is another thing that has to impress Bobby Cox. Oh, and he has not made any errors so far, but I could not find any data on how many chances he has had so that may not be telling us anything. It's worth pointing out, in the least.

So what should you do with Heyward? I hope to own him, myself. He is currently being drafted the 49th outfielder off the board in ESPN leagues, being drafted in the 18th round on average for 10 team leagues, and 15th round for 12 squad ones. However, his stock has soared this week, as his ownership has gone up 16 points to 96%.

Over at Yahoo, however, dude is only owned in 54% of all leagues as I type this. I think the ESPN numbers are more telling right now, and that the Yahoo ones will begin to go up as well. Of course, this depends on whether or not Heyward can keep swinging the lumber like he has shown so far. If he can keep his average up all Spring, the Braves will be hard pressed to keep dude in Gwinnett.

There is the Super Two factor, however. If the Braves call Heyward up before June 1st, he can acrue enough playing time to become a Super Two player. This basically means he would be eligible for arbitration four times rather then the standard three. If Heyward is as good as hyped, the Braves will have no choice but to bite the financial bullet on this one, right? I mean, they did what was in the season's best interest last year by keeping Tommy Hanson in AAA until June, right? Right...

Jets Develop No Fly Zone, acquire Antonio Cromartie

Fri, 5 Mar, 2010 01:39:45 GMT

Any NFL fan can tell you that Jets had one of the best shut down corners in the league last year in Darrelle Revis. Now, by adding another top corner, the New York Jets may just have the best cornerback duo in the NFL.

Free Agency begins today but the Jets made a trade to improve their already top defense. New York is sending a third round pick in 2011 to the San Diego Chargers for Antonio Cromartie.

Cromartie gives the Jets a pair of corners that have elite speed and coverage ability. Plus, they are both just 25 years old.

He does come with some baggage however. Cromartie brings off-field issues with him. Maybe a change of scenery will help this freakishly athletic star mature and become a solid all around player. He has the abilities to be as good as Revis, its just a mature of maturing and focusing on football. Rex Ryan's tough guy attitude may help this.

Cromartie only had three interceptions last season, but three years ago he had 10.

It was tough to throw against the Jets top defense last season but their one weakness was cornerback Lito Sheppard. After releasing Sheppard, the Jets knew they needed an upgrade at corner. The combination of Ryan's defense ideas and Cromartie's ball hawking skills and athleticism could make it nearly impossible to attack the Jets through the air.

These Jets will rule the airways. There will be no flying against the 2010 New York Jets.

Redskins pursuit of Clifton, Pashos gives hints on draft strategy

Sat, 6 Mar, 2010 12:58:58 GMT

Jim Turner

turnersportsdesk.com

March 5, 2010

ESPN980 is reporting that the Redskins are actively pursuing Green Bay Veteran left tackle Chad Clifton. Clifton is 33 so that shoots the youth movement theory in the foot. This move is interesting in terms of draft strategy because the Skins can still draft an Offensive Lineman at 4 and play him at right tackle until they deem him ready to move over.

For those of you that believe the Skins are locked on a QB at 4 the Rams may change that plan. If the Rams do not grab Michael Vick or another veteran QB they are likely to draft Sam Bradford now. The Redskins would be massively over valuing Jimmy Clausen by drafting him at the 4 spot so we can only hope they are either planning to trade down or draft someone at four that most mock drafts don't have the Redskins drafting.

The optimum place to draft Clausen is out of the top ten especially if Jason Campbell stays. If the Skins draft Clausen at 4 I would expect Campbell to be dealt because Clausen has to start if he is making that kind of money. Campbell has trade value and could net the Skins some picks.

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NFL Free Agency: Let The Over Spending Begin

Fri, 5 Mar, 2010 03:22:10 GMT

Today marks the first day of the NFL bonanza known better as NFL Free Agency. Many players will find new homes today and some will be left with an uncertain future. However, the one thing that is certain is that with an inevitable uncapped year in 2010 on the horizon, teams will have to open-the-flood-gates to the team bank account for this year's free agents.

Players that you might see sign hefty contracts today include; DE Julius Peppers, RB Thomas Jones, LB Karlos Dansby, CB Antrel Rolle.

One player who I really didn't see getting signed immediately was WR Nate Burleson. Not only did he get signed immediately, but he received an enormous contract.

The Detroit Lions signed wide receiver Nate Burleson to a 5-year $25 million contract with $11 million guaranteed.

In seven years in the NFL, Nate Burleson has had one 1,000 yard season.

That's a big contract for a number two receiver, who will be 29-years old heading into the 2010 season, and who had his best season last in the NFL six years ago. Then again, it's the Lions and he won't be the only player getting an undeserving contract in this year's free agent spending bonanza.

Redskins were set to pursue Darren Sproles

Fri, 5 Mar, 2010 05:19:42 GMT

Jim Turner

Turnersportsdesk.com

March 5, 2010

According to NFL Network's Michael Lombardi the Redskins were all set to pursue Running Back Darren Sproles. The Chargers reported earlier in the week that Sproles would not be tendered but changed their minds and tendered him yesterday.

My first thought was they reported the wrong Darren. I was thinking they meant Darren Sharper which would be a nice pickup for the Skins at free safety.

The Redskins already have a 7 million dollar paper weight at the running back position named Clinton "You talkin bout practice" Portis. So let me get this straight, the Redskins O-line is in shambles and the first free agent the Redskins were going to pursue was a running back? As Scooby Doo would say...roh-roh raggy! I am going to give Shanny and Allen a wide birth but I am really confused by this.

Their are three positions a team needs to be strong at in order to compete consistently. Cornerback, Offensive line and pass rushers. I left QB off of the list because the position is more dependent upon others than people think. People who don't know football get mesmerized by guys like Peyton Manning and Drew Brees into believing that a team has to have a marquee QB in order to win a superbowl. Guess what...Trent Dilfer, Mark Rypien and other less than stud QBs have rings. Why? Because football is still a team sport. Granted some QBs are better than others but Joe Gibbs proved that in certain schemes you only need a serviceable QB. The Redskins do not to put another dime into the running back position especially with Mike Shanahan as Coach. The Redskins need Cornerbacks and you can never have enough pass rushers so I can understand the pursuit of Peppers. What I cannot fathom is the pursuit of a running back.

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Maryland fan goes Boston Massacre, Steve Williams is mad at Tiger, and the Back Porch podcast!

Fri, 5 Mar, 2010 01:24:28 GMT

Thought #1

You know a party isn't a party until someone breaks out the riot gear.I mean seriously, how can you tell how big of a win your team just had unless you see those shields and billy clubs get drawn?

This is exactly what happened Wednesday night in College Park, MD following the Terrapins defeat of the Duke Blue Devils. Not only did the fans rush the court, which is pretty common these days, but the party then spilled out to the streets. This is apparently where Terrapin fan decide it was a good idea to go Boston Massacre on everyone by lobbing snow balls at the Police. The riot gear was soon broke out, 27 folks got arrested, and now we officially know that was a big win for the program. Thanks Terrapin fan.

Thought #2

Tiger Woods' caddie Steve Williams has come out and voiced his angry towards Tiger about this entire situation. Makes sense, can't caddie for a guy who isn't playing. Steve just lost his job for a few months and what exactly can a caddie do other than caddie? What marketable trade skill is carrying stuff when you need a quick part time gig? Does try to carry groceries for the elderly? Possible get a job as a car hop at Sonic? Or maybe try and convince some construction worker that he can carry his tools around for him and make suggestions as to which size wrench to use? Yeah, Steve should be a little ticked.

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Yankees Position Battles (Updated 3/4/10)

Fri, 5 Mar, 2010 01:49:44 GMT

As most of you know by now, the defending World Series champions have some roster questions to sort out this spring. Every couple days I will provide updates on those battles and see who has the edge at the given time.

I may throw a few extra names into the battles for comparison sake.

Stats as of 3/4/10, 8:45PM

5th Starter

	W	L	ERA	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	HBP	K
Joba Chamberlain
Phil Hughes
Chad Gaudin	0	0	0.00	2	1	0	0	0	0	1
Sergio Mitre	0	0	0.00	2	0	0	0	0	0	1
Alfredo Aceves	0	0	0.00	2	0	0	0	0	0	1

Bullpen

	W	L	ERA	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	HBP	K
Chad Gaudin	0	0	0.00	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	1
Sergio Mitre	0	0	0.00	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	1
Alfredo Aceves	0	0	0.00	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	1
Chan Ho Park
Jonathan Albaladejo	0	0	---	0	0.0	2	2	0	0	1	0
Boone Logan	0	0	0.00	0	1.1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Mark Melancon	0	0	0.00	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	2
David Robertson

Backup Infielder

	AB	R	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	OBP	SLG	AVG
Juan Miranda	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
Ramiro Pena	4	1	1	1	0	2	0	.250	1.000	.250
Kevin Russo
Eduardo Nunez	4	1	0	0	0	1	2	.500	.500	.500
Brandon Laird	4	1	0	0	0	1	0	.500	.500	.500

Outfielder

	AB	R	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	OBP	SLG	AVG
Brett Gardner	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
Randy Winn	2	0	0	0	0	2	0	.000	.000	.000
Jamie Hoffmann	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	.200	.200	.200
Marcus Thames	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.500	.000	.000

#2 Hitter in Lineup

	AB	R	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	OBP	SLG	AVG
Curtis Granderson	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
Nick Johnson	2	1	0	1	0	1	0	.500	1.000	.500

Obviously it's very early in the spring as we are only two games in. I will update these position battles every few days so you can see how the players are performing.

Redskins clear 12 million in salary prior to free agency

Fri, 5 Mar, 2010 01:05:49 GMT

Jim Turner

Turnersportsdesk.com

March 4, 2010

General Manager Bruce Allen and Head Coach Mike Shanahan officially began the Redskins house cleaning process by dumping the following underperforming and often hurt veterans:

Antwan Randle El – Good guy but overpaid and slowing down
Randy Thomas – If only he could have stayed healthy. A core Redskin
Cornelius Griffin – Another guy that was limited by injuries but a core Redskin
Fred Smoot – Clearly lost a step but played with heart. A core Redskin
Rock Cartwright – If there is one guy I regret is on this list it is Cartwright. A Core Redskin
Ladell Betts – Betts could be super effective if only he could stay healthy
Todd Collins – Came here with Mr. 700 page playbook…had one good run.

There are a couple more names on the list but no one of significance. Other than the emotional attachment to a few core redskins like Cartwright and Griffin I have absolutely no problems with dropping 12 million dollars of dead weight. For those of you with hurt feelings because of these departures get over it. This team was 4-12 so nobody’s job should be safe and I mean no one.

Due to the Redskins past free agency follies they are being mentioned with virtually every big name. Clearly the new Redskins leadership group has a plan which is nice to see. You don’t clear 12 million dollars in one swipe unless you have a master plan so looks like Redskins Nation will burn some midnight oil to see what direction the team takes. The one thing you can say for Redskins nation is that the off season is always full of excitement.

Caps make statement at trade deadline

Thu, 4 Mar, 2010 07:51:37 GMT

Jim Turner

turnersportsdesk.com

March 4, 2010

The Washington Capitals were the #1 team in the NHL going into the trade deadline yesterday. The Caps believe they are talented enough to win the cup. The bigger question is are they tough and deep enough to win the cup? General Manager George McPhee made moves to answer both of those questions.

Caps acquire Eric Belanger from Columbus – The Caps needed help up the middle and they got a really good two way center in Belanger. He brings some great skating along with a very good face off record. Bruce Boudreau is familiar with Belanger as he coached him in the Minors. Belanger is an excellent penalty killer and he instantly helps the 25^th ranked penalty kill.

Caps acquire Scott Walker from Carolina – Caps nation was not thrilled when the team let Donald Brashear go. They were definitely not thrilled when teams started taking liberties with our skill guys and we had no enforcer to even the score. Scott Walker is not to be mistaken for Donald Brashear but he can drop the mitts with the best of them. He brings solid, gritty play along with good locker room leadership. Walker can make a big difference with his ability to get under people’s skin without hurting his own team. He is also good penalty killer which helps the Caps.

Caps acquire Joe Corvo from Carolina – Joe Corvo’s acquisition allows the Caps to still have a defensive scoring threat when teams key on Mike Green. Many are still at odds with this acquisition because of their belief that the Caps needed more defensive minded defensemen. Corvo brings a wealth of playoff experience, a terrific point shot and the ability to play either opposite green on the first power play unit or to quarterback the second unit. Either way you slice it the number #1 power play in the league just got better.

Caps re-acquire Milan Jurcina from Columbus – This move is proof positive that you can always come home especially if you are a 6’4 235 pound righty defenseman. “Juice” was traded with former Captain Chris Clark to Columbus earlier this season for Mike Chimera. Juice gives the Caps size and a nice heavy shot when he chooses to use it. Jurcina is injured to the tune of 4-6 weeks which puts him back in play in time for the playoffs. The Caps need Jurcina to replace Brian Pothier who was sent to Carolina as part of the Joe Corvo deal along with prospect Oskar Osala.

Overall the Caps got more grit, more playoff tested veterans and more skill. The beauty of these deals is they did not disrupt what is a good locker room in order to do it. They also did not mortgage their future. Questions remain about the Caps goaltending and defense but the Caps made themselves better despite the questions. Time will tell if the moves were good enough. The Caps took the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Penguins to seven games so they feel they have put themselves into a position to over take the Pens and the rest of the NHL.

Mets future 1st Baseman shows potential in spring opener

Wed, 3 Mar, 2010 01:03:01 GMT

The Mets organization may not think Ike Davis is Major League ready just yet, but the young first baseman will see plenty of action in spring training. With the Mets resting most of their regulars in yesterdays spring opener, Davis got the start at first base against the Atlanta Braves.

There were some first day jitters as Davis misjudged a foul territory pop up. The first baseman did admit to feeling a bit uncomfortable in the field yesterday. Let's not pass any judgements just yet, it was afterall the first spring game of the season and he wasn't expecting to start. Not that it's an excuse though.

He did however show what he can do at the plate. Davis went 2 for 3 including a double in the right center field gap yesterday against the Braves.

The Mets may not think he is quite ready yet, but he certainly is not far away. Davis was the organizations first round pick in 2008 and has excellend in the minors. Just 22 years old, Davis spent last season in Double-A with the Binghamton Mets. He hit .309 with 13 home runs in just 55 games. He also played in the Arizona Fall League and hit .341.

The team knows Davis is likely their first baseman of the future, its just a matter of how soon the future arrives.

"There's a lot of excitement around when we mention his name, and I'd like to see him as much as possible just to get a feel for him," Manuel said. "I understand he's a tremendous, tremendous first baseman. He's a guy that, it's impactful when he puts a good swing on it."

Daniel Murphy is expected to see most of the innings at first base this year and possibly platoon with Fernando Tatis. Mike Jacobs is also in the mix for time at first base. I could easily see all three of this players being disappointments. If that happens, the Mets will be hard pressed not to bring Davis up and see what he can do.

Mets fans, you have a player on your hands.

Lebron James to swap digits, Sean Payton goes bad roommate on Jerry's wine, and the future for Gilbert and AI.

Wed, 3 Mar, 2010 02:58:50 GMT

Thought #1

Lebron James has filed the official paperwork that would allow him to change his jersey number from its current 23 to the number 6, which was his number during the Olympics. Lebron has decided to do this to honor Michael Jordan. So let me get this straight, because MJ is a hall of famer and linked to 23 you are going to swap his number out for 6, which is linked to not one, but two arguably as influential players in Dr. J and Bill Russell? Is the Akron Hammer aware there was basketball prior to 1988? It's like asking a 15 year old what the best all time comedy is and having him tell you it's Harold and Kumar go to White Castle or that horrible Dukes of Hazzard movie. You just want to strap that kid to a chair and force him to watch Animal House, Fletch, and Ghostbusters until he sees the light.

Thought #1b

Is it possible this is a prelude to where the top free agent will end up after this summer? The league only requires a player to file this paper work if he remains in Cleveland, so Cavs fans are no doubt pretty geeked. But should they be? Is it possible Lebron is shedding the digits in preparation of a trip to Chi-Town where the number hangs from the rafters? Could it be he wants to honor his hero by not only dropping his number, but picking up his old stomping ground colors? Interesting. Also worth noting is the idea this could also swing Chicago native and fellow free agent Dwayne Wade to the Bulls.

Not saying its the reason, just throwing it out there as an idea. Of course there is also the idea that it never hurts jersey sales to require James' fans to have to purchase a few more shirts. I mean you can't be seen rocking the wrong number for your boy and with the fact that the Cavs have like 5 different color combos now, that could really boost the old jersey sales economy.

Thought #2

One of the worst feelings in the world is waking up to an empty milk carton. You know that feeling. You woke up around 2am, stomach growling, and you told yourself, "just wait buddy, that sweet combo of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Coco Pebbles will be there in the morning. You wake up, still listening to the growl, head to the kitchen, and pour up a giant bowl of that sweet mixture. Just then, out of the corner of your eye, you see the empty carton. Your roommate has downed it, not replenished it, and left it there to taunt you. Awful. Friendships have been ruined over less.

If you know that feeling, welcome to Jerry Jones' world, only Jerry is more of a wine guy than a milk guy. Jones had a fancy bottle of wine specifically set aside for him at the combine this weekend. Kind of like most of us order a pizza, Jerry had called ahead and had that thing put on ice just for him. Enter Super Bowl winning coach Sean Payton. Sean apparently gets down on the same label as Jerry. When Sean was told the only bottle there was specifically set aside for Jones, he just could not help but go bad college roommate on it, put it down, and then leave it there to taunt Jones. Word has it he even added a little note reading, "Who Dat!"

I can't wait for this year's Saints - Cowboys game!

Thought #3

Gilbert Arenas apparently would apparently have no problem playing for the Wizards again and is also not really stressing getting sentenced for his crimes. Ah, the true mark of a crazy man, not realizing you are crazy. Of course Agent Zero has no problem with the idea of playing for them, they didn't threaten him with a gun. They didn't threaten to blow his knee caps off. Gilbert apparently still isn't getting it. He apparently still doesn't understand that he could very easily be making license plates instead of baskets here soon. And maybe even more importantly than that, he doesn't get it that normal people don't threaten to shot people and then actually bring weapons to work as a joke. Maybe a few months of having to give his jello cups and rolls over to giant guy with "spike" tattooed on his chest will sober him up to the idea of abiding by the rules of society.

Thought #4

Allen Iverson may be done as an NBA player. Today the 76ers, who seemed to be Iverson's last option, announced that AI will not be returning to the team this season. Allen, who has been gone from the team to tend to his wife and sick daughter, was reportedly seen recently out at a nightclub. Not exactly where I would expect a man with a severely sick daughter to be spending his nights.

You know, if you call in sick to work, it typically not a good idea to be seen by anyone. You can take the day, watch some Price is Right, even take a trip some where off the beaten path, but as soon as you run into someone from work, it's over. You've got to either pay sick or claim a miraculous healing. Of course the crazy the place is you are seen, the more ridiculous your excuse becomes. You know, "umm I had to go to Busch Gardens because my doctor said roller coasters help my heart rate." Or, "of course, shopping at the mall is the perfect place to rid myself of the swine flu, good walking, and that thick air shooting out of pretzel stand is just perfect for clearing the sinuses."

Wonder how Allen can swing his excuse? Picking up a little whiskey for the daughters cough? Is he going to swear he thought he was stumbling into a Barnes and Noble to pick up a good bedtime story for his kid? I mean all those lights and load music, he probably just figured it was a promotion for the new Twilight book. Yeah, teams will buy that. Oh Allen, you are no longer The Answer, these days you're just a bad suggestion.

Yankees Game Day. Well, Sort Of.

Tue, 2 Mar, 2010 09:32:08 GMT

Tomorrow the Yankees will take the field for their first spring training game of the year. Today however, they begin playing some games. It has become a tradition for the Yankees under Manager Joe Girardi.

Last season during spring training, Girardi gathered his team together at a local pool hall for a friendly tournament. Turns out the outing became a great bonding experience for the team and set the tone for the season that eventually ended with the team being crowned World Champions.

"I just saw the value in getting them together off the field the more I thought about it," said Girardi

This year, the manager is bringing the team to an arcade. They will compete against each other in a variety of games including, an Indycar simulation, Pop-A-Shot, and my personal favorite, Skee-Ball.

I will do my best to update you on the results of this years games as soon as I find out.

Everyone on the team is expected to participate in this outing except pitcher Joba Chamberlain. The big righty who is competing for the 5th spot on the starting rotation is experiencing flu-like symptoms. His scheduled bullpen session was cancelled and he was sent home for the day.

Update 4:30pm

Once again the pitchers controlled the games. Last year it was Mariano Rivera who won the billiards tournament.

A.J. Burnett dominated the Indycar simulation game, Andrew Brackman won the Skee-Ball contest and Royce Ring won the Pop-A-Shot contest. Where are all the position players?? It's time they step up a bit.

Regardless of who won, this outing was once again a success. Everyone seems to enjoy the time way from the field and the ability to hang out with their teammates. Its a great opportunity for the young players to bond with the veterans. If nothing else, it will give them confidence if and when they are called up to the majors.

Drafting 101 - Why Tiers Matter

Tue, 2 Mar, 2010 01:24:55 GMT

Ever wonder what the first thing you should do before planning a draft strategy is? Assembling tiers at each position has to be in the discussion. Tiers are one of the most important tools you will bring to the draft table for several reasons, but the most important one of all is position scarcity. When you build your tiers you will quickly realize which positions are weak, and which positions are strong.

Tiers are gaining in popularity, with pretty much every site putting out a list of them. Over the next few weeks I will be rolling out my custom tiers, that I will personally bring with me on draft day (don't worry, I'm not telling anyone in my league about this new site until April). These tiers will be based on a 12 team league that pulls from both the NL and AL. The categories that will be scored are R, RBI, SB, HR, OPS, AVG on offense and W, K, S, ERA and WHIP in pitching. This is what I will be basing all of my rankings on. If your league uses a different stat you will want to adjust accordingly. Yes, I know this is a 6 x 5 format, but unless I find a pitching stat compelling enough to add it will have to remain that way. Please leave any suggestions in the comments section.

One question you may have is why do tiers matter if you have overall rankings to pull from? Well, besides the position scarcity advantage of tiers, it is also much easier to stick to your strategy and make the proper choices when using a tier based plan. Overall rankings are also important, especially for when predicting who will go where, but they do not account for individual team needs, which tiers address completely. You are less likely to wind up scrounging for a two bagger in the 14th round using tiers than overall rankings, but that is just my opinion.

Tiers also help show you the separation from one player, or group of players and another. This ties into position scarcity, but is important enough to point out. The drop off from the last guy in a tier and the first in the next tier needs to be examined to show how scarce a position really is, and if you are going to be ok with a second or third tier player. As I roll out my tiers, I will go over each position accordingly.

So keep checking back for drafting tips and players to target, but also keep a look out for my tiers, which I hope to begin rolling out later today.

Michael Jordan gets hands on with the Bobcats, Tim Tebow's combine, and Hockey fallout

Tue, 2 Mar, 2010 01:21:30 GMT

Thought #1

So the thought was the Michael Jordan would take over the Bobcats, kind of stay behind the scenes, and let the basketball folks run the show. And who exactly believed this? Yeah, outside of your buddy who just bought that gym that hooks onto your door, not to many folks. MJ's first move as owner was to head down to the court, play and lose two games of HORSE with Gerald Henderson. Ouch. Bet he didn't see that one coming. This is kind of like when you go to a basketball game as a kid and that last day you have that game against the counselors. You know the college guys who are helping out with the camp always talk made trash and then take a weird amount of pride in beating a group of 13 year olds. Yeah, that's probably more what his Airness had in mind when he started that contest. Then suddenly he was calling to go best 2 out of 3 after the first lose, which of course was followed by offering up a 7 game series when he tanked the second game. Can't you just see the guys on the team. "Um sorry sir, listen we really have to get to actual practice now, maybe we can play more later."

Now more importantly than MJ's loses for Bobcats' fans is Jordan's level of interaction. Let's face it, Jordan's track record hasn't exactly been stellar when it comes to decision making. *Cough cough, Kwame Brown. Now it was report that Jordan did avoid the temptation of going after Larry Hughes, good sign, but sooner or later you have to think Jordan will want to prove himself. Sooner or later you have to think he's going to reach, and when he does, when you see Rasheed Wallace being signed to a multi-year deal or see him throw a high draft pick towards the Bucks for Jerry Stackhouse, don't say you weren't warned.

Thought #2

Tim Tebow was impressive at the combine this weekend, but not as much for his QB skills as for his athletic ability. Tebow recorded a 4.7 40 yard dash time and tied a record for vertical leap at 38.5 inches. So if Timmy end's up needing to jump straight up during an NFL game, he should be good to go. Listen was there any doubt this guy is a beast physically? No. The doubts are whether or not he can play under center, whether or not he can handle running an NFL offense, and most importantly, whether or not he can throw a football decently after dropping tons of time and coin on learning a new motion. Pretty sure how high you can jump, or how fast you can sprint while wearing spandex doesn't play that big of a role when it comes to playing QB in the league. Case in point, who did he tie for that impressive vertical? Josh McCown. Yeah, he tied the guy sitting at about the 12th best option at quarterback on the free agency list of every fantasy league in the country. Congrats Timmy, you are the best jumper we've seen, now if only that translated in anyway into NFL wins. Needless to say, Tebow still has plenty to prove.

Thought #3

Sunday's USA - Canada hockey contest drew some of the largest ratings ever. It is estimated that over 27 million people watched the match. The question now becomes can that peaked interested in the sport translate to the NHL, which has floundered at best in recent times. The answer; nope. It was a special event, that's why we all watched. It's not that we suddenly love hockey, we suddenly loved the idea of beating Canada's tail and winning a gold. It's like that animated Rudolph movie at Christmas time. Tons of people watch that creepy old school clay action because it's the season for it. Put that flick on in January, no body's check it out. Yesterday was the one day season for hockey in America, and I'm pretty sure today most of us packed up our oversized 3/4 length sleeved shirts and stuck them in the attic wear they will sit for four more years.

Team USA: New York & New Jersey Olympic Results

Tue, 2 Mar, 2010 12:45:33 GMT

The 2010 Vancouver Olympics were full of excitement, drama, and tragedy. Team USA had a terrific overall performance and came home with the most medals. 37 total medals as Team USA essentially won these games. That total is the most ever for Team USA in the Winter Olympics. Alpine Skiing was the big winner this year, bringing home a total of 8 medals.

There were some significant New York and New Jersey representatives in Vancouver. Below you will find the members of Team USA that were either born, raised, or currently reside in New York or New Jersey.

Alpine Skiing

Nolan Kasper - Nolan was born in Morristown, NJ. He finished 24th in the men's slalom event with a time of 1:43.17.

Andrew Weibrecht - Weibrecht was born and still resides in Lake Placid, NY. He competed in three events in Vancouver. A 21st finish in men's downhill and 11th in Super Combined. His best event was the Super G in which he brought home the Bronze Medal with a time of 1:30.65.

Biathlon

Lowell Bailey - This biathlete grew up and still resides in Lake Placid, NY. Bailey finished 36th in both the 10km Sprint and 12.5km Pursuit. He was 57th in the 20km Individual competition as well as a member of the 13th place 4x7.5km Relay Team.

Tim Burke - Born and raised in Paul Smiths, New York and now residing in Lake Placid. Burke was a busy athlete in these games, competing in five events. His best result was a 13th place finish as a member of the 4x7.5km Team Relay. He also finished 18th in the 15km Mass Start, 45th in the 20km Individual, 46th in the 12.5km Pursuit, and 47th in the 10km Sprint.

Haley Johnson - Haley is from Lake Placid, New York as well. She finished in 80th place in the 7.5km Sprint and 66th in the 15km Individual. Johnson was also a member of the 17th place Team USA 4x6 Relay.

Sara Studebaker - Another Lake Placid, New York resident. Sara was also a member of the 17th place Team USA 4x6km Relay. Other then that, her best finish was 34th place in the 15km Individual. She also finished 45th in the 7.5km Sprint and 46th in the 10km Pursuit.

Bobsled

Steve Mesler - Born in Buffalo, New York. Mesler was a member of the Gold Medal winning four-man bobsled team. The teams second run was a track record with a time of 50.86. The gold medal is the first Four-Man Gold Medal in US history.

John Napier - Born and raised in Schenectady, New York and currently resides in Lake Placid. Napier finished 17th after two runs in the four-man sled and did not run the final two runs. He did however finish 10th in the two-man bobsled competition.

Cross-Country

Caitlin Compton - Born in New York, NY. Compton was a busy woman in these games, competiting in four events. She finished 43rd in the 15km Pursuit, 30th in the 10km Individual and 12th in the 4x5km Relay. Her best finish was 6th in the Team Sprint.

Figure Skating

Amanda Evora - Born in New York, NY. Competing in the pair's competition with partner Mark Ludwig, the pair finished in 10th place with a score of 171.92.

Johnny Weir - The flamboyant figure skater from Lyndhurst, New Jersey. Weir finished in 6th place in the Men's Single's Competition with a score of 238.87.

Hockey

Dustin Brown - Born and raised in Ithaca, NY. Played Forward for Team USA.

Ryan Callahan - Born and raised in Rochester, NY while currently living in New York, NY. Callahan is a member of the New York Rangers and a fan favorite there. He tallied one assist in the Olympic games.

Chris Drury - Captain of the New York Rangers and scored two goals during the Olympics.

Patrick Kane - Born and raised in Buffalo, New York. Kane scored three goals and assisted on two others.

Jamie Langenbrunner - Resides in North Caldwell, New Jersey and is the captain of the New Jersey Devils. Langenbrunner scored 1 goal and assisted on three others.

Ryan Miller - Possibly the one guy that played is absolute heart out in these games. The Buffalo, NY resident was the goaltender for the silver medal Team USA squad. He was named MVP of the Vancouver Olympics Hockey Tournament after recording 139 assists and just 8 goals against. He also recorded one assist.

Zach Parise - (Pictured above) Member of New Jersey Devils resides in West Orange, New Jersey. Parise was a big part of Team USA. He constantly played all out and never slowing down. Parise scored four goals and assisted on four others in Vancouver.

Bobby Ryan - Ryan was born and raised in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He scored the first goal in these games for Team USA. He would finish with one goal and one assist.

Luge

Julia Clukey - Resides in Lake Placid, New York. Finished in 17th place with a time of 2:49.360.

Mark Grimmette - Resident of Lake Placid, New York. Grimmette finished in 13th place in Men's Doubles with teammate Brian Martin.

Erin Hamlin - Born in New Hartford, New York, raised in Remsen and now resides in Lake Placid. She finished in 16th place with a time of 2:49.108.

Dan Joye - Hometown and resides in Carmel, New York. Joye finished a respectable 6th place in Men's Doubles with teammate Christian Niccum.

Chris Mazdzer - The Saranac Lake, New York resident finished in 13th place with a time of 3:15.813.

Bengt Walden - The Lake Placid, New York resident finished in 15th place with a time of 3:15.984.

Nordic Combined

Bill Demong - Demong was born in Saranac Lake, grew up in Vermontville, and now resides in Lake Placid, New York. He had arguably the most memorable Olympic games. He became the first U.S. Nordic Combined Olympic Champion by winning the Gold Medal on the Individual Large Hill. He finished 6th on the Individual Normal Hill. His second medal of these games was a silver in the Team Large Hill competition. Demong was chosen as the U.S. closing ceremony flag bearer. He also proposed to his girlfriend after competing in his events. She said yes!

Skeleton

John Daly - Born in Long Island and currently resides in Smithtown, New York. Daly finished in 17th place with a combined time of 3:34.01.

Ski Jumping

Anders Johnson - Born in Lake Placid, New York. Johnson did not qualify on the Individual Large Hill but finished in 49th place on the Individual Normal Hill. He was also part of the 11th place Team USA Large Hill Team.

Speed Skating

Trevor Marsicano - Born and raised in Ballston Spa, New York. Marsicano participated in the Team Pursuit Quarterfinals when Team USA had the top time. In the individual events, Marsicano finished in 10th place in the 1000m, 15th in the 1500m, and 14th in the 5000m.

Overall, Team USA had an excellent showing and New York and New Jersey was definitely part of the success. We will now have to wait two years for the summer olympics and another four years for these winter games to return.

Washington Redskins Pursuing Julius Peppers

Mon, 1 Mar, 2010 11:50:53 GMT

As the NFL free agency market opens up on Friday, teams are lining up for the services of one - Julius Peppers.

With an uncapped year coming in 2010, the Redskins are expected, as they do every year, to make a splash in free agency. Much like a fat kid in a candy store, Daniel Snyder is salivating at an opportunity to open his wallet even wider than in previous years.

As suggested in the Washington Post, the new Shanahan Redskins are going to move to a 3-4 defense.

If signed, the Redskins will look to move Peppers out of his customary defensive end spot and into an outside linebacker position.

Thomas Jones Done As A New York Jet?

Sun, 28 Feb, 2010 08:21:20 GMT

According to ESPN, the New York Jets will release running back Thomas Jones. It was previously reported that they were working on a restructuring of Jones's contract, that seems to have fallen by the wayside.

The Jets will be pushing in all their chips regarding 2nd year running back Shonn Greene whom had an all-star performance in the playoffs. Greene had 304 yards rushing leading all postseason rushers. Greene and Jones shared the rushing duties, but now the Jets are hoping that Shonn will be able to carry the load for an entire season. With the NFL now shifting towards a RB by committee approach this is a bold move by coach Rex Ryan and the Jets brass.

New York Giants Drama That Doesn't Involve Plaxico

Sun, 28 Feb, 2010 01:50:54 GMT

Oh how the mighty fall! New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin informed Osi Umenyiora and everyone else that Osi doesn't have a starting job next season. At least that is how it stands today.

Tom informed Osi that he will have to earn back his starting gig, however, Osi previously told New York brass that he wanted to start or play elsewhere. Now we have a standoff.

“It’s like we tell everybody: go earn it,” said Coughlin. “He’s going to come in and work hard to establish that position. That’s what he is. He’s a big part of our team. He certainly is a gifted, gifted football player.”

This will certainly be an interesting off-season and training camp. Just another summer with New York drama!

Canadian Women's Hockey is awesome, US men look to upset, and Jordan takes over in Charlotte

Sat, 27 Feb, 2010 07:14:54 GMT

Thought #1

Outside of about a three week period following the release of the Mighty Ducks movie, I have really never been able to get interested in the sport of hockey. Now I really tried to get into soccer on ice. I tried to watch games, I bought rollerblades, and even snagged a Wayne Gretzky poster one year at the book fair at school. But just like so many other forgien things, Indian food, tight pants, and Hugh Grant movies to name a few, it just never stuck. That was until this past week, when I had two huge revelations in regards to the sport.

Revelation #1

Hockey girls are the coolest chicks in the world. Following the Canadian Women's gold medal winning match, the ladies returned to the ice to celebrate, and celebrate they did! The broke out the cigars, the champange, and the brews. Awesome! Pretty sure they just moved up to dream girl status for me, but let me double check. Athletic? Check. Likes cigars? Check. Doesn't think beer is gross and therefore doesn't drink those girly sweet drinks? Check. Is happy to sit and watch old Bill Murray and Chevy Chase movies with me all day? Well the jury is still out on that one, but 3 out of 4 ain't to shabby.

Now a lot of people are calling for the team to apologize for their on the ice actions. To those people I ask; Apologize for what? Being young and happy to win? Celebrating a huge national victory? Or do you want them to apologize for simply being awesome? Let's be honest, the female factor here is what has people riled up. We've seen Major League Baseball players basically drown each other in beer following wild card wins, not even championships, and that seems to be acceptable. Ever Nascar race seems to end with an alcohol shower, so why is this a big deal?

Props to those ladies for 1. being awesome and 2. being smart enough to drink the beer rather than bathe in it like their male counter parts.

Revelation #2

I may have very little interest in hockey as a sport, but I have a very large interest in beating people at things they think they are awesome at. Think about it. How many times have you went bowling with a group of friends and serious bowler guy shows up? You know dude who has his own custom fit ball, wears that wrist thingy, and can actually name a professional bowler. How great is it to beat that guy? How great is it to watch him miss picking up a spare and then to see the girl behind him roll it granny style for a strike? Probably one of the best feelings ever.

That's exactly what the US beating Canada in hockey feels like. Let's face it, there are only a few things Canada can brag about. Labatt Blue, moose, and hockey. It is their game, they are supposed to own us all at it, and to top that, we're playing in their country. There really is no better feeling than beating someone at their sport, playing by their rules, using their ball, and playing in their backyard. Of course unless you do it twice.

Thought #3

Michael Jordan was a great basketball player, but when it comes to decision making, so far he has been a little lacking. Just mentioning the names Kwame Brown or Adam Morrison make many NBA fans cringe. Not to mention that how decision he made to play baseball for a year, so bizarre, almost seems like a weird awful dream doesn't it?

Now Jordan that has bought a controlling share of the Charlotte Bobcats and can now call himself an NBA owner, he has the opportunity to change that. The Bobcats are currently fighting for that last playoff spot in the East and could bring the playoffs back to Charlotte for the first time since Jason Kidd wrecks his grill on David Wesly's head. Now Jordan was smart enough to not take over till after the trade deadline, thus avoiding any temptation to trade players for any struggling former Tar Heel greats. That should get him off to a good start and with Larry Brown captaining that ship, which is loaded with plenty of young talent, this could be Jordan's chance to add to his already mythical status in Carolina.

One question though; Since Bob Johnson is no longer the owner, can you ditch the Bobcat nickname and come up with something better? I mean seriously, what is it with cats and teams in Charlotte? Is there a problem with strays? There has to be something cooler than Bobcats. Bobcats are like the hobo of the cat world anyway, they aren't big, or pretty. They are all scrawny, look hung over, and like they are on the verge of either throwing up or snapping on you at a moments notice. MJ, do Charlotte a favor and get on changing that.

Don't miss this week's Back Porch podcast!

Admiral. Ackbar as Ole Miss' new mascot, Ozzie gets a twitter, and the Back Porch podcast!

Fri, 26 Feb, 2010 11:46:25 GMT

Thought #1

Political correctness and sports seem to rarely have a quality outcome and that surly is the case with situation with filling the gap left by the burying of the old Ole Miss mascot. The old mascot, who was basically an old Confederate plantation general, was ran out of town recently with thoughts of easing racial tensions. While that makes sense, it only makes sense if you have something better to replace it with, which could be a problem.

Rumor has it there is a movement amidst the student body to bring in ole Fishy McTurneck him, that's right, the leader of the Rebel Alliance, Admiral Ackbar. Now if you're a Star Wars fan, you know who I am talking about. If you have just casually watched the movies then let me explain. I'm talking about the guy who looks like a giant fish wearing a turtle neck and who has about 10 minutes worth of screen time in the entire series. Yeah, that guy. I mean this isn't even a character that you would make the dork down the street play when you were pretending as a kid. You'd at least throw that kid a bone and let him be C3PO or R2D2. Are you telling you want to be this guy Ole Miss? Do you really want fish eyes painted on the sides of your helmets? Come on, at least go wookie or ewok if you're going to go minor Star Wars character. What about Bobo Fett? He was pretty hardcore, had a sweet mask too. But you go with the fish in a turtleneck? Bad idea.

By the way, I stand corrected. Apparently Fishy McTurtleneck was promoted to Admiral. My bad Ackbar. Thanks for the heads up Nick.

Thought #2
Ozzie Guillen is getting a Twitter account. Sweet! This is great news for us and horrible news for the White Sox. This is kind of like giving your buddy who has had a few too many beverages a cell phone loaded with all his ex girlfriends phone numbers. You know it's a horrible idea and yet also a great idea. It's going to turn out bad, but no doubt hilarious and will no doubt result in plenty of next day apologies.

Thought #3

Why read when you can listen?

The Back Porch podcast for Feb. 25!

New York Baseball Rankings: Position Players

Wed, 24 Feb, 2010 10:44:42 GMT

Earlier this week, the Double G Sports "Experts" Panel released their top 10 rankings of pitchers in New York. CC Sabathia got the #1 nod just ahead of Johan Santana in a tied race. Who is the best position player currently on a New York baseball teams roster? Find out below. The six "experts" each provided a top 10 ranking and with those, an overall ranking was formed.

1	Alex Rodriguez	60 points
2	Mark Teixeira	50 points
3	Derek Jeter	46 points
4	David Wright	42 points
5	Jose Reyes	36 points
6	Carlos Beltran	24 points
7	Jason Bay	23 points
8	Robinson Cano	20 points
9	Curtis Granderson	19 points
10	Jorge Posada	6 points

Others receiving votes: Jeff Francoeur (4 pts)

"Expert" Panel Individual Rankings

Gregg
Pat
John
1
Rodriguez
Rodriguez
Rodriguez
2
Teixeira
Teixeira
Jeter
3
Jeter
Reyes
Reyes
4
Reyes
Wright
Teixeira
5
Wright
Beltran
Wright
6
Beltran
Jeter
Bay
7
Granderson
Cano
Beltran
8
Cano
Bay
Cano
9
Posada
Francoeur
Granderson
10
Bay
Granderson
Posada

Rob
Mark
Jon
1
Rodriguez
Rodriguez
Rodriguez
2
Teixeira
Teixeira
Jeter
3
Jeter
Wright
Wright
4
Wright
Jeter
Teixeira
5
Bay
Beltran
Reyes
6
Reyes
Cano
Granderson
7
Granderson
Bay
Bay
8
Beltran
Granderson
Cano
9
Cano
Reyes
Francoeur
10
Posada
Posada
Posada

Mets and Yankees Spring Training TV Schedule

Wed, 24 Feb, 2010 05:56:11 GMT

Spring Training games are about a week away right now. Have that baseball fever but can't make it down to Florida? Tired of watching old classic games? Well, the Mets and Yankees have released their spring training TV schedule and I have it for you right here.

Mets

Date	Opponent	Time	TV
March 2	Atlanta Braves	1:10pm	SNY
March 4	St. Louis Cardinals	1:10pm	SNY
March 5	Florida Marlins	1:10pm	SNY
March 7	Washington Nationals	1:10pm	PIX11
March 9	Houston Astros	1:10pm	SNY
March 11	Boston Red Sox	1:10pm	SNY
March 13	Detroit Tigers	1:10pm	PIX11
March 15	St. Louis Cardinals	1:10pm	SNY
March 19	Minnesota Twins	1:10pm	SNY
March 23	Atlanta Braves	1:10pm	SNY
March 24	Houston Astros	1:10pm	SNY
March 27	Washington Nationals	1:10pm	PIX11
March 28	St. Louis Cardinals	1:10pm	PIX11
March 30	St. Louis Cardinals	1:10pm	SNY
March 31	Florida Marlins	1:10pm	SNY
April 1	Washington Nationals	1:10pm	SNY

Yankees

Date	Opponent	Time	TV
March 3	Pittsburgh Pirates	1:00pm	YES
March 5	Tampa Bay Rays	1:00pm	YES
March 6	Toronto Blue Jays	1:00pm	MY9
March 8	Philadelphia Phillies	1:00pm	YES
March 9	Pittsburgh Pirates	1:00pm	YES
March 11	Atlanta Braves	7:00pm	YES
March 13	Baltimore Orioles	1:00pm	MY9
March 18	Tampa Bay Rays	7:00pm	YES
March 19	Detroit Tigers	1:00pm	YES
March 21	Detroit Tigers	1:00pm	YES
March 22	@ Philadelphia Phillies	1:00pm	YES
March 28	Detroit Tigers	1:00pm	YES
March 30	Toronto Blue Jays	7:00pm	YES
March 31	Minnesota Twins	1:00pm	YES
April 2	Baltimore Orioles	1:00pm	YES
April 3	Yankees Future Stars	1:00pm	YES

All times are ET.

Who Will LaDainian Tomlinson Play For Next Year?

Wed, 24 Feb, 2010 03:29:56 GMT

The Chargers did the predictable and released the aging running back, LaDainian Tomlinson, earlier this week. Tomlinson's stats have been decreasing over the last few years as he has been fighting off foot injuries. However, the NFL would be foolish to believe that his days of impact are over. The fact of the matter is LT still has big play ability and would be a solid option at runningback for most teams in the NFL. The question is, who is going to land this solid back in 2010?

New England Patriots: The Patriots seem to be in the same breath of every veteran on the market. It seems like the Pats are always trying to give some lonely fingers one more chance at a ring. The fact is, LT would not have too heavy of a responsibility if he was in the same offense as Tom Brady and Randy Moss, and the Patriots would give him as good of a shot as any at finally hoisting that Lombardi trophy before his career passes him by.

Houston Texans: The Texans proved that they can throw the ball all day and that Andre Johnson is a stud, but they lost a lot of games in the final grinding seconds of the game. The reason is, because they did not have a solid running game to fall back on, their offense was too easy to figure out. Tomlinson would give them the variable that would make their offense more of a threat.

Green Bay Packers: This is a stretch, but it is essentially the NFC version of the Patriots idea. The Packers are not afraid of a crowded backfield, because they don't really need a backfield. While Tomlinson would rest easy knowing he is giving himself a good shot at playing Dallas for his last game. The problem is, Tomlinson would definitely not be the feature back in Green Bay and would have to be content sharing carries with Ryan Grant. If everyone can have peace with that, than maybe the Packers make sense for #21.

Royals' fan assaulted by wiener, Westbrook looking for a job, and more Tiger Woods fallout.

Wed, 24 Feb, 2010 03:27:09 GMT

Thought #1

For years hotdogs and baseball have gone together like cheap beer and college students. We all know that hotdogs are probably one of the worse foods a human can eat. Rumor has it they are made from lips and .. well other pig body parts. We know they aren't exactly good for you, but until today we did not know how truly dangerous they were.

Today it was reported that Kansas City Royals' fan John Coomer is suing the Royals for $25,000 following an incident involving a projectile wiener. Coomer was apparently caught off guard by the flying pork on Sept. 8 and blames it for his detached retina and developing cataracts. Word has it the team mascot Sluggerrr was behind the incident, although the team denies this being the reason for his replacement by a new large lion mascot.

It's bad enough that Coomer lives the life of a Royals fan, I mean it takes quite a bit of dedication to attend a game in KC in hopes of catching one of their handful of wins on the season, and this is how you repay him Royals? You launch hotdogs at his eyes? Come on, we know those ball park dogs are pretty much a rubbery death stick when eaten, but you put some speed on one and you've got yourself a serious weapon. Should Major League Baseball add this to their list of banned weapons in the clubhouse? Absolutely. Go ahead and ban ridiculous mascots too while you're at it.

Thought #2

Brian Westbrook is the lastest running back who will looking for employment this coming season. Following the release of LaDainian Tomlinson by the Chargers yesterday, today the Eagles followed suit dumping their veteran runner. With both backs breaking that magical number of 30 years old this past summer and being consistently plagued with injuries, its hard to argue with the teams decisions here. We've seen this before with Emmit Smith, Edgerrin James, and Shaun Alexander. The days of keeping the car until it becomes an antquie are over. These days as soon as that puppy's breaks start squeeling, owners are running to the dealer to check out a new LeSean McCoy or Darren Sproles model. Pretty soon LT and Westbrook will find themselves either on the used lot, waiting to be picked up by some young team looking for something decent to put their 16 year old QB behind the wheel of. It's the new way of the league and with other aging back like Clinton Portis and Thomas Jones out there, that used lot could be pretty full this spring.

Thought #3

The Tiger Woods fallout continues as now Proctor and Gamble isn't sure whether or not they want Tiger pimping their razors and deodorant anymore. They aren't quite sure if Tiger fits the mold of their "Gillette Champions" these days. Could be a big lose for them. I mean wasn't the first thing you always thought after Tiger won a big match, "dag his face looks smooth?" Granted you would think Tiger would be the perfect spokesman for deodorant these days. If that stuff can keep his pits dry while he's standing at a podium with dozens of reports waiting to feast on his every word, it's bound to be able to carry me through a date.

Seriously, maybe the biggest question is; why use athletes for this stuff anyway? I mean who over the age of 10 buys a razor or gel stick based on it's celebrity endorsement? Personally I buy them based on which is the least likely to leave me covered in those little toilet paper squares when I'm done or which stick will hold back the ever fashionable undershirt pit stain best. Rush Limbaugh could back it for all I care so long as I'm not bleeding and stinky by 9 am.

Save The Yankee Gate 2

Tue, 23 Feb, 2010 10:59:53 GMT

As most of you know by now, the Yankees moved into a brand new stadium last season. The old Yankee Stadium is being torn down to make way for a large park that is expected to include baseball fields, a track, tennis courts, and more. Only one gate remains from the original 1923 Yankee Stadium.

That gate is Gate 2.

Yankee Stadium is currently being torn down and Gate 2 is expected to go with it. The people behind the Save The Yankee Gate 2 cause are making a last ditch effort to keep it standing. This group believes the gate should remain standing and be used as a gateway to the new park that will be built.

Save the Yankee Gate 2 recently released the video below in hopes of drawing more interest and support to their cause. Take a look, its a very good video showing the history of this famous Gate 2 at Yankee Stadium.

To support this cause and let your voice be heard visit their site and you will find ways to contact New York City officials. It can't hurt!

Caps need to make defense a team effort

Wed, 24 Feb, 2010 03:27:53 GMT

Everyday there is someone talking about the Washington Capitals lack of defense. Some argue that the Caps need to bring in a big bopper on the blue line but they forget the Red Wings won multiple Cups without a killer defenseman. The Red Wings proved that team emphasis on defensive positioning and discipline is more effective than one guy trying to lay everyone out. The Caps are clearly the most talented offensive team in the league and the numbers back that statement up. The Achilles heel for this team is not a defensive personnel problem as many would suggest. The real problem is a lack of discipline, patience and the art of simplifying the game.

What I See…

I see a team that is so offensively gifted that they can spot you a few goals, play 20-40 minutes of hockey and still beat you by multiple goals by the final whistle. The Caps also have the best player on earth who can flick a switch in his mind and become unstoppable. Given these factors it is easy to see why the Caps often become so puck focused that they lose basic discipline. Sometimes you can catch them watching Ovechkin and Semin instead of positioning themselves for a pass, shot or rebound. They also believe that they can score on every shift so you see a tendency to try and stick handle when they should just dump and chase. How many times have we watched in amazement as Semin or Ovechkin tried to put the puck behind a guy only to have the guy read the play and go back the other way on our goalie. The trick plays are only awesome when they work.

Good defense is a team effort

The one thing I know from following sports all of my life is effective defense requires a team effort. Defense is not just a matter for defensemen but it requires forwards making smart decisions with or without the puck. Good defense requires the forwards back checking and helping out. Good defense requires you to dump that puck instead of trying something dumb, causing a turnover and putting your defense/goalie in a bad spot. You have to believe that if we can see these things Bruce Boudreau can see them. You also have to believe that Boudreau is screaming this at the top of his lungs. If Boudreau has become white noise in the ears of the players then McPhee can and will bring in a more discipline minded coach. It happens all the time in hockey so don’t be shocked.

Summary

As I look at the Caps roster I see more than enough to win a Stanley Cup on offense, defense and in goal. Theodore is playing high quality hockey and Varlamov is capable when healthy so the biggest hurdle for the Caps is just playing smarter and more team oriented hockey. Coach Boudreau has a unique challenge that many coaches only dream of. He has such offensively gifted players that he has to walk a fine line between allowing them to flourish but also holding them accountable for their decisions/actions. If the Caps want to win a Stanley Cup every player in that locker room needs become more disciplined, patient and simplify the game.

LaDainian Tomlinson Is Not Going To Kansas City

Wed, 24 Feb, 2010 03:30:43 GMT

For those of you Chiefs' fans out there thinking there may be a LaDainian Tomlinson sighting in Kansas City, get over it. It's not going to happen.

The Chiefs have what they believe is their franchise back in Jamaal Charles. Although, he has a small frame, and has yet to carry the running load for an entire season he will be the primary back even with LT in KC.

Ideally LT would like to be a team's primary back, but the chance of that on any NFL team is extremely slim.

LT will turn 31 in June, and has worn off almost all the tread left on those tires. LT will most likely sign a much smaller contract positioned more as a third down back in the NFL.

Now if LT accepts a "third-down back" role with a team, in which he may have no other option, he will most certainly want to play with a contender. At the very least, LT and his agent will entertain options any most playoff team. That alone takes the Chiefs off his 'wish list'.

Yes, there is the idea of LT wanting to exact revenge against the Chargers, and more specifically Chargers' GM A.J. Smith. He would definitely get that chance with the division rival Chiefs. However, I can't imagine one of the greatest running backs to ever play in the NFL wanting to end his career with a losing team just to be able to play against his former team twice a year.

Instead let's look at the Top Five realistic teams for LT in 2010:

1. Houston Texans - he might have a chance to start here with a team that just missed the playoffs

2. Indianapolis Colts - Joseph Addai is still the guy in Indy, with Donald Brown as a the backup. Addai is injury prone, and Brown hasn't shown whether or not he will be the back of the future. If LT is serious about winning a ring he may have no better chance than here.

3. New York Giants - Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw can't be counted on to finish an entire season healthy, so why wouldn't they bring in another option?

4. Pittsburgh Steelers - Willie Parker may not be back with Pittsburgh, and the Steelers need to get back on the passing offense. LT could be a good fit here.

5. Miami Dolphins - Ronnie Brown is set to be a free agent. Who knows if he'll be back in Miami. I can't imagine LT being involved in the 'Wildcat' but then again, who could have thought that Ricky Williams would fit nicely into the 'Wildcat'?

New York Baseball Pitcher Rankings

Wed, 24 Feb, 2010 03:31:02 GMT

As spring training has started with pitchers and catchers going through official work outs, I got the Double G Sports "Expert" Panel to put together a top 10 ranking of New York pitchers. These rankings combine pitchers from both the Yankees and Mets. Each member was asked for their top 10 and with that I put together an overall ranking. Below you will find the overall rankings, plus each individual members rankings.

1	CC Sabathia	56 points
2	Johan Santana	55 points
3	Mariano Rivera	46 points
4	A.J. Burnett	38 points
5	Francisco Rodriguez	35 points
6	Javier Vasquez	23 points
7	John Maine	22 points
8	Joba Chamberlain	18 points
9	Andy Pettitte	16 points
10	Phil Hughes	10 points

Others receiving votes: Mike Pelfrey (6 pts), Alfredo Aceves (3 pts), Bobby Parnell (1 pt), Oliver Perez (1 pt)

Individual "Expert" Rankings

	Gregg	Pat	John
1	Santana	Santana	Rivera
2	Sabathia	Sabathia	Santana
3	Rivera	Rivera	Sabathia
4	Burnett	Maine	Rodriguez
5	Vasquez	Rodriguez	Burnett
6	Rodriguez	Burnett	Pettitte
7	Maine	Chamberlain	Vazquez
8	Pettitte	Pelfrey	Hughes
9	Chamberlain	Pettitte	Chamberlain
10	Hughes	Parnell	Pelfrey

	Rob	Mark	Jon
1	Sabathia	Sabathia	Sabathia
2	Rivera	Santana	Santana
3	Santana	Rivera	Burnett
4	Burnett	Rodriguez	Vazquez
5	Vazquez	Chamberlain	Maine
6	Rodriguez	Burnett	Rodriguez
7	Chamberlain	Hughes	Pettitte
8	Maine	Aceves	Rivera
9	Hughes	Maine	Pelfrey
10	Pettitte	Pettitte	Perez

Allen Iverson's time may be up already in Philly, how the Celtics got Nate Robinson, and why is fishing on TV?

Tue, 23 Feb, 2010 12:53:34 GMT

Thought #1

You don't have to be Dr. Phil to know that people develop patterns when it comes to relationships, and their rarely change despite what hope others have for them. Think about it, dude cheated on his last girlfriend, he's most likely going to cheat on his next one. A girl flips out on her last couple guys, having mental breakdowns that end with clothes thrown out all over the front yard. Yeah she ain't changing and if you date her, good chance your neighbors will be seeing your underwear dangling from a tree sooner or later.

The Philedelphia 76ers probably feel a lot like that cheated on girl or humbled guy at this point after talking themselves into thinking that this go around with Allen Iverson would be different. Today it was reported that AI will be out indefinitely to tend to his ill 4 year old daughter. While it's unclear exactly what his daughter has, what is clear is that the Sixers aren't exactly thrilled about this and are debating ever letting him return. Have you ever noticed that the crazier a person is, the more often bizarre illnesses and strange accidents happen to them? When is the last time Tim Duncan took a leave from his team for a mystery illness? What about D-Wade, ever hear of him just not showing up for long periods of time? Listen Philly, we tried to warn you, we all tried to tell you that a guy that couldn't make it work in Memphis, Denver, or Detroit, probably wasn't going to have a sudden change of heart just because he was returning to the city of brotherly love. Yeah, we know you will always have a soft spot in your heart for the guy, but giving him that second chance just earned you to role of the victim in yet another messy break up.

Thought #2

I got an email from a friend today that simply said "Nate Robinson?!?!?" Now knowing I'm a Celtics fan and knowing I was strongly pulling for them to bring in some youth to energize the team, I felt I owed him an explanation. So I responded with this:

What we witnessed with the Celtics bring in Nate Robinson was kind of like when we all sit at work on Friday afternoons and try to look like were busy. This was obviously Danny Ainge's attempt to make us think he'd been hard at work all season trying to make a deal when really he was just in his office playing Dig Dug. He suddenly realized the trade deadline was up and was like, "umm, crap, what to do .....Nate Robinson, done. Now back to my game." That's the best I can figure. I just hope he understands that simply getting shorter isn't the same as getting younger.

Thought #3

I'm pretty sure the only time watching bowling, fishing, poker, or figure skating on tv is when things go drastically wrong. I mean think about it, the best part of any of those events is when someone either falls down or gets really up set and flips out on someone else. Listen I totally respect the abilities of the people who excel at such events, but just because people are good at stuff doesn't make it worthy of a TV spot. I mean seriously unless dude is falling out of a boat, or flipping out on a bowling fan in the stands for snapping a pic during his approach, most of us aren't interested. You know my grandad is pretty flipping awesome at moving the yard, dude can edge up that sidewalk like it's nobody's business, but I wouldn't watch that on TV. With the exception being him getting really mad at the stray cat in his yard, flipping out, and chasing it with the lawn mower. I would probably watch that, that cat sucks.

Johnny Damon is a Tiger

Mon, 22 Feb, 2010 06:03:27 GMT

By now we all know that the Tigers landed Johnny Damon to play left field for them. What we do not know is what this means for Damon's value in 2010 fantasy leagues. Dude flew under the radar, to a degree, in 2009 and put up a huge year. Under the radar, you ask? Well, I personally chastised a Phillies fan (and hardcore fantasy baseball player) in the WS for claiming that neither Damon nor Matsui were threats. We know how that played out now, do we not?

Back on topic, in 2009 Damon was arguably one of the top five left fielders in fantasy, as well as in actual baseball. People, myself included, tend to think Damon is older than he actually is, because he has been in the Majors for 15 seasons. If you are counting, he is 36 years old, and still swinging the lumber like he always has. Hell, dude matched his career high in homers at 24 last season and posted his highest OPS since the 2004 campaign. The only thing slowing down offensively is stolen bases, and for fantasy purposes we do not care that he is terrible with the leather at this point.

So where should we slot him for 2010? It is hard to say since I have yet to form my outfield tiers, but you can probably pencil Damon in for about a .285 AVG, 75 RBIs, 90 Runs, 12 SBs, 18 HRs, and an OPS of around .790. These numbers come from me looking at about 7 projection systems and adjusting with the Mike Bohn Gut Algorithm. These numbers may need to be adjusted depending on how the Tigers' lineup takes shape as well.

We will have full outfielder projections in the coming weeks, as well as every position, so stay tuned.

Broduer’s Shaky Performance and Team Canada’s Future

Wed, 24 Feb, 2010 03:31:49 GMT

There’s no doubt in my mind that Martin Brodeur is the greatest NHL goalie of all time. His numbers are impeccable, and he’s brought home more hardware than James Cameron’s Avatar.

However, put under pressure in last nights game versus the United States in which Canada lost 5-3 Brodeur failed to get the job done, and its not the first time.

The 37-year-old who’s won three Stanley Cups with the New Jersey Devils (most recently in 2003) has only led his team past the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs once since the lockout.

Last season with the Devils leading a first round playoff series with the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 I watched Brodeur allow four goals in back to back games and my jaw dropped as my playoff pool goaltender allowed two goals in the final minute and a half of game seven to lead his favored team to an early trip to the golf course rather then the Eastern Conference semi finals.

Just one season before their disappointing loss to the Canes the Devils with Brodeur between the pipes fell to the fifth seeded New York Rangers in just five games, which meant another first round departure for the Devils. Brodeur wasn’t a huge help, allowing four goals in both games four and five.

Now before you exit your browser screen because you think I’m trying to bash the games greatest goaltender here me out because in no way am I trying to say that the Devils playoff misfortunes over the past few seasons have been soley Marty’s fault, nor was Canada’s loss last night, what I’am trying to say is that over the past few seasons, when put under pressure Brodeur has fallen flat on his mask.

Last nights four goals on 22 shots against the United States was just another example. Not to mention that Marty seemed to be more curious if he could swing the puck out of the park on the States second goal rather then trying to keep it out of the net.

But now shifting strides as to why Canada lost last night because it was more then Brodeur’s poor batting average.

Simply put, United States goaltender Ryan Miller was outstanding. Making 42 saves on 45 shots Miller proved once again why the Vezina trophy should be a shoe when he may have been questioned a little after losing five of his last six starts prior to the Olympic break.

Miller’s goaltending and what Catroina Lemay Doan would call gutsy play from the young United States team, who only have three players on their roster above 30 years old are probably the only reasons why they won considering they were doubled in shots by Canada and playing against a home crowd.

For Canadian fans the loss must be frustrating and a sixth place preliminary finish may leave you feeling more then unpleasnt, but there are positives to be drawn from the sour loss on Sunday.

The 1-1-1-0 finish means the Canadians will have to play Germany on Tuesday and win in order to qualify for the quarterfinals.

You have to think head coach Mike Babcock will go with Roberto Loungo in goal the rest of the way and the game against Germany will allow Roberto to shake out any tweaks in his game before entering the elimination round, thats saying Canada beats the Germans.

The Germany game will also give Canada another game to attempt to gel as a team and hopefully give Babcock and the rest of the coaching staff a chance to figure out who to play with Sidney Crosby and Rick Nash.

A Canadian win on Tuesday would mean the ever-anticipated Crosby/Ovechkin rivalry would be reignited a bit earlier then expected as the Russians would face Canada in the quarter finals on Wednesday, the winner getting a spot in the semis.

Although the game would not have a gold medal presentation at its conclusion it would have the two most dominant hockey powers and arguably the biggest hockey rivalry of all time (Russia vs. Canada).

But I guess we should worry about the Germany game first because for all we know, there could be another Tommy Salo on the horizion.

Monday Mornings

Mon, 22 Feb, 2010 03:10:24 GMT

For anyone interested, on Monday mornings I have a column over on my ACC blog, www.TheeSportsBlog.com. It is not baseball related, or fantasy related, but rather ACC and more specifically the Trianlge of NC related.

Americans spoil Canada's coming out party!

Wed, 24 Feb, 2010 03:32:11 GMT

As I asked in a previous blog what happens when you take the best players in the world give them home ice, a home crowd and the biggest stage in the Olympics? They get out hustled, out worked and out smarted by those pesky Americans that did not seem the least bit phased by Canada's assembled firepower.

So what happened to the Canadian hockey dream team? Did they read their own press clippings and decide that they were too awesome to lose? I doubt that. I think the Americans are a pretty good team in their own right. Many of these guys play on the same team in the NHL so the Canadian advantage is only one of perception.

Despite all of the external factors surrounding the Olympics the game of hockey does not change. The Americans used speed, patience, and hustle to beat a more talented team. That happens just about every night in arenas everywhere within the NHL. The Americans were the better team last night and they earned that win. The Canadians can rebound and win the gold but they need to remember that no one is going to hand the gold to them.

The Americans served notice that they are back. They are still not the favorites to win but they proved that team hockey beats a bunch of talented guys almost every time.

The Ballad Of Brett Favre

Wed, 24 Feb, 2010 03:32:39 GMT

"He's no singer. He's no picker. No race car driver, but he's a winner...".

This brilliantly written song probably won't win these guys a grammy. The one thing this song did was to allow us all to finally put the question to bed of whether or not Brett Favre was a race car driver. Finally.... we have the answer: no.

How jealous is Joe Montana and John Elway now?!

Mets to sign Rod Barajas

Sat, 20 Feb, 2010 09:23:00 GMT

MLBTradRumors.com is reporting the New York Mets have come to a contract agreement with free agent catcher Rod Barajas. Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com was the first to tweet about this deal.

The agreement is reportedly a one year deal with a base of $1 million. It will also include up to $1 million in incentives, which apparently seem easy to attain.

The Mets had been among a number of teams to offer Barajas a minor league deal but recently decided to upgrade it to this major league deal. Barajas was apparently offered a major league deal from the Rangers worth $1.5 million, but he is taking the smaller deal from the Mets.

The Mets finished last season with the leagues worst offensive output from the catching position. Is Barajas an upgrade? His numbers last season with the Blue Jays are actually worse then the Mets output from last year. Mets catchers combined to finish the year with a stat line of .256/.305/.380. Barajas hit .226/.258/.403 last season. He hit 19 home runs for Toronto.

Barajas joins a group of catchers all battling for the starting job. His main competition will likely be Omir Santos.

Barajas is a career .238 hitter. His best season was in 2005 when he hit .254 and 21 home runs.

The 10 Best Draft Picks in Kansas City Royals History

Sun, 21 Feb, 2010 03:44:26 GMT

The 41-year history of the Kansas City Royals is a story of a meteoric rise to contention in the franchise's first 21 years, followed by a titanic fall to baseball's cellar in the last 20 years.

As an expansion team in 1969, the Royals became a winner after just two seasons and was a title contender for two decades. In fact, all seven of the team's playoff appearances occurred during a 10-year stretch from 1976 to 1988, making it to the World Series twice, winning it once in 1985.

The Royals early success hinged almost entirely on the team's ability to find, draft, and then develop young players in it's farm system.

In addition, the Royals were able to develop their players into winners, and then retain them.

In the early 1990s, all that changed. After an era where players spent their entire career with a single team, free agency sent salaries through the roof and players began leaving small market teams like Kansas City for the Bostons and New Yorks of the league.

Unfortunately for fans, the main issue in Kansas City the last 20 years is that as soon as the stars of players like David Cone, Johnny Damon, or Carlos Beltran began to rise, they were either lost in free agency or traded away to teams willing and able to pay millions of dollars more for their services.

Here is my list for the top 10 Royals draft picks of all-time. For younger Royals fans whose only taste of winning was a 2003 team that won just 83 games, there may be names of Royals greats that they are seeing for the first time.

For older fans, this list represents a flashback to the glory days of this franchise, with a few younger players mixed in, all of whom are players that any general manager in baseball would love to have on their team.

No. 10: OF Bo Jackson, 1986-fourth round

The late Buck O'Neil, on more than one occasion, would talk about the first time he heard the great Josh Gibson hit a baseball.

In all his years, Buck claimed to have only heard a sound like that on two other occasions: when as a child he heard Babe Ruth hit, and much later in life when he heard Bo Jackson hit.

Bo Jackson, a Heisman Trophy winning running back from Auburn, also played a little baseball.

A raw baseball talent who everyone thought would make his living in the NFL, decided to play both sports after the Royals spent a fourth round pick on him in the 1986 draft.

Stated simply, when you watched Bo Jackson play, it was very possible you would see something you'd never seen before.

After signing with the Royals, he asked if he could take batting practice before the game in Kansas City. On the first pitch he saw, he crushed it over 450 feet off the base of the Royals scoreboard.

When co-owner Avron Fogelman yelled to someone to "get me that baseball," Jackson promptly drove the second pitch he saw to almost the exact same spot.

Fogelman got that ball, too.

Bo's first major league home run went 475 feet to left center field at Royals Stadium, it was also the furthest ball hit in the history of the park.

Bo hit monster home runs, and on many of them, he broke his bat. Even when he didn't make contact, he'd break his bat, like when he snapped the bat over his thigh like a toothpick after striking out.

He was the first player to lead off an All-Star game and hit a home run on the game's first pitch, with a 448 foot shot to straightaway center field that great Tony Gwynn described as "unbelievable."

Perhaps Bo's greatest feat was "the Throw," when on a double to left, Bo wheeled and threw flat-footed to home plate from 300 feet away to gun out Harold Reynolds who was running on the play from second base.

Reynolds was one of the fastest players in baseball at the time, and with any other player in left field, he could have crossed the plate easily without even a slide. Bo wasn't any player in left field, to many he was Superman.

Despite a career .250 average, and a hip injury sustained in football that limited his superhuman exploits and shortened his career, Bo was quite simply one of the best players to ever don a Royals uniform.

His 109 homers in five seasons as a Royal rank him tenth in club history.

No. 9: OF Willie Wilson, 1974-first round

The best leadoff hitter in Royals history was their first round pick in 1974. His name was Willie Wilson.

If not for being overshadowed by a guy named Rickey Henderson, who played in Oakland and New York, Wilson could have very well been considered the best leadoff hitter in the American League from 1979 to1988.

During that span, Wilson led the league in triples five times ('80, '82, '85, '87 and '88) and averaged 51 stolen bases.

Many fans don't realize that during teammate George Brett's run at batting .400 in 1980, when he finished at .390, that Wilson actually outhit Brett.

That season, Wilson led the league in hits (230) and singles (184), both club records that not even Brett could break. And just a year earlier, in 1979, Wilson became the club's single-season stolen base leader, swiping 83 bases.

Wilson was the perfect example of an unselfish era when players used their greatest assets, in Willie's case his speed, to get on base and produce runs.

No. 8: RHP Zack Greinke, 2002-first round

The 2002 first round selection of former General Manager Allard Baird, Zack Greinke was a near bust after stepping away from the game in 2006 for a social disorder.

At one point, Greinke even contemplated quitting the game in favor of getting a job mowing grass.

Not only did Greinke recover from his disorder and put his lawnmowing career on hold, but he turned himself into the hottest young pitcher in baseball at just 26 years of age.

In 2009, after signing a long-term deal before the season began, Greinke went out and won 16 games and he did it in spite of run support that was the poorest in the league.

He finished with a league-best 2.16 ERA, and was under 2.00 until his final start. He also became just the second Royals pitcher in team history (Bret Saberhagen in '85 and '89) to win the American League Cy Young award.

Blessed with near flawless mechanics, Greinke has become a master at changing locations and speeds, keeping hitters off balance.

For Royals fans who have endured through a horrendous past several years of baseball, Greinke has quickly become the cornerstone and shining star of a rebuilding team.

No. 7: RHP Kevin Appier, 1987-first round

One of the often overlooked players in Royals history, Kevin Appier owns the club record for career strikeouts with 1,458.

Drafted two years after the team's 1985 World Series title, Appier was one of many pitchers drafted by the Royals in an effort to reload what was once one of the league's most dominant pitching staffs.

Unfortunately for the Royals, until the selection of Zack Greinke in 2002, Appier was by far the best pitcher to come out of the draft during that span.

In his 13 seasons in Kansas City, Appier utilized a herky-jerky delivery and an excellent slider to win 115 games while posting a very respectable 3.49 ERA. His 8.82 strikeouts per 9 innings in 1996 is still the club's single-season record.

No. 6: 1B Mike Sweeney, 1991-10th round

Back in 1991, General Manager Herk Robinson decided to use his 10th round pick on a heavy hitting high school catcher from Ontario, CA.

That player was Mike Sweeney.

While Sweeney would break-in to the majors as a catcher, it was his ability to drive in runs that kept him there.

A liability behind the plate, Sweeney would spend his best days in Kansas City splitting time between designated hitter and first base.

In his 13 seasons as a Royal, the five time All-Star hit .299 with 197 home runs while driving in 837. Sweeney hit 20 or more home runs in six of seven seasons from 1999 to 2005, and set the team single-season mark for RBI in a season with 144 in 2000.

If not for injuries that forced him to miss time in almost every season he played for the Royals, Sweeney's numbers would be even more impressive.

No. 5: OF Carlos Beltran, 1995-second round

When major league scouts and general managers look for players to build franchises around, they look for five-tool players.

The team's second round pick in 1995, Carlos Beltran, is arguably the best five-tool athlete to ever wear a Royals uniform.

In his seven seasons in Kansas City, Beltran turned in many highlight reel performances in Kaufman Stadium's spacious center field.

The American League Rookie of the Year in 1999, in four full seasons as a Royal, Beltran hit .294 averaging 25 homers, 103 RBI, and 33 stolen bases.

Unfortunately for Royals fans, the business side of baseball forced the Royals to trade Beltran before he became a free agent, as the team wasn't willing to pay the more than $15 million per season that the New York Mets would give him after the 2004 season.

At just 32, Beltran is a five time All Star, two time Silver Slugger winner, and a three time Gold Glove winner.

No. 4: LHP Paul Splittorff, 1968-25th round

Back in 1968, the Kansas City Royals hadn't even put a team on the field yet, but they did participate in the major league draft.

And the best player to come out of that draft was selected in the 25th round, and would go on to pitch 15 seasons in a powder blue uniform, becoming the winningest pitcher in franchise history with 166 wins.

That player was left-handed starter Paul Splittorff.

After becoming a full-time starter for the Royals in 1971, Splittorff won 10 or more games in 10 of the next 13 seasons, with a career high 20-win season in 1973.

Splittorff would never win a Cy Young or lead the league in strikeouts, but he was a staple in the Royals rotation for more than a decade, and the best left-handed pitcher in team history.

No. 3: RHP Dennis Leonard, 1972-second round

When the Royals used their second round pick in 1972 on a pitcher from small Iona College, they didn't know they were drafting a future workhorse who would become the team's only three-time 20 game winner.

In fact, during the team's winningest era from the mid '70s into the early '80s, righthander Dennis Leonard was the Royals best pitcher, becoming the team's second-winningest pitcher in team history with 144 wins.

While pitching 12 seasons in Kansas City, he was at his absolute best during a seven-year stretch from 1975-1981. During that span, he averaged more than 17 wins per season with a 3.50 ERA and 1,111 strikeouts.

Leonard owns several Royals records including 103 complete games and 23 shutouts in his career. He also set the high-water mark for Royals pitchers with 244 strikeouts in 1977.

His record of 21 complete games, which he also set in 1977, because of the advent of middle relievers in today's game, is likely to be a record that he holds for a very long time.

No. 2: RHP Bret Saberhagen, 1982-19th round

Most of the players on this list, with the exception of pitcher Paul Splittorff (25th round) and Mike Sweeney (10th round), are players that were drafted in the first couple rounds of the annual June baseball draft.

The second-best player ever drafted by the Royals, like Splittorff before him and Sweeney after, was a late pick as well.

With Splittorff and Dennis Leonard entering the twilight of their careers in the early '80s, second-year general manager John Schuerholz took a flyer in the 19th round of the 1982 draft on a lanky high school kid from Reseda, CA.

That lanky kid, named Bret Saberhagen, would become the youngest player to ever start a major league game for the Royals, making the big league club in 1984 at just 19 years of age.

At just 21 years of age, Saberhagen would win the Cy Young award and lead the 1985 Royals to its only World Series Championship by notching his first career 20-win season and posting a 2.87 ERA.

Saberhagen would win another Cy Young in 1989, becoming the only Royal to win the award twice, winning 23 games and posting a league-best 2.16 ERA.

In total, during his eight seasons in Kansas City, the youngster from Reseda won 110 games, two Cy Youngs, and the hearts of tens of thousands of Royals fans everywhere.

No. 1: 3B George Brett, 1972-second round

If you've made it this far and were still wondering who the all-time best draft pick in Royals history was, then here's a hint: he's the team's only Hall of Famer.

A high school kid from El Segundo, CA, George Brett was selected by the Royals in the second round of the 1971 draft.

In his 21 seasons, all as a Royal, Brett put up prototypical Hall of Fame numbers with a career average of .305, 3,154 hits, 1,583 runs, 317 homers, and 1,595 RBI.

A 13-time All-Star, Brett is perhaps best known for being the player who came closest to joining Ted Williams as baseball's only .400 hitter, when in 1980 he hit a major league best .390.

And even if today's younger fans don't remember him going for .400, they will almost certainly remember Brett's highlight-reel tirade in 1983's "Pine Tar Game."

After hitting the go-ahead two-run homer against the Yankees in the top of the ninth inning in hostile Yankee Stadium, Brett's homer was disallowed for having too much pine tar on his bat. Brett flew out of the dugout in an absolute rage in what is perhaps the most memorable umpire-charging incident in baseball history.

In 1973, Brett began what would become the career by which every future Royals player would be judged.

Here we are 37 years later in 2010, and no other Royals player has even come close.

Terrell Owens Flashes "Blue Steel"

Sat, 20 Feb, 2010 06:48:15 GMT

I found this picture online recently.....all I can say is, when T.O. goes down, he goes down in flames.

Terrell Owens career is basically over in the NFL and so should any chances he thinks he has at a modeling career. Although the picture is hilarious, all I can think is how do people get athletes to agree to do something like this?

I mean really, does somebody tell T.O. "Ok, we want you to take your shirt off, wear a Mr. T. necklace, and then the coup de grace....a Tina Turner wig." And T.O. says, "Yeah....that sounds great when can we start?"

Didn't Mark Sanchez, and Alex Rodriguez just do some crazy photo shoot like this over the past year?

These guys can't have any close guy friends. No true friend would ever let one of their 'boys' get away with something like this, unless of course you lost a bet. And if one of your 'boys' did do something like this, you should never let them live this down....never. I mean seriously......look at this picture:

......are you kidding me?! How can A-Rod look at this photo and say "Yes....this is the one....I love this photo".

I really don't think I have ever laughed as hard out-loud as I did when I saw this picture, although the T.O. pic is a very close runner-up.

Didn't any of these guys see Zoolander? These shenanigans are exactly the reason they made that movie.

Baseball's new rule banning brass knuckles, Figure Skating outfits, and thoughts on Tiger's talk.

Sat, 20 Feb, 2010 05:31:30 GMT

Thought #1

Major League Baseball has officially banned deadly weapons in the clubhouse. No longer can players bring their "guns, long knives, metal knuckles, daggers, and explosives" on team functions. Explosives? Daggers? Really? What the heck is going on in the clubhouses these days? I mean I get it that some of those day games get pretty long and that mid-July stretch needs a little spicing up sometimes, but enough to break out the daggers? The thing is you know that everyone of those items was listed purposfully, which means someone has brought that stuff into clubhouses before. I just want to know what genius showed up with some explosives, got busted, and then went George Constanza on them. You know, "what? is that against the rules? I mean no one ever said not to bring swords and dynamite into the clubhouse so I assumed it would be ok." Who was that guy? Was it Manny? Did Manny break up some brass knuckles over the summer? Well regardless of who it was, this summer if players want to protect themselves on team functions they will be restricted to nunchucks, throwing stars, and crossbows.

Thought #2

Remember that kid in school that got picked on a lot and you kind of felt sorry for him, but then on the other hand, you also kind of felt like he brought it on himself? You just wanted to pull him aside and say, "dude no more Velcro shoes and stone washed jeans. Stop playing Dungeons and Dragons at lunch and while you're at it stop eating sardines out of the can." You knew the kid was only making it worse for himself.

Figure skating is the sports worlds' version of that kid. For years you've no doubt heard people make fun of the events for various reasons, and now their critics just have one more angle to hit them out with their choice of costumes at the Olympics. Do you have to dress like David Bowie in Labyrinth to be good at figure skating? Is that one of the requirements or rules for the competition? I'm not a huge fan of the sport anyway, looks a whole lot like this things I used to do as a kid called spinning around and jumping, so adding in some ridiculously tight and equally hideous costumes isn't going to help. Seriously I think part of Evan Lysacek's get up the other night was made of Christmas tree garland. It seems like as much crap as figure skating gets in general from people, the last thing they would want to do is make that target about 5 times larger by dressing up like a skeleton.

Thought #3

I found Tiger's apology to be about as sincere as a scripted apology could be. Loved the fact that he paused and looked down between "Good morning," and "thank you for being here." Really I'm not sure what Tiger expected to gain from this reading, but so far it seems to have been a good step towards rebuilding his relationship with his fans and sponsors. He used adult words too like affair and cheated making, when he could have just beat around the bush with some general statements, another good step. The thing is, that's exactly how he has to look at it, a couple of first steps, and one or two steps don't get you all the way to the top of the staircase. So there is still plenty of work left to be done on Tiger's part.

On a side note, I did find the comments he made about his wife to be very interesting. Not in that he defended her as not being abusive towards him, but in the fact that she wasn't abusive. Lord knows plenty of women would have lit him up if they had found out he had been cheating on them. If she didn't, she really is a saint.

The pressure of 33 million and national pride

Sat, 20 Feb, 2010 05:33:03 GMT

If you were scripting a favorable hockey scenario I don't think you can do better than what the Canadians setup. So why even with everything in their favor are they going to fold?

Home ice, check…
Home crowd, check…
Best team in the world, check …
Most hockey lineage on the planet, check…

You look at all the things in Canada’s favor and you could easily think the gold medals came with Canada pre-engraved on them but not so fast. Team Switzerland, with only two NHL players on their roster came a couple whiffed penalty shots away from making an entire nation implode. This Sunday the Canadians host a United States team that (on paper) is better than Switzerland, has zero fear and no problem ripping the heart out of 33 million hockey fans in their country.

All the US team needs to do is either jump out to an early lead or keep this game too close for comfort. Eventually the pressure of 33 million will force the Canadians on the ice and in the stands to implode. A proper comparison would be the 1984 US dream team. What if they lost? That would have set US basketball along with national pride back 50 years. Canada is a nation of 33 million people and most of them are hockey fans. They have attached national pride to winning a Gold medal in the sport they created so make no mistake this is a big deal to them.

The problem for Canada is simple. They have the perfect storm of everything being in their favor which also means they have zero excuses if they lose. By contrast the US team has zero pressure because they were never considered a favorite, but you know how feisty those Americans can be when people count them out.

Eric Gagne is Back?

Fri, 19 Feb, 2010 04:26:47 GMT

The Dodgers have come to terms with some guy named Eric Gagne. Do not be confused, this is not the same Eric Gagne that won the 2003 NL Cy Young Award while serving as the Dodgers closer. This is not the same Eric Gagne who saved 84 straight opportunities, a record that still stands. No, this Eric Gagne is much different.

This Eric Gagne was not even in the Majors last season. This Eric Gagne played in a Canadian league last year, and was torched for a 4.65 ERA. While dude did get an invite to camp, it would be a shock if he actually made the roster. If he does not make the roster, he will be free to sign with another team if he exercises his "out clause", which is the most likely scenario.

It is quite baffling that Gagne would go back to the Dodgers, unless he plans on retiring. That would also be a surprise since dude is only 34 years old and had an offer from the Rockies as well. The decision to join the Dodgers will be a head scratcher for a bit, since he has no chance of making their already stacked bully. So look for Gagne to be enacting that "out clause" in the next month, and do not look for him on your fantasy draft board. There is no reason at all to pay this dude one bit of attention. Well, except while reading this post.

Knicks roster turnover, Nets arena flip

Fri, 19 Feb, 2010 03:32:40 GMT

The New York Knicks gained more salary cap room by acquiring Tracy McGrady in a three team deal earlier today. The Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings were the other two teams involved in the deal.

When Knicks President Donnie Walsh took over the team, he made it a point to open up cap space in order to make a splash in the free agent market after this season. That is when stars such as Lebron James, Joe Johnson, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh become free agents.

Today's deal will save the Knicks $9.4 million in cap room. The Knicks acquire the veteran McGrady from Houston and guard Sergio Rodriguez from the Kings. The Knicks gave up Jared Jeffries, Larry Hughes, rookie Jordan Hill and two conditional first round picks. Jeffries, Hill, and the draft picks go to Houston while Hughes ends up in Sacramento.

Giving up Jeffries saves the Knicks $6.9 million while trading Hill saves them an additional $2.5 million. Hill was a highly thought of rookie that never paned out in Mike D'Antoni's system.

The Knicks also sent Nate Robinson to the Boston Celtics for Eddie House. While a fan favorite, Robinson was constantly in D'Antoni's dog house.

These moves are not about this year. The Knicks are to far out of the playoff picture to really consider these moves affective this season. It's all about this coming offseason. By giving up Hill and two future first round draft picks, the pressure is on Walsh to add two big named free agents. If he can not do that, he will have put the Knicks franchise even further in a hole. And here we didn't think that was possible.

Speaking of next year, the New Jersey Nets have a new home. Starting next season the Nets will play their home games at Prudential Center in Newark. The plan is for the New Jersey team to play in Newark for two years until their new arena in Brooklyn, New York is built.

The deal struck today allows the Nets to get out of their lease with the Izod Center for $4 million. The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority voted to approve the deal this morning.

The agreement also prohibits all sides from talking negative about either the Izod Center or Prudential Center or encouraging the closure of any facility. This is in hopes of ending the arena wars between the two buildings.

The Nets also agreed that they would not stand in the way of another NBA team coming to New Jersey in the future. The Prudential Center would likely love to have a permanent NBA team play there. I still believe its a perfect place for an NBA team.

Apparently the only thing left to be finalized is the actual terms of lease payments between the Nets and New Jersey Devils.

Professional basketball in the New York, New Jersey area will have a very different look next season.

Tiger Woods announces that he will make an announcement, Amare unpacks, the Knicks make room for the King, and the Back Porch podcast!

Fri, 19 Feb, 2010 11:31:52 GMT

Thought #1 -

Tiger Woods has officially announced that he will make an announcement tomorrow. Whew! Thank goodness! Now we no longer have to fear that sneak announcement from Tiger. We can all sleep easy knowing that there is no chance we will be hit by some off the cuff, geuine, and non-scripted statement and/or apology. Now I'm not one who thinks Tiger owes me an apology, he didn't cheat on me, didn't wreck my car, or even bust up my fire hydrate. However I do think if Tiger is going to make a statement, if he is going to come out, keep with your endorser and just do it buddy. Don't come out and read some cookie cutter prewrote statement that your lawyers have obviously helped you put together. By making a specitcal of your coming out speech, all you're really doing is building yet another platform from which you can fall.

Thought #2

So I guess Amare should go ahead and take all his glasses back out of the bubble wrap and stick them back in the cabinet because it doesn't seem he will be moving afterall. Weeks and weeks of Amare trade talks result in absolutely nothing today as the NBA trade deadline hit. It seems as hard as the Suns tried to deal the guy, they just couldn't get want they wanted and decided to keep him for a few more miles. Granted this probably doesn't make Amare feel all that loved in Phoenix, but owner Robert Sarver and Steve Kerr are taking him out to dinner tonight, so I'm sure that will ease the tension. As hard as they tried to get rid of him, pretty sure they better go appitizers and desserts tonight.

Thought #3

The Knicks have put themselves in pretty good shape for the Summer-o-Lebron coming up. They picked up Tracy McGrady today and set themselves up to be $30 million under the cap this summer giving them plenty of ammo to mke a run at the King, D-Wade, or even Chris Bosh. Granted I still think the only way they lure Lebron to the Big Apple invovled tanking the season, winning the draft lottery, and bringing in Kentucky's John Wall. I think the dance alone might being in Lebron.

The Back Porch podcast!

Tiger speaks, what should we expect?

Thu, 18 Feb, 2010 07:41:54 GMT

As I listen to the media pundits talk about what Tiger should and should not say I am reminded that this is still a private family matter at its core. That is certainly not a pass for the harm and embarrassment Tiger caused his family, his endorsers and the fans that held him up as a role model. Despite the strong opinions on both sides of this issue Tiger broke no laws that require full disclosure so how much of this are we entitled to know? This also begs another important question of how much do you really want to know?

The journalists that want Tiger to spend an hour or two spilling his guts about each transgression are crazy. That will never happen and frankly it should never happen. Tiger’s comments should be pretty simple. He should say he is sorry to his family, his sponsors, fellow golfers and golf fans. As I write this and as you read this you probably know people who are going through the same situation. The only difference is Tiger is insanely rich but he lives in the fish bowl of public scrutiny.

The news media (myself included) gets paid to provide accurate and relevant information. The entertainment media gets paid to entertain you by any means necessary. As you watch the news about Tiger’s statement it is up to you to discern between who is providing news versus the organizations determined to gin things up for the sake of ratings.

Welcome to TheFantasyPitch.com

Fri, 19 Feb, 2010 01:29:14 GMT

Welcome to TheFantasyPitch.com, your new home for fantasy baseball news and advice. In the coming weeks we will be breaking down draft strategies, providing our customized player rankings, and do our best to get the ball rolling on lots of other topics.

To give you a little background on who it is punching the keys over here, I've been blogging about sports for about five years now. Most of my work can be found over at TheSportsIdiot.com or at TheeSportsBlog.com. We will be migrating our baseball content from TheSportsIdiot over here to TheFantasyPitch for easy reference. Why would we bother with that? Simply to show the longevity of my work and to provide easy access to the archives. How else will you know that I told you Zack Greinke was a must add back in April of 2008? Well, other than that I will tell you I did!

So please bear with us as we get things into gear. Please feel free to email your fantasy baseball questions to me at thesportsidiot @ gmail . com. I'll do my best to respond to all questions, and perhaps I'll even publish it.

Mike Vrabel Probably Won't Be Back With The Chiefs

Thu, 18 Feb, 2010 04:04:37 GMT

Mike Vrabel will most likely try to move onto greener pastures this off-season as he is set to become an unrestriced free Agent in March.

What does that mean for the Kansas City Chiefs? As far as productivity on the field, not much. Vrabel had a productive season starting 14 games in his one year with the Chiefs. He racked up 53 tackles and two sacks, which was solid for a veteran on a poor defense.

Where he will be missed the most is not on the field but in the locker room. Vrabel wasn't brought to Kansas City to be an on-the-field tackling machine. He was brought to KC to help lead a defense on the NFL's youngest team.

Vrabel will be 35 years old heading into the 2010 season. At that age it is most likely that he won't have many suitors for his skills at the linebacker position. However, one of the teams that may be interested is his former team - the Patriots.

According to Vrabel's agent, Neil Cornrich, "He feels he has a number of productive seasons left". What he thinks and what the NFL thinks of his future may be two different things.

If no NFL team decides to take a chance on him, his future goals include going back to his college team and coaching at Ohio State, according to the Boston Globe.

They're Back!! Pitchers and Catchers Report to Tampa for the Yankees

Thu, 18 Feb, 2010 02:17:30 GMT

The Yankees pitchers and catchers officially reported to Tampa, Florida today to begin spring training. The Mets will begin camp tomorrow with pitchers and catchers reporting.

The Yankees come in as the defending World Series Champions and looking to repeat. Some changes have been made this offseason. Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, and Melky Cabrera are out, Curtis Granderson is in, and Nick Johnson and Javier Vasquez are returning.

This years team fully expects to repeat as World Champions once again. Isn't that the goal every year for our Yankees?

The team is built to do it, but a few questions remain. They may seem like minor questions for many, but they are questions none the less.

- Who wins the battle for the 5th spot in the starting rotation? Is it Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain? Everyone expects it to be one of those two, but could a long shot earn the spot? Possibly Chad Guadin, Alfredo Aceves, or Sergio Mitre?

- Who bats in the two spot in the loaded lineup? Yes, the Yankees once again have a star studded lineup that is up with the best in the league. Does they go with on-base machine Nick Johnson in the two spot? Or do they use the power and speed combo of Curtis Granderson?

- Who's in left? Newcomer Granderson can play either centerfield or move to left. Speedster Brett Gardner can also play either position although if he starts, he likely plays center. Does Gardner join Granderson in the starting lineup or will Randy Winn earn the starting left field job, forcing Gardner to the bench?

Most teams would love to have these questions. They are very minor compared to most teams. The Yankees will enjoy this spring as they prepare to defend their title.

Spring Training has arrived. Baseball has arrived!! And I must say, its perfect timing considering all the snow still laying on my front lawn with more threatening to come early next week!

What happened to the Olympics?

Tue, 23 Feb, 2010 01:08:00 GMT

I remember when the world stopped for the Olympics. I remember when it was a big deal and every event was worth my time and energy. Sadly, those days are gone and here is why.

NBC Olympic coverage underwhelming – I like Bob Costas but much like sugared up kids at a birthday party he gets annoying and you want to send him home after a while. I was hoping NBC would do something different besides the sob story followed by the event script everyone else has done. I wanted to see more rivals, more Tanya Harding – Nancy Kerrigan type feuds. The world is a lot smaller place these days and these athletes compete against each other before the Olympics so there has to be more rivalries. Don’t give me fluff NBC…give me competition in its raw form. Yes I already know little Mikey wanted to be a snow boarder since he could walk. Tell me about how little Mikey wants to stomp a hole in that German snow boarder that beat him twice in the world championships. This is competition folks...not a pity party!

Lack of Snow in Canada? – As I write this from my comfy couch in Wine Country Virginia we have more snow in the Washington DC area than the Olympics. I haven't seen my grass in so long that I dug a hole in the snow yesterday just to remember what it looked like. If anyone told me that Canada would ever lack snow for any reason I would have required a drug test. Talk about a bad omen...Hmmmm.

Lame events – Since when did the X-games crap I go out of my way to ignore become Olympic sports? Maybe I am just getting old but when I watched the snow boarders I wanted to call the police thinking they were on my lawn. Is snowboarding for people to lazy to Ski? Curling? What the hell is that? Is that bowling on ice? I missed that email. What’s next? Playing X-box outside in a snow bank as a winter sport?

The thud heard around the world – The pride of Canada is in that dream hockey team they assembled for this Olympics. That team is so good that the guys they did not pick for the team would win a medal. So why are they are going to fold like a cheap tent during an F-5 tornado? The problem as I see it is the Canadian team has everything in their favor. They have the best team, the home field and the home crowd. That is a recipe for disaster. The Russians, Swedes and Americans are quite capable of dealing a death blow to the nation that made hockey famous. This is like a slow motion car wreck because I know its coming but I can’t turn away. There are not enough grief counselors on this planet should Canada fail to win a gold medal on their home turf.

Mike Milbury vs. Jeremy Roenick - With the Olympic Ice Hockey tournament underway the tensions are high. Apparently that tension carries over to the hockey announcers. Former NHL Coach and NBC Analyst, Mike Milbury is in love with team Canada and Sidney Crosby in particular. Former NHL star and lock for the Hockey Hall of Fame Jeremy Roenick is there to simply tell it like it is. The fact is most of these announcers believe Canada has already won the gold so they bring a heavy Canadian bias with them. Roenick, like most Americans will not implode if the US does not win it all. We have to excuse our Canadian friends if they are super sensitive right now as their national pride is on the line. This bares watching.

Start of games marred by tragedy – It was truly unfortunate that even before the games began a young man with dreams of glory was sent home to be buried. That is heart breaking not only for his family but for everyone.

What i miss most is competition and a genuine dislike for old enemies such as Russia etc. Now I find myself rooting for Russia except against the USA. Instead of hating the old Soviets Canada is the obnoxious nation everyone wants to see cough up a giant snow ball. What has the world come to?

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Antonio Cromartie On The Move

Wed, 17 Feb, 2010 03:07:54 GMT

With the inevitable loss of LaDanian Tomlinson, and with Darren Sproles about to become a restricted free agent, the San Diego Chargers are looking to land another running back to help fill the void.

According to Profootballtalk.com, Anotonio Cromartie has "fallen out of favor" with the Chargers brass and might be on the trading block.

One of the rumors and potential landing places for Cromartie is Dallas. The Cowboys already have too many skilled running back to keep on the bench, including starter Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice.

Choice is the logical pick to be traded for Cromartie if that deal comes to fruition.

The Chargers also may look to the draft to pick up a suitable replacement for LT.

The NBA trade Soc-Hop, Sebastian makes 16 million, and another odd baseball injury.

Wed, 17 Feb, 2010 05:07:38 GMT

Thought #1

With the NBA deadline a mere hours away the climate begins to feel more and more like a high school Soc-Hop. You know most of the people there standing around the dance floor, bobbing their heads, and wondering who will be brave enough to step out on the floor.

Of course you have your folks with no fear, your Mavericks and Blazers who jump out ahead of everyone and confidently show off their moves. (Dallas pulling in Caron Butler and the Blazers getting a quality band-aid for their big man situation in Camby.) They also usually pull in some unsuspecting person with them to use as their dance partner too. (ie the Clippers and Wizards)

Then you have your stag line folks, bobbing around, eyes wide open, and just hoping someone will take an interest in what they got going on. They really really really want to dance, but don't quite have the moves to attract a really hot partner. Be sure that the longer the night goes, the better those lesser options hanging out by the chips and dip start to look. Basically Boston, Chicago, San Antonio, and Philadelphia are in the stag line. Boston is trying to make Ray Allen appear as much like the 2001 version of himself as possible, while Chicago tries pimp the dancing skills of Hinrich and Thomas, San Antonio and Philly are attempting to find a decent partner by shopping around the likes of Jefferson, and Iguodala. Of course that would make teams like New York, New Jersey, and Houston those less attractive options by the chip dip.

Then you've got those super cool kids, who you know if they start dancing, will start a chain reaction that will cause everyone else there to get out on the floor. This year it's the Heat and Cavaliers both making a play for the hottest date at the Soc Hop, Amare Stoudemire. Everyone else in the place is waiting to see which one is going to score the breakout dance and who is going to have to move on to their fall back plan. (Most likely the Wizards Antwan Jamison or the Pacers' Troy Murphy.) Everyone is sitting back and waiting to see the drama play out as if this were a Jersey Shore episode. One thing's for sure though, no matter who ends up with the best looking girl at the dance this year it's going to start that chain reaction, DJ Kool's "Let me clear my throat," will start playing, and everything will get a little nutty.

Thought#2

My grandmother tried and tried to convince me to become a kicker. She knew I was interested in football and figured every team needs a kicker and the kicker rarely gets crushed. She was a smart lady.

Today the Oakland Raiders proved my grandma completely right by extending Sebastian Janikowski's contact for four more years, allowing to him earn a total of $16 million. 16 million dollars! For a kicker! Granted the dude has a boot, splitting the uprights from 61 yards out last season, but really Oakland, that's where you choose to drop your coin? Are you sure that's the impact player you want to tie your ship to? I mean he has been there for the past 7 years, in which you have lost eleven game each season. So I guess you are looking for consistency? Might want to rethink this one for a second. Might be a good idea to spend a little of that change on players who can help you move the ball. Sure Sebastian is good from 61, but just remember you still have to get to midfield for that.

Thought #3

There are plenty of rules and caution labels out there that don't make any sense. Rules like, "don't stop your car on the interstate," or caution labels at the gas station that remind you not to smoke while you are filling up. Do you ever wonder who the genius was who broke that rule and necessitated the need for such an obvious warning?

The Baltimore Orioles have had to institute such a rule recently after right-hander Brad Bergesen injured himself while filming a commercial. Brad, who is apparently a sucker for realism, decided to go all out during the shoot resulting in hurting his shoulder. He will reported be limited for 7 to 10 days after the O's start pitchers and catchers training on Thursday. So I'm guess commercials are officially on the do not do before training camp list, right up there with para sailing, hang gliding, (hey look I'm hang gliding...,) and base jumping.

CONTEST: Winner Gets FREE Logo Design For Blog Or $50 Gift Card To Best Buy

Wed, 24 Feb, 2010 03:26:38 GMT

Sports Page Network is happy to announce that we are starting a Online Sports Talk Show somewhat similar to that of ESPN's 'Around The Horn' show.

Currently we have 4 sports bloggers, a few of which with backgrounds in Sports Talk Radio, who have committed to being involved in the show. The show will be fun, entertaining, and will provide us another avenue to reach a broader audience.

The only thing we need now is a name for the show.

We have just started a contest where you submit your idea for a name for the show, we will post our top-5 entries online and have you, the fans choose the name for our show.

All Top-5 entries, with links to their blogs (if they have one) will be posted on March 1st. Our readers will vote on which name they like the most.

The winner will be named on our site on March 5th. The winner will choose between the prizes of a FREE custom designed logo for their website or a $50 gift card to Best Buy. The logo will be designed by our in-house Graphic Design department. Should you choose the gift card, it will be mailed to you.

All entries must be received by February 25th. You can submit as many names as you like!!

Please send all entries, including URL to your site to:

info@sportspagenetwork.com

Good luck!

The Winter Olympics are here, Amare is on the market, and Coach K isn't interested in working with the Russians

Mon, 15 Feb, 2010 05:55:20 GMT

Thought #1

The Winter Olympics have snuck up on us and officially begun. This of course means you will spend the next couple weeks sitting through Sports Center highlights of bizarre sports along with being slightly overwhelmed by the abundance of people you will see in tights.

The Olympics is the sports world's version of sushi. People always try to talk me into trying sushi and it always ends the same way, it sucks. Sushi is over priced and tastes like the fishing prier smells. (By the way, shouldn't something you don't cook be cheaper than something you do?) Sushi fan and Olympic fan have a lot in common though, they are always trying to convince non fans to get it another shot. Think about it. How many times has Olympic fan tried to convince you that curling is legit or that you should feel ashamed of yourself for hoping the figure skaters bite it at some point during their event? Just like sushi, we'll all give it a shot but in the end we'll end up ditching the raw fish for a chicken sandwich and flipping the channel over to a Fresh Prince rerun.

Thought #2

The NBA trade season has heated up and it appears that Amare Stoudemire is the hot chick everyone wants to take to the prom. It's been no secret that Cleveland is in hot pursuit of Amare, offering Zydrunas Ilgaugas and J.J. Hickson, which essentially means a young star and a bag of cash to the Suns since they will most likely waive big Z. So can the second go around for the Amare/Shaq relationship work out better than the first time? It didn't exactly produce a banner in Phoenix, but maybe with Lebron playing mediator it would work. Amare just better make sure he doesn't calling himself "The Big Aristotle," apparently Shaq is a little touchy when it comes to nicknames these days.

Other potential dates include Philly, who would give up Andre Igoudala for Amare and Miami, who really wants him but doesn't seem to have any bargaining chips.

While who ends up courting Amare to the big dance is unclear what is clear it that Phoenix is interested in finding a little cheaper date.

Thought #3

Looks like coach K isn't all that interested in going to New Jersey after all. Rumors swirled around the possibility that Krzyzewski might be interested in leaving Duke for the Nets earlier this week. You know this is kind of like a person trading in a really nice house in a decent town for a chance to live in a shack at the beach. Sure you can walk to the ocean but eventually you're going to get tried of not having a toilet that works and having to cover your windows in plastic to keep the winter drafts out. Plus, coach K acknowledged that a Russian billionaire isn't very likely to hire a Polish guy. Coach isn't dumb, he's seen Rocky IV. He doesn't want those guys following him and his team around in a black sedan as they work out.

Thought #4

The Daytona 500 was red flagged twice for a hole in the pavement. Are you telling me in a crowd of NASCAR fans that big there isn't a dude there who can patch some asphalt? Come on NASCAR, offer up a six pack and bucket of KFC to who ever can patch it and I guarantee it will be fixed in a half hour.

And by the way, did I hear this right, they haven't paved that track since 1978?!?! What the heck NASCAR. That's like the NFL neglecting to seed and fertilize the field in Miami before the Super Bowl. I mean seriously, 1978? They pave the road in my neighborhood at least once every two or three years. NASCAR can say that it was no one's fault but you have to think a fresh layer of pavement wouldn't have hurt. Pretty embarrassing Mr. France.

Congrats to Jamie McMurray. It's nice to see a good guy who got dumped on so much last year come out on top.

Battle of the Blogs, Fantasy Baseball Style

Sun, 14 Feb, 2010 09:49:26 GMT

I've been getting ready for fantasy baseball and came up with this idea for a Battle of the Blogs league. I have set up the league on ESPN.com and would like to invite any bloggers interested in joining. This will be a great way to compete with other bloggers for bragging rights as well as promotes everyone's blog.

I am hoping to get bloggers from all over the country. Below are the details of the league.

Battle of the Blogs Fantasy Baseball League is open to anyone with a blog. Your blog name will be used as your team name.

It will be a 20 team league consisting of four divisions (North, South, East, West). I will attempt to place your team in the most logical division possible. The league will be a head-to-head each category league.

Starting roster spots will be: C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF, CF, RF, UTIL, 5 SP's (max of six allowed on roster), 5 RP's. You will also have five bench spots and two disabled list spots. There will be a 13 games started limit for pitchers per matchup.

The scoring categories are as follows.

Batting: AVG., R, SB, K, 2B, HR, RBI, TB, H, BB
Pitching: ERA, WHIP, QS, BAA, K/P, K, W, L, BB, SVHD

All MLB Players are eligible to be drafted. Rosters will lock daily at inividual game times. Free agents will be handled using an auction. Each each team will have a 500 point player acquisition budget for the season. There is no acquisition limit. Waiver process days will be Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday. Waiver order will be reset each week to Inverse order of standings.

A trade deadline will be Fri. August 13th at 12pm. Trade will be reviewed in one day and will need 10 votes to veto.

Each matchup will be a week long and the regular season will last 22 weeks.

8 teams will make the playoffs. Seeding will be determined by regular season record. Tiebreaker will be head-to-head record.

If you are interested in proving you have the knowledge to beat your fellow bloggers, email me or comment below to let me know you would like to be included in this league.

You need to give me your full name, blog name, and link to your blog so I can set you up in the league.

Our draft will be a live online draft scheduled for March 24th at 8pm EST. Draft order is randomized during league creation. Draft pick trading is allowed.

Email me at doublegsports@gmail.com if you are interested in being included in this free fantasy baseball league for bragging rights!!

This will be friendly, fun, and competitive. You won't want to miss this!

It's the Battle of the Blogs!

Shaq and Dwight fight over who gets to play Superman, NBA celebs' game, and Boston trade rumors squashed

Sat, 13 Feb, 2010 11:00:30 GMT

Thought #1 -

Do you remember back when the first of the newer Batman movies came out? The real good one with Michael Kenton as Batman? Remember how Adam West was super bent that he wasn't considered for the role of the Dark Knight even though Lord knows the last thing anyone wanted to see was a Batman with a utility belt/back support, complete with an Ensure milkshake and K&W coupons. Yeah, it was pretty ridiculous.

Pretty sure Shaquille O'Neal and Adam West would get along pretty good these days. Reportedly Shaq is pretty ticked off that Dwight Howard is running around using the nickname "Superman." Now granted Shaq did proclaim himself the Man of Steel years ago, even got the ink done to prove it, so Dwight's move isn't the most create of moves. Really though, has any of us referred to Shaq as superman in the past 5 years? Besides, Superman is only one of about dozen nicknames Shaq has dropped on himself during his career so maybe Dwight thought he had moved on to the Shaqtus and Superman was now free? Listen let's be real honest about what's going on here. Dwight is the dominate big man in the league right now and Shaq can't come to terms with it. This nickname thing is just the vehicle he is using to vent over the fact that he isn't on top anymore. Of course the great thing about Dwight is that he isn't backing down from the old guy. He's not caving in on this one and in fact with his new ESPN commercial he's milking it for all it's worth. Looks like these two are just going to have to fight it out on the playground the same way third graders fight out who is going to be the Red Power Ranger.

Thought #2-

If you are lacking a bit of self esteem here lately and need a little boost, I suggest checking out a replay of the NBA's celebrity game from Friday night. Pretty sure we need to use the word "game" very loosely here. If you've ever stumbled into a high school gym on a snowy day and caught the indoor track team trying to get a little extra cardio by playing a pick up game, you've seen a more skilled contest than the display that was on last night.

Actor Michael Rapaport was named the MVP with a stunning 4 points as the East beat the West 41-37. Who you ask? Exactly. That guy from that one show that I think came on Fox? Typically when you refer to someone as a celebrity you're acknowledging that most people have a clue who said person is. You typically don't hear sentences like, "he's that guy from that show" or "you know, he sings that one song in that one movie" when it comes to celebs. Unfortunately Friday night's game was loaded with a whole lot of "that guy from that one thing." Whatever happen to the good old days of MTV's Rock and Jock? I mean sure they had all kinds of crazy hot spots you could extra points from, but at least I knew the majority of the players in the game. Sure you might occasionaly have to deal with a Frankie Muniz sighting, but you also got the occasional Fresh Prince sighting to make up for it. Pretty sure the biggest star in that combination of third tier rappers and Globetrotters was Chris Tucker, or at least what used to be Chris Tucker before he spent the entire month of October in a Golden Corral. Seriously dude, you're looking rough. Come on NBA mix in a Adam Sandler or a Bill Murray. We all saw Space Jam, Bill can ball.

The sad thing is the only thing worse than the game itself, was the fact that I couldn't stop watching it and no doubt will again.

Thought #3 -

If you've ever thought you knew exactly what you were getting for Christmas, got all geeked up, ripped through the wrapping paper just to find a sweater, you know exactly how Celtics fans felt yesterday. Yahoo Sports reported Friday that the Celtics were working a deal to bring Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison to Boston for Ray Allen and some spare parts. Unfortunately for Celtics fans Danny Ainge came out later that night and said there was zero truth to such rumors.

It's clear the Celtics need to get younger and it's clear that Allen is the bargaining chip they want to use to accomplish this. A deal with the Wizards would have pushed them back to the elite of the Eastern Conference, a spot from which they have fallen from this season.

Tim Linecum Gets "Giant" Money

Sat, 13 Feb, 2010 04:04:37 GMT

The San Francisco Giants reached a preliminary agreement with their 25 year old ace to the tune of $23 Million for 2 years. Reports are that Lincecum will get $8 million in year one and $13 million in the final year. The deal also contains a $2 million signing bonus. Is it deserved?

Consider that Lincecum has a 40-17 record with a 2.90 ERA in his short three seasons. He did this all with a less than stellar supporting cast. For the last two seasons, Lincecum has been selected as an All-Star pitcher and won two Cy Young Awards. The Giants got their money's worth with this kid considering he earned $650,000 last season.

Smart move locking this kid down if only for two years!

2010 Winter Olympics Preview: Speed Skating, Luge, Nordic Combined

Sat, 13 Feb, 2010 01:51:14 GMT

Day five, the final day of our Olympic Preview. The opening ceremonies are schedule to take place tonight. All week on Double G Sports we have previewed the Olympic events. Today we discuss the final three. Speed Skating, Luge, and Nordic Combined.

Speed Skating

Over the years, speed skating has been a wide open competition. Norway is the all time medal leader with 79. The United States stands in third with 63 all time medals.

The United States has a few athletes that will certainly battle for the gold medal. Shani Davis, Chad Hedrick, and Trevor Marsicano. Davis is the world record holder in both the 1000m ad 1500m events. In 2009, Marsicano beat both Davis and Denny Morrison to win his first world title at the Single Distance Worlds. Hedrick took home three medals in the Torino games. Sprinter Tucker Fredricks is a medal contender in the 500m event.

Catherine Raney and Jennifer Rodriguez lead the women's side for the US. Both skaters could be part of the United States pursuit team. The pursuit team finished fifth in Torino and hopes to improve on that this year.

Luge

This event will be a focus of the Olympics this year as just today they suffered a tragic death. Nodar Kumaritashvili, a luger from Georgia Republice died today after a crash during a training run. Just hours before opening ceremonies, everyone involved in the Olympics is shocked.

Erin Hamlin of New York is the United States best hope for a medal here. She has a chance to become the first United States single luger (male or female) to win an Olympic medal. She is the reigning world champion.

Germany has been the dominant force in the women's luge and are favored once again.

Doubles pair Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin are the most successful luge athletes in United States history. This pair has been together for 14 years. Despite their history of success, Grimmette and Martin are still thought to be long shots to medal in these games.

Tony Benshoof will be appearing in his third winter Olympics for the United States.

Nordic Combined

The United States is feeling confident they can gain their first Olympic medal in the Nordic Combined. Many people believe its not a matter of if, but when. This could be the year.

New Yorker Bill Demong is the leading candidate to medal for the United States. Todd Lodwick is another athlete that has the potential to medal. He had two wins at the 2009 World Championships. He is very tough on the cross-country course.

Norway leads the all time medal count in this event as well. They have one 26 all time medals. including 11 golds. Germany has also been very good lately.

This concludes the Double G Sports Olympic Preview. You can see our preview of every event from the site home page, Double G Sports. Follow all Olympic coverage on NBC.

Go USA!

2010 Winter Olympics Preview: Figure Skating, Curling, Cross-Country

Fri, 12 Feb, 2010 03:13:13 GMT

Day four of the Double G Sports Vancouver Olympics Preview will cover Figure Skating, Curling and Cross-Country Skiing. Check out the site home page for our previous previews.

Figure Skating

The Unites States leads the all time medal count with 44, including 13 golds. Lately the USA has dropped off their past dominance. In the 2006 Torino games, they won just two silver medals. This year they hope to get back to the success of the past.

One of the ice dancing teams for the Unites States is Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto. The pair won a silver medal in the 2006 Torino games.

The other pair to watch for the United States is 2008 Junior Worlds Champions Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates. This pair is among the youngest teams in ice dancing, coming in at ages 19 and 21.

In the pairs competition, U.S. Champions Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett are long shots. They are a consistent pair however and usually give entertaining performances. They are fun to watch.

The skaters in the Men's Singles competition for the Unites States are a varied blend. Johnny Weir is a media guru, staring in his own reality show. He is a three time U.S. Champion. Jeremy Abbott finished 11th in 2009 Worlds competition. His performance in the 2010 U.S. Nationals showed that he could be a contender for the podium, if not gold. The third US member is Evan Lysacek. He is the reigning world champion and a two time U.S. champion.

The United States only qualified two women for the singles competition this year and they have not won a medal in this event in three years. The comeback of Sasha Cohen fell short. Rachael Flatt is a young up an coming star, however she may not have the experience to succeed at these games. Mirai Nagasu won the U.S. title in 2008 at just 14 years old. She struggled in 2009 but now has a new coach and has returned to form entering these Olympics.

Curling

Curling is sometimes very funny to watch. Many people think it looks silly, but there is indeed strategy involved. The object is to get your stones inside the target set on the other side of the playing surface. It's similar to darts, but on ice. Stones are controlled by sweeping the ice as it slides.

The Men's team won the first Olympic medal in this event in 2006, winning a bronze. Neither team is expected to compete for a medal this year. Both the men and women have not had very good season's.

The men are captained by John Shuster while Debbie McCormick leads the women's team.

Cross-Country

Cross-Country skiing has a variety of events. The United States has just one all time medal in this event, a silver. They did not claim a medal in the 2006 games.

The top Unites States competitors are; Kikkan Randall, Kris Freeman and Andy Newell.

Norway is the all time leader in medals with 87 but in the 2006 games, Russian Federation took home the most medals in this competition (7).

Knicks Setting Up Trade For Tracy McGrady

Fri, 12 Feb, 2010 04:08:33 GMT

Tracy McGrady appears to finally have a potential suitor in the New York Knicks, according to Yahoo Sports.

The Houston Rockets are in the process of a 3-team trade involving Tracy McGrady ending up with the Knicks.

Here are the details:

Rockets would receive: Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood from the Wizards

Wizards would receive: Al Harrington from the Knicks

Knicks would receive: Tracy McGrady from the Rockets

The hold up in the deal is getting the contracts to match-up. In addition, the Wizards are still looking for another player out of the trade, and potentially another draft pick.

The thin line between sex addicts and perverts, Rick Pitino's potential new gig, and the Back Porch podcast!

Fri, 12 Feb, 2010 12:26:47 GMT

Thought #1 -

What's the difference between a sex addict and the causal pervert on the street? It very well may just come down to having the money and time to enter a rehab clinic, toss on a robe, and slap on a label.

Over the past month our eyes have been opened to a world that most of us had rarely heard of before, the world of sex addiction clinics. First Tiger Woods reportedly entered one after cheating on his wife and this week we learned that former ESPN baseball analyst Steve Phillips did the same. This just begs the question; really? Do you really want to slap the label of addiction on this? Now I buy that you have a problem and I get that you got away with one affair so it makes affair number 2, 3, and 25 a little more tempting, but an addiction? Are you tell me that if you aren't out having sex with some tramp you're balling up in a corner shaking from with drawl? Not quite sure I'm buying that Steve.

Now don't get me wrong I wish Steve the best and hope he gets his life straight, I just find it hard to slap the label of addiction on this. It's a little hard for this to seem like anything more than an excuse for a string of very poor decisions. Sure you have a problem, a big problem, but an addiction? Really?

Thought #2

Rick Pitino has denied rumors of being interesting in the head coaching position of the New Jersey Nets. Rick, currently the coach of the Louisville Cardinals, claims to want to stay at the University. Really though it makes far more sense him to split town. Think about it, the Cardinals are under achieving this season and Rick is facing an off season of not only fighting for recruits against John Calipari, but also of explain his own affair to his recruits' parents. Not exactly a dream position to be in. He could go to New Jersey and attempt to make up for that horrid span he spent with the Celtics. He could sit at the press conference and tell New Jersey fans that Derrick Coleman isn't coming through that door and neither is.......umm 2002 Jason Kidd maybe? Frankly going to the team with the lowest expectations would probably be a great thing for Rick. He if breaks double digit wins it would be a huge improvement.

And....

The Back Porch podcast!

You're Invited! Yankees announce spring invites.

Wed, 10 Feb, 2010 11:29:27 GMT

The Yankees announced their Spring Training Invitees.

Marcus Thames

He recently signed a minor league deal with the Yankees and will be at Spring Training fighting for a job on the big league roster. Thames could make the team as a backup outfielder against left-handed pitching. Thames is a low average, high power type player. He was originally drafted by the Yankees.

Jesus Montero

The biggest Yankee prospect will get a taste of the bigs. He will likely see a lot of time from the catcher position in the spring. Not only is Montero the Yankees top prospect, but many see him in the top 20 in all of baseball. Big time power from this guy. Likely starts the season at Triple-A but could get a call up at some point this season.

Kei Igawa

The fourth season of his five year contract. Igawa has been one of the biggest busts for the Yankees. Was terrible in his time with the big league club and did not throw a single pitch for them last season. He was 10-8 with a 4.15 ERA for Triple-A Scranton last season. Possible long relief option? Doubt it. Sounds like a career minor-leaguer to me, unless they can some how trade him.

Zach McAllister

Zach is one of the Yankees' top pitching prospects. Thought to have the best control in the Yankees farm system. Not likely to make the club, but the righty could get a call up at some point when injuries hit.

Other players that will be in Tampa for training: left-handed pitchers Wilkins Arias, Jeremy Bleich, and Royce Ring. Right-handers Grant Duff, Jason Hirsh, Amaury Sanit, Zack Segovia, and Kevin Whelan. Outfielders Colin Curtis, Reid Gorecki, Jon Weber, and David Winfree will also be there, as will catchers Austin Romine, P. J. Pilittere, and Mike Rivera.

2010 Winter Olympic Preview: Ice Hockey, Freestyle Skiing, Skeleton

Wed, 10 Feb, 2010 11:30:10 GMT

Its Day 3 of our Vancouver Olympic Preview. Monday I covered Biathlon, Ski Jumping and Alpine Skiing. Yesterday we talked about Snowboarding, Short Track and Bobsleigh events. Today we are previewing Ice Hockey, Freestyle Skiing and Skeleton. The games are just a few days away!

Ice Hockey

Canada is crazy about their hockey and since they are hosting this years games, you know the country is thinking gold or nothing in the men's competition. The Canadian team holds the all time medal lead with 15. The United States is second with 12 all time medals.

The top players on the Team USA are Zach Parise, Patrick Kane, Ryan Miller and Ryan Suter. Parise joins New Jersey Devils teammate Jamie Langenbrunner on the team. The New York Rangers are represented by Chris Drury and Ryan Callahan.

The men's tournament consists of 12 teams that compete in round robin tournaments. The top teams from round robin play then advance to the playoff rounds.

The women's tournament is run the same way but starts with eight teams in the round robin tournament. A few of the names to look for on Team USA are Molly Engstrom, Angela Ruggiero, Jenny Potter and Julie Chu.

Freestyle Skiing

There are three events that make up the freestyle skiing competition. They are aerials, moguls and ski cross.

Aerials is an exciting event to watch. Skiiers are judged on take off, height, form, body position, and landing. Moguls is a very physically demanding event in which competitors travel down a course dealing with bumps and jumps. Ski Cross is making its Olympic debut this year. This event consists of skiers skiing a course filled with obstacles. The object is to have the fastest time to the finish line.

The United States generally has a strong ski team. They hold the all time medal lead with 10, including four golds. Some of the top competitors for the United States are: Ryan St. Onge, Jeret Peterson, Nate Roberts, Bryon Wilson, Daron Rahlves, Hannah Kearney, Shannon Bahrke, and Emily Cook.

Skeleton

The Skeleton event is similar to the luge except in the skeleton, participants lay on the sled stomach down. The athletes start by running and pushing the sled as fast as they can for 50 meters. Then they dive head first onto the sled and steer by very slightly shifting their body. The competition consists of four heats held over two days. The lowest combined times are the winners. There is a men's event and a women's event.

The United States holds the all time medal lead in the skeleton with six in total, three golds and three silvers.

The names to watch for on the United States teams are; Noelle Pikus-Pace, Katie Uhlaender and Zach Lund.

Tomorrow's preview will cover Figure Skating, Curling and Cross-Country.

Brett Favre Coming Back Next Season?

Wed, 10 Feb, 2010 02:27:21 GMT

I know I know, it is way too early to even start asking these questions. We probably won't find out about Favre's status before week 6 of next year. However, a recent personal encounter leads me to believe that Favre may be coming back next year to play out the last half of his 2-year contract with the Vikings.

A friend of mine spent the weekend at a conference where he interacted with a close friend of Mike Holmgren's. Coach Holmgren, as we all know, was an old coach of Favres and remains a close friend to the aging quarterback.

It was reported that Favre and Holmgren were in close contact during the decisive days of his comeback signing with the Vikings last year. Anyways, Holmgren apparently told this friend of his that Favre is planning on coming back this year. This information made its way all the way back to me through my friend.

So there it is, the spreading disease of word of mouth. Whether or not it is valid or reliable is up to you. Here are some other factors to consider while you weigh whether or not you believe the Vikings will have #4 under center next year.

Pros

The Vikings need Favre back next year in order to be a contender at all within the next decade. As soon as the Vikings are at square one again at the quarterback position, their whole team might as well reset. However, if Favre comes back next year, the Vikings have one more year to build on the obvious chemistry Favre had with the Vikings offense, and one more year to put off and all together ignore Adrian Peterson's fumbling problem. The Vikings would obviously be in a group of favorites for next years playoffs if Favre returned. While Favre would give himself yet one more chance to go out on top, and put more legend behind the name that will be in Canton the second he steps away from the game for good.

Cons

The Vikings need to find a young quarterback to build their team on. It is becoming more and more obvious that they won't be able to build on Adrian Peterson. While the talented receiving corps provides a great learning ground for a young gun to come in and build up confidence. If Favre were to stay away from the game, he would be walking away on the top of his career, albeit not the top of the NFL. Favre had one of his personal best years ever, and it would be hard to top such an effort. He would be able to eventually find a personal peace with how the season played out, even though he yet again sealed his teams defeat with a final throw of the season resulting in an interception. Favre walking away now gives himself credibility and the Vikings an immediate future to start building.

LOST: We Know What Kate Does. What's Up with Claire? (Answers and a lot of Questions)

Wed, 10 Feb, 2010 04:05:11 GMT

(spoilers are a given) I'm breaking from the usual movie topics because Lost is burning a whole in my head right now. This is the first season I've watched the episodes as they've aired and I'm starting to regret it. This is more stressful than finals week of a 20 credit semester (which thankfully is something I've never had to endure). But before I trudge through the black fog of confusion, lets take a look at some of the answers this week gave us.

Facts...sort of.

-It would seem Ethan was only creepy/evil/partially retarded because he was on the Island. In the "new reality" he seems very friendly and helpful. On that note, the parallels between the new time line and the old time line are fairly entertaining.

-Sayid's resurrection has some strings attached. Apparently he is infected and the new others (or nothers) want to kill him...maybe. That would seem counterproductive since they need him alive for some unknown reason.

-Jack doesn't trust anyone...including himself. Not a surprise but its good to hear him say it. Also, he is still very bent on saving everyone.

-Sawyer and Juliette weren't married, but they were close. I don't know about everyone else, but I was never entirely sure on their full status. Its good to know (and very sad. Personally I blame Kate for that whole situation).

-Claire is alive...ish. I can imagine since she is setting traps and carrying a gun she isn't a ghostly presence like Christian. On the other hand, she doesn't seem to be invincible like Evil-Locke (assuming the nemesis is evil of course). However, the new others say she is infected which could possibly mean...

-Russo wasn't crazy. Okay, lets be honest, Russo is nuttier than a Salted Nut Roll covered in peanut butter, but she might have been right about the infection all along which brings me too....

SWIGO (Seriously, what is going on!?)

-There actually is an infection that exists on the island? Is it the Nemesis? Is that what kills the babies before they're born? Was the medicine Ethan gave Claire back when she was prego the same thing the Japanese guy was trying to give Sayid?

-Speaking of Mr. Last Samurai and his translator (aka John Lennon with a mustache), do they want Sayid dead? I would think if they were going to kill him, they would have just shot him or stabbed him with the hot poker (which would be really rude and unnecessary). Maybe the pill was poison but would it have killed Sayid? I'm doubtful because everyone seems to be needed alive. This brings up the question...

-Why does everyone need to be alive? I can only imagine the note that Jacob had in the cross that was in the guitar case had a list of all of their names and said that all of them needed to be present and alive. Why? Why? Why!? This probably isn't something we are going to get to find out about soon, however, it will most certainly get answered eventually.

-How relevant is the alternate time line going to be? Am I the only one finding it a little odd watching this new reality unfold when all of my real questions and concerns lie back on the island. How are these two going to come together? Will the events unfolding hold some significance or are they simply there to screw with us? Given Lost's ability to tie the most random things together, I cant only imagine the two will connect somehow, but for now, I'm....lost for words.

Thoughts? Theories? Please share and I will respond because this will be about the only thing in my head for the next week. Stupid Lost. Man I love this show.

P.S. If you are a true lost fan, check out lostpedia for an obscene amount of info and theories.

Indianapolis' icy homecoming, possible Glen Davis for DJ Augustine trade, and New Orleans parade concerns

Wed, 10 Feb, 2010 01:28:33 GMT

Thought #1-

Do you remember that old Applebee's commercial where the high school football team was driving home after a tough lose, it was raining, and all they wanted to do was throw down a few ribs at the neighborhood bar and grill? Remember the place was closed, but the workers all stayed to hook up the fellas just to show how much they supported them. Yeah, guessing that Applebees wasn't in Indianapolis.

The Colts return to Indy on Monday to a heart warming crowd feature 11 faithful fans. Yeah, not even tens of fans showed up to welcome the AFC champions back to town. How is this even possible? There had to have been at least 50 plus guys on that plane with families, plus I would hope a few friends, did they not brave the weather to come out? How did these guys even get home? Did Peyton and Reggie Wayne have to split a cab?

Listen Indy I know you were no doubt more than a little sore from dropping the big game, but don't tell me you're that fair weatherNew Orleans had scheduled a parade for their boys win or lose and you can't even spend 10 minutes to welcome your team back? No wonder you never saw a single shot of downtown Indianapolis over the past two weeks. Very sad.

Thought #2 -

The Boston Celtics are rumored to be working a trade with the Charlotte Bobcats which includes trading Glen Davis, who has asked to longer be called Big Baby, for D.J. Augustine. Now the former Longhorn Augustine has a decently high ceiling and it's no secret the Celtics aren't real high on Davis right now, but would this trade really make that big of a difference? This trade seems a lot like that last couples hours you spend at work on Friday. You know you do a lot of moving around, but really you're not accomplishing anything other than giving off the appearance that you're doing something. The Celtics do need to make a trade and their fans know this, but they need a little bit larger of a shot of youth than D.J. to make a big difference this season.

Thought #3 -

The New Orleans' Police Department was reportedly a little worried about how things would shake out for their parade Tuesday night. Let's just say they were concerned about the combination of National media coverage and the typical amount of Marti Gras beads that fly around. They are even considering giving tickets to any ladies who earn their necklaces. What other city in America would they have to consider that in? Where else would it take a meeting to decide whether or not to enforce that kind of law? New Orleans is truly one in a million.

By the way with that announcement the viewership of males 12-30 just tripled, so I guess it was good for business.

2010 Winter Olympics Preview: Snowboarding, Bobsleigh, Short Track

Tue, 9 Feb, 2010 07:41:41 GMT

Day 2 of our Vancouver Olympics Preview. Yesterday I covered Ski Jumping, Alpine Skiing and Biathlon. Today we will discuss Snowboarding, Bobsleigh and Short Track.

Snowboarding

Snowboarding continues to be one of the fastest growing sports in the world. It first became an Olympic competition in 1981 with its newest event being introduced as recently as the 2006 Torino games. The snowboard competition consists of three events for both the men and women. Parallel Giant Slalom, Halfpipe and Snowboard Cross. Overall this is one of the more exciting events in the Winter Olympics.

The halfpipe is an event in which each snowboarder takes a turn inside a half cylinder shaped ramp. They perform a routine filled with many twists and tricks while moving from one side of the ramp to the other.

In the Parallel Giant Slalom, two snowboarders race against each other down a course. Throughout the course, the riders must turn through a series of gates. The fastest racer moves on to the next round. The top racers will compete in a total of nine runs.

Snowboard Cross is a race between four snowboarders. The four racers travel through a course that includes a series of ramps and jumps. The fastest two racers from each race move on to the next round until one winner is found.

This years snowboarding events will take place at Cypress Mountain.
In 2006, the United States had the highest medal count, winning 7 total. They were tied with Switzerland for the most gold with each country receiving 3 of those. The United States holds the all-time record with 14 total medals earned, including five golds.

Some of the names you should look for on the United States side are, Mason Aguirre, Nick Baumgartner, Gretchen Bleiler (pictured above), Lindsey Jacobellis, Hannah Teter and the always entertaining Shaun White.

Bobsleigh

Three events make up the Bobsleigh competition. Two-man, Four-man, and the Women’s events. Bobsleigh became an Olympic event in 1924, however the Women did not compete until 2002.

The Bobsleigh is a fun event to watch. Each event starts with the competitors pushing off and run while pushing the sled as fast as they can for about 50 meters. They then jump into the bobsleigh and take their seat. A driver controls the bobsleigh as it makes its way down the track. At the end of the track, the brakeman stops the sled.

In each of these events, four heats are held over two days. The times are combined and the team with the lowest time wins the gold medal.

The Whistler Sliding Center will host this years Bobsleigh competition.

In 2006, Germany took home three gold medals and help the overall medal lead. The United States earned one medal in those games, a silver. Switzerland is the all-time leader in medals with 30. United States is next with 18.

Short Track

Short Track is a version of Speed Skating but on a smaller scale. Short Track takes place on a 111.12 meter oval inside a hockey rink. It’s possible to see many spills or accidents in these events as there are some sharp turns do to the short track. Participants in the short track events compete against each other, not the clock. Each event starts with a series of heats involving four to six athletes. The first two finishers in each heat advance to the next round. The final consists of the final four remaining competitors.

There are three different distances. 500 m, 1,000 m, and 1,500 m. There will be a Men’s and Women’s competition for each distance.

There is also a Men’s and Women’s Relay. The relay events take place over two days with semi-final and final competitions. Eight teams of four skaters take part in the relays. Each team can determine how many laps each skater will skate, but the final two laps must be run by the same skater. Each skater must tag his or her teammate after each run. The Men’s Relay is 5,000 m, while the Women’s competition is 3,000 m.

In the 2006 games, Korea was the easy leader in total medals with 10, including six of the eight possible golds. The United States earn one gold medal and two bronze medals in those games. Korea is the all-time leader with 29 medals. The Unites States is currently fourth with 12.

Some names to watch for on the US team are: Allison Baver, Alyson Dudek, Travis Jayner and Apolo Anton Ohno. Ohno needs just two medals to surpass Bonnie Blair as the Unites States most decorated Winter Olympian in history. The United States should have a very strong short track team this year.

Tomorrow’s preview will include, Ice Hockey, Freestyle Skiing and Skeleton.

Sean Payton pushes all his chips in, Sir Charles loves him some Taco Bell, and Baylen Brees stole our hearts

Tue, 9 Feb, 2010 02:16:53 GMT

Thought #1 - Game Thoughts

The Super Bowl has come and gone and while the game wasn't quite the shoot out some had predicted Sean Payton made sure it didn't lack on drama. Sean pushed a ton of chips into the pot towards the end of the second quarter by going for it on fourth and goal and the Colts called his bluff. Lucky for him though, the Colts weren't nearly as gutsy in their play calling, running on three straight downs and giving the ball back to the Saints with time to savage the three points they turned down earlier.

Payton wasn't done shooting the dice there though, he turned around and did what any good Kenny Rogers does and pushed his chips into the pot yet again at the start of the second half. This time the hand came up aces for Sean, the Saints recovering the onsides kick and stealing the momentum that would carry them through the rest of the game.

It was gutsy and was exactly what the city of New Orleans needed. Letting it all hang out, letting it all ride, and playing the game with nothing to lose. Drew Brees got the MVP, which was well deserved, but if Sean Payton could have been in the running for it, youd have to think he would have stolen more than his share of votes.

Thought #2 - Commercial Thoughts

Maybe it's just me, but I'm totally not buying Joe Montana is rocking Skechers shape ups. I mean really can you picture Joe Cool taking a stroll around the park in those moon boots, trying to increase his calve strength? Really Joe? Next you're going to tell me you're strapping on one of those electric ab shockers or that you've bought into that Hollywood cookie diet. Just not buying it.

On the other hand I do totally buy that Charles Barkley is slamming those 5 dollar Taco Bell boxes. Horrible commercial, but totally believable. Well except for the idea that Sir Charles is only buying one of those at a time. No way that's happening unless it's only going to serve as a quick appetizer on his way to the Golden Corral.

Did enjoy the Griswolds showing up Sunday, not that it was a great commercial, but it brought of a ton of sweet Vacation memories and allowed me to use several sweet Chevy Chase one liners at work today. Hope they shoot for a Fletch spot next year.

And by the way, Betty White is still my favorite Golden Girl.

Thought #3 - Drew Brees Thoughts

Drew Brees! Great game for Drew. Great game for a guy who until Sunday night carried the rap of a great fantasy league quarterback but was always on the edge of being considered a great real world quarterback. That is no longer the case. He is now earned the rap of being one of the greats for this generation and deserves to be compared to the Bradys and Mannings of the league.

As much as I like Drew though, he is not my favorite Brees. Baylen totally won me and probably most of America over Sunday night. Listen if you are a lady in a relationship with a guy who is still a little on the fence about the whole having kids thing, now is definitely the time to pitch that hard. Seeing that little dude out there sporting his pop's jersey and watching the confetti fall, was special and darn cute. Pretty sure it made us all a little jealous.

Thought #4 - Halftime Thoughts

Anyone else have The Who stuck in their head all day today? Not that they are a bad band, they are just old and unable to put on a great show. The big question is; do we really even need a halftime show? Wouldn't you much rather watch a highlight reel, or maybe some type of crazy Red Bull stunt show instead of a washed up band? Granted the light show was pretty sweet, but really was the show itself anything more than background music for you as you made multiple trips to the nacho tray?

Should Tavares Be Left Off the Calder Trophy Ballot?

Tue, 9 Feb, 2010 01:34:22 GMT

John Tavares of the New York Islanders has been one of the most talked about hockey players since he was an early teen. At fifteen he was granted “exceptional player” status by the Ontario Hockey League in order to play for the Oshawa Generals.

Tavares became the youngest OHL player ever and scored 45 goals and 77 points in the 2005-2006 season. Year by year he continued to build and by the end of his fourth OHL season Tavares had tallied 215 goals and 433 points in just 247 games. On top of that Tavares won two gold medals playing for Canada at the World Junior Championships in 2008 and 2009.

And then came the hype for the 2009 entry draft. Tavares was projected to be drafted #1 overall by most, but some news outlets including myself gave some leeway for Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman who eventually went 2^nd overall, Tavares went first.

After a strong start to his first NHL season, 19 points in his first 21 games, Tavares seemed to be shaping up to be exactly what he was expected to be, an elite NHL player. But a coldstreak has him sitting at just 33 points in 58 games (0 points in his last 5 games and 14 points in 37 games) and an awful -14 rating.

Tavares’s average play has opened the door for other rookies to obtain the spotlight and possibly the Calder trophy.

Matt Duchene: The third overall pick from the 2009 draft, Duchene has played an integral part to the Colorado Avalanches extremely successful season thus far. Duchene tops all NHL rookies with 39 points (18 goals) and has scored 12 points in his last 12 games.

And Duchene isn’t the only rookie who’s had success on the Avs this season, Brandon Yip who made his Avs debut in mid December has scored 16 points in 21 games and Ryan O’Reilly has proven to be a regular on the Avs third line chipping in with 20 points and a +7 rating in 58 games.

Tyler Myers: His six foot eight frame is origianally what got him noticed but Buffalo Sabres first round draft pick Tyler Myers adds more to the Sabres roster then a massive body . The monster defenseman is third among all rookies in scoring with 31 points and leads all Sabres defensmen in ice time at just over 23 minutes a game.

Tuukka Rask: The 22-year-old rookie goaltender has been one of the bright spots in whats been a disappointing season for the Boston Bruins. As of today the Bruins are on the outside of the playoff picture looking in and although they are tied in points with the eighth place Philidephia Flyers (they’ve played one more game than the Flyers and therefore are behind them in the standings) its far off from the first place Eastern Conference finish from last season.

Although still considered a backup goaltender to Tim Thomas, Rask has started nearly half of the Bruins games (26) and has recorded impressive numbers with a 2.02 GAA and a .929 save percentage. With rumors swirling about Tim Thomas’s future as a Bruin, Rask may have found himself a starting role as an NHL goaltender.

James van Riemsdyk: Although he drew cold in December where he only scored one point in 15 games, van Riemsdyk started the season hot with 18 points in his first 16 games. His +7 rating is first among all Philidelphia Flyers forwards and he's third among all rookies in scoring with 31 points and only averages 13 minutes on the ice per game.

So as the 2009-2010 season closes in on its last 20 plus games, you have to wonder whether John Tavares will pick up the slack and help the Islanders gain back some ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race and get himself back to the top of the NHL rookie list.

Tim Tebow's Fantasy Stock Rising In Spite Of Focus On The Family

Mon, 8 Feb, 2010 09:41:56 GMT

The day after the Super Bowl may as well be doomsday for every NFL fan. For all we care, the world is over. Another 7 months till we can even think about watching an NFL game. However, if you are a true NFL fan, you have your sights set much closer; on the NFL draft in April. This is the time when you can find out if your team will finally have a chance, or if those morons in the front office are going to select yet ANOTHER running back they are going to release in 3 years. One of the most talked about players this year will no doubt be Tim Tebow. If you had an ear to the world at all this past week, you probably heard about the "PR Crisis" that was to be Tebow's commercial with his mom making an anit-abortion stand. Would this cause teams to shy away from taking Tebow? Would the potential for a church boy in the locker room put the so-called ax in every GM's hand? Well, the commercial came and went and we were all left scratching our heads wondering what all the fuss was about. Cheesy? Yes. Offensive to extreme left-wingers? not even close. So now that the "media risk" is cleared from Tebow's name, what other risks are looking a littler more sunny and giving 'ol Timmy a shot at a high draft pick and a promising start on your fantasy roster?

1. Improved Mechanics

Like any other rookie quarterback, scouts are over analyzing the heck out of Tebow's throwing mechanics, especially his long throwing motion which leads to a slow release. The good news is though, Tebow is getting better. After working with coaches during Senior Bowl practices, scouts say that Tebow's throw is looking better. If he can quicken up that release, that alone will make him a much more valuable asset. D-backs won't have near the field day they were planning on, and rolling out that big athletic body outside of the pocket will not lead to the disaster it make have earlier with the blazing athleticism of NFL linebackers.

2. Indestructible Frame

Coaches hate watching their prized quarterbacks take off down field. The threat of an easy fumble, or worse, a season ending injury is always on the mind of anyone wearing a headset. Tebow could be different though. At 6'3" and 240 pounds, it is as if he was bio-genetically engineered to be a quarterback. We all know that he won't have a problem seeing over the line (Not that that is a valid excuse anymore, thank you Drew Brees). However, the most notable part of his build is the fact that he has the body to absorb a few hits. Think Daunte Culpepper, only good. Tebow will be able to take those hard knocks that are promised for all rookies, and be able to get back up and keep on learning.

3. You Can't Teach Leadership

As much as I hate Phillip Rivers (I'm not going to take the time to emphasize the meaning of that word "hate") no one can deny his ability to lead a team. The emotion and fire he plays with is unmatched. I believe Tim Tebow is coming out of the gates with that kind of potential. He has the ability to draw from his emotion and make plays while inspiring his teammates to do the same thing. Even though we can all have a good laugh at the tears he shed during the Alabama game, we certainly can't question his desire. Coaches will definitely weigh the pros of that kind of leadership under center for their team.

So with all of that in mind, keep Tebow on your radar for upcoming fantasy leagues. If you are apart of a dynasty league, it definitely would not hurt to have taken Tebow in a prospect draft. If you are in just regular single season leagues, keep an eye on the free agency pool early. Tebow might be bound for more success than we have been imagining up to this point.

And The 2010 Super Bowl Commercial Award Goes To....

Mon, 8 Feb, 2010 09:51:07 GMT

We laughed, we cried, and we turned the channel.

Companies spend millions upon millions of green-backs for a chance at 30 seconds of advertising fame to be on during the Super Bowl. All of which is money well spent. The reason for this: because people from all of the world will tune into the big game solely for the commercials.

So, lets see who the big winners and losers of the Super Bowl commercials. Lets see who took home a 2010 Super Bowl Commercial 'Oscar':

The Oscar for "Biggest Call-To-Action" goes to......Denny's

- Who isn't going to Denny's tomorrow for a free Grand Slam? Everyone except those of you who have a job and don't have time to wait in line for 2 hours with 250 other people waiting to get free toast and eggs.

The Oscar for "Best Trailer" goes to...........Robin Hood ~~Men in Tights~~......ha..just kidding

- Another Ridley Scott/Russel Crowe concoction. Crowe in another epic period piece....should be solid.

The 'wazzzzzzuppppppp' Oscar for "It was a good run but please stop making these commercials or come up with a better idea" goes to.....E*TRADE

- Yep, I know everyone loves a baby, especially ones that can talk, but seriously you can only go to the well so many times.

The Oscar for "Most Comical Sports Celebrity Endorsement" goes to......Skechers

- Joe Montana....really!?! Can anyone seriously picture Joe Montana in a pair of Skecher Shape-ups??? I would be shocked if Joe "cool" has ever even tried on a 'Shape-up', much less even know what it is.

The Oscar for "Most Intriguing New Product" goes to.......... Flo TV

- Live TV on the go with a clear picture. It was just a matter of time.

The Oscar for "Worst Super Bowl Commercial" goes to...........Boost Mobile

- Yes, I get it "shuffle" and the "Bears". Still, not even close to funny, a little bit confusing, and fairly disturbing.

And finally The Oscar for "Best Super Bowl Commercial" goes to..........(drum roll please).......Snickers

- Betty White getting pancacked in the mud......classic

What were your favorite commercials? We would love to hear about them.....

2010 Winter Olympics Preview - Ski Jumping, Alpine Skiing, Biathlon

Mon, 8 Feb, 2010 07:54:39 GMT

This Friday is the start of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Each day this week, Double G Sports will give a quick preview of three events in this years olympics. There are 15 events in total, so by Friday all the events will be covered.

The first three events I will preview are Ski Jumping, Alpine Skiing, and Biathlon.

Ski Jumping

Ski Jumping will be the first event in this years olympic games. This event has been part of the Olympics since the original Olympic games in 1924. There are three seperate competitions in Ski Jumping. The Normal Hill Individual, Large Hill Individual, and Team competitions.

Normal Hill qualifying takes place the day before competition. The top 10 ranked ski jumpers during the World Cup Circuit are selected into the competition without having to go through qualifying. The remaining jumpers go through the qualification round with the top 40 advancing. After the first round of 50 participants, only 30 advance to the final round.

The Large Hill event is done the same way as the Normal Hill except the competition takes place on a larger hill.

In the team event, each team has four athletes. In the first round, each member gets one jump. The top eight teams advance to the second round. When its all said and done, the team with the highest score after all eight jumps wins.

This years ski jumping events will take place at Whistler Olympic Park.

In the 2006 Torino games, Norway ended up with the most medals (4) while Austria had the most golds (2). Norway is the All-Time leader in medals for this event with 28. The United States has just one medal in Ski Jumping, that was a bronze won by Anders Haugen in 1924.

Alpine Skiing

Alpine Skiing consists of 10 events. Men's & Ladies Downhill, Men's & Ladies Super-G, Men's & Ladies Giant Slalom, Men's & Ladies Slalom, and Men's & Ladies Super Combined. Alpine skiing has been a part of the Olympic games since 1936. Alpine Skiing events are downhill skiing events in which athletes must pass through gates. The distance of the course depends on the event.

Downhill has the longest course. It's also the event which skiers reach the fastest speeds. Each skier makes one run down the course and the fastest time wins.

The Giant Slalom is also a timed event in which skiers travel on a course with more turns. This event consists of two runs down two different courses on the same ski slope. The times of each run are combined.

The Slalom is basically done the same way as the Giant Slalom but on a much shorter course with quicker turns. It is the shortest course of all Alpine Skiing events.

The Super-G is an event that combines the speed of downhill with the turning precision of the Giant Slalom. The course is shorter then downhill but longer then the Giant Slalmo. Each skier takes one run on the course and the fastest time wins.

The Super Combined event is one downhill run followed by one slalom run. The times are added together with the fastest total time being named the winner.

This years competitions in Alpine Skiing take place at Whistler Creekside. In 2006, Austria was the easy leader with 14 total medals in Alpine Skiing. United States received two gold medals that year. Austria holds the all time lead with 101 medals. The United States is fourth with 31.

Biathlon

The Biathlon is a combination of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. The Men's competition became an Olympic event in 1960 while the Women's event started as an Olympic event in 1992. There are five different events on each side, Men's and Women's. Individual start, Sprint, Pursuit, Relay, and Mass Start. Men's races are generally longer distances then Women.

In the Individual Start, athletes start one at a time in 30 second intervals. They ski a loop five times. Each competitor stops four times at the shooting area and takes five shots at a target. If an athlete misses a shot, one minutes is added to his or her race time. The athlete with the lowest time is the winner.

In the Sprint race, athletes once again start one at a time every 30 seconds. During the Sprint, each competitor stops twice to take five shots at a target. If they miss a shot in this event, they must take a lap around a 150 meter penalty loop. The athlete with the lowest time wins.

The top 60 finishers in the Sprint event qualify for the Pursuit competition. Each person in this event is chasing the Sprint race winner. Participants start in intervals according to their Spring race finish. Skiers must stop four times and take five shots at a target. For each missed shot, they must take a penalty lap around the 150 meter penalty loop. The first athlete to cross the finish line wins.

The relay is a team event. Each team member skis a leg and tags their teammate at the end. Each person skis three legs and must stop twice at the shooting range. Each athlete takes the normal five shots but also has three extra bullets. If an athlete still misses a target, they must ski the 150 meter penalty lap. First team to finish wins.

The Mass Start consists of the 30 highest ranked skiers. Everyone starts together in this event, similar to a marathon. They must each stop at the shooting range four times and take five shots at a target. If they miss, they must take a lap around the 150 meter penalty lap. During the competition, if a participant is lapped, they must withdraw from the event immediately. The winner is the first athlete to cross the finish line.

This event will take place at the Whistler Olympic Park. Germany led the medal count for this event in the 2006 Olympics while the USA did not qualify for a medal. In fact, the United States has never won a medal in the Biathlon. Germany is the all time leader with 38.

Does Avatar Really Deserve $2 Billion? Does it Really Deserve the Oscar for Best Picture.

Mon, 8 Feb, 2010 05:44:14 GMT

The year was 1997, the movie was Titanic. Made on a very high budget with two fresh, young leads and a director who had predominately given us some great Sci-fi, Titanic was hardly a sure thing when it was released. But unlike the historically epic-fail of a ship it was based on, Titanic went on to clean up at the Oscars and earn the highest gross of any movie (when not adjusted for inflation. Otherwise, its Gone With the Wind, another romantically centered, period epic). To this day, some people don't get how Titanic did it. I don't think its hard to understand. Even as a naive, immature junior high boy, I enjoyed the movie when I saw it in theatres (and not because of the drawing scene that snuck its way into a PG-13 movie, you pervs).

Titanic essentially as it all. It has a rich, historic base and feels very authentic on this part. The ship looks fantastic, even today. The movie also ends in a very Roland Emmerich disaster movie fashion. People are screaming and dying, things are blowing up and sinking in freezing cold water. Everyone loves a little destruction. And yes, at the movies heart is this romance that goes beyond social classes (not to mention cross-cultural). At the very least, Jack and Rose's romance seemed less boring and forced than your standard rom-com characters. Also, I have to mention the music. No, not the Celine Dion song but the Academy Award winning score by James Horner. With its almost Celtic flair, the music truly is beautiful.

Now, we have Avatar, a movie by the same director, James Cameron. Its funny that I originally had a post entitled "Should you Care about Avatar?" when now that doesn't seem to be a question at all. At the time, I feared Avatar might be under appreciated but it would seem, in a cruel twist of irony, Avatar has become over appreciated. I liked Avatar. I saw it twice, once in 3D. But seriously, I'm not seeing the big deal.

Yes, the 3D is fancy (and also brings in more money than traditional theatre tickets which could partially explain the abnormal gross this movie has had). The effects are pretty and all, but does it seem that much better than Transformers 2's effects? Or, dare I say, the top video game cutscenes out there? And even still, good effects does not a great movie make (and yes, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, and even Titanic were about much more than their special effects).

If Avatar is supposed to be a romance, its alright but hardly anything spectacular, original, or surprising. If its supposed to be a thinly veiled critique on current politics and wars, its awfully one-sided and far-fetched. If its an eco-friendly, environmental movie, then its actually not as forced as they typically are. Still, the world of Pandora is a bit different than ours (unless we have yet to discover how to plug into earth) and its hypocritical in the fact that its taken great advances in technology for this movie to even be possible. Finally, the music, while pretty, its basically a sampler mix of everything James Horner has done over the past 20-30 years.

Then there is all the talk about it winning best picture at the Oscars. I never expected this to actually happen until it won the Golden Globe for best picture. Its not the best movie of 2009 (I would personally say Hurt Locker...or just about any of the movies nominated for best picture). Its not even the best Sci-Fi movie of 2009. That goes to Star Trek which had more interesting characters, a much sharper script, a better villain, more emotional moments, and just as pretty of effects. Seriously people, its not even James Cameron's best movie (I'd go with Terminator 2).

Now I liked Avatar and it is an impressive, roller coaster spectacle. Maybe that's enough for it to be the highest grossing movie of all time. But it isn't enough for people to say its the best movie of the year (much less all time). Great movies are often defined and remembered by specific moments. Even Titanic had its "King of the World" and "Never let go Rose". Cheesy? Sure, but don't tell me you haven't stood on top of something, spread out your arms, and shouted out you're the king of the world. What's to be remembered here? I see you? You're like a baby? When the flash has faded and our eyes re-adjust, what will we really remember about Avatar?

Don't Care for the Teams in the Super Bowl? Then Care about Movie Previews!

Mon, 8 Feb, 2010 01:54:11 GMT

Two weeks ago, I was cheering for Vikings. Needless to say, I was left with a taste in my mouth more bitter than year old milk. Yet, I'm still excited about the super that's actually going on as I write this post. Why? Well, I'll give you a hint. Its not because of the half-time show. I respect what the Who have given to music, but seriously, could we have something a little more modern? Anyway, to the point, the Super Bowl for years now has given us some great sneak peaks at upcoming movies. In case you missed these previews or want to watch them again, I've included them below. More importantly, I'm here to give you the skinny on these movies (whatever giving you the skinny means).

Shutter Island-
I'm going to start off with the best. When you take the man who gave us Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, The Aviator, Gangs of New York, Raging Bull, and The Departed and have him direct a movie based on a book by the guy who wrote Mystic River and Gone Baby, Gone, its pretty much guaranteed that the movie will be one of the years best. Expect a trippy, cerebral ghost story with big mysteries and strong characters played by Leo DiCaps and Jackie Earle Haley (who did an amazing job as Rorschach in Watchmen).

Robin Hood-
Ridley Scott and Russel Crowe go together like...well, like Martin Scorcese and Leonardo DiCaprio. Its nice to see Scott return to a period piece. This movie originally started off as a story about the Sheriff of Nottingham before becoming a more traditional Robin Hood story. Hopefully that will give it an original take on the material. Either way, expect a gorgeous looking movie with more flaming arrows than you can shake a sword at. And lets be honest, Crowe is going to be a way better Robin Hood than Kevin Costner could dream of being. The question is, are they going to have a villain as great as Alan Rickman?

The Last Airbender-
Also known as the other Avatar, this movie brings to life the very popular Nickelodeon cartoon. And its handled by none other than M. Night Shaymalan himself. I'd probably feel more excited about this movie if A: I actually watched the cartoon or B: M. Night's movies didn't get progressively worse over the years. Who knows, maybe this movie will be a comeback for the man who was once dubbed the next Speilburg. One thing is for certain, its not going to make near as much money as the current Avatar.

Alice in Wonderland-
The movie it would seem Tim Burton was born to direct. Beautifully creepy, magically dreary, this is the way Alice in Wonderland is always talked about but never seen (unless you count American McGee's Alice in Wonderland video game which is actually getting a sequel). For more info and the full trailer, check my previous post here.

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time-
As this movie gets closer and closer, I get more and more excited. I originally talked about this film when the trailer first premiered, and needless to say, I had my reservations. All I want is a good video game movie and the Prince of Persia series is known for good stories. With a large budget, the director of Goblet of Fire and Donnie Brasco, and a very talented cast, this could be the film to shut Roger Ebert up and make him except that not all video games are stupid.

Iron Man 2....MIA
Iron Man 2 was originally supposed to have a spot in the Super Bowl. Sadly, it was pulled out. Why? Probably because everyone knows already that this movie is going to be amazing. I guess while we wait for the movie to come out, you can always go and rewatch the original teaser trailer.

The Who Leaves The Super Bowl Halftime Show Wanting Sexy Back

Mon, 8 Feb, 2010 01:03:12 GMT

I have never regretted public nudity so much. Ever since Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" the Super Bowl Half Time Show has felt more like an episode of Lost with all of the time traveling back to the 70's. We have gone from Kiss to Aerosmith to Bruce Springstein and now The Who. Do not get me wrong, I have all the respect in the world for what these artists did in the music industry. The keyword in that sentence is "did", not "music". As much as what Justin Timberlake did to Janet Jackson's outfit was inappropriate, it every bit as entertaining as well. The fans were shocked, but happy. Fans under the age of 40 were actually paying attention. These are all things the halftime show has not seen in a long time. This year, the entertainment went from Queen Latiffah doing "America the Beautiful" to Carrie Underwood singing the National Anthem, and then The Who. One of these things is not like the other (and in no way is that a racial slur). The NFL party planning committee needs to get off of it's high horse of regret and start bringing in the big, current names again. Why would they not bring in the Grammy-nominated Dave Matthews Band this year? Fun for everyone and almost no chance of boobs. Heck, I would have even settled for another Brett Favre "Pants on the Ground" rendition before I was forced to sit through another "I loved the 80's" moment. Unfortunately for us though, the only person Justin Timberlake will beat to the Super Bowl is Phillip Rivers.

Walter Payton Man Of The Year: KC's Brian Waters A Winner Off The Field

Mon, 8 Feb, 2010 01:46:03 GMT

The Kansas City Chiefs have struggled on the field the past few years.

But if there's one thing Chiefs players continue to do better than any other players in the NFL, it's give back to the community off the field.

For the fifth time in the history of the NFL Man of the Year award, known since 1999 as the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, a Chiefs player has won for his generosity off the field. This year's winner is Chiefs All-Pro Guard Brian Waters.

Waters established his Brian Waters 54 Foundation back in 2005, which provides opportunities for underprivileged children and low-income families. Among other charitable work that he does, Waters is also the Chiefs chairman for First Downs with Down Syndrome, a program that raises more than $400,000 annually.

Waters joins former Chiefs greats Will Shields, Derrick Thomas, Len Dawson, and Willie Lanier on the list of winners from Kansas City.

Watch The Super Bowl Online For Free

Sun, 7 Feb, 2010 04:18:44 GMT

Are you going to be stuck with nothing but a computer on Super Bowl Sunday? Are you tired of watching that little dot move up and down the digital field on your screen? There is a website I have found that is not always reliable, but has yielded great results for me in the past. So if you are desperate to find a website that lets you watch the big game for free between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints. Then visit www.justin.tv and search the site to see if you can find a solid stream. If that doesn't work out, you can still search google for "Where Can I Watch The Super Bowl Online For Free?" and hope some no name site gives you some relief from your Super Sunday disaster.

Super Bowl thoughts from the Back Porch

Sun, 7 Feb, 2010 09:08:12 GMT

Super Bowl Thoughts

Super Bowl weekend is upon us and everyone is making predictions. Here is a list of things you can expect to happen no matter where you are on Super Bowl Sunday.

1. No matter what party you are at there will be one guy who wants to remind you of the Mannings' connections to New Orleans. This guy will attempt to tell you about Archie playing ball there and Peyton growing up going to games there as if it is breaking news. It's annoying, but just humor him for a bit and try to slide away to the nacho tray as soon as possible.

2. Despite all the chatter this week Dwight Freeney will play. If you saw the Sports Illustrated article on Dwight you'll know that the dude using machines that would make the Russian in Rocky IV jealous. From his diet to his use of lasers to work the soreness out of his joints the guy knows his body and will be able to get it together for 3 hours on Sunday. He'll be there, tape up, shot up, and ready to go, so expect him to make an impact.

3. By halftime you will be completely overwhelmed by the amount of times you see the Manning family clapping in the luxury box. You will also be completely overwhelmed by having to explain to the non football fan at your party that he is not the old white guy from Different Strokes.

4. Expect that Peyton Manning will figure out whatever the Saints throw at him. No quarterback in history has ever been more of a thinker than Peyton. No one studies the game better than him and by the 3rd quarter he will have figured it out, found the weakness and will blow up the Saints like Luke did the Death Star at the end of Star Wars.

5. You will be slightly freaked out by the Troy Polamalu commercial. Just be warned, he's pulled out of a hole and it's pretty creepy. The commercial gods will make it up to you though with the Miller High Life guy, who is awesome!

6. You will see a large amount of kids jumping and screaming to The Who at halftime, who have no idea who they are and can't name a single song they have ever preformed. The halftime show will continue to be the most overrated aspect of the big game until they quit resurrected bands from the dead to preform. Thanks Janet Jackson.

7. Drew Brees will have a good game. He has all kinds of weapons which will allow him to dispute the ball all over the field. It is very likely that on paper he will be the best quarterback on the field Sunday.

8. There will be one snack at your party that will be 10 times better than all the others. If you don't get to it early be sure that it will be gone and you will be left listening to everyone else talk about how great it was. Also be sure that you will see the skinniest girl there have a plate full of it, not finish it, and end up pitching it in the trash. Get there early, eyeball the snack table, and plan your attack strategy.

9. Pierre Thomas and Joseph Addai will have much larger impacts on the gave than people are giving them credit for. The Saints will try to get the run game going with Thomas to keep Peyton off the field. The Saints will also get some pressure on Peyton and he will look to dump the ball off on short routes to Addai.

10. If the Saints win prepare yourself for more footage of New Orleans than you have ever seen in your life. In fact they may dedicate an entire cable channel to non stop coverage of the party.

If the Colts win expect to see a 20 second clip of a random sports bar in Indianapolis and then more coverage of New Orleans than you ever have before. Be honest, you would much rather watch a funeral in New Orleans than a party in Indy.

Official prediction.

Colts 28 Saints 17

Enjoy the game!

	Gregg	Pat	John
1	Rodriguez	Rodriguez	Rodriguez
2	Teixeira	Teixeira	Jeter
3	Jeter	Reyes	Reyes
4	Reyes	Wright	Teixeira
5	Wright	Beltran	Wright
6	Beltran	Jeter	Bay
7	Granderson	Cano	Beltran
8	Cano	Bay	Cano
9	Posada	Francoeur	Granderson
10	Bay	Granderson	Posada

	Rob	Mark	Jon
1	Rodriguez	Rodriguez	Rodriguez
2	Teixeira	Teixeira	Jeter
3	Jeter	Wright	Wright
4	Wright	Jeter	Teixeira
5	Bay	Beltran	Reyes
6	Reyes	Cano	Granderson
7	Granderson	Bay	Bay
8	Beltran	Granderson	Cano
9	Cano	Reyes	Francoeur
10	Posada	Posada	Posada