Awful Announcing stumbled upon one of the more hilarious sports headlines in some time, not too mention one of the more ridiculous online gaffs. A Christian news network One News Now has a filter that changes the word “gay” into “homosexual.”
So when Tyson Gay became the new 100-meter World Record holder recently, the headline at One News Now read something like this:
“Homosexual eases into 100 final at Olympic Trials”
The craziest part of the whole thing is that when you click on the story it links to the AP version with the correct version of the runner’s name. Too funny and it might be time to update your homosexual editing software, One News Now.
Hilarious, and once again, absolutely ridiculous. Great find by the guys at Awful Announcing.
Our friends over at Yardbarker just posted a bunch of photos of the beautiful ladies at the Euro Cup. I think this is my favorite, though it’s a tough call…
7/1 Update: In surprising moves, Baron Davis and Elton Brand did indeed decide to opt out.
The NBA free agency period starts on Tuesday, and we know who will be available this summer. Gilbert Arenas, Baron Davis, Elton Brand and Corey Maggette have opted out of the final years of their respective contracts and have become free agents. Shawn Marion, Allen Iverson, Ron Artest and Jermaine O’Neal decided not to opt out.
Below is a list of the top 10 unrestricted and top 10 restricted free agents based on total value, which means I’ll take into account each player’s production, age, upside and estimated asking price. Unrestricted free agents can sign with any team that makes them an offer. Restricted free agents can sign offer sheets from other teams, but their current team has the right to match that offer, which is usually the case.
I’ll also list John Hollinger’s Player Efficiency Rating (PER) for each player, which allows us to compare guys that play different positions.
UNRESTRICTED
1. Elton Brand, PF ($15 M - $17 M per year) PER: 18.04 (15th in PF)
Brand decided to opt out but said it was his intention to stay with the Clippers. This summer, only the Sixers ($23 M) and the Grizzlies ($14 M) have significant space to sign a big-name free agent without having to negotiate a sign-and-trade. Brand probably won’t play for Memphis (and it’s doubtful that they’d spend the money this summer), but Philly is an option. Brand has expressed an interest in the Sixers, though it is believed that he’d rather play out his career in L.A. or go to Miami, who signed him to an offer sheet a few years ago. (However, there are rumblings of a Brand-for-Shawn Marion swap.) For their part, the Sixers have stated that they are trying to build a roster in the shape of the Detroit Pistons, who don’t have any monster contracts. With that in mind, it is unlikely that Brand will land in Philly.
2. Corey Maggette, GF ($7 M - $9 M per year) PER: 19.43 (6th in SF)
Maggette opted out of the final year of his contract, which would have paid him $8.4 million. He hasn’t been very happy with the Clippers and is looking for a way out, though the team has said that it is a priority to re-sign both Brand and Maggette. Orlando seems like a good fit. The Magic could use an athletic slasher who can shoot it and Maggette fits the bill. He is one of the best in the league at getting to the line and the Magic could use his skills since Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu aren’t great penetrators. Since Orlando has no cap space, the best they could offer would be a mid-level deal, which would be (roughly) in the five-year, $34 million range. Is that enough for Maggette to make the move or will he re-sign with the Clippers for more?
3. Baron Davis, PG ($14 M - $16 M) PER: 19.87 (8th in PG)
Popular opinion was that Davis wouldn’t walk away from the final year of his contract. Popular opinion was wrong. There isn’t much money out there on the free agent market for Davis, but there is the possibility of the Warriors working out a sign and trade if they elect not to sign him to a new deal and keep him. Davis is just 29, so he still has a few years of good basketball left in him. He is always an injury concern, but when healthy he is one of the best point guards in the game. It’s going to be interesting to see where he ends up.
4. Gilbert Arenas ($15 M - $17 M) PER: 18.3 (10th in PG)
Unlike Brand, I just don’t think Arenas is a franchise-player and, therefore, he doesn’t deserve a max contract. Too many teams (and players) believe that a franchise’s best player deserves a max contract, but that only goes for about 10-15 of the league’s top players. Arenas is dynamic and exciting, and he is a phenomenal scorer, but he is coming off a knee injury and didn’t look 100% when he tried to come back in the playoffs. The Wizards have stated that they intend to re-sign him, but they’d be wise to limit their offer to the $12 M to $13 M range. If he balks, there aren’t too many other options for him this summer. Where else is he going to get that kind of money? There’s a chance that Philly would bite, but the Sixers already have Andre Miller, who is getting on in years but is affordable and effective.
5. Antawn Jamison, F ($13 M - $15 M per year) PER: 20.32 (8th in PF)
Jamison made more than $31 M over the last two years, so his asking price might be a little too high. It’s tough to get a guy who averaged better than 20/9 the last two seasons to take a pay cut, but Jamison is 31 and the Wizards (or any other potential suitors) would be wise not to invest too much, as his game is bound to decline by the end of his next contract. (7/1 update: The Wizards signed Jamison to a four-year, $50 million contract. It seems about a year too long, but they got him for $12.5 M per season, which isn’t bad for a player of his caliber.)
6. James Posey, F ($5 M - $7 M per year) PER: 12.08 (50th in SF)
Given all the credit thrown his way during the Celtics’ title run, Posey’s stock really rose this year. He looks like a good candidate for the mid-level exception, and a team like the Lakers or Spurs (who both have problems at small forward) would be wise to give him a look. He’s 31, so he’ll likely go to the team that gives him the longest deal.
7. Beno Udrih, PG ($5 M - $7 M per year) PER: 13.39 (32nd in PG)
Udrih played pretty well for the Kings, but the numbers say he’s still only a marginal starting point guard in this league. Some franchise will overspend and give him the mid-level deal he and his agent are looking for.
8. Mickael Pietrus, SF ($3 M - $5 M per year) PER: 12.76 (44th in SF)
Pietrus is still a bit of an unknown since he didn’t get much run in Golden State and the Warriors’ offense is so much different than the league average. At 26, he is still considered to have upside.
9. James Jones, SF ($3 M - $5 M per year) PER: 13.66 (46th in PF)
Jones is a career 40% long-range shooter, so he has quite a bit of value and might command a mid-level deal. Still, he is a one-dimensional player and doesn’t bring much else to the table.
10. Bonzi Wells, SF ($4 M - $6 M per year) PER: 14.37 (35th in SF)
Wells has always been a good player when motivated. He’s a good low post scorer and a strong rebounder for a small forward. But he’s kind of a head case and it’s probably not wise to invest in a player with attitude issues. Everywhere he’s landed he seems to wear out his welcome pretty quickly.
RESTRICTED
1. Jose Calderon, PG ($7 M - $9 M per year) PER: 20.51 (5th in PG)
Calderon is wildly productive, but his limited minutes this season keeps his asking price relatively low. The Raptors would be wise to lock him up to a long-term deal averaging about $8 million a season.
2. Josh Smith, F ($11 M - $13 M per year) PER: 19.08 (11th in PF)
Smith is one of the restricted free agents on this list that actually has a chance to be swiped away by another team. Rumor has it that the Hawks aren’t willing to go over $11 M a season for Smith, and the Sixers might offer him a bigger deal than that. He’d be a good addition in Philly and at 22, it would be a wise investment.
3. Josh Childress, F ($5 M - $7 M per year) PER: 17.84 (9th in SF)
I’ve always loved Childress’ game. He is one of the most underrated forwards out there and looks to be a great candidate for a mid-level deal, though the Hawks are likely to match that kind of offer.
4. Andre Iguodala, GF ($11 M - $14 M per year) PER: 19.05 (6th in SF)
The Sixers need to be careful here. Iguodala can really stuff the stat sheet, but he probably can’t carry a franchise, so if Philly can lock him into a long-term contract that is at the bottom of his asking price, it would be a good deal for both parties.
5. Monta Ellis, G ($7 M - $9 M per year) PER: 19.01 (7th in SG)
Ellis is a dynamic scorer but he has three things working against him: 1) he’s small for a shooting guard, 2) teams question his ability to play the point, and 3) teams believe his numbers are inflated because of the Warriors’ frenetic pace. Still, he’s one of the league’s rising stars, so he deserves a contract that is better than the mid-level.
6. Luol Deng, F ($10 M - $12 M per year) PER: 17.07 (15th in SF)
Deng turned down a deal from the Bulls that averaged about $10 million per year, but after a rough season that saw his numbers dip a bit, his stock has followed suit. His camp will still be looking for a big contract, so it will be interesting to see if the Bulls can work out a deal.
7. Emeka Okafor ($10 M - $12 M per year) PER: 17.46 (16th in PF)
Quality big men routinely garner more than $10 million per season, and I don’t see how Okafor is any different. It looks like he’ll eventually re-sign with the Bobcats, though he might become a free agent next summer.
8. Andris Biedrins ($8 M - $10 M per year) PER: 19.18 (7th in C)
He shoots about 60% from the field and averages a double-double. Again, big men are coveted, so I expect he’ll eventually get a deal somewhere within the range of his asking price.
9. Ben Gordon ($9 M - $11 M per year) PER: 16.52 (18th in PG)
Like Deng, Gordon turned down a deal averaging $10 million per year, and his numbers also dipped last season. He’s a nice complement to #1 pick Derrick Rose, so it is likely that the Bulls will find a way to retain him.
10. J.R. Smith ($5 M - $7 M per year) PER: 18.15 (14th in SG)
Smith is an interesting free agent this season because he could probably be had for the mid-level and it’s not a sure thing that the Nuggets will match. He has a rep for being a bit of a malcontent, but a team like the Spurs might roll the dice and hope that the winning environment brings out the best in the talented yet temperamental player.
Others: Daniel Gibson, Delonte West, Sasha Vujacic, Ronny Turiaf and Nenad Krstic
Former Lions’ head coach Steve Mariucci took a shot at his former GM Matt Millen recently.
“Matt Millen has changed 58 coaches already, and he’s now finally changing players,” Mariucci said. “Sure I’ve stayed in touch with some of them and some of the coaches, and on occasion Bill Ford Jr. — I respect the heck out of Bill, he’ll take that team over some day.”
I hate to sound like I’m defending Millen, but it’s not like Mooch did much to keep his job while in Detroit. He was often regarded as a pushover in the locker room with certain players and he had absolutely no clue how to handle the mess that turned out to be Joey Harrington. Millen is a disaster, but it’s not like Mariucci got a raw deal in Motown.
THE SPORTING NEWS ranks the top 10 NFL coaches on the hot seat heading into the 2008 season.
1. Wade Phillips, Cowboys. Coaches from playoff teams aren’t usually on the hot seat. Then again, not many coaches preside over teams that haven’t won a playoff game since 1996, are expected to go to the Super Bowl in 2008 and have the next head coach, Jason Garrett, ready to step in at a moment’s notice.
Wade Phillips has the temperament to withstand the pressure. Besides, he’s no stranger to being fired. But it doesn’t make the pressure any less real.
So if the Cowboys don’t make the postseason, or if they don’t win a game or two once they get there, Wade won’t be back in 2009.
Phillips will lose his job because Jerry Jones wants Garrett to be his head coach, like, yesterday. It’ll have nothing to do with whether or not the Cowboys win a playoff game this year.
- The Twins’ Kevin Slowey went the distance for a complete game, 5-0 shutout of the Brewers Sunday. Slowey yielded just three hits and fanned eight, while Delmon Young hit his second dinger of the season.
- John Lackey won his fourth straight start, mowing down nine while giving up just three hits and zero runs in the Angels’ 1-0 victory over the Dodgers. Every game in this three game series produced a shutout.
- A.J. Burnett struck out 11 over seven innings and gave up zero earned runs in the Blue Jays’ 1-0 win over the Braves. The 11 K’s were a season-high for Burnett.
- Just one week after the Cubs swept them at Wrigley, the White Sox exacted their revenge, taking three from their in-city rivals over the weekend. The Chi Sox got home runs from Jim Thome, Carlos Quentin and Brian Anderson as the topped the Cubs 5-1 on Sunday Night Baseball.
NFL:
- The Bucs gave running back Ernest Graham a new four-year, $11 million contract. Graham will be insurance in case Cadillac Williams doesn’t recover from the season ending knee surgery he had last season.
- The Arizona-Republic doesn’t think Anquan Boldin will get a new deal this summer, but Cardinals’ GM Rod Graves has apparently been in contact with Boldin’s agent.
- It appears more and more likely that the Falcons will just cut Joe Horn. Atlanta GM Thomas Dimitrof confirmed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the Cowboys have not expressed interest in the aging receiver.
Patriots’ wide receiver Wes Welker took a mild jab at cornerback Asante Samuel, who spurned New England to sign a $57 million contract with the Eagles in the offseason.
“Asante’s a great player, so it hurts not to have a guy like that. But then again, it’s part of the business of the game,” Welker said. “He chose money over championships, and that’s the way it goes sometimes.”
Whoa, whoa, whoa – slow down, Wes. Now that you guys can’t videotape other teams’ practices, defensive signals, film sessions and daily meetings, don’t just assume that you’re going to keep winning championships. Your team didn’t look to hot against the Jints without the use of cheating.
Mike Harrington of THE BUFFALO NEWS is baffled at one of SI.com’s latest polls, which asked: Who is the game’s most overrated player? Derek Jeter was the answer, but Harrington says look at the numbers.
Come on. We’re only talking about perhaps the finest all-around shortstop of a generation and a player who will finish his career with more hits than any New York Yankee in history. More than Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio. All of them.
Now, you can certainly make the case this season has not been a vintage Jeter year, especially April and May. And he turned 34 on Thursday — 34! — so his range at shortstop is not what it once was.
But according to the Elias Sports Bureau, Jeter’s team has the highest winning percentage among all active players who have appeared in at least 1,000 games (.601). That counts pretty high in my book.
No coincidence the Yankees’ new dynasty began in 1996, Jeter’s rookie year. And while the Yankees have been a postseason flop since blowing the 2004 ALCS, they keep going back. You get that perspective when you spend three days in a city with a team like the Pirates, who haven’t even been above .500 since 1992.
While the Yankees’ June resurgence is largely credited to the return from the disabled list of Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada, Jeter’s play has been a pretty big boost too. Jeter entered Saturday’s game with the Mets with mundane numbers for the season (.285 average, .345 on-base, .397 slugging) but he’s really turned it on of late. He was on a 15-game hitting streak and his June numbers were .316/.391/.459.
People either hate Jeter because he plays for the Yankees or the fact that he’s often referred to of the golden child of baseball. Calling him overrated is laughable. He might not hit a ton of home runs and his RBI numbers are usually low because of where he bats in the order, but the guy gives himself up on every play in every game. He’s also one of the most clutch players this generation has ever seen and I’d take his leadership in the clubhouse any day. Stat freaks like to hammer him, but watch Jeter play on a regular basis and then tell me he’s overrated.
It’s always fun to look at the baseball standings at different points during the season and project those to the postseason. Especially when teams like the Tampa Bay Rays are in contention. But this isn’t the beginning of May. In fact, this is almost the beginning of July, meaning the halfway point is near, or here, for each team. So the chance that these eight teams could wind up in the race for the World Series is not far-fetched. Here are the projected match ups…..
Tampa Bay Rays (48-32) vs. Los Angeles Angels (48-33)
The Rays are the surprise of the season. Everyone knew this team had the bats, but their pitching has been stellar, with a team ERA (3.71) ranking them fourth in the majors. Naturally, Tampa has no postseason experience and the Angels seem to be there or almost there every year, but don’t think the surprise season would end for the Rays in early October — this team is for real. As for the Angels,
there is a ton of talent on that roster, but they haven’t reached the World Series since winning it all in 2002.
Chicago White Sox (45-35) vs. Boston Red Sox (50-33)
Did anyone think the White Sox were going to contend this season outside of the South Side of town?
Jim Thome and Paul Konerko are struggling, but Jermaine Dye (18 homers, 49 RBI, .306) is quietly having an MVP type season and Javier Vasquez has 104 strikeouts. Meanwhile, the Red Sox are trying to fend off the Rays, and of course the Yankees are never far behind (currently five games out). But Boston has the bats (Ortiz, Ramirez, Lowell) and the pitching (Beckett, Dice-K, Papelbon) to win it all again.
St. Louis Cardinals (46-36) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (44-38)
The fact that the Cardinals, currently as the wild card, have a better record than the NL East leading Phillies is mind-boggling. Tony LaRussa really does know how to get the best out of his roster, and this season he’s proved that more than ever. The Phillies have a Murderer’s Row type lineup (their 110 home runs as a team is second in the majors) and a solid bullpen, but can they go the distance with the Marlins, Mets and Braves nipping at their heels?
Arizona Diamondbacks (41-40) vs. Chicago Cubs (49-32)
The D-backs jumped out to a huge lead but have been floundering lately. The Cubs, meanwhile, have the best winning percentage in baseball and are struggling this weekend against the crosstown White Sox, who they just may meet in the Fall Classic. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. The Cubs are just as talented as last season, when they wound up getting swept by this same Arizona team. Will history repeat itself?
Projected AL MVP: Josh Hamilton, Texas
Projected NL MVP: Lance Berkman, Houston
Projected AL Cy Young: Cliff Lee, Cleveland
Projected NL Cy Young: Brandon Webb, Arizona
Projected AL Rookie: Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay
Projected NL Rookie: Joey Votto, Cincinnati
Projected AL Manager: Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay
Projected NL Manager: Tony LaRussa, St. Louis
The New York Post is reporting that the Cavs offered up Wally Szczerbiak (and the one year, $13 million remaining on his contract) for Vince Carter, who has three years and $49 remaining on his deal.
This deal would have been a straight salary dump, and if you like Carter’s game (I don’t), it would have been worse for the Nets than the Grizzlies’ donation of Pau Gasol earlier in the year. The deal never went anywhere, but one wonders if the Nets would have bit had the Cavs offered up Daniel Gibson in the deal. For their part, the Cavs were wise not to sweeten the pot. Vince Carter isn’t the missing piece in Cleveland.
Jason Whitlock made some interesting points in his latest article for FOX SPORTS about how the “white media” jumped on Don Imus’s recent comments about Adam Jones not wanting to be referred to as “Pacman” from now on.
The hosts are generally clueless about the topic and, worse, scared to death that they’ll say something that provokes Sharpton to call their boss. The other guests are generally just as clueless, afraid they’ll say something that provokes Sharpton to call them an Uncle Tom or a bigot and are primarily concerned with demonstrating they’re worthy of an invite back or their own TV show.
Imus suggested Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones’ six arrests were rather predictable given his African-American heritage. A day later, Imus clarified his statement — and tried to avoid trouble — by stating that he was making a sarcastic point about America’s unequal criminal-justice system.
Imus was right both times. But Imus being right doesn’t make for good television and certainly does not pay for the conk in Rev. Sharpton’s wig.
No, sir. This was a full-blown racial controversy, a Nielsen-ratings-mover, a chance for white talk-show hosts to climb into the Octagon and let Kimbo Slice and Jimbo White Rice knuckle up until the viewers tapped out.
I digress. My point is that what Imus said warrants discussion. We just don’t need to discuss Imus. He is not our problem. Pacman Jones, with his off-field antics and stupidity, has done more damage to the image of American black men than Don Imus could ever hope to do.
I know this wasn’t Whitlock’s main point, but he hit the nail on the head when he wrote about media hosts and guests being scared when the topic of race in sports is approached. But they’re not only scared because of Sharpton – they’re scared because there are too many sensitive people in this country. It’s gotten to the point where you can’t even have a reasonable debate nowadays because some people just roll out of bed offended at something or somebody. It’s a shame we as a society can’t talk more openly about the topic of race without the discussion turning into one big defensive mechanism.
Just one day after news broke that the Cowboys might pursue Atlanta’s Joe Horn, word is that Dallas has zero interest in the aging receiver.
Forget the media speculation about the Cowboys’ showing interest in Falcons disgruntled wide receiver Joe Horn.
It was never a consideration at the team’s Valley Ranch headquarters. Horn’s agent called to see if there was interest. The Cowboys took 30 seconds to say, hell no. They believe Horn is washed up as a player.
They also believe Horn would be a bad fit in the lockerroom. So the Cowboys never had any interest in Horn.
Horn probably won’t make it out of Atlanta this preseason and it’ll be interesting if any team takes a flyer on him.
THE BLEACHER REPORT recently took a swipe at the greedy NFL and how 15 teams are raping fans by charging them for a Personal Sect License. (For example, the Giants just announced that they would charge some fans upwards of $20,000 for the right to specific seats.)
The NFL leads all other leagues by far. Greed is good. Greed will take you far. It is, after all, morally wrong to let a sucker keep his money.
Bigger stadiums, bigger jets, bigger television contracts, and bigger payrolls.
The only thing able to slay the NFL behemoth is itself. The potentially fatal weapon it wields against itself is greed.
If regular fans, the building blocks of franchises for years, are priced out of the market, the NFL will begin to shrivel and shrink.
Kill the fan, and you kill the goose that laid the golden egg. You kill the goose with greed.
Fans will be disgusted. Children, future customers, will no longer be able to attend over-priced games, at least, certainly not see a season’s worth of games.
In the short term, the NFL will reap millions, as fans still fill stadiums. But in the long run, in a depressing economic climate, how much can the league squeeze from the fans until they say no more?
We just can’t afford it anymore. We just don’t enjoy it anymore.
Outstanding points. The NFL is immensely popular – probably the most popular sport in the country. But they can’t continue to suck every last penny out of their fans without one day reaping what they sow. With the economy the way it is, fans are going to start turning their backs to going to stadiums and if the league answers by blacking out games, then fans might start turning their backs period.
Some players rack up a lot of home runs every season, and some of those players have been consistent doing that throughout their entire careers. Here we take a look at current active players, and who has the most at-bats per home run. These are the guys who hit one home run about every three or four games. If you think about that, and how hard it is to not only make contact, but to hit the ball over the fence, and it’s pretty insane. Here we go….
1. Jim Thome, Chicago White Sox (13.60)—Okay, Barry Bonds, with a 12.90 mark, hasn’t officially retired, but you’re kidding yourself if you think he’ll play again. Meanwhile, Jim Thome has maintained a torrid pace since breaking in with the Indians in 1991. What’s most baffling about Jim Thome though, is how a guy with 521 lifetime homers has never won an MVP Award. Thome’s 2002 season (52 homers, 118 RBI, .304 batting average) was good for seventh place in AL MVP voting. Huh?
2. Adam Dunn, Cincinnati Reds (14.10)—Some day, Adam Dunn is going to hit a ball further than anyone has ever hit a ball. The guy is only 28, and he’s hit 40 or more homers the last four seasons and is on pace to do it again. He’s also built like a football player at 6’6” and 275 lbs.
3. Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees (14.20)—If anything sums up A-Rod’s career, it’s this. Here he ranks third on the active list, hitting a home run every 14 times up or so. In the postseason, that number jumps to 21, putting A-Rod in Scott Rolen/Shawn Green/Brian Giles territory.
4. Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals (14.40)—If Albert stays healthy, he’s a lock for 600 homers. Dude is two shy of 300 at the age of 28. Think about that.
5. Manny Ramirez, Boston Red Sox (14.50)—Remember that grand slam Manny hit against Dennis Eckersley in 1994? The one where Eckersley was captured in video as saying “Wow?” Well, ol’ Manny has been doing that now for 16 seasons.
6. Ken Griffey, Jr., Cincinnati Reds (15.10)—It’s too bad Griffey couldn’t stay healthy during his time with the Reds, because if he did, Big Head Barry would not be the all-time home run king. Griffey might still pass Bonds, but he’s 38 and losing just a bit of bat speed.
7. Carlos Delgado, New York Mets (15.50)—During a nine-year stretch between 1998 and 2006, Carlos did not have less than 32 homers in a single season. That’s nine seasons, and that’s damn consistent. And did anyone see what this guy did yesterday? Two homers and nine RBI, the latter being a Mets’ record for one game.
8. Frank Thomas, Oakland Athletics (15.60)—You don’t get the nickname “The Big Hurt” because you bunt your way on for a hit. Thomas may have lost a bit of his power stroke, but he’s still one of the most imposing figures at home plate.
9. David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox (15.90)—Can anyone tell me how the Twins let Big Papi go? Amazingly, here’s another guy never to win an MVP, but look at his last four seasons’ homer-RBI-average output: 2004 (41-139-.301), 2005 (47-148-.300), 2006 (54-137-.287) and 2007 (35-117-.332).
10. Jason Giambi, New York Yankees (16.00)—Is it safe to take away 50 of Giambi’s 381 career homers? If so, he goes from being Jason Giambi to being Alfonso Soriano or Paul Konerko. Is that worth $23 million a season?
It looks like the NFL has finally wised up about rookie contracts. According to the Rocky Mountain News, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is apparently ready to take action to get a better system in place so teams aren’t spending ridiculous amounts of money to sign players who haven’t even taken one snap in an NFL game.
“There’s something wrong about the system,” Goodell said Friday. “The money should go to people who perform.”
Goodell referred to Michigan tackle Jake Long’s five-year, $57.75 million contract — with $30 million guaranteed. Long was the first overall draft pick by the Miami Dolphins in April.
“He doesn’t have to play a down in the NFL and he already has his money,” Goodell said during a question-and-answer period at the end of a weeklong sports symposium at the Chautauqua Institution. “Now, with the economics where they are, the consequences if you don’t evaluate that player, you can lose a significant amount of money.
“And that money is not going to players that are performing. It’s going to a player that never makes it in the NFL. And I think that’s ridiculous.”
Goodell said he favors lowering salaries offered to rookies, but allowing a provision for those players to renegotiate their deals after proving themselves on the field.
Amen! This has been a long time coming and Goodell deserves plenty of praise if/when he gets a new system in place. He hit the nail on the head: Why are these rookies being paid more than veterans making the Pro Bowl on a yearly basis? It’s a domino effect that has bad teams using large chunks of their cap space to sign rookies that haven’t proven themselves, therefore leaving those bad teams in worse shape because they can’t spend to improve other positions and all the while pissing off veterans who feel underpaid.
In the wake of Brandon Inge pulling an oblique muscle while, get this, adjusting a pillow, UNDRAFTED FREE AGENTS have compiled the top 10 most bizarre baseball injuries of all time.
8. John Smoltz
John Smoltz is among the best pitchers of his generation. Still, he isn’t above an odd (and preventable) injury. You see, Smoltz’s shirt was wrinkled. Why not iron the thing? That’s what Smoltz did, but he forgot to take off the shirt. He scalded himself with the iron.
4. Kevin Mitchell
Former slugger Kevin Mitchell has a long history with the bizarre injury. On one occasion, Mitchell was placed on the disabled list after apparently straining rib muscles while vomiting. Later, Mitchell was four days late for 1990 spring training when he was hurt eating an overcooked microwaved donut, leading to a root canal.
2. Marty Cordova
Most baseball players tan naturally by spending many summer hours under the sun. Others choose to get their tan a different way. Not Marty Cordova. A visit to a California tanning salon provided baseball with one of its more bizarre injuries. Marty Cordova burned his face under some tanning lamps. The Orioles outfielder was ordered by doctors to stay out of direct sunlight for a couple of days. I’m sure he didn’t get too much heat from his teammates for that.
1. Glenallen Hill
Nightmares can induce emotional and psychological stress. For Blue Jays outfielder Glenallen Hill, bad dreams brought on a more physical pain. Hill fell out of bed and crashed into a glass table while having a nightmare about being covered in spiders. Hill sustained several cuts in the process, leading to baseball’s most bizarre injury.
Is it wrong to laugh when thinking about Glenallen Hill throwing himself through a glass table while trying to shake off imaginary spiders? And how about Smoltz – one of the smartest pitchers the game has ever seen by the way – ironing his shirt while he was still in it? That deserves to be ranked higher than No. 8, but overall, this was a great list.
Adam Schefter of the NFL Network is reporting that Joe Horn has become option “1A” in Dallas if Terry Glenn doesn’t agree to sign an injury settlement. Horn wants out of Atlanta and the Cowboys might be willing to give up a late round pick to acquire the aging wide out.
As usual, Horn was banged up again last year, but his lack of production was mostly because Bobby Petrino’s game plans were completely overmatched. Lining up opposite of Terrell Owens in Jason Garrett’s offense would certainly do wonders for Horn, but there’s no doubt he’s lost a step of the years and is always an injury concern.
Still, he would certainly have more of a fantasy impact in Dallas than he would in Atlanta, so monitor the situation closely as training camps get closer and closer.
- Rays’ starter Matt Garza threw a complete game one-hitter against the Marlins Thursday, fanning 10 and only allowing one run in Tampa’s 6-1 victory. Apparently Garza must work better with a catcher that doesn’t get in his face on the mound if he shakes him off. (Garza remember almost threw down with catcher Dioner Navarro a couple weeks ago. But backup Shawn Riggans caught the game yesterday.)
- Rich Harden almost trumped Garza’s performance, striking out 11 and yielding no runs on just two hits in eight innings of work. The A’s shutout the Phillies 5-0.
- The Cubs lost back to back games at home for the first time this season as the Orioles gorilla-smacked Chicago 11-4 at Wrigley. Even though he’s 6-4 on the year, Cubs’ starter Jason Marquis has been a weak spot in the starting rotation and rumors persist that the club will pursue Indians’ ace C.C. Sabathia.
- The Twins won their ninth straight game, knocking off the Padres 4-3 behind Justin Morneau’s 12th dinger of the year. Minnesota can claim first place in the AL Central with a win and a White Sox loss.
- Tribe starter Cliff Lee was awfully impressive in a 4-1 win against the Giants, striking out 11 in eight innings. Lee has been simply outstanding this year, compiling a 11-1 record and a 2.34 ERA.
At least six first round picks are on the move, and now there’s word that Minnesota and Memphis have agreed to a deal that will send Kevin Love and Mike Miller to Minnesota for O.J. Mayo and Marko Jaric. There are four other players involved, but no one of consequence.
This looks like a crafty move by the historically non-crafty Kevin McHale. He really liked Love, but felt that he had to draft Mayo at #3 so that he could acquire another piece or two along with Love. In the deal, he not only got the power forward he wanted all along, but he also garnered the sharpshooting and affordable Miller, who should help space the court for Al Jefferson. Suddenly, the young Timberwolves can start a lineup that consists of Randy Foye, Rashad McCants, Miller, Love and Jefferson, and that’s not a bad start. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies can now boast a young (and cheap) perimeter core of Mayo, Mike Conley and Rudy Gay.
Most pundits are tasked to write a “winners & losers” column after the draft is complete, but the truth is there’s no reason to label any franchise one or the other when the truth about this draft won’t be revealed for at least another two to three years.
Looking at the first round, I am still bummed that the Bucks weren’t able to follow up their stellar (assuming his ankles hold up) acquisition of Richard Jefferson by coming out of the draft with Love, but Joe Alexander looks like a nice player, and there’s talk of him being able to play some power forward. Looking at his official measurements, his standing reach (8′10″) is the same as Love’s and just an inch shorter than Michael Beasley’s, and both of those players are considered to be power forwards. Alexander weighs just 220 lbs, but if he put on another 15 lbs of muscle, I think he’d be able to compete down low. Throw in his 38.5″ vertical and his 24 bench press reps (second best at the combine), and maybe a Jefferson/Alexander/Andrew Bogut frontline is a possibility. (For those of you writing Alexander off as a workout warrior, I submit the 23.0 points and 7.5 rebounds he averaged over the last 11 games of the season, which includes his 22/11 effort against Duke and his 18/10 against Xavier in the second and third rounds of the NCAA tournament.)
After all the talk of the Heat wanting out of the Beasley sweepstakes, they did the right thing and drafted him. It will be interesting to see how a Dwyane Wade/Shawn Marion/Beasley trio works. The Heat will have until the trade deadline to make a decision about Marion, assuming they don’t decide to trade him earlier.
Charlotte’s pick of D.J. Augustin was pretty surprising, especially considering Brook Lopez was still on the board. I bet Ray Felton isn’t feeling too great about this offseason. First, the team brings in Larry Brown, who is notoriously hard on his point guards. Then the Bobcats burn a lottery pick on a point guard when they really needed more help up front.
The Portland/Indiana trade is interesting. I was curious about why the Pacers would draft Jerryd Bayless when the had already acquired T.J. Ford, but it became clear when they moved him to Portland for Brandon Rush and Jarrett Jack. The Blazers get a point guard to play alongside Brandon Roy in a suddenly-stacked backcourt and the Pacers get Rush, who is a good defender and a great shooter. The Blazers are going to be scary for the next 5-8 years if they can keep this core together.
One other intriguing first round storyline was the drop of Darrell Arthur. The combination of the ongoing questions about his desire and the weird rumors about a kidney ailment really depressed his stock. But the Blazers finally drafted him (via the Hornets) and they got very good value with the pick.
Some big names slipped into the second round. Mario Chalmers was considered a first round pick by many, but he lasted until #34, where he was drafted by Minnesota and promptly traded to Miami. He’s a good shooter, so he should thrive off of the open looks he’ll get playing alongside Wade and Beasley. DeAndre Jordan was once considered a lottery pick, but really saw his stock tank in the last couple of weeks. The Clippers should be excited about getting him at #35 because very little is lost and there is so much to gain. (Chad Ford said that scouts would have Jordan as a top 5 pick in the 2009 draft if he were to spend another year in college.) In a head scratcher, the Bucks passed on Chris Douglas-Roberts and Bill Walker to draft Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. He’s a good defender and rebounder, but has shown almost no offensive game. The Nets ended up with Douglas-Roberts, who could turn into the Josh Howard-type steal of the draft. And the Celtics made a crafty move to trade for Walker.
