Hanley Ramirez told reporters over the weekend that he’s very motivated to rebound in 2011. He even joked that he will be the first player to “win Rookie of the Year twice.”
From the Miami Herald:
“I’m going to be the first player to win Rookie of the Year twice,” Hanley Ramirez playfully told the Marlins and his agent this winter. That’s obviously impossible, but his message – as agent Andy Mota explained – is clear: Ramirez “has the hunger of a rookie” after a humbling 2010.
“Everyone will be very surprised with the new Hanley and his whole makeup,” manager Edwin Rodriguez said. “He is very motivated. He was very disappointed in his season. He knows the whole offense revolves around him.”
That’s great, but where was this “hunger of a rookie” last year? Dude makes almost $12 million a year – why can’t the Marlins get his best effort every season?
Players have up and down seasons – that’s just part of being an athlete. But one thing that Ramirez seems to have a problem with effort. Nobody questions his ability as a player – it’s his drive and focus that are the problem. He doesn’t always hustle and he doesn’t always adjust when his game needs tweaking. As the Miami Herald article points out, he gave away at bats last year because he was unwilling or unable to adjust his approach at the plate. When athletes get older, they have to adjust their game because the opposition knows how to attack their weaknesses.
Will Ramirez be a player that evolves over time or will he continue to rest on his natural abilities? Furthermore, will he put in the work and dedication needed to become one of the very best? He certainly has the athletic ability but does he have the drive? Considering he started his workouts a month early this year, it looks like he does. But we’ll see.
I took some grief for having the Cavs ranked dead last in our NBA preview, but after a decent 7-9 start, the Cleveland has lost 30 of its last 31 games and has the worst record in the league.
In the video clip below, Yahoo! Sports Marc Spears and Greg Anthony talk about how the Cavs rebuild. At one point, Spears wonders if the Cavs would win the D-League championship:
Some might write of Spears’ comments as a joke, but he said he wasn’t “clowning,” and that the roster is that bad.
Of course the Cavs would win the D-League championship, and it’s an insult to imply that they wouldn’t. Antawn Jamison is a two-time All-Star and Mo Williams made the All-Star game in 2009. J.J. Hickson and Anderson Varejao are two pretty good bigs.
Perhaps Spears was talking about the team as it stands, with Williams and Varejao both sidelined with injuries. This roster would still win the D-League, but on any given night, they could have a tough time with a D-League team. Right now, the Cavs are starting Ramon Sessions, Manny Harris, Christian Eyenga, Jamison and Hickson, with Anthony Parker, Daniel Gibson and Samardo Samuels getting most of the minutes off the bench. This roster would have a few tough nights in a 50-game D-League schedule.
In terms of rebuilding, the Cavs are going to have a tough time attracting a big name free agent after Dan Gilbert’s scathing letter about LeBron after “The Decision.” The letter may have won the hearts of Cavs fans everywhere, but it’s not going to appeal to a free agent looking for a new home. They need to blow up the roster, and that means trading away their three best assets — Jamison, Williams and Varejao — for prospects and/or draft picks. For the Cavs to become a playoff team again, they need to draft really, really well, and strike gold when they have the opportunity to overpay a free agent. That means giving a max deal to a guy who isn’t deserving, but eventually that player grows into his contract. It’s an unlikely scenario, but it’s one that the Cavs have to be counting on if they are hoping to make the postseason anytime soon.
Like a good case of H1N1, the Nick Saban-to-Titans rumors are spreading like wildfire.
The rumor started on Sunday and has quickly spread to the internet message boards, which provide really, really reliable information. While the more recognized sources like ESPN, FOX and SI discuss suitors such as Gregg Williams, Mike Munchak, Mike Heimerdinger and Dave McGinnis, the sharks on the message boards are chumming for anything illogical.
Granted, this is Nick Saban we’re talking about. It wouldn’t be shocking to see him leave a team in the lurch for a seemingly better opportunity because, well, he’s done it before. But rumors like this always seem to surface around this time of year because National Signing Day is in two days. It sure sounds like someone is trying to make a few Alabama verbals think twice about rolling Tide next year.
Chances are Saban isn’t going anywhere (for now) and the Titans will wind up with a more logical choice. Like Lane Kiffin.
Green Bay Packers nose tackle B.J. Raji (90) returns an interception for an 18-yard touchdown during the fourth quarter of their NFC Championship playoff game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Chicago on January 23, 2011. UPI /Mark Cowan
With the Super Bowl less than seven days away, the names Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu and Clay Matthews will continue to be talked about ad nauseam over the next week. So for one article, let’s focus on some of the other players in this year’s title game that are on their way to becoming future stars. You know, the “little guys” of the big game. (Actually, there’s nothing “little” about B.J. Raji so pardon my poor choice of words.)
1. Tramon Williams, CB, Packers
Williams has already arrived, so it’s kind of cheap to call him a “future star.” He made the Pro Bowl this year and received a contract extension a few months ago, so obviously the Packers and the rest of the league are well aware of how good he is. That said, it wasn’t until this year before he really emerged as one of the best corners in the league, so it’s fair to talk about his future prowess. He intercepted a career-high six passes and has three picks in the postseason alone. His two interceptions of Matt Ryan in the Divisional Round turned that game on its head and basically catapulted the Packers to an easy victory. There isn’t a more underrated matchup than his upcoming battle with Steelers’ receiver Mike Wallace in this year’s Super Bowl. (Assuming that Charles Woodson covers Hines Ward, that is.)
2. Mike Wallace, WR, Steelers
The second-year receiver out of Ole Miss has already made headlines this season with his deep-threat ability. Observers were worried about how the Steelers would cope after trading Santonio Holmes to the Jets last offseason, but Wallace has made everyone forget about the former Super Bowl MVP. He finished the regular season with 60 catches for 1,257 yards and 10 touchdowns, which included seven 100-yard games. He’s a rising star on an already stacked Steelers team and should be a player to keep an eye on for years to come.
Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash drives down the court chased by New York Knicks center Amar’e Stoudemire (1) in the fourth quarter of their NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden in New York January 17, 2011. REUTERS/Ray Stubblebine (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)
The Suns have said all along that Nash is still the core of the franchise, but at 22-24, the Suns are a long way from contending for a championship. Heck, they may not even make the playoffs this season. The soon-to-be 37-year-old is still playing at a high level, so he could help a team in need of a good point guard.
So here are a few reasonable offers that might get the Suns to bite.
1. Los Angeles Lakers
The chances that the Suns would trade Nash to the Lakers are pretty slim. No one in the West really wants to help Kobe try to three-peat, but the Lakers aren’t playing very well and they have a big piece that the Suns might be interested in.
There’s a saying — don’t trade big for small — but the Lakers aren’t getting great play out of their point guard position and Nash’s shooting would be a great fit next to Kobe in the Laker backcourt. However, Nash’s propensity to dribble around until he finds the open man would take the ball out of Kobe’s hands, and that may not go over very well (or fit within the Lakers’ triangle offense). The trade would leave the Lakers very thin on the front line, and with the way that the Celtics are playing, it’s doubtful that they’re going to want to part ways with Bynum. But they’re not playing very good baskeball right now and the roster could use a shakeup. Perhaps Robin Lopez could be included to maintain the Lakers’ frontcourt depth.
For the Suns, Bynum could be a franchise cornerstone if he can just stay healthy. I have my doubts about his knees, but if the Phoenix doctors take a look at him and think that the worst is behind him, he may be worth the risk.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (R) talks with head coach Mike McCarthy during a timeout in the first quarter at Soldier Field in Chicago on September 27, 2010. UPI/Brian Kersey
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers told ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio he called linebacker Nick Barnett on Saturday to discuss his comments and Barnett’s about the team photo situation.
“I initiated the conversation. We ironed things out. I didn’t think there needed to be an apology on either side,” Rodgers said.
“I reminded him I was the one who went to the third floor and lobbied to have everyone in the team photo. I realize people are going to want to talk about this at the Super Bowl, but everything is cool.”
The problem between the two players started when Rodgers told the media that he rehabbed at the team’s complex back in 2006 when he landed on IR. Barnett was one of the injured players this year that chose to rehab on his own, so he took offense to Rodgers’ comment.
“All I wanted to be is included as a teammate nothing more,” Barnett tweeted. “Looks like it has backfired on me.. I guess That was asking too much… Sorry if I offended anyone.”
The entire situation reeked of high school, so I’m sure the Packers are glad it’s over. For Rodgers, there’s nothing like squabbling about this when he has to prepare for Dick LeBeau’s defense in less than seven days.
Auburn Tigers quarterback and Heisman trophy winner Cam Newton smiles during the warm ups at the BCS Championship game at the University of Phoenix stadium in Glendale, Arizona on January 10, 2011. Auburn beat the Oregon Ducks 22-19 to win the national championship. UPI/Gary C. Caskey
According to CBS Sports, at least one NFL front office executive believes that Auburn quarterback Cam Newton’s individual workout on February 10 is just a publicity stunt.
I asked a handful of scouts about this workout. All were mystified as to what gains could be made with what one front officie executive termed a “publicity stunt.”
One high level scout put it this way:
“The Newtons would be best to realize they aren’t in college anymore. Regardless of how good he looks for [the media], there isn’t going to be a bidding war for him. We’re not recruiting him. They could wind up turning more people against them than for them with this [workout].”
As Rob Rang of CBS points out, NFL scouts are forbidden to attend a workout like this that was set up by the player (or agent, or whomever). This will be a media-only event, which raises questions as to why Newton’s camp would want to set up a workout like this in the first place.
If Newton struggles, then the media will hammer him. If he performs well, then the NFL may be turned off by what appears to be a workout to upstage the league’s process for evaluating prospects. It seems like an inevitable lose-lose situation for Newton.
Kevin Durant had something to say about Chris Bosh after the Thunder’s 108-103 loss to the Heat yesterday. He was none too pleased about Bosh barking after fouling James Harden on a fast break early in the first quarter. There’s video over at DailyThunder, but it’s hard to see what the two are saying to each other.
The two were hit with double-technical fouls in the first quarter after Bosh fouled Harden on a fast break. KD said something to Harden and Bosh jumped in. The two had words and it was over. Until Durant was asked about it in the locker room.
Durant said, “I was talking to my teammate and [Bosh] decided he wanted to put his two cents into it. I am quiet guy, laid back guy, but I’m not going to let nobody talk trash to me. He’s on a good team now so he thinks he can talk a little bit. There are a lot of fake tough guys in this league and he’s one of them.”
And more: “I’m no punk. I wasn’t even talking to him first off. He decided to butt in and I’m not going to just let that slide. Especially in our house. Like I said, he’s not one of those guys I look at and say he has a rap for talking back to guys or getting into it. He’s a nice guy. I’m not going to let that type of person say something to me like that.”
It’s not like Durant to get into a war of words with anyone. He’s one of the most affable players in the league. In fact, in another three or four years, if Durant doesn’t break through and win a championship, people are going to start to say that he’s “too nice,” a la David Robinson.
I don’t know why Bosh is picking fights with Durant and Harden. He clearly doesn’t have much of a rep around the league for being a tough guy, so maybe he should be quiet and let his game to the talking.
Former NFL star and Olympian Herschel Walker advanced his professional mixed martial arts to 2-0 with a technical knockout win over Scott Carson at “Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg” in San Jose on Saturday.
The 48-year old Walker took a high kick to the head to in the opening seconds, but moved forward landing a looping left that knocked Carson to the canvas.
On the ground, Walker maintained dominant position landing several punches and knees to the head and body, one knocking Carson’s mouthpiece bouncing across the cage.
As Carson tried to use the fence to get to his feet, Walker dropped him with another punch and followed with a couple of more forcing the referee to stop the fight.
“I took a kick where I think I was getting a little bit too excited,” said Walker about the high kick landed by Carson early in the fight. “And when you’re in an MMA fight, you shouldn’t get kicked like that.”
“One thing that Javier (Mendez) told me was build offense. I’ve got to be on the offense,” said Walker. “I gotta control what I’m doing in the cage.”
Walker’s not going to try to make another run in the NFL, but instead looks to improve and compete in MMA.
“MMA is my love,” he said following the fight. “I love MMA.”
In case you missed the media coverage from the past two weeks, below are headlines linking to stories surrounding Super Bowl XLV. Read the description for each story and then click on the link for the full text.
Dorsett: Big Ben “lucky” to still be a Steeler
Something that hasn’t gone unnoticed amidst all the Super Bowl hype is the fact that Ben Roethlisberger has come a long way since his offseason troubles. It seems like decades ago that Big Ben missed the first four games of the season after being suspended by commissioner Roger Goodell for his off-field behavior. And as Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett pointed out to ESPN’s Matt Mosley, Roethlisberger is fortunate to be where he is right now.
Aaron Rodgers, Nick Barnett iron out issues
After Nick Barnett took a swipe at Aaron Rodgers via Twitter this weekend, the two have apparently kissed and made up. Kumbaya and a bonfire are set for later this week.
Super Bowl XLV ticket prices are high
Everyone knows the Super Bowl is an expensive ticket. But as Calvin Watkins of ESPN writes, this year’s Super Bowl matchup as well as the location (oil-rich Texas) has pushed prices even higher.
Should Aaron Rodgers be the 2010 NFL MVP?
Towards the end of the season, the NFL MVP race was seemingly down to two players: Tom Brady and Michael Vick. The Associated Press votes after the regular season and before the playoffs, so postseason play is not taken into account when determining the winner of this award.
