Month: February 2009 (Page 36 of 57)

      Parcells told Dolphins he would walk after ’08 season

      February 11, 2009 /

      Bill ParcellsAccording to the Miami Herald, Bill Parcells told Dolphins’ owner Wayne Huizenga that he would leave the team following the 2008 NFL season. Huizenga, who recently sold the team, promised Parcells that he could walk at any time if he agreed to stay another year in Miami.

      This should surprise absolutely no one. Parcells does whatever he wants and commitments mean next to nothing to him. It’s almost laughable that a team would allow him to just pack up and leave anytime he wanted to, but then again it speaks to how good he is.

      You want to win? You want Parcells? No problem, but this is how he operates and he’s not going to change his ways now. Nobody in Miami is complaining about the arraignment after the way he took a 1-15 Dolphins team and transformed them into AFC East Champions this season. The guy is a miracle worker.

      It’ll be interesting to see if he bolts at some point this season. He could very easily get the Dolphins through the free agency period and the draft and then decide to bolt, or he could stick around for the entire year and leave after the season. Either way, it would be shocking if the Dolphins get him to honor his four-year contract.

      NFL

      Blazers reportedly make strong pitch for Stoudemire

      February 11, 2009 /

      If this story is true, Amare Stoudemire could be heading to the Pacific Northwest before the Nov. 19 trade deadline.

      The Portland Trail Blazers have made a strong play for Amare Stoudemire, discussing a package that includes LaMarcus Aldridge, Jerryd Bayless, and Raef LeFrentz’s $12.7 million expiring contract, a person with direct knowledge of the talks told CBSSports.com Tuesday.

      One factor complicating matters, according to a team executive who has spoken with the Suns, is an apparent difference of opinion between Kerr and managing partner Robert Sarver as far as what Phoenix hopes to get back in a Stoudemire trade. Steve Nash, Grant Hill, and Leandro Barbosa are viewed as untouchable in any trade talks with the Suns. It is not known if any of those players is the source of disagreement between Kerr and Sarver.

      I’m surprised that the Blazers are willing to give up Aldridge, but if that’s the case and Steve Kerr insists on trading Stoudemire, then he should jump on this deal. Aldridge is currently #13 amongst power forwards in PER (18.98), while Stoudemire is #11 (20.14). This tells me that Aldridge is every bit the stat guy that Amare is, and he’s probably a better defender too. The Suns would get a burgeoning All-Star talent, a young prospect in Bayless and salary cap relief in the form of Raef LaFrentz’s expiring contract.

      It looks like Kerr is going to take his time and try to get the best possible deal for his 1st Team All-NBA talent. The only downside to this trade is that Stoudemire would be going to a team in the Western Conference and Kerr might be playing his part in helping Portland get to powerhouse status. However, if he truly believes that Amare isn’t worth building around, then he shouldn’t be afraid to trade him within the conference, right?

      Apparently, Suns’ owner Robert Sarver has been reaching out to other owners trying to make a deal happen.

      While the Suns’ basketball executives are discussing one possible package with teams, Sarver has, at times, appeared to be pursuing his own agenda.

      Some teams believe this is a circumstance they can exploit, and suggest that Suns GM Steve Kerr and David Griffin, the franchise’s VP of basketball operations, have been compromised.

      “It makes [the owner] look too motivated,” said one Western Conference GM who was aware of Sarver’s calls. “It makes them look desperate.”

      If other teams can sense the Suns’ desperation, then that makes a possible Aldridge deal all that more appealing.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, Rumors & Gossip

      Abreu finally coming off the market?

      February 11, 2009 /

      The Los Angeles Times reports that the Angels and Bobby Abreu could come to an agreement soon on a one-year contract.

      Bobby AbreuThe Angels, in dire need of a power boost from the left side, have expressed serious interest in Bobby Abreu and are expected to sign the free-agent outfielder to a one-year deal by the start of spring training Saturday.

      Abreu, who turns 35 on March 11, is scheduled to undergo a physical in Southern California today, according to a source who is familiar with negotiations but not authorized to discuss them publicly.
      “Several teams have expressed interest, and the Angels are definitely high on Bobby’s list. It’s a good city, a winning team, and he has some friends over there.”

      Abreu, primarily a right fielder and designated hitter, would fill the role of departed free agent Garret Anderson in an outfield/DH rotation that includes Vladimir Guerrero, Torii Hunter and Juan Rivera, who all bat right-handed.

      Although I’m surprised that not more NL teams have emerged for Abreu’s services, this would be a nice pick up for the Halos. Abreu is getting long in the tooth, but the guy can hit and he still offers a little speed on the base paths. It’s a low-risk move by the Angels to sign him to a one-year deal.

      MLB

      Yankees’ won’t void A-Rod’s contract

      February 11, 2009 /

      Hank Steinbrenner said that the Yankees won’t try and void Alex Rodriguez’s contract (which is the richest in baseball) despite the slugger admitting on Monday that he took steroids from 2001 to 2003 as a member of the Texas Rangers.

      Alex RodriguezYet, the club admits it doesn’t know what to expect from Rodriguez on the field this coming season. At $32 million a year and what Rodriguez means to the lineup, that’s frightening.

      “Personally, no,” Steinbrenner said yesterday at George Steinbrenner Field, asked if he was mad at Rodriguez.

      Asked about finding a way to get out from under the $275 million deal that has nine years left, Steinbrenner said, “No, no . . . it’s simply . . . that’s it basically.”
      How about attempting to trade Rodriguez?

      “I am not going to comment on anything like that [that] can get twisted, which happens in the media,” Steinbrenner said with a chuckle. “Basically, it’s no comment except that I support him and I am not personally angry at all.”

      That could change if Rodriguez’s problems result in a miserable season on the field. According to GM Brian Cashman, it’s a jump ball as to how Rodriguez responds.

      “I don’t know, you can never tell with these type of things,” Cashman said. “You don’t know how it will impact him professionally and personally. All you can do is put your arms around him and support him and help him pull through it.”

      Talent still trumps all. The Yankees are interested in one thing and one thing only: winning championships. And Steinbrenner knows that the Bombers are a better team with A-Rod than without him, so why would they void his contract or trade him?

      As the article notes, as long as A-Rod’s game doesn’t suffer from all of this, you’re not going to see Steinbrenner or the Yankees do anything about this situation.

      MLB

      Brett Favre tells Jets he’s retiring

      February 11, 2009 /

      According to ESPN.com’s Chris Mortensen, Brett Favre has instructed his agent Bus Cook to notify the Jets that he is retiring.

      In an e-mail to ESPN’s Ed Werder, Favre indicated he had no regrets about finishing his career with the Jets rather than with the Green Bay Packers franchise he represented for his previous 16 NFL seasons. He specifically praised Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum, team owner Woody Johnson and fired coach Eric Mangini — and even mentioned Thomas Jones and Kerry Rhodes, both of whom were publicly critical of Favre after the team’s collapse in the final month of the season prevented the Jets from making the playoffs.

      While Favre did not directly broach the subject of the team simply releasing him so that he might have the option of signing with another team such as the Minnesota Vikings, a source said that Cook informally discussed the option with the Jets. The Jets respectfully declined that option, the source said.

      The retirement decision should not have surprised the Jets even though the team had publicly encouraged Favre to play another season. Favre informed Tannenbaum before the Super Bowl that he was leaning toward retirement. At some point within the past week, Favre told Cook to inform the Jets that he wanted to retire without fanfare and that the team could make the decision public at its convenience.

      I hate to sound like a pessimist, but we’ve all been down this road before. In fact, we went down this road last year only to have Favre pull an about face and say he wanted to play again. Maybe he does want to officially hang it up with the amount of pain he had to play with at the end of the season last year. Or maybe this is his way of sneaking out the backdoor only to return again in a couple of months.

      Nobody knows what’s going through his mind right now. If he is done, hey, it’s been one of the best rides for Packer and football fans alike and Brett was one of the best. He gave a lot of people a lot of great memories, but let’s hold off for the next couple months and see how this situation plays out before assuming he is officially retiring.

      NFL

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