Month: February 2009 (Page 6 of 57)

Michigan to save season ticket holders a whopping $3.57 a game in ‘09

After putting their fans through a horrific 3-9 season last year, the powers at be at the University of Michigan have decided to lower the prices for season ticket holders in 2009. After paying an average of $53.57 per ticket last year, the university has lowered the average to $50.

Michigan StadiumAthletic director Bill Martin told The Associated Press on Thursday a season-ticket holder will pay $50 on average for a ticket after paying $53.57 last year.

“In this challenging time economically, this is our way of thanking our fans who have supported us for decades,” Martin said. “Unlike most schools, we had an opportunity to lower prices for football tickets.”

So instead of seeing UM get beat by Toledo for $160.71 like last year, season ticket holders can see their beloved Wolverines lose to Toledo for only $150 this year. Wow, thanks.

It’s a nice gesture and something the university didn’t have to do, but when one slice of that cardboard-tasting Dominos pizza costs $37.50 at Michigan Stadium, the savings just don’t amount to much.

A-Rod needs a life coach

Alex RodriguezUnfazed by the showering of boos he received from Blue Jay fans, Yankees’ third baseman Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run dinger in his first official at-bat of Spring Training as the Bombers beat Toronto 6-1 in the Grapefruit League opener for both clubs.

A-Rod said after the game that he thought the fans “were okay, actually” and then hopped into a SUV with cousin Yuri Sucart.

Sucka-what?

That’s right, he appeared, in public mind you, with the same cousin that he said allegedly purchased and injected him with steroids from 2001 to 2003. Granted, there’s no law against hanging out with members of your family, but wouldn’t you think A-Rod would want to lay low for a while? You know, take it easy, play things conservatively – not hang out with the same cousin that is tightly entrenched in the same steroid scandal you are.

Unlike Roger Clemens, I don’t think A-Rod is a pompous, overbearing jerk. But I do think he’s clueless in a lot of respects and needs to hire someone to hold his hand on a daily basis. He essentially needs someone to keep him from being his own worst enemy, because situations like the one after the game Wednesday proves that A-Rod can’t be trusted to make his own decisions right now.

When Andy Pettitte came forward last year and admitted that he took performance-enhancers, he held a heartfelt press conference, fessed up and then dropped off the face of the earth. Granted, Pettitte can disappear a lot easier than Rodriguez can, but A-Rod needs to take a page out of his teammate’s playbook on life and lay low for a while.

Hopping into an SUV with Yuri Sucart might not be a big deal and the story could be overblown very easily. But it certainly doesn’t help Rodriguez at this moment, does it?

Jerry Jones should be held personally accountable for keeping T.O.

After months of speculation regarding whether or not to release or trade him, Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones has decided to hang onto wide receiver Terrell Owens.

Financially, this was a wise move. Cutting T.O. wouldn’t have created much cap space and there’s nobody on the open market outside of T.J. Houshmandzadeh who matches what Owens brings to the field. That said, Jones better realize that he has nobody but himself to blame if Owens turns around and makes a mess of things in the locker room this season.

Something is wrong in Dallas, this much we know. They have more than enough talent on both sides of the ball to compete for a Super Bowl, yet they can’t even make the playoffs in a weak NFC. For the Eagles to make the postseason after looking so bad mid-year, there’s no reason a team composed of Owens, Tony Romo, Jason Witten, Marion Barber and DeMarcus Ware should miss the playoffs. And yes, Barber’s injury hurt the ‘Boys towards the end of the year, but a team as talented as the Cowboys should be able to overcome one player’s absence.

The word that keeps coming up with this team is chemistry. The Cowboys don’t have enough good chemistry to win. If that’s the case, then that hangs on Jones’s shoulders and again, he should be held personally accountable. He put this team together and he’s the one that believes a bunch of malcontents like T.O. and Pacman Jones can survive under one roof.

Jones jettisoned one bad apple (Pacman), but decided to keep another (T.O.). If the decision to keep Owens sours (pardon the apple pun) in the end, then Jones needs to look in the mirror and discover that the main problem is staring him right in the face.

Jacobs proves his loyalty to Giants with new contract

The Giants re-signed running back Brandon Jacobs to a very fair, very reasonable four-year, $25 million contract Wednesday night. The deal includes $15 million in the first two years and $13 million in guarantees.

The G-Men placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jacobs in mid-February, which meant he could have negotiated with other teams, although New York would have received two first round picks if he had signed elsewhere. Given his age (26) and bruising running style most teams covet, he could have easily gotten more than $25 million on the open market and may have even scored a five or six-year contract.

But he stated all along that he wanted to remain a Giant and this proves his loyalty to the franchise that selected him in the fourth round of the 2005 draft. And given his bruising style and injury history, the contract that he received is quite fair. The time of the deal helps the Giants, because by the time he becomes a free agent in four years, Jacobs will reach the dreaded age of 30 for running backs.

This deal was handled extremely well on both sides and it’s a shame more contracts aren’t constructed as intelligently.

Dodgers offer Manny two-year, $45 million contract

The Dodgers officially offered free agent Manny Ramirez a two-year, $45 million contract. Details below.

Manny RamirezMLB.com has learned that in the 2 1/2-hour meeting, the Dodgers officials offered Ramirez a variation of their original two-year deal, guaranteeing $45 million for two years ($25 million the first year and $20 million the second).

Boras told the Los Angeles Times that he’s “in the middle of negotiations” and would not comment further.

However, the third-year option of $15 million from the first proposal was dropped and, at Boras’ request, the second year is a player option so Ramirez could become a free agent again after the 2009 season.

Ramirez, 37 in May, originally sought a contract length of six years at a salary in the Alex Rodriguez neighborhood ($27.5 million a year). The Dodgers initially offered two years at $45 million plus a $15 million third-year option. They also offered salary arbitration, then made a one-year offer of $25 million.

Unless the Yankees get involved or the Giants decide to get gutsy at the last minute, this offer from the Dodgers is the best Ramirez is going to get. L.A. isn’t going to extend the amount of years on the contract and the money is fair. This appears to be a take-it-or-leave-it deal for Manny and Scott Boras.

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