Month: April 2009 (Page 35 of 53)

      Are the Browns getting close to trading Quinn and Edwards?

      April 12, 2009 /

      According to a report by the National Football Post, the Browns have received offers for quarterback Brady Quinn and wideout Braylon Edwards and are likely to eventually move both players.

      The Cleveland Browns have been engaging in talks to trade quarterback Brady Quinn and wide receiver Braylon Edwards, according to our own Michael Lombardi of the National Football Post.
      Lombardi reports he is hearing from multiple league sources that the Browns have a first round pick on the table for Quinn, but may be looking for more. Two teams are currently interested in Quinn’s services.

      In addition, Lombardi is hearing that the Browns have a first round pick on the table for wide receiver Braylon Edwards and will most likely trade him before the start of next season.

      One other note: Lombardi is hearing the Browns are very interested in Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree.

      What’s interesting about the speculation surrounding Cleveland trading Quinn and Edwards is that it isn’t dying down. Even though these are still only rumors, at this point you have to kind of buy into the notion that new head coach Eric Mangini and GM George Kokinis want to blow up the roster and start fresh. They want their own players and that means guys like Quinn, Edwards and Kellen Winslow (who was already dealt this offseason to the Bucs) will eventually be sold to the highest bidder. The Browns are going to be one of the most interesting teams to follow leading up to the draft.

      For what it’s worth, I had the Browns taking Crabtree with their first round pick in my second mock, assuming that Edwards would be dealt on or around draft day. But they could also be looking at USC quarterback Mark Sanchez at No. 5 so he could groom under Derek Anderson for a year or two.

      NFL, NFL Draft, Rumors & Gossip

      Top 10 MLB Active Stolen Base Leaders

      April 11, 2009 /

      The baseball season, and more importantly to some of you, the fantasy baseball season, is underway. Some fantasy GM’s, myself included, usually stock up on home run hitters and focus less on stolen bases. It’s a matter of taste and a matter of how your league keeps score. But some speedsters can be difference-makers, and here is a list of the active Top 10 in stolen bases to date, excluding those who are technically active but not currently on a major league roster:

      1. Juan Pierre, Los Angeles Dodgers (429)—I had to do a double take. Juan Pierre, still playing? Why yes, he’s only 30 years old, and he had 40 stolen bases for the Dodgers last season. He could easily reach 500 by late next season, putting him in the career company of Luis Aparicio and Paul Molitor, among others.

      2. Omar Vizquel, Texas Rangers (385)—He’s 42 and a backup now, but how about Omar’s ’99 season in Cleveland when he hit .333 with 42 steals? The fact that Omar finished 16th in the MVP voting that season says more about the steroid era than it does about his season. Today he’d probably finish in the top 5 with those numbers.

      3. Johnny Damon, New York Yankees (363)—It’s hard to believe Johnny Damon has been in the league since 1995, but he has, and he’s been a pesky leadoff hitter the entire time, averaging an impressive 30 steals per season.

      4. Luis Castillo, New York Mets (342)—He’s not the speedster he once was, but Castillo stole a modest 17 bases last year while not at 100%, and he’s still only 33 years young.

      5. Bobby Abreu, Los Angeles Angels (318)—Bobby has that rare combination of speed, power and the ability to hit for average. It’s amazing he was on the free agent market this past winter for as long as he was.

      6. Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners (315)—The amazing thing about Ichiro is that he’s only entering his ninth season in the American major leagues. Once he returns from the DL from a stomach ulcer, he’s going to keep adding to this total, probably for several years.

      7. Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay Rays (302)—One of the game’s most exciting young players, and he’s only 27 years old.

      8. Jimmy Rollins, Philadelphia Phillies (295)—Rollins is another guy who does it all, including hit for power and play the field like a wizard. A legitimate MVP candidate year after year, and a big reason the Phils won it all in 2008.

      9 (tie). Mike Cameron, Milwaukee Brewers (291)—If Cameron had a higher career batting average than his .250 mark, he’d no doubt have more steals by now as well. But .291 is still pretty impressive for any player.

      9 (tie). Jose Reyes, New York Mets (291)—One of the cornerstones of the Mets’ franchise and a guy that has contended for the stolen base title every season of his career. Reyes is only 26 years old, and AVERAGING 62 steals per season. That’s just mind-boggling.

      Source: Baseball Reference

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2010 NBA Playoffs?

      April 11, 2009 /

      Kevin DurantRic Bucher penned this story in the latest issue of ESPN The Magazine on how the 22-57 Oklahoma City Thunder could make it to next year’s NBA Playoffs.

      It seems a bit of a stretch, but not altogether ridiculous given the tremendous talent they’ve been stockpiling over the past couple of years. They’re likely to get a top 5 pick in this year’s NBA draft, and while I don’t see them quite making the postseason next year, the 2011 playoffs are starting to look like a sure thing.

      Can you imagine them adding Blake Griffin to their Kevin Durant-Jeff Green-Russell Westbrook core? Scary. Either Hasheem Thabeet or Jordan Hill would help on the inside. Or maybe they go after Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio.

      For a 22-57 team, things don’t look too bad for the Thunder. Anybody else seeing these guys making a Celtics-like jump next year?

      College Basketball, NBA, NBA Draft

      Mel Kiper’s latest mock draft: Sanchez goes no. 13 to the Skins

      April 11, 2009 /

      Mark SanchezMel Kiper dropped his latest mock draft this week on ESPN.com (first 16 picks free, next three and a half rounds Insider only).

      It’s similar in most ways to what he’s been saying over the past few months, with Matthew Stafford going no. 1 overall to the Lions and Jason Smith and Aaron Curry going 2-3 to the Rams and Chiefs, respectively.

      A couple of wrinkles made it in, however. For one, he has the Bills taking DE Robert Ayers of Tennessee with the 11th pick. How this guy is shooting up so many draft charts is beyond me – he played average for a crummy team last year and had sub-par workouts. He certainly doesn’t seem to be in the same class as Aaron Maybin, Brian Orakpo, Everette Brown and Tyson Jackson.

      Mel also has Mark Sanchez sliding all the way to the Washington Redskins at no. 13. Three teams that could use a quarterback (the Jaguars at no. 8, the 49ers at no. 10, and the Broncos at no. 12) pick before then. Kiper has said repeatedly, and with good reason, that none of this year’s quarterbacks are ready to start right away, but Sanchez is more than worth a flier for a team lacking long-term stability at QB. The USC man has a chance to be a franchise saver in the mold of Matt Ryan, perhaps even more so than Stafford.

      Lastly, what is the reason for the sudden drop by Percy Harvin? Kiper himself calls the Florida Gator a Reggie Bush-type player, with running and pass-catching abilities. Bush went no. 2 overall, and while injury-prone throughout his short career, has certified himself as one of the league’s best playmakers. If Harvin is the same type of guy, I don’t see how Harvin would last past the first 15 picks.

      College Football, NFL, NFL Draft

      Andy Katz’s 2009-2010 College Hoops Top 25

      April 11, 2009 /

      Sherron CollinsBasketball fans find themselves in no man’s land this week, just days removed from another thrilling NCAA Tournament and a few days away from the start of the NBA Playoffs.

      Which means it’s the perfect opportunity for some crazy predictions for next year! ESPN.com’s Andy Katz posted his top 25 college basketball teams for next season (click the link for his explanations on each team).

      1. Kansas
      2. Michigan State
      3. North Carolina
      4. Texas
      5. Villanova
      6. Syracuse
      7. Duke
      8. Purdue
      9. West Virginia
      10. California
      11. Michigan
      12. Kentucky
      13. Tennessee
      14. Xavier
      15. Butler
      16. Gonzaga
      17. Washington
      18. Oklahoma
      19. Clemson
      20. Boston College
      21. Mississippi State
      22. Ole Miss
      23. Dayton
      24. Illinois
      25. Texas A&M

      As Katz himself admits, there’s little reason to put any stock in these rankings as 1.) it’s way too early and 2.) early entrants to the NBA draft will have a huge impact on who the preseason top 25 will end up being.

      Nonetheless, here are a few problems I see with the list. For one, UNC is way, way overranked. There were times this season that they were barely the third-best team in the country, and they are likely going to lose four starters/future NBA players going into next year.

      Second, even if Willie Warren does come back, Oklahoma isn’t a top-20 team without the Griffin brothers. Kansas and Texas are going to be miles ahead of the Sooners in the Big 12.

      Lastly, I can’t help but think Louisville belongs in here somewhere. I get that in Terrence Williams and Earl Clark they are losing a ton of scoring and athleticism, but they’re two of only three key contributors the Cards will be missing next season. Young bigs Terrence Jennings and Samardo Samuels will be a year older and a year better, and Edgar Sosa, Jerry Smith and Preston Knowles will all return on the perimeter. Add recruit Peyton Siva, the 5th-rated point guard prospect in the country, and they should challenge Villanova and Syracuse at the top of the Big East.

      Two off-the-radar teams to watch: Georgetown and Georgia Tech. Both struggled from growing pains last year but have a ton of young talent returning, and the Yellow Jackets will welcome Derrick Favors, the nation’s best big man recruit.

      College Basketball

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑