Month: June 2009 (Page 28 of 58)
If you’ve been living under a rock lately and haven’t yet heard the name Bryce Harper, get accustomed to it because you’re going to be hearing it a lot over the next year.
Harper is the 16-year-old Las Vegas High School baseball player who graced the cover of a recent Sports Illustrated with the words “Chosen One” written besides his photo. This season, he’s batted .626 with 14 home runs and 55 RBIs. In 2008, he batted .590 with 11 home runs and 67 RBIs in 38 games for LVHS.
He’s being hyped as the best amateur baseball player at his age since Alex Rodriguez turned heads at Miami’s Westminster Christian High School. And thanks to his decision to skip his junior and senior year of high school by taking a GED test that will allow him to enroll in community college, Harper could be eligible for the 2010 MLB Draft.
With the Finals behind us and the draft and free agency looming, the rumors are flying fast and furious. Here’s a rundown of the latest scuttlebutt…
Things are rumored to be getting worse in Golden State.
The talk is that Monta Ellis is unhappy with the direction the organization is heading in, and still holds a bit of grief over the way they held his contract status in limbo for months following his moped injury. For weeks we’ve heard that Ellis is no longer interested in playing for Golden State, and apparently it had reached a point where it was “close to popping off” in the words of one NBA executive—meaning going to the media and publicly demanding a trade.
Let me get this straight — the franchise gives Ellis $66 million over six years and he rewards them by tearing up his ankle in a moped accident, missing 57 games this season. I’m sure he wasn’t happy about the 30-game suspension he served with no pay, but he wasn’t going to play in those games anyway. Shouldn’t he be punished for being boneheaded enough to tool around on a moped?
It sounds like the team has promised Ellis that he’ll be running the point next season and may have promised that they wouldn’t take a point guard at #7, prompting several prospects — Stephen Curry, Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans and Ricky Rubio — to refuse to work out for Golden State. Suddenly, Jordan Hill looks like a stronger possibility if he’s still on the board when the Warriors pick.
New attitude, new stadium, new workout regime and no T.O. – it’s now or never for Tony Romo.
Everything you read and hear about Romo is that he remains straddling the line between good and great. He obviously has more than enough talent to compete in the NFL, as his career numbers (10,562 yards, 81 TDs, 46 INTs, 94.7 QB Rating) certainly indicate. But he’s been called out for not being enough of a leader and his overall workout habits have come into question now as well.
According to a report by the Dallas Star-Telegram, Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett had a “come to Jesus meeting” with Romo about his conditioning habits. Garrett instructed his quarterback to not only get into good enough shape to allow him to have another fast start, but the kind of the shape that won’t allow him to wear down as the season progresses.
Team personnel have noticed that Romo tends to break down towards the end seasons because he’s not in good enough shape physically when he enters camp. He makes more mistakes as the season progresses because his legs get heavy and he loses mental focus.
Brett Favre appeared on “Joe Buck Live” on Monday and spoke about his possible comeback, the health of his arm and meeting with the Vikings.
Here are the nuts and bolts of what Favre said in the interview:
“If it ever gets to the point where it feels like it did before it started hurting, then the biggest question mark is out of the way,” Favre said.
Favre said Vikings coach Brad Childress wanted him to attend Minnesota’s recent organized team activities, but he declined.
“I figured there would be a media frenzy if I was there,” he said. “And there would be a media frenzy if I couldn’t play, if we had to say three weeks later, ‘You know, his arm’s just not up to par. He can’t play.’
“So why not have just one media frenzy, and that be later on?”
Asked by Buck if he would play this season, Favre replied, “Um … ” After a pause, he said, “Maybe.”
“I know people are tired of it, really,” Favre said earlier of the drama that accompanies his annual waffling over retirement. “My intentions are not to — although it’s good for you — create controversy.”
“It makes a lot of sense because the pieces are in place,” Favre said.
He said he met with a Vikings trainer Sunday to go over some arm exercises as part of his rehab, but the team has not made plans to evaluate his readiness to play. Favre said his conversations with Vikings officials have been infrequent and limited.
“Nothing other than, ‘Are you interested?'” he said. “And vice versa.”
Favre didn’t really say anything new in the interview. We already knew he wants to play for the Vikings and the Vikings only, but can’t make a decision until he sees how his arm will react to the surgery. The Vikings want him to play, but are in a holding pattern because of his arm.
So now everyone waits until Favre tests out his arm. And while we wait, the media should have daily reports on which way Favre parts his hair, what kind of pillow he chooses to sleep on and whether or not he prefers grape or strawberry jelly.
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