Month: July 2009 (Page 31 of 59)

      Giants to trade Zito? Fat chance.

      July 16, 2009 /

      Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News is a little delusional.

      Either that, or my man has been getting high on peyote, because in one of his recent articles he actually suggested that the Giants have to trade Barry Zito.

      And the Giants have to very seriously consider trying to trade Zito to any suitable team that will take some of his money (Zito has a no-trade clause); or they have to think about releasing him in the off-season.

      Of course, at the end of this season, Zito will still be owed a guaranteed $83 million. Which is a lot.

      Releasing him in the offseason might be a viable (expensive, but viable) option with Madison Bumgarner and Tim Alderson tearing up the minor leagues and possibly being ready to join the big league club next year. But what team would be stupid enough to trade for Zito and take on some of his contract as Kawakami is suggesting? Even the win-at-all-cost, spend-at-all-cost Yankees wouldn’t touch Zito, especially with Roy Halladay on the market.

      Truth be told, Zito hasn’t looked as bad this year as he has the previous two seasons. When he’s supplying souvenirs to the fans sitting in the left field bleachers, he can be serviceable as a fourth or fifth starter. Of course, he’ll still be the highest paid fourth or fifth starter in baseball history, but at least the Giants will be getting something back on their brutal investment.

      Either way, nothing is going to happen this year. No team is going to trade for him and with Randy Johnson on the DL the Giants aren’t going to release Zito during the season, no matter how bad he pitches the rest of the way. They could potentially move him to the bullpen (which they tried to do for about a millisecond last year), but don’t forget that he’s typically a good second half pitcher and with the Giants in contention, they’d be better off rolling the dice and leaving him in the rotation.

      Better yet while the Big Unit is on the DL, the Giants could pit Zito against Jonathan Sanchez and Ryan Sadowski for the last two spots in the rotation. Loser either goes to the bullpen (Zito/Sanchez) or Triple-A (Sadowski).

      MLB

      Heat trying to land Boozer, Odom

      July 16, 2009 /

      According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports…

      Now, the Heat are working furiously to deliver Lamar Odom and Carlos Boozer to the shores of Biscayne Bay. The Heat are trying to sell Odom on a five-year, $34 million contract at the mid-level exception, and a league executive with knowledge of the talks says Miami has also hatched a three-way proposal with the Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies to secure Boozer.

      The essentials of a possible deal would include Miami sending forward Udonis Haslem and Dorell Wright to Utah. Because Memphis is under the cap, Utah could move Wright’s $2.8 million salary to the Grizzlies and save itself approximately $5.6 million with salary and luxury-tax payments. Memphis would probably get cash and picks for its trouble. The Heat would have to send one more small contract to make the math on the salary exchange work.

      Odom can play some small forward, so this isn’t an outrageous plan by Riley and the Heat, though I’m not sure where it would leave Michael Beasley. Wojnarowski says that the Lakers have offered Odom $36 million over four years (which works out to about $8 million per season, after state taxes), so I’m not sure why he’d take the Heat’s deal, unless he is looking to sign the biggest contract overall. There is no state tax in Florida, so Miami’s $34 million deal is slightly larger than the Lakers’ deal, after state taxes.

      The Boozer acquisition seems more likely, and although I do like Haslem, I’m not sure that he’s enough to convince Utah to pull the trigger. Portland is also working on a deal for Boozer, since all signs point to the Jazz matching the Blazers’ offer sheet to Paul Millsap whether or not Boozer is on the roster. The Blazers are also trying to get the Pistons involved so that they can try to pry Tayshaun Prince away from Detroit, though Joe Dumars has wisely stayed out of such talks thus far. It appears that he doesn’t see Boozer as a $14 million per season player and that’s what Boozer’s camp is asking for. With his injury history, they need to set their sights a little lower.

      NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Morneau upset by bland Canadian anthem at ASG

      July 16, 2009 /

      Justin Morneau of the Twins is apparently a little irked by the way the Canadian anthem was played (i.e. by record tape) at this year’s All-Star Game.

      Sheryl Crow sang the “Star Spangled Banner” before Tuesday’s all-star game. “O Canada” was a recorded instrumental, and Canadian Justin Morneau felt the anthem deserved better.

      “I wasn’t very impressed with that to tell you the truth,” he said. “You figure they could find somebody to come and sing the song.

      “It’s something that didn’t really go over too well. I think if it happened the other way around, if they were playing in Toronto … it would have been a lot bigger deal.”

      Considering that baseball has a team in Canada, the league could have probably done better than just a taped recording. They could have at least brought in a live band or something.

      That said, I don’t think MLB was trying to slight our friends to the North with a taped rendition of the anthem. And it’s not like the fans at Busch Stadium booed the anthem like people in Quebec and Montreal sporting venues boo the “Star Spangled Banner.”

      MLB

      McNair left no will, wife to oversee estate

      July 16, 2009 /

      According to court documents, slain former NFL quarterback Steve McNair didn’t leave a will and therefore a judge in Nashville has ruled that his wife Mechelle will oversee his estate.

      Davidson County Probate Judge Randy Kennedy granted Mechelle McNair’s request to administer the estate and gave her 60 days to file an inventory of her late husband’s assets. She says in court documents that she did not know her late husband’s worth, but documents contend it is “of sufficient size to be administered.”

      Police say McNair was shot to death on July 4 by a girlfriend who later turned the gun on herself. Nashville police have ruled it a murder-suicide.

      Mechelle McNair listed herself and her two sons, Tyler and Trenton McNair, as the heirs to the estate. McNair also has two other sons from a previous relationship.

      Without knowing the full details of this situation, it’s not fair for me to comment on McNair’s financial situation. But I can’t help but feel happy that McNair’s wife and sons are now in control of his estate. Nothing will bring back their husband and father, but at least everyone is financially taken care of for the foreseeable future.

      NFL

      Felton, Bobcats not close to a deal

      July 16, 2009 /

      Raymond Felton is having a tough time coming to terms with the Charlotte Bobcats on a new deal.

      “We’re definitely not close as far as what we’re discussing and what we think fair market [value] is for Raymond,” Bradbury said Wednesday, a day after the meeting.

      While Bradbury declined to discuss numbers, he indicated there was a surprisingly hefty difference in the deals he and Higgins proposed for the restricted free agent point guard.

      Felton, the Bobcats’ first-round pick in 2005, has maintained he wants to stay in Charlotte. After averaging 14.2 points and 6.7 assists last season and winning over coach Larry Brown, the Bobcats have made re-signing him a top offseason priority.

      The Bobcats could match any offer he receives, and Bradbury said he’s had some informal talks with teams. Felton could also sign the one-year tender of $5.5 million and become an unrestricted free agent next season.

      Here’s what I wrote about Felton for our 2009 NBA Free Agency Preview:

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      NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

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