Month: July 2009 (Page 44 of 59)

      Jerry Rice: ‘Signing Favre could backfire on Vikings.’

      July 9, 2009 /

      In a recent interview with the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, future Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice questioned the Vikings’ potential signing of Brett Favre, suggesting that the move could backfire on the team by season’s end.

      What are your thoughts on Favre’s likely return?

      Rice: “You have two quarterbacks [Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels] who don’t know exactly what is going to happen. All of a sudden these two guys thought they were going to be competing. To be honest with you, I thought Tarvaris would be the starting guy this year. I’ve watched him off and on. The most important thing for him is the consistency. He shows that at times ‘OK, I can do this.’ I think he was moving in the right direction, making progress. Now you have this saga, and everybody is sitting back wondering what is going to happen.”

      What do you think the expectations should be with Favre? He’s going to be 40 and is coming off arm surgery.

      Rice: “In New York, you hear about what happened, and it was not very good. I think Brett showed some great flashes last year. Did some good things. But then towards the end he didn’t play as well. If they feel like bringing him in is going to get them to the next level, I think they should. But to be honest with you, I think the two guys with the team right now should be the two guys that they should be focusing on.”

      What happens if he does struggle or is not healthy with a team that is built to win now?

      Rice: ”Then everything backfires. You’ve got a major problem. Also you have to look at the scenario that happened in New York. If he pretty much distances himself completely from the players, then all of a sudden you’re going to divide the players because a lot of the players are going to say, ‘Hey, Tarvaris Jackson should be in here or Sage.’ You don’t want this to divide the team. So this could really backfire.”

      I couldn’t agree more with what Rice said on everything. If the Vikings sign Favre, he’s going to start, which probably means Tarvaris Jackson is all but done in Minnesota and the trade acquisition of Sage Rosenfels was somewhat of a waste (although he would be a serviceable backup if/when Favre got hurt).

      If Favre plays great and gets the Vikings to the playoffs, then everyone will applaud the move. But what’s the more likely scenario, Favre leading Minnesota on a magical season, or Favre tiring out again and taking the Vikes down with him? As with the Jets, he might play at a high level again over the first part of the season, but there’s a very real possibility that his 40-year old arm will unravel again and the entire team will crash and burn in the second half. And as Rice suggested, then Brad Childress and company will have a team that will largely question why Favre was signed in the first place.

      NFL

      Soriano angry will Piniella

      July 9, 2009 /

      Cubs left fielder (if you can even call him that with the nightly circus routine he usually puts on out there) Alfonso Soriano is hopping mad with manager Lou Piniella after the skipper sat him for the third time in eight in eight games Wednesday night.

      “That’s why I’m mad,” Soriano said. “If he had told me yesterday, then I wouldn’t come today ready to play.”

      Piniella typically gives Soriano a heads-up when he will get a day off but declined to do so this time.

      “That’s a surprise to me today,” Soriano said. “I think he could have said to me last night, ‘OK, take a day off,’ especially because [Thursday] is an off day. I’d be like, ‘OK, I’ll take the two [days].’ But I like to know before I come here.”

      Soriano, hitting .182 over his last 40 games, said his knee pain isn’t enough to prevent him from playing.

      “I can play,” he said. “If I can play, it’s not bothering me. It bothers me if I’m not playing though.”

      Asked if he would talk to Piniella about his complaint, Soriano simply replied: “No.”

      Considering he’s hitting a buck eighty two over his last 40 games and is a liability defensively, Soriano doesn’t have much of a compliant here. And I found it laughable when he suggested that he wouldn’t come ready to play if he knew he was going to sit.

      Hey Alfonso, the Cubs (over)pay you millions of dollars every year. How about showing up ready to play everyday, regardless of whether or not you’re in the starting lineup? Is that too much to ask?

      Piniella is really working with a couple of clowns on this team. He must go home every night and punch a fresh hole through the wall of his garage.

      MLB

      LeBron James gets dunked on at camp, Nike confiscates tapes

      July 9, 2009 /

      Remember when Michael Jordan got dunked on by a camper in the summer? Yes, the video was grainy, but there it was, His Airness posterized by a high school kid. I forget the guy’s name, but I’m pretty sure he was from the Milwaukee area and that I played against him in the Easter Seals All-Star Game in high school. He had his 15 minutes of fame, and then I never heard about him again.

      What’s my point? Well, LeBron James just got dunked on at his skills camp by Xavier’s Jordan Crawford, and according to Gary Parrish, the tapes were confiscated by a representative from Nike.

      Turns out, there were at least two cameras rolling Monday night when Crawford dunked on James during a pick-up game here at the LeBron James Skills Academy. It was a two-handed jam, the kind that would’ve circulated quickly on YouTube. But Nike officials eliminated that possibility shortly after the dunk happened by allegedly confiscating tapes from various cameramen.

      Worth noting is that there is no policy against filming at the LeBron James Skills Academy, and Miller said he had been filming all day without incident. Nobody ever told him to stop. Nobody ever said there was a problem … until after Crawford dunked on James.

      “LeBron called Lynn over and told him something,” Miller said. “That’s how I knew his name was Lynn. LeBron said, ‘Hey, Lynn. Come here.'”

      Minutes later, Miller said Merritt demanded his tape.

      LeBron shouldn’t be worried about the tape ruining his image. He should be more worried how it looks to confiscate the tape. This is a case where the censorship is worse than the actual incident.

      Until recently, James has always acted wise beyond his years. But this, coupled with his refusal to shake hands after the Eastern Conference Finals, indicates an underlying immaturity. He (or Nike) is so concerned with his image that he (or they) don’t think about the ramifications of confiscating a video that makes him look bad. This only makes him look worse.

      Humor, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Yankees won’t pursue Halladay

      July 9, 2009 /

      Anyone that has a hair up their ass about the way the Yankees go after big names on the free agent and trade market will be happy to know that the Bronx Bombers won’t be pursuing Blue Jays’ ace Roy Halladay.

      The New York Post’s Joel Sherman is reporting that the Yanks will not attempt to trade for Halladay because he would essentially cost too much both financially and in prospects. If you remember correctly, Yankee officials said the same thing about trying to acquire Johan Santana last year and they stuck to their guns by not heavily pursuing the former Twin.

      Not wanting to give up a ton of prospects I buy. But who are the Yankees fooling by saying Halladay would cost too much? Even after handing CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira truckloads of money last winter, the Yankees wouldn’t bat an eye paying the rest of Halladay’s salary.

      That said, I do believe the Bombers will inevitably stay out of this one. Jays’ GM J.P. Ricciardi is going to ask for a hefty package in return for Halladay, seeing as how he’s easily a top 5 pitcher in a weak market for starters. In the end, the Yankees, as with a lot of teams, don’t want to give up three or four top prospects for what could be only a year and a half of Halladay (who becomes a free agent after 2010).

      The Phillies, Angels, Dodgers and Cardinals remain the teams most interested in Halladay, although there are bound to be others that will emerge as the trade deadline approaches.

      MLB

      MLB Trade Rumors: Halladay, Atkins & Bannister

      July 8, 2009 /

      – The Denver Post is reporting that talks beteen the Red Sox and Rockies involving third baseman Garrett Atkins could become more serious if Mike Lowell is slow to recover from his hip injury.

      – ESPN.com’s Buster Onley establishes opening lines on the Roy Halladay sweepstakes and gives the Phillies (5/2), Dodgers (8/1) and Angels (8/1) the best odds. For my money, I like the Halos at 8/1.

      – The Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles are seeking offers for infielder Oscar Salazar and outfielder Felix Pie.

      – The Angels are looking for arms and some of the names they’re reportedly interested in are Roy Halladay, Dan Haren, Scott Downs, Brandon League, Chad Qualls and Rafael Betancourt.

      – Jon Heyman of SI.com is reporting that the Royals are shopping right-hander Brian Bannister.

      MLB, Rumors & Gossip

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