Month: July 2009 (Page 59 of 59)

Report: Angels wanted Haren, but D-Backs declined

The Angels have leapfrogged the Rangers for first place in the AL West, although that doesn’t mean that they’re ready to stand pat with their current roster.

According to a report by FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, the Halos inquired about Diamondbacks’ starter Dan Haren, who could have joined Jered Weaver, Joe Saunders, John Lackey and Ervin Santana (once he’s activated from the DL) to form one of the better rotations in the American League.

But as Rosenthal reports, Arizona didn’t want to part with Haren, who the club views as a significant piece of its future. Rosenthal writes that L.A. could have used “their surplus of catchers and middle infielders” to put together a blockbuster offer, but in the end the D-Backs couldn’t imagine a package that would be big enough to sway them to move Haren.

And who could blame them? Even though they’re a whopping 17.5 games back of the Dodgers in the NL West doesn’t mean that’d be more inclined to deal the 28-year old Haren, who leads the club in wins, ERA and strikeouts. With marquee pitching being such a premium in baseball, the D’Backs need to hang tightly onto Haren.

Marshall told police in ’07 that he “hated Denver”

During an arrest in October of 2007 for suspicion of DUI, Broncos receiver Brandon Marshall reportedly told police that he hated Denver and that he hoped that the team would trade him.

“I hate Denver. I hope I get traded. I hate this f******* city,” an officer wrote in the police report.

The report was only made public after CALL7 Investigators asked for it, after receiving a tip about the report’s content. Read full report — WARNING: Graphic Language
“What we know about Brandon Marshall is he is a supremely talented football player on the field with the habit of getting in trouble off the field,” said Adam Schefter, NFL correspondent for ESPN.

The information is particularly relevant because Marshall has recently asked for a trade.

“I think that we’ve known Brandon Marshall is interested in a change of scenery, and I think these comments show that that change of scenery is probably not very new in his thinking its something that dates back to his arrest,” Schefter said. “These are some deep-seated feelings that came out during this incident and now they have come to light.”
Marshall also berated police for stopping him and not finding the killer of fellow Bronco Darrent Williams.

“Why aren’t you guys out looking for Williams’ killer?” the report says.

Marshall’s situation in Denver just went from a player who is frustrated over his contract, to a player that has wanted out for some time and will stop at nothing to do so. He may be upset about the fact that his entering the final year of his rookie contract and the way the team’s doctors handled his hip injury, but the real crux of the issue is that he just wants out.

Yesterday, ESPN.com reported that the Broncos were going to stand firm and not trade Marshall. They don’t want to set a precedent where whenever a player demands a trade, they give in a la Jay Culter. But they’re dealing with an extremely disgruntled receiver right now and chances are that if he wants out, he’s going to be willing to sit out training camp and push Denver into a tight corner.

Report: Stallworth tested positive for pot following accident

According to a report by the Miami Herald, Browns receiver Donte’ Stallworth tested positive for marijuana after fatally killing pedestrian Mario Reyes with his car.

Stallworth, 28, is serving one month in jail after pleading guilty last month to DUI manslaughter.
Miami-Dade prosecutors say his blood alcohol level was .126, well above the legal limit, when his Bentley hit and killed Mario Reyes, 59, on the morning of March 14.

Stallworth’s test results, which have yet to be released, showed traces of marijuana, according to sources with knowledge of the results.

In 2007, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Stallworth was in the NFL’s substance abuse program for an unspecified reason.

Stallworth has already struck a deal with the Reyes family, so this means nothing in terms of his legal situation. However, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has already suspended Stallworth indefinitely and surely a positive drug test would surely extend his suspension even longer.

I guess Jim Brown was right when he said that he had “heard” Stallworth had marijuana in his system when he was arrested. That crazy Jim Brown – he knows everything.

NBA Free Agency Rumors: Turk, Charlie V, Millsap and more

Pistons, Blazers interested in Hedo Turkoglu.

The Oregonian reports Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard and assistant general manager Tom Penn called agent Lon Babby last night to begin the courtship of Hedo Turkoglu.

With Carlos Boozer out of the picture, an NBA source tells the Chicago Sun-Times that Turkoglu is now the Pistons’ first choice in free agency.

While the Blazers’ interest has long been rumored, Detroit’s interest is a little surprising. They already have a very good small forward on the roster in Tayshaun Prince, so unless they’re planning to play Turkoglu at the four, someone is going to lose some minutes. Of the two teams, the Pistons have more cap space, so if they want him, they can get him. (And what about Ben Gordon?)

Charlie V ahead of Turkoglu on the Pistons’ wishlist?

Chicago’s Ben Gordon remains the backcourt player deeply coveted by the Pistons, but the prospect of a Gordon-and-Villanueva combo likely would be slightly cheaper than trying to sign Gordon and Turkoglu with Detroit’s nearly $19 million in projected salary-cap space.

The Pistons may also be interested in Paul Millsap, but anytime a team signs a restricted free agent to an offer sheet, that money is tied up for a week while his current team decides to match. That makes signing an RFA a dicey prospect.

I wonder if the Bucks are regretting letting Villanueva given the amount of interest he’s generating from their division rivals (Detroit and Cleveland).

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