Month: August 2009 (Page 2 of 54)

      Long-time Patriot Tedy Bruschi to retire

      August 31, 2009 /

      After 13 seasons in the NFL, New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi has decided to hang ‘em up.

      From ESPN.com:

      “I’m 36 years old,” Bruschi said at a news conference. “Your body doesn’t heal as quickly.”
      Bruschi’s performance declined last year and he was playing with the second unit on defense this summer. He missed much of training camp with an undisclosed injury but played in two of the team’s last three exhibition games.
      Coach Bill Belichick, usually stoic, choked up as he discussed Bruschi.

      “How do I feel about Tedy Bruschi?” Belichick said. “He’s a perfect player.”

      Bruschi’s reaction?

      “That’s something you’ll never hear during your career,” he said as he and Belichick laughed. “To have him say that to me is probably the best compliment he could ever give me.”

      Over his career, Bruschi compiled three Super Bowl rings, five 100-plus tackle seasons and was a Pro Bowler in 2004. He also won the 2005 Comeback Player of the Year Award after suffering a stroke in February of that year.

      Leadership doesn’t show up on the stat sheet every Sunday, but Bruschi certainly led the team in that category almost every year he played in New England. He was the consummate pro and his success after in ’05 was inspirational considering he thought he was done playing after the stroke.

      Comment fodder: Is Bruschi a Hall of Famer? I would say he probably comes up just short of that honor, but he’ll definitely go down as one of the better players in Patriots history.

      NFL

      Twins unlikely to land Rich Harden

      August 31, 2009 /

      Even though they officially put a waiver claim on him last week, the Twins are unlikely to land Cubs’ starter Rich Harden according to a report by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

      As of late Sunday night, the Twins had yet to request Cubs pitcher Rich Harden’s medical records, a person close to Harden told the Star Tribune, adding that a deal by today’s noon deadline appeared unlikely.

      Harden, 27, has been on the disabled list seven times since 2005, so it would be uncharacteristic for the Twins to trade for him without first examining those medical records.

      Then again, in eight starts since July 16, Harden is 3-1 with a 1.80 ERA, so it’s possible the Twins could roll the dice, giving the Cubs the prospects it would take to land Harden for the season’s final five weeks. Harden is a pending Type A free agent, so a team could offer him arbitration after the season and be compensated with two high picks in the 2010 draft if he signed with another team.

      If the Cubs were to trade Harden, there’s no doubt that they would want a major package of prospects in return. Considering the Twins covet young prospects (all young prospects), a deal seems unlikely.

      Still, if a trade were to go down, Minnesota would be adding a quality (albeit injury-prone) starter to their rotation. Chicago would lose Harden, who they acquired mid-season last year in hopes he would form a great 1-2 punch with Carlos Zambrano at the top of their rotation, but would go a long way in restocking their farm system.

      The two sides have until 1:00 p.m. ET today to get a deal done.

      Update: ESPN Chicago is reporting that Harden is staying in Chicago.

      MLB

      Cassel could miss 2-4 weeks with MCL injury

      August 31, 2009 /

      Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel is in jeopardy of missing Week 1 of the regular season after suffering an MCL injury in Kansas City’s most recent preseason game.

      From Yahoo! Sports.com:

      Cassel, who the Chiefs acquired in a trade with New England this offseason, was hurt Saturday night in an exhibition game against Seattle. The injury is not expected to require surgery because MCL injuries usually heal on their own.

      However, the injury means Cassel could miss the Chiefs’ season opener at Baltimore on Sept. 13. If Cassel can’t play, Tyler Thigpen(notes) is expected to start the season. Thigpen, who had been the subject of trade rumors earlier this week, played in 14 games last season when the Chiefs went through injuries at quarterback. He finished the season with 18 touchdown passes, 12 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 76.0.

      The fact that he won’t need surgery is good for the long-term status of the team, although it has to be disappointing for both Cassel and the Chiefs that he won’t be lining up under center in Week 1.

      After a brutal start last season, Thigpen actually played well in the second half and offers Todd Haley starting experience. That doesn’t mean that Thigpen will fair well in Baltimore, but at least Haley doesn’t have to worry about trotting out a rookie QB in his team’s season opener.

      One thing to note is that Thigpen has leapfrogged Brodie Croyle on the Chiefs’ depth chart. Croyle was the Week 1 starter last year and was once viewed as the long-term answer under center. His time as a starter definitely came to an end when the team acquired Cassel, although now it appears that even his time as a backup (at least in Kansas City) could be dwindling as well.

      Obviously, this is worrisome for Cassel owners, but if you’re following our QBBC strategy, and drafted Cassel as part of a committee, you probably weren’t planning to use Cassel against the Ravens in Week 1 anyway. He should be able to play in Week 2 or Week 3 at the latest, so while his value is certainly hurt as a starting QB, he still holds similar value as a backup or a part of a committee.

      NFL

      2009 CFB Preview: Florida Gators

      August 31, 2009 /

      Check out our other 2009 college football previews.

      Preseason Ranking: No. 1 in AP Top 25; No. 1 in USA Today Poll.

      Key Returning Players: Tim Tebow (QB); Chris Rainey (RB); Riley Cooper (WR); Deonte Thompson (WR); Aaron Hernandez (TE); Maurkice Pouncey (C); Brandon Spikes (LB); A.J. Jones (LB); Ryan Stamper (RB); Carlos Dunlap (DE); Jermaine Cunningham (DE); Justin Trattou (DE); Ahmad Black (S); Joe Haden (CB); Janoris Jenkins (CB); Lawrence Marsh (DT); Terron Sanders (DT); Major Wright (S).

      Key Losses: Percy Harvin (WR); Phil Trautwein (OT); Jason Watkins (OT); Louis Murphy (WR).

      Player to Watch: Tim Tebow, QB.
      With all due respect to Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford and Texas’s Colt McCoy, Tebow is arguably the best player in college football. Not the best quarterback – the best player, period. Urban Meyer says that Florida will incorporate the no-huddle into their offense this season, which should only play into Tebow’s strengths, as he can beat opponents with either his arm or his legs. After throwing for 2,746 yards, rushing for 673 yards and totaling 42 touchdowns, Tebow returns for his senior season in hopes of leading Florida to its third national title in the last four seasons. And after compiling one of the most impressive second halves of any player in college football last year, there might not be anything that stands in Tebow’s (and Florida’s) way this season.

      Continue reading »

      College Football

      Will Andy Roddick win the U.S. Open?

      August 30, 2009 /

      Roddick

      I hope so, but it’ll be tough to take down Roger Federer given his recent dominance and past success at Flushing Meadows. Either way, that’s not stopping some critics from predicting an upset.

      THINK! Tennis is a strategy as much as a physical thing. Don’t fall apart just because you’ve fallen behind.

      Roddick has heard these things for years, from one coach after another.

      It took this long to finally hit him that his career had peaked, and was only going to go one direction from here.

      What Wimbledon showed, what made for the converts, was that Roddick finally understood. He had started listening to the latest coach, Larry Stefanki.

      In defeat at Wimbledon, he was a guy not afraid in crunch time, a guy who had lost weight, learned a backhand, come to the net occasionally.

      He was a guy fighting to the death on the other guy’s, the king’s, favorite court, the sport’s most-hallowed ground. Roddick is going to win this Open. The draw opened up perfectly for him. Nadal, Andy Murray and Juan Martin del Potro will have to fight it out on the other side of the draw.

      I’ll be rooting for Roddick the entire tournament — I just don’t think his chances of winning are very high. He and Federer are in the same draw, along with Novak Djokovic, Fernando Verdasco, and Robin Soderling, who’s been impressive all year. The earliest Roddick could face Federer is in the semifinals and I still believe the Swiss would get the better of the rebounding American.

      Roddick has only one Grand Slam to his name while Federer holds the record with 15. Roddick’s victory came at the 2003 U.S. Open and ever since then he’s been stopped by Federer and Rafael Nadal. Now that Americans (and foreign tennis fans as well) have come around to Roddick, hopefully their support will give him that extra boost if he happens to meet Federer. I’m amazed at what Federer has accomplished in his career, but now it’s time to root for our own guys. Roddick’s win at the U.S. Open wouldn’t just matter for his career, but it is something American tennis desperately needs. We have the Williams sisters, but the competition is so thin on the WTA Tour it’s often grueling to watch. After Andre Agassi retired, Roddick was supposed to carry the torch as America’s dominant male tennis player and win Grand Slam after Grand Slam. While he is undoubtedly the best in the country, it would certainly help the sport in America if he could capture the U.S. Open championship this year.

      Three things that are obvious about Andy Roddick: 1) His wife, Brooklyn Decker, is a smokin’ babe; 2) He looks like Stifler from the “American Pie” movies; 3) Roger Federer always beats him in the important matches. This has been Federer’s year, but enough already! I’d like Roddick’s work ethic and drive to pay off where it counts. And what better place than in New York at the U.S. Open?

      The U.S. Open starts tomorrow and will conclude on September 13th. Early round coverage will air on ESPN2.

      Tennis

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