Month: June 2010 (Page 5 of 58)

      Cardinals interested in Mariners’ Cliff Lee

      June 28, 2010 /

      And this week’s Cliff Lee rumor is brought to you by…Jeff Fletcher of AOL Fanhouse and Rotoworld!

      Jeff Fletcher of AOL Fanhouse has confirmed that the Cardinals are indeed interested in Mariners lefty Cliff Lee.

      Where the talks currently stand is anyone’s guess. The Cardinals have a very thin farm system and really only boast one top prospect: 19-year-old potential ace Shelby Miller, who has struck out 60 batters in 44 1/3 innings at Single-A this season. If a deal is to happen, he will need to be part of it. Lee, 31, has a 2.39 ERA, a 0.91 WHIP and an incredible 76/4 K/BB ratio through 11 starts this year. He has thrown four complete games, one shutout.

      The Mariners are looking for young bats in exchange for Lee and as Rotoworld points out, the Cards are a little thin in that area. If (and that’s a big if) the Rangers were able to overcome their financial restrictions and get involved, then it would be hard for St. Louis to match the compensation that Texas could offer out of its farm.

      That said, the Cards have already shown that they’ll do whatever it takes to add missing pieces, as they proved last year by trading for Matt Holliday (who provided much-needed protection behind Albert Pujols). If there’s a deal to be worked out and St. Louis is seriously interested, then expect the Cards to be major players in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

      Are the Bucs moving in the right direction?

      June 28, 2010 /

      Two years ago, the Buccaneers appeared destined for another playoff run after amassing a 9-3 record behind veteran players like Derrick Brooks, Jeff Garcia, Stylez G. White, Barrett Ruud, Kevin Carter and Antonio Bryant.

      But the team faded down the stretch, losing all four of its remaining games (including an embarrassing defeat to the hapless Raiders in the final week of the year) to miss the playoffs entirely. Following the season, both head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen were fired and replaced by the experienced Raheem Morris and Mark Dominik, respectively.

      Last year was a disaster for Morris and the Bucs, who finished 3-13 and statistically had one of the worst offenses in the league. Until Morris took over the play calling duties midway through the season, the once proud Tampa Bay defense also took a significant step back from what it was earlier in the decade under former coordinator Monte Kiffin (who left the team following the ’08 season to coach with his son at the University of Tennessee).

      But one of the main reasons the Glazers fired Gruden and Allen was because of the pair’s desire to rely mostly on veteran players. There was a lot of turnover from year to year under Gruden and Allen and the Glazers felt as though the two weren’t building a young core that could compete for many years, not just one.

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      External Sports, NFL

      Vince Young unlikely to be suspended

      June 28, 2010 /

      While speaking at the NFL’s Rookie Symposium over the weekend, commissioner Roger Goodell said that Titans’ quarterback Vince Young is unlikely to be suspended following an incident in which he punched a man in a strip club earlier this month.

      From FOX Sports.com:

      Goodell acknowledged that a first-time legal offender like Young is unlikely to face an NFL suspension. Young, though, is guilty of embarrassing the NFL with a physical confrontation that was caught on the strip club’s security camera.

      When announcing a six-game suspension for Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in April, Goodell said one of the reasons for the punishment stemmed from behavior that “undermines or puts at risk the integrity and reputation of the NFL, NFL clubs or players.”

      Asked whether Young did the same and if that would factor into his final decision, Goodell said, “I think you have to look at these cases individually and understand them in a way of what are the issues going on with any individual. The intent of the (personal conduct) policy is to intervene so you help some individuals make a better decision and avoid these troubles. So when I sit down and look at all the facts around Vince or any other player, you want to make sure they understand that and what the policy was designed to do and more importantly understand the responsibility (of being an NFL player).”

      Some think that Goodell is too harsh on players and maybe he is. But the thing he does well is look at each situation separately when it comes to making a decision about whether or not to punish a player. If he needs to compare two separate incidents in order to determine the appropriate punishment for a player he will, but he’s not going to suspend Young for six games just because he served Big Ben for that amount. Nor should he.

      Young made a mistake, but this was also the first time he’s been in any sort of trouble. Goodell recognizes that and while he can’t be pleased that the incident occurred, I think it’s fair that Young goes without punishment.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      Knicks facing a tough sell in free agency?

      June 28, 2010 /

      Ken Berger writes that the Knicks could have a tough time selling big-name free agents on playing in New York:

      Word circulating over the weekend was that Knicks president Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni faced a “very tough sell” to the top free agents, according to one rival executive monitoring the free-agent buzz. The reason, according to an agent involved in the process: “They’re going to have a lot of convincing to do for guys. There’s not a lot of pieces there to make it attractive.” According to other sources, it’s even worse than that for the Knicks. A representative for one prominent free agent, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the negotiating period hasn’t begun, said the Knicks may have as hard a time – or even harder – persuading second-tier free agents to go to New York. “If you come in there, expectations are so high you almost can’t – unless it’s LeBron, anybody else will have a really hard time living up to it,” the agent said. “What if the team makes playoffs and loses in first round? Is that a success? Probably not. You’re starting off negative. That’s the way you want to start off? Everybody should be happy about getting two All-Stars, but they’re not the ones you thought you were getting or were sold on getting.”

      As the year has worn on, the luster has slowly but surely worn off the Knicks as a free agent destination. This is largely due to a couple of factors: 1) the salary cap estimate came in higher than expected, creating more cap space around the league, and 2) teams with better pieces — Chicago, New Jersey, Miami — have made moves that have created enough space for two max (or near-max) free agents. Part of the attraction of the Knicks in the middle of last season was that they were the only team with enough cap space to sign two max free agents outright. This is no longer the case.

      I still think that the Knicks are an interesting free agency destination for LeBron if he wants to be the hero. If he goes to Chicago, he’ll be playing in Michael Jordan’s shadow. If he goes to Miami, he’ll be joining Dwyane Wade’s team. If he goes to the Clippers, Los Angeles will still be Kobe’s city.

      If he wants to (figuratively) own a franchise, he should stay in Cleveland or head East to New York (or New Jersey/Brooklyn). If he were to bring a championship to the Knicks, he’d create a massive legacy in New York. If he brings a championship to the Bulls, people will say, “Good job, now get us five more.”

      The biggest problem with the Knicks is the pieces that are already in place. Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari are nice prospects, but they pale in comparison to the Bulls (Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah), the Heat (Dwyane Wade, Michael Beasley) or the Nets (Brook Lopez, Devin Harris).

      If LeBron’s #1 priority is to win championships, he should hook up with Chris Bosh in Chicago or Wade and Bosh in Miami. If his ego requires that he also be viewed as a franchise savior, then he will sign with the Knicks, Nets or Clippers, or re-sign with the Cavs.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Report: Chris Henry had brain damage before he died

      June 28, 2010 /

      According to a report by the Cincinnati Enquirer, former Bengals receiver Chris Henry suffered from a chronic brain injury that may have influenced his mental state and behavior before he died last year.

      Bailes and fellow researchers believe chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, is caused by multiple head impacts, regardless of whether those blows result in a concussion diagnosis. A number of studies, including one commissioned by the NFL, have found that retired professional football players may have a higher rate than normal of Alzheimer’s disease and other memory problems.

      What’s interesting, Bailes said, is that Henry was only 26, and neither NFL nor WVU records show he was diagnosed with a concussion during his playing career.

      CTE carries specific neurobehavioral symptoms, Bailies said — typically, failure at personal and business relationships, use of drugs and alcohol, depression and suicide.

      Bailes said he and Omalu have now analyzed the brains of 27 modern athletes, and the majority showed evidence of CTE. But it’s found in only a small number of players, he said.

      Whether Henry’s brain damage can be attributed to playing football or not, it’s vital that doctors continue to research ways to make the game safer. Football is a violent game and while the league has taken steps to improve the equipment that players wear, they should never be satisfied when it comes to protecting the athletes.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

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