Month: July 2010 (Page 20 of 62)

      Phillies could be on the verge of trading Werth, acquiring Oswalt

      July 21, 2010 /
      July 18, 2010 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America - 18 July 2010: Houston Astros starting pitcher Roy Oswalt (44) delivers a pitch to the plate during the National League game between the Houston Astros and the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates Paul Maholm.

      Several heavy-hitters in the media are proclaiming that the Phillies are on the verge of making a couple of trades.

      The first involves Jayson Werth, who is currently hitting .283 with 13 home runs and 50 RBI. ESPN’s Buster Olney and Jayson Stark report that the Rays are involved in discussions for the outfielder, who is a free agent at the end of the season and is unlikely to be re-signed in Philadelphia.

      The second trade rumor involving the Phillies has Astros’ ace Roy Oswalt as the key piece. Stark reports that the Phillies have spent a lot of time exploring a deal for Oswalt, who won’t come cheap seeing as how he’s still owed $16 million next season and has a $16 million club option for 2012 (or a $2 million buyout).

      While a trade for Oswalt would certainly bolster the Phillies’ starting rotation, is a move like that wise for GM Ruben Amaro Jr. to make? It’s not like his club is one starting pitcher away from fixing all of their current problems, even if that one starting pitcher is Oswalt. Plus, this is a team that needs to start preparing for the future and giving up more prospects in a knee-jerk trade in attempts to win now might not be the most advantageous move.

      We’ll see how this plays out.

      External Sports, MLB, Rumors & Gossip

      It’s official: Sean Sherk vs. Evan Dunham for UFC 119

      July 21, 2010 /
      CHICAGO- OCTOBER 25: Tyson Griffin (L) punches Sean Sherk in a Lightweight bout at UFC's Ultimate Fight Night at Allstate Arena on October 25, 2008 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

      Heavy.com confirms that Sean Sherk will take on Evan Dunham in UFC 119.

      Lightweight up-and-comer Evan Dunham withstood his most difficult test to date at UFC 115, defeating Tyson Griffin. Now, the fast-rising lightweight is set up against another top lightweight, as his match up with Sean Sherk at UFC 119 is now official.

      The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced the match up earlier this afternoon.

      Sherk has been battling through injuries as of late and has not had a fight since his unanimous decision loss to Frankie Edgar at UFC 98. His last win came against Tyson Griffin at UFC 90, which was his follow-up to the technical knockout loss he received against BJ Penn at UFC 84. The former lightweight champion is looking for a resurgence towards another title shot in the 155-pound division.

      Read the entire article here.

      External Sports, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

      Jefferson heading back to the Spurs

      July 20, 2010 /
      Apr. 14, 2010: San Antonio Spurs forward Richard Jefferson during an NBA game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX Dallas defeated San Antonio 96-89.

      According to Marc Stein, Richard Jefferson will officially back with the Spurs sometime soon.

      This is the week, by all accounts, that San Antonio and Richard Jefferson will complete the restructured deal that we’ve all assumed had to be forthcoming since Jefferson stunningly opted out of a $15 million salary for next season on the eve of free agency. The specifics in terms of years and dollars remain unknown, but I’ve been assured that Jefferson will officially be back with the Spurs quite soon.

      In describing his decision to leave $15 million on the table, the word ‘stunning’ is totally appropriate. Jefferson sees himself as a 20-point scorer in an up-tempo offense, but the rest of the league sees him as a 30-year-old aging athlete who averaged 12 points a game last season. He probably thought he’d get a deal in the four- or five-year range at $9-$10 million a season, but it looks like he’s going to have to settle for quite a bit less. He did the Spurs a favor by opting out, so maybe they’ll treat him well.

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

      Report: Cubs’ Lou Piniella to retire at the end of season

      July 20, 2010 /
      June 21, 2007 - Arlington, Texas.Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella watches the action in the game against the Rangers at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Arlington, Texas on June 21, 2007. .The Rangers defeated the Cubs 6-5 ..Photo  Jeff Etessam / Cal Sport Media Photo via Newscom

      The New York Daily News is reporting that Cubs’ skipper Lou Piniella will retire at the end of the 2010 season.

      The 67-year-old Piniella, who led the Cubs to NL Central division titles in 2007 and 2008, is in the last year of his contract and has endured a particularly stressful last two seasons in which so many of his high-paid players, including outfielder Alfonso Soriano, third baseman Aramis Ramirez and pitcher Carlos Zambrano have underperformed to their salaries. This year, the Cubs are mired in fourth place, 10 1/2 games back and Piniella, who is in the last year of his contract, wanted to end to the speculation about his future for the good of the organization.

      Earlier this season, he had to suspend Zambrano after the volatile pitcher got into a dugout fight with teammate Derrek Lee in the middle of a game. Last year, Piniella had numerous similar confrontations with temperamental outfielder Milton Bradley, who was traded to the Seattle Mariners last winter.

      While Piniella has been one of the most successful managers in baseball history, there’s no doubt that the Cubs need to go in another direction at the end of the year. Their struggles this season can hardly be pinned on Piniella and Piniella alone, but it’s clear that his style has run its course on the North side of Chicago.

      Speculation continues to grow that former Cub Ryne Sandberg will take over as the club’s next manager. He has stated that managing the Cubs is his ideal job and after moving through the minor league ranks over the past four seasons, it appears that he’s suited for the position as well. We’ll see what management decides after the season.

      Getting back to “Sweet Lou,” this wasn’t the way he wanted to go out (i.e. marred in fourth place in a weak NL Central) but the timing is right. The Cubs will be undergoing a lot of changes this offseason and Piniella isn’t the right fit for a (potentially) young club that needs a lot of massaging.

      External Sports, MLB

      Mike Garrett out as USC AD, Pat Haden in

      July 20, 2010 /
      17 Dec 1997: Athletic Director Mike Garrett of USC talks at a press conference after the firing of head coach John Robinson of the USC Trojans football staff at the Sheraton Grande Hotel in Los Angeles, California.

      The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Pat Haden will replace Mike Garrett as USC’s next athletic director.

      Garrett came under fire recently when USC was put on four years probation by the NCAA for a series of violations, primarily involving its football program, that added up to a lack of institutional control. That kind of NCAA action almost always results in fingers being pointed at the athletic director, and Nikias’ action appears to be in response to those NCAA penalties.

      Reports state that Garrett “retired,” but the fact is that he’s being pushed out and Trojan fans should rejoice.

      Some like to point out that Garrett oversaw the football program’s success over the years, but don’t forget that it was former graduate coaching assistant and current Syracuse AD Daryl Gross that brought Pete Carroll to Southern Cal – not Garrett.

      Garrett’s claim to fame is subsequently having a hand in the departures of basketball coaches Henry Bibby and Tim Floyd, ruining a once proud USC baseball program with the firing of Mike Gillespie (the university maintains that he retired, but even he is on record as saying he was let go) and now, being the man in charge when the NCAA handed down its two-year bowl ban in light of the Reggie Bush investigation.

      Garrett may have held the position for 17 years, but his recent track record speaks for itself and the USC faithful should be encouraged that Haden is coming in.

      College Football, External Sports

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑