Month: July 2010 (Page 7 of 62)

      Cubs’ rebuilding plan takes a hit as Lee refuses to accept trade

      July 28, 2010 /
      Chicago Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee walks out ont the field at the beginning of the eighth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field in Chicago on July 1, 2010. The Reds won 3-2 in 10 innings. UPI/Brian Kersey Photo via Newscom

      Things can’t get much worse for the Cubs right now. They’re currently nine games below .500, 9.5 games out of first place in a weak NL Central and I hear Lou Piniella also forgot to reorganize his Netflix queue and is now stuck with “Dear John” again after he just rented it from Blockbuster.

      But much to the elation of the Cubs’ front office, Derrek Lee is hitting .292 this month after batting a crisp .237 in June. That’s good news for the soon-to-be-rebuilding Cubs because that makes Lee a little more attractive to potential trade suitors. He might still be hitting like Neifi Perez, but he isn’t Todd Hundley at the moment either.

      I’m not around Cubs’ GM Jim Hendry enough (or at all for that matter) to know what his plans are at the trade deadline, but one can only assume that he’d like to unload Lee seeing as how the first baseman won’t be a part of the club’s future plans. His contract runs up at the end of the year, so if Hendry can acquire a couple of prospects in exchange for Lee, I’d have to imagine he’d pull the trigger.

      That is, of course, unless Lee refuses to accept a trade, which according to ESPNChicago.com appears to be the case.

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      External Sports, MLB

      Aaron Rodgers vs. Drew Brees vs. Peyton Manning

      July 28, 2010 /
      Feb. 07, 2010 - Miami, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES - epa02020884 New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees warms up on the field at Sun Life Stadium prior to the start of Super Bowl XLIV in Miami, Florida, USA, 07 February 2010. The New Orleans Saints will play the Indianapolis Colts in american football's annual championship game.

      In our position preview, I ranked the top three fantasy QBs this way: 1) Drew Brees, 2) Aaron Rodgers and 3) Peyton Manning.

      We may be splitting hairs here. These are the top three QBs heading into the season and you can’t go wrong with any of them. But I’d take Brees first and here’s why:

      1. He’s always playing in Week 16.
      Peyton Manning has put up some monster numbers in W16 in recent years. 364 yards and 3 TD in 2008, 311 yards and 3 TD in 2007, and 205 yards and 3 TD in 2006. But he also had just 192 yards and zero TD against the Jets last year and a 116-yard, zero-TD performance in a meaningless game against the Seahawks in 2005. Sometimes the Colts’ Week 16 games don’t matter and when that happens, Manning isn’t going to play a whole hell of a lot. Drew Brees (and Aaron Rodgers) are far more likely to be in a meaningful Week 16 game.

      2. He plays indoors in Week 16.
      Not only does Brees have a nice matchup with the Falcons in the cozy Georgia Dome in Week 16, he also has the Rams at home in Week 14, which is often the first week of the fantasy playoffs. He does have the Ravens on the road in Week 15, so it’s not all rosy for Brees. Conversely, Rodgers has the Lions indoors in Week 14 (!!!), but then he has two tough, cold weather games at New England and at home against the Giants. If there’s a title on the line, I’d rather that weather not be a factor.

      3. He has an easier schedule this year.
      According to Footballguys’ strength of schedule, Brees has an improved schedule while Rodgers’ projects to be tougher. (Manning has the easiest of the three, but that would only increase the chances that he’ll be limited in Week 16.)

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

      2010 NFL Question Marks: Baltimore Ravens

      July 28, 2010 /
      Baltimore Ravens' Ed Reed warms-up prior to his game against the Washington Redskins at M & T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on August 13, 2009. UPI/Kevin Dietsch Photo via Newscom

      Merry training camp season, everyone. It’s been a long offseason, but football is finally gearing up again and to celebrate I’m rolling out a new series on TSR entitled “2010 NFL Question Marks,” where I discuss one or two of the biggest concerns that teams have heading into the new season. Granted, some teams have more issues than others, but I’ll primarily be focusing on the biggest problem areas. First up is the Baltimore Ravens and their question marks surrounding their secondary.

      After dismantling the Patriots in the postseason last year, Raven fans are more excited about the team’s Super Bowl hopes this season than I am about “Shark Week” every year. (I think it goes without saying that sharks are the greatest fish, human and/or breathing organism on the planet. I mean, they’re sharks.)

      And who could blame the Baltimore faithful? Joe Flacco is heading into his third season (which is the year when things are supposed to really “click” for players), Ray Rice is on the verge of superstardom and the passing game added a legitimate No. 1 wideout this offseason thanks to Ozzie Newsome’s trade for Anquan Boldin.

      But just like all 32 teams at this time of year, the Ravens have some concerns and most of theirs lie within the secondary.

      First and foremost, Ed Reed isn’t healthy and that’s a huge problem. At 31, some note that he isn’t as physical as he was earlier in his career, but the guy can still cover ground with the best of them. His ability to read what formation an offense comes out in, bait the quarterback into making a poor throw and then actually make a play on the ball is unrivaled. In fact, I wouldn’t hesitate to say he was the best coverage safety in the league last year, along with Arizona’s Adrian Wilson.

      But again, he’s also hurt. The Ravens recently placed him on the active/Physically Unable to Perform list and he’s a candidate to miss the first six weeks of the season as he continues to battle a hip injury. He missed four games last year and the Ravens still made the playoffs, but playing without him isn’t something the team wants to make a habit of.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, NFL

      Take Sasha Vujacic…please!

      July 28, 2010 /

      Brian Windhorst is reporting that the Lakers are trying to move Sasha Vujacic:

      Sources said Lakers are trying to trade Sasha Vujacic wfirst round pick to get his salary off books. They tried to do it for Delonte West.

      IMO, Vujacic is hands down the most annoying player in the league. If I were running a team, the Lakers would have to include Pau Gasol or his girlfriend, Maria Sharapova, in the deal to get me to take on his contract/personality.

      After a reasonably decent 2007-08 — 8.8 ppg, 44% 3PT — Sasha averaged 2.8 ppg and 31% from 3PT last season. The only productive thing he did all year was get under Goran Dragic’s skin in the Suns series, and even that almost backfired.

      Obligatory pics (of Maria) after the jump, of course.

      Continue reading »

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

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