Month: August 2010 (Page 8 of 59)

      Dodgers should wait until after weekend before deciding on Manny, Lilly

      August 27, 2010 /
      June 27, 2010 Los Angeles, CA..Manny Ramirez of the Dodgers in action during the Major League Baseball game between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The Yankees defeated the Dodgers, 8-6, in 10 innings..Josh Thompson/CSM.

      I’ve got one two words of advice for the Los Angeles Dodgers right now: Have patience.

      SI.com’s Jon Heyman is reporting that the White Sox have won the waiver claim on outfielder Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers now have until Tuesday to either trade him or pull him back. Ken Rosenthal is also reporting that L.A. has placed starter Ted Lilly on waivers, meaning a deal could also be forthcoming for him if he’s claimed.

      The problem is that the Dodgers have won three in a row and are now only five games behind the Giants in the NL Wild Card race. Less than a week ago, it made sense to put players like Manny and Lilly on waivers seeing as how neither of them will be part of the team’s long-term plans. But today, things are much trickier.

      Do the Dodgers keep Manny and Lilly in order to make a run at the playoffs or do they trade them and hope to get lucky over the next 30-plus games?

      If they wait, that question could be answered for them over the next three days. The Dodgers are set to play the Rockies (who are four games back in the Wild Card chase) in Colorado for a three-game set starting tonight. If they take the series and the other Wild Card contenders (Giants, Phillies, Cardinals) struggle, then why not keep Manny and Lilly and try to make a run?

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, MLB

      Do the Vikings still have an issue in their secondary?

      August 27, 2010 /
      MINNEAPOLIS, MN - DECEMBER 13: Antoine Winfield #26 (L) and Jamarca Sanford #33 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrate a play against the Cincinnati Bengals on December 13, 2009 at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

      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. Today I’ll be discussing the Vikings’ secondary concerns.

      There’s growing sentiment that the offensive line is the Vikings’ biggest question mark heading into the 2010 season and for good reason. Neither Steve Hutchinson nor Bryant McKinnie played well last year and some pundits believe that Phil Loadholt looks the part, but has a long way to go to be consistently productive.

      But keep in mind that Hutchinson has dealt with back issues for the last couple of years and also had a shoulder injury that limited him last season. McKinnie had his own injury concerns (he played with plantar fasciitis for most of the year) and that was only Loadholt’s first year. Considering the Vikings added two new starters to the O-line, it makes sense that they struggled a bit – especially in run blocking.

      Hutchinson and McKinnie are reportedly healthy and if both Loadholt and center John Sullivan make strides in their development, the offensive line should be fine. Their secondary on the other hand…

      It seems like the Vikings have had the same issues in their secondary for about a decade now. Even in 1998 when they went 15-1 and lost in the NFC Championship Game their biggest weakness was arguably their secondary and despite their best efforts over the years, they can never seem to get the right mix of players back there.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, NFL

      The curious case of Matt Leinart

      August 27, 2010 /
      GLENDALE, AZ - AUGUST 14: Quarterback Matt Leinart of the Arizona Cardinals is introduced prior to preseason NFL game against the Houston Texans at the University of Phoenix Stadium on August 14, 2010 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the Texans 19-16. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

      Whether it was his intentions or not, Ken Whisenhunt just started a storm of epic proportions in Arizona.

      Whisenhunt made the announcement Thursday that Derek Anderson – not former first round pick Matt Leinart – would start in the Cardinals’ third preseason game on Saturday. Leinart of course, was being viewed as Kurt Warner’s replacement and has taken first-team reps throughout the entire offseason.

      Now rumors have started to circulate that the Cards are ready to give up on Leinart and may even try to trade him before the season starts.

      On Friday, Leinart lashed out and expressed his frustration with the situation.

      “It is disappointing and a little bit frustrating. I can’t sit up here and say I’m happy and all smiles,” said Leinart. “If it is an open competition, then let’s have it that way from the start.”

      Leinart has a point. Although he has done nothing in preseason to warrant being the regular season starter, he has also been given fewer opportunities to shine. He has attempted just 13 passes thus far (compared to Anderson’s 41) and while he has yet to throw a touchdown pass or move the ball with any regularity, Anderson has thrown two picks and has a worse completion percentage (58.5% to Leinart’s 76.9%).

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, NFL

      Exploring the various Carmelo Anthony trade scenarios

      August 27, 2010 /
      Denver Nuggets NBA player Carmelo Anthony arrives at the 2010 BET Awards in Los Angeles June 27, 2010. REUTERS/Gus Ruelas (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT SPORT BASKETBALL)

      With the news that the Nuggets’ latest meeting with Carmelo and his camp didn’t go that well, it’s time to start looking at Anthony’s short list of teams to see what they can offer in the way of trade.

      Per Adrian Wojnarowski, the Nuggets are looking for “young players and draft picks,” so we’ll keep that in mind as we discuss the various trade scenarios.

      That Wojnarowski piece also listed five teams as potential landing spots for Anthony: New Jersey, L.A. (Clippers), Houston, Golden State and Charlotte (due to Anthony’s shoe deal with Brand Jordan). Let’s fire up the Trade Machine and go team-by-team to see what they can offer. Keep in mind that it’s virtually impossible to get equal value for a disgruntled star, so most of these trades are going to look better from the point of view of the team receiving Anthony. That’s just the way it is.

      New Jersey (soon to be Brooklyn) Nets
      New Jersey has four young(ish) players that might appeal to the Nuggets: Brook Lopez, Derrick Favors, Terrence Williams and Devin Harris. I don’t see the Nuggets getting Lopez out of this deal, but one idea is a simple swap of Troy Murphy and Derrick Favors for Anthony, with one or two first round draft picks to sweeten the deal if necessary. This would leave the Nets very thin at power forward, but they’d get a Top 15 player to build around while retaining Harris, Williams and Lopez. The Nuggets would get a power forward with a ton of potential to form a nice one-two punch with their best young piece, Ty Lawson.

      If the Nuggets aren’t sold on Lawson for some reason, they could ask for Harris, Williams and Kris Humphries (to even out the salaries). Harris, Favors and Humphries is another possibility. So is Harris, Favors and Williams, which looks like the best of the bunch. The Nuggets could hold onto Favors and Williams, and if they’re set with Lawson at point guard, move Harris in another trade.

      Would the Nets give up Harris, Favors and Williams? They should. It’s not often that a player of Carmelo’s stature comes on the market while in his prime. Teams should do whatever they can to get him, and worry about fixing the roster later.

      Los Angeles Clippers
      Hmm. Maybe the Clips will get their star after all. If they do, they have Anthony’s wife, LaLa Vasquez, and her burgeoning ‘entertainment career’ to thank.

      To make the numbers work, it appears that Chris Kaman would need to be involved in any trade for Anthony, unless the Nuggets were willing to take on Baron Davis (but he doesn’t exactly fit the ‘young player’ criteria). So how about Kaman, Eric Gordon and Al-Farouq Aminu? I’d be shocked if the Nuggets were able to wrest Blake Griffin away from the Clippers, so this may be the best they can do. L.A. could throw in a first round draft pick or two to get the Nuggets to bite. Denver could even throw in Chris Andersen if it wanted to dump more salary and give the Clips a center back in the deal.

      Continue reading »

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

      Strasburg likely to have Tommy John surgery, Nationals clearly cursed

      August 27, 2010 /
      Washington Nationals' pitcher Stephen Strasburg reacts in the dugout during the fourth inning against the Florida Marlins' at Nationals Park in Washington on August, 10 2010. UPI/Kevin Dietsch Photo via Newscom

      In the young history of the Washington Nationals franchise, the club has never had a winning season, has never come close to a playoff berth and has never finished above fourth place in the NL East.

      When the Nats drafted phenom Stephen Strasburg with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 MLB Draft, there was suddenly hope on the horizon. And actually with the way the team had been compiling young talent in previous years, Strasburg only cemented the hope that was already there.

      You know the rest. When Strasburg was called up earlier this season, he dazzled fans and flustered big league hitters with his outstanding stuff. He got hurt, came back, and then got hurt again.

      Now GM Mike Rizzo admits that the young pitcher likely needs Tommy John surgery to repair a significant UCL tear in his pitching elbow. I could go into details, but why bother? The biggest takeaway is that Strasburg’s rookie season is over and it’s very likely that his 2011 campaign is done too, well before it had the chance to start.

      It’s a massive blow for a franchise that doesn’t deserve any more sports heartache. Last August, Jordan Zimmermann (who was the team’s top pitching prospect before Strasburg came along) also had to undergo elbow reconstruction surgery and it took him a little over a year to return. Now Nats’ fans have to deal with Strasburg’s injury, just months after the club drafted another phenom in outfielder Bryce Harper.

      The future is still very bright in Washington, as Strasburg will eventually come back and Harper will eventually be called up. But considering fans will have to continue to remain patient before seeing these two potential stars play together is a shame.

      Whose dog did owner Ted Lerner kick for all the bad luck that this club has had to endure over the years?

      External Sports, MLB

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑