Month: February 2011 (Page 5 of 49)

      Bobby Jenks calls Ozzie Guillen, White Sox front office a “problem”

      February 26, 2011 /

      Following the path of Jayson Werth and other scorned lovers, new Red Sox reliever Bobby Jenks sounded off about his former manager and team on Saturday.

      From ESPN.com:

      Chicago White Sox pitcher Bobby Jenks sits in the dugout before a baseball game against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field in Cleveland on August 31, 2010. UPI/David Richard

      “A lot of the stuff with Ozzie [Guillen] and the front office gets old,” the right-hander said of his former manager, according to the Chicago Tribune. “It has been a problem for a long time. It was a problem before last year. It was a problem before last year. … It’s going to be nice for me to see how things are done here.”

      Jenks went on to say that he did “like it in Chicago” and that it was a good place for his family. But why make comments about Guillen or the front office? I appreciate when athletes speak their minds and don’t revert to default answers like “no comment,” but maybe Jenks needs a reminder of his early years in baseball.

      For those needing a brief history lesson, the Angels drafted Jenks in the fifth round of the 2000 draft and then watched him spend most of his time on the DL because of elbow problems. In 2002, he was suspended for repeatedly bringing alcohol on the team bus of the Halos’ Double-A affiliate, the Arkansas Travelers. By 2004, he was designated for assignment and seemed destined to be a career minor league (or out baseball entirely).

      It was GM Kenny Williams and his scouting staff, along with manager Ozzie Guillen (who joined the White Sox in 2004) that gave Jenks new life in Chicago. He repaid them with a couple of solid years and helped them win a World Series in 2005, but none of that wouldn’t have happened had the Chicago front office not taken a flier on him.

      Granted, you wouldn’t have to look hard to find someone who agrees with Jenks’ point of view on the ChiSox’s front office and/or Guillen. But maybe Jenks should show a little more humility considering how he arrived in Chicago in the first place.

      External Sports, MLB

      Rams scout exposes himself to a female officer, goes No. 1 on building

      February 26, 2011 /

      Apparently Rams scout Luke Driscoll thought he was sent to the NFL scouting combine not to watch potential prospects, but to try out for a role in “The Hangover 2.” Dude had quite the Friday night according to FOX59.com.

      The NFL combine is going on in Indianapolis without a scout for the Saint Louis Rams.

      Luke Driscoll, 33, was arrested early Friday morning for urinating on a building near Union Station downtown. Metro police said he also exposed his genitals to a female officer. His speech was reportedly “very slurred” at the time.

      Driscoll is charged with public nudity and public intoxication. He is an 11-year member of the Rams’ scouting department.

      This story is bizarre, but it doesn’t come close to the one about former Lions assistant coach Joe Cullen, who went through a Wendy’s drive-thru naked when he was blackout wasted in 2006.

      If you’re going to expose yourself in public, do it with a sense of style. Don’t just walk around pulling it out, flashing female police officers and urinating on buildings – that’s been done. Going through a Wendy’s drive-thru late at night with no idea where your clothes are? Now that’s poetry.

      External Sports, NFL

      Which teams are the best bet to make the Final Four?

      February 25, 2011 /

      Let’s take an early look at Jeff Sagarin’s college basketball ratings. I’ve found that his Predictor is a solid way to pick winners when it’s time to fill out my March Madness bracket. Over the past four years, when a team has at least a two-point advantage in Predictor, they are 156-42 (78.8%). When the difference between two teams is less than two points, the favorite is 27-24 (52.9%) over the same span.

      Here’s a look at Sagarin’s top 10 teams in terms of overall rating, which is “a synthesis of the two diametrical opposites, ELO CHESS and PURE POINTS (PREDICTOR).”

      As it stands, Ohio State, Kansas and Duke are favorites to make the Final Four because they are at least two-point Predictor favorites over everyone else in the field. This assumes that these three teams are in different regions, of course. The next highest team, Texas, would be a virtual toss-up with four teams: Pitt, Purdue, BYU and Washington.

      You can see Sagarin’s full ratings here.

      Currently, Joe Lunardi of ESPN has Duke, Ohio State, Texas and Pitt as the four #1 seeds, with Kansas as a #2 seed in Duke’s region. As it stands, Duke and Kansas would be a toss-up in the Southwest Regional Final.

      College Basketball, External Sports, March Madness

      Redskins won’t decide McNabb’s future until after the draft

      February 25, 2011 /
      Washington Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb watches game action from the sideline during the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland on November 15, 2010. UPI/Kevin Dietsch

      Donovan McNabb must feel real secure about his status in Washington after hearing Mike Shanahan’s latest comments to the media.

      While speaking at the NFL combine on Friday, the Redskins head coach said that the team wouldn’t make a decision on McNabb’s future until after the draft. Shanahan also said that he’s talked to McNabb’s agent but has yet to speak to McNabb personally since the end of the season.

      Granted, Shanahan was vague in his comments so there’s still an outside shot that McNabb could return to D.C. next year. But John Fox gave more backing to Kyle Orton this week than Shanahan did for McNabb and Fox hasn’t even seen Orton practice yet. Chances are the Redskins aren’t going to pay McNabb the $10 million offseason roster bonus or the $1.75 million base salary he’s due next season.

      If you read between the lines, it appears that McNabb is a goner if the Skins emerge from the draft with a starting quarterback (or at least someone that can challenge Rex Grossman for the starting job next season). With so many holes to fill, it’ll be interesting to see if Shanahan decides to address the quarterback position in the first round knowing that he doesn’t have complete faith in McNabb as his starter, or take his chances in the middle rounds on someone like TCU’s Andy Dalton, FSU’s Christian Ponder or Iowa’s Ricky Stanzi. (Or ignore the position completely and stick with McNabb.)

      But no matter how the draft shakes out, McNabb will either start for the Redskins or start for another team in 2011. It would be foolish for the Redskins to pay him over $12 million next year and watch him hold the clipboard while Grossman plays. Things will be real interesting around Redskins Park at the end of April and early May.

      External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

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