Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1031 of 1503)

      CC Sabathia wants to be a Dodger

      December 9, 2008 /

      According to general manager Ned Colletti, free agent pitcher CC Sabathia wants to be in Dodger blue next season.

      CC SabathiaDodgers general manager Ned Colletti told ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark on Monday that he ran into the free agent on Sunday night in a hotel lobby and the left-hander told him that he wants to be a Dodger.

      Although the New York Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers have made offers to the prize of the free-agent class, speculation continued that Sabathia would want to play near the home he is building in Southern California.

      Sabathia did meet with the Yankees on Sunday and Monday, and his representatives spoke with the Brewers on Monday.

      According to a baseball man with knowledge of the meeting, Sabathia wanted to meet with the Yankees on Sunday because he’s “trying to gather information” about the franchise and New York.
      Sabathia and his agent, Greg Genske, met for about 2½ hours on Sunday with Yankees GM Brian Cashman, manager Joe Girardi and adviser Reggie Jackson. And the main focus of the conversation, the source said, was whether Sabathia wants to be a Yankee.

      Cashman met alone with Sabathia and his representatives on Monday.

      Many insist that Sabathia will eventually take the money and wind up in New York, but his desire to hit and play in his home state seem to be more appealing at this point. The Dodgers seem like a perfect fit for the three things Sabathia wants – his home state, money and the opportunity to hit. The other two California teams that have shown interest – the Angels and Giants – only seem to be trying to drive up the market value for the ace with the Yankees and Dodgers being the two main players in the Sabathia sweepstakes.

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Mets expect to sign K-Rod to three-year deal

      December 9, 2008 /

      The New York Mets are about to land one of the best closers in baseball.

      The Mets appear on the verge of simultaneously interrupting a sluggish baseball market and solving their biggest winter issue. They are closing in on a deal to sign star free-agent closer Francisco Rodriguez.

      “It’s going to get done,” said a person familiar with the talks.

      It almost had to. The Mets badly needed a big-time closer to replace injured star Billy Wagner and anchor what was one of the worst bullpens ever attached to a contender. To accomplish their goal, they focused on K-Rod as their closer of choice over the past couple weeks.

      The contract is a very reasonable one for the Mets in that Rodriguez will make only about $3 million more than he was offered by the Angels in spring training, before he set the single-season record for saves in a season with 62. It is also $6 million less over its term than the Mets paid to Wagner three winters ago.

      The deal makes sense for K-Rod, too, since he knew he couldn’t top that type of deal in those smaller markets. he is also thought to want to be in a big market, anyway. His first choice appeared to be to go back to the Angels, but they have suitable replacement in Jose Arredondo and Scot Shields and put him way on the back burner while pursing top target, free-agent first baseman Mark Teixeira.

      This Mets team has to succeed this year. The club spent beaucoup bucks on ace Johan Santana last year, have plenty of quality hitters and are now adding one of the top closers in the game. Of course, everything comes down to execution, which has been the Mets problem over the years. It’ll be interesting to see how much noise the Mets continue to make during the winter meetings.

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Jerry Jones calls out Marion Barber

      December 9, 2008 /

      Frustrated that his team’s playoff hopes are hanging in the balance with each passing week, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones publicly called out his running back for not making the trip to Pittsburgh last Sunday.

      Marion BarberAt the very least, Mr. Jones believes he’s in a position to question Marion Barber’s toughness. Barber didn’t play in Pittsburgh yesterday with calf and pinkie toe injuries, and Jones roundaboutly called him a sissy yesterday. From Star-Telegram.com:

      Jones believed Barber’s dislocated right pinkie toe was an injury that he could have played with against Pittsburgh. Before the team boarded for its flight to Pittsburgh on Saturday, Jones was stunned Barber did not make the trip.

      After not practicing all week and with an additional sore calf, Barber felt he couldn’t play. Jones said Barber could have taped and braced the toe well enough to allow him to play.

      “He can play with that injured toe,” Jones said. “He can play with the soreness and a combination of those things. I see nothing that led us to believe he couldn’t.”

      It’s Jones’ team, so he can say whatever he wants. But if he thinks that he’s going to motivate Barber into playing, this seems like the wrong way to do it. If Barber could play, don’t you think he would be out there? It’s not like this guy has a history of nagging injuries that lead to him missing games. Jones comes off like a whinny child that isn’t getting what he wants right now.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Predicting the unpredictable: NFL Playoff Projections

      December 8, 2008 /

      Eli ManningI fully believe that I would have a better shot of winning the lotto, reading a woman’s mind and fully comprehending what the Coen brothers were trying to convey in “No Country for Old Men” than predicting what will happen over the final three weeks of the 2008 NFL Season but I’m going to give it a shot anyway. (Seriously, that badass character in “No Country” just walks away at the end and we have no idea what happens to him?)

      Here’s what we know: The Titans are the AFC South Champions, the Giants won the NFC East and the Cardinals have already claimed the NFC West.

      Now grab your Advil because this is what we don’t know:

      Three teams still have a shot to win the NFC South (Buccaneers, Panthers and Falcons), as well as the AFC East (Jets, Dolphins and Patriots). Barring a complete collapse, the Broncos will win the AFC West while Steelers have a slim one-game lead over the Ravens in the AFC North and the Vikings have a one-game lead over the Bears in the NFC North.

      These teams are still alive for Wild Card berths in the AFC: Ravens (9-4); Colts (9-4); Jets (8-5); Dolphins (8-5), Patriots (8-5) and Chargers (5-8). (San Diego still has a shot because Denver hasn’t closed out the AFC West, but we can pretty much write the Chargers off at this point.)

      These teams are still alive for Wild Card berths in the NFC: Buccaneers (9-3); Panthers (9-3); Falcons (8-5); Cowboys (8-5); Eagles (7-5-1); Bears (7-6); Saints (7-6); Redskins (7-6); Packers (5-8). (As of this writing, the Panthers and Buccaneers still have to play on Monday night, with the winner taking a one-game lead in the NFC South.)

      Now that all of that has been sorted out, it’s time for the fun to begin. I will stick my neck out for all fans to chop it off and predict the rest of the NFL season – playoffs included. Get your pen and paper ready to jot down notes. The over/under of times someone calls me a moron in the comment section has officially been set at 47.

      AFC Playoff Projection:

      1. Titans
      2. Steelers
      3. Patriots
      4. Broncos
      5. Colts
      6. Ravens

      Chris Johnson– The Titans and Steelers have two of the nastiest defenses in the league and should each win two of their final three games, although the Ravens have a shot at leapfrogging Pittsburgh in AFC North with a win against the Men of Steel this Sunday. While it’s tempting to take the feel-good Ravens to beat the Steelers, Pittsburgh’s defense will give Joe Flacco trouble again, just as it did in the second half of their meeting (a 23-20 overtime win for the Steelers) in Week 4 earlier this year.

      – The Jets are imploding after losing two straight and they’re going to lose one more game the rest of the way (at Seattle in Week 15). But they should beat Buffalo this Sunday to get to 9-5 and following my predicted loss to the Seahawks, beat Miami in the season final at the Meadowlands. But the Patriots are going to win out and claim the AFC East at 11-5. They’re at hapless Oakland on Sunday, will host an Arizona team that hasn’t won a meaningful game on the road all season, and finish up the year at Buffalo against a Bills team that has scored 6 points in two weeks. You can just read the headlines in Boston now: Brady Who?

      – The Broncos just need one more win to wrap up the AFC West, which they’ll get at home against the Bills in Week 16, if not Week 15 in Carolina.

      – The Colts will be the most dangerous team in the playoffs. Not only have they won six in a row, but they could win nine in a row before it’s all said and done because they host the Lions this Sunday, play Jacksonville on the road and host a Tennessee team at the end of the year that could be resting starters. There’s a chance Indy could claim a Wild Card spot at 12-4 or 11-5.

      – The Ravens host the Steelers and are at Dallas before hosting the Jaguars to end the season. They might lose two of their final three games, but they’ll beat Jacksonville and make the postseason at 10-6.

      NFC Playoff Projection:

      1. Giants
      2. Buccaneers
      3. Cardinals
      4. Bears
      5. Panthers
      6. Falcons

      – The Giants’ loss Sunday against the Eagles was a setback, but a small setback. Their final three games aren’t gimmies though – at Dallas, vs. Carolina, at Minnesota. But they should win two of their final three games, which would give them home field advantage throughout the postseason. They’ve got two major question marks though: Will Plaxico Burress’s situation be a distraction and will Brandon Jacobs be 100%? (He suffered a knee injury in Sunday’s loss vs. Philly.)

      Jeff Garcia– Tampa could very easily lose to the Panthers on Monday night and next week against the Falcons in Atlanta, but they’ll win against the Chargers and Raiders at the end of the year to get to 12-4 or 11-5 and steal the No. 2 seed away from Carolina. That said, the defense will continue to carry this team but the offense has to get drastically better in the red zone.

      – The Cardinals are in and could easily take the No. 2 seed, but I see them losing to New England in Week 15 and even if they beat the Vikings this Sunday and the Seahawks Week 17, they would only be 10-6 and therefore a game or two behind Tampa or Carolina.

      – Flip a coin between the Vikings and Bears because they both have similar odds of winning the division. But I’ll give the nod to Chicago because they could potentially win out as they host the Saints and Packers the next two weeks before playing the Texans on the road. Plus Minnesota faces a lot of uncertainty with the pending suspensions of Pat and Kevin Williams, and now Gus Frereotte has back issues. I don’t see Tarvaris Jackson winning two of the Vikings final three games (at Arizona, vs. Atlanta, vs. NY Giants) if he had to. But trust me, this isn’t resounding support for the Bears, because they could easily lose two of their final three games, which would give Minnesota the division. But I’m taking a shot on the kids from Chi-Town.

      – The Panthers could beat the Bucs on Monday, but their final three games are tough – vs. Denver, at NY Giants, at New Orleans. And considering their defense isn’t playing particularly well right now, the Broncos and Saints could light up the scoreboard. Still, this is a playoff team and one that has made some noise in the postseason the past couple of years.

      – The Falcons need to prove they’re a true playoff contender by beating Tampa next Sunday at home. Because after that, they face a possibly depleted Vikings team in Minnesota and then host the Rams to wrap up the year – two winnable games. If they win two of their final three, they should be in because Dallas’s remaining schedule is brutal, while the Eagles, Redskins and Saints are still a full game back. But make no mistake – Atlanta put itself in a rough position by losing to New Orleans on Sunday.

      Wild Card Playoff Predictions:

      Colts over Broncos
      Patriots over Ravens

      Cardinals over Falcons
      Panthers over Bears

      Divisional Predictions:

      Colts over Titans
      Steelers over Patriots
      Giants over Panthers
      Buccaneers over Cardinals

      AFC Championship Game: Steelers over Colts
      NFC Championship Game: Giants over Bucs

      Mike TomlinSuper Bowl: Giants vs. Steelers

      It’s a little boring to predict a No. 1 vs. a No. 2 seed to meet in the Super Bowl, but I’m going with the two best defenses in the league. The Steelers have some glaring issues, mainly on the offensive line and with Ben Roethlisberger’s penchant for hanging onto the ball too long in the pocket. But Pittsburgh and New York are nasty environments to play in come January and again, I’m taking defense to trump all.

      All right, your turn. Ready…aim…fire with your comments.

      NFL

      Laveranues Coles takes shots at Brett Favre

      December 8, 2008 /

      Jets’ wide receiver Laveranues Coles took the opportunity to fire back at the media and everyone else who suggests the team’s turnaround this season has been all because of Brett Favre:

      Brett FavreJets’ WR Laveranues Coles took a couple of shots at QB Brett Favre leading up to today’s game vs. the San Francisco 49ers. Coles’ comments appear on a couple of San Francisco Bay-area web sites this morning and are getting some play on WFAN radio.

      In an item on sfgate.com titled ‘Coles not a big Favre fan’, the veteran Jets’ receiver says the Jets’ offense is basically dictated by Favre and that passes delivered by Favre don’t come in any harder than the football-throwing machines the Jets use in practice:

      “Day in and day out, I catch balls from the Jugs machine. It probably comes out there harder from there than it does anywhere else,” Coles said. “So there’s nothing different about (catching passes from Favre).”

      InsideBayArea.com has another item on Coles, saying that Favre gets too much credit for the team’s success:

      “If you understand the game, you understand that it’s more than just Brett Favre in dealing with this ballclub,” Coles said. “Of course, he’s the big name. He’s the (future) Hall of Famer and he’s going to get the majority of the credit. But most of the guys who deserve the credit don’t really get it.”

      This is interesting because there’s an on-going debate right now in the comments section of John Paulsen’s latest column regarding whether or not the Packers would be better off with Favre under enter this season than Aaron Rodgers.

      Here’s the thing, Brett Favre is only one player. He’s one hell of a player, but he’s only one player. The Jets added a couple of significant pieces this offseason and Favre was only one of those pieces. Alan Faneca has boosted the play of the offensive line, which has led to a bounce back year by running back Thomas Jones, which has aided Favre’s transition from Green Bay to New York. Kris Jenkins was also brought in to boost the run defense, which had been a major weakness until this season.

      One player doesn’t make a team and while Coles sounds a little bitter that he’s not receiving the same love as Favre is, that’s just the way it goes. The media loves to praise a quarterback when a team wins and throw them directly under the bus when a team loses. If the Jets continue to implode, then everyone can rest assured that Brett’s going to come under some scrutiny.

      NFL

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