Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1209 of 1503)

      Rich Harden: 30 Ks, 0 wins for Cubs

      July 26, 2008 /

      Can somebody get Rich Harden some help? His Chicago Cubs teammates certainly won’t.

      Since he was acquired from the Oakland A’s just under a month ago, Harden has struck out a total of 30 batters in just three starts. And yet he has zero wins to show for his effort because the Cubs have blown opportunities in a variety of ways.

      In his Cubs debut on July 12, he struck out 10 Giants batters and exited in the six inning with a 7-0 lead. San Fran rallied for seven runs over the final two innings to hand Harden a no-decision. In his second outing, Harden limited the Diamondbacks to one run on one hit over seven innings while striking out another 10 batters. He took the loss as Arizona shutout Chicago 2-0. And in his latest start Saturday, Harden struck out 10 Marlins in rout to another no-decision as the Cubs lost 3-2 in 12 innings.

      This is a Cubs team mind you, that has scored 538 runs this season – best in the Nation League, second best in all of MLB. And yet, they continue to leave Harden out to dry. It’s nice when a trade works out like Harden has for Chicago, but the Cubs have failed to capitalized on the acquisition and continue to be one of the worst second half teams thus far at 3-9.

      MLB

      Red Sox GM Epstein says club willing to trade Manny Ramirez

      July 26, 2008 /

      According to Rotoworld.com, Boston Red Sox GM Theo Epstein told FOX broadcaster Tim McCarver that the club is will to trade Manny Ramirez if the outfielder waives his no-trade clause.

      Does Manny really want out of Boston, where he’s on a very good team with fans that adore him and management that has been willing to go out of its way to accommodate him? Or is he just being a drama queen? The Red Sox are leaving it to him to make the next move. If Manny truly wants a trade, then the Red Sox could try to get something done and maybe pick up Adam Dunn as a replacement. The Mets are the one team that would make real sense as a destination. Even if the Angels wanted him, the Red Sox probably wouldn’t want to send him to a team they could well end up facing in October.

      This is a great move by Epstein. Too many teams are afraid to force a player’s hand when they start to make demands. Ramirez has been one of the most fickle players in any sport and Epstein just basically said, “What do you want to do Manny? Do you want to play for a winner or not? Because if you don’t, we’ll be more than happy to deal you.”

      Even though the middle of Boston’s lineup would be severely weakened if Ramirez were traded, I think Epstein has some brass balls for handling the situation this way. (If of course this report is true and not fabricated.)

      MLB, Rumors & Gossip

      Bucs should make play for Brett Favre

      July 25, 2008 /

      According to several reports, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets have entered the bidding war for Brett Favre.

      Good – for the Bucs, that is. (Well, the Jets too given their current QB sitaution. But mainly the Bucs.)

      In his first season in Tampa, Jeff Garcia proved to be a solid option last year because he didn’t make mistakes. Coupled with error-free play from their quarterback position, the Bucs relied on their defense, were able to win the NFC South and made the postseason (where they lost to the eventual Super Bowl Champion New York Giants).

      True, the defense is another year older (Ronde Barber is 33 and Derrick Brooks is 35), but coordinator Monte Kiffin is one of the best in the league at getting the most out of his players. Tampa also has a nice mix of youth and veteran experience on that side of the ball and second year players Tanard Jackson and Gaines Adams should only continue to improve.

      But back to Favre. Garcia is perfect for Gruden’s offense because he plays conservative and doesn’t make mistakes. He’s also severally limited given his style of play and has spent most of the offseason bitching about his contract (a situation that is far from resolved). The Bucs should make a play for Favre and go for it this year. He’s not the best fit for Gruden’s offense given his gunslinger mentality (Gruden runs a more controlled offense), but they’ve both worked together before so Gruden certainly knows how to best handle him. The Bucs aren’t the most talented team in the NFC, but with only New Orleans serving as a legitimate threat in the division, Tampa could easily make a postseason run with Favre and who knows, maybe much more.

      NFL

      Minor league pitcher Julio Castillo arrested after brawl

      July 25, 2008 /

      Peoria Chiefs’ pitcher Julio Castillo was arrested and charged with battery after throwing a ball at the dugout of the Dayton Dragons and igniting a full-out brawl between the two teams. The ball Castillo threw ricocheted off the dugout and hit a fan, who then had to be taken to the hospital.

      Brawls are going to happen in baseball, but it doesn’t make much sense to take a crow hop and whip a ball at another team’s dugout from 10 feet away. What a nut job.

      General Sports, Video

      Devin Hester reports to Bears’ camp after two-day hold out

      July 25, 2008 /

      After holding strong for two days, the Chicago Bears’ offense caved and reported to camp.

      The wide receiver arrived at training camp happy teammates reported at breakfast this morning, in time for a morning weightlifting session and today’s 3 p.m. practice.

      Hester shows up after accruing roughly $30,000 in fines for missing two days of practice.

      “It’s time for me to take a stand,” he told the Sun-Times Tuesday in explaining his absence. “We’re going to stand by our decision to do this and we feel like this can go down to whenever in the season or the end of the season. No matter what.”

      There was a change of heart between then and now, and this puts Hester in position to compete for a starting job as a receiver. He was slated to work with the first team on Wednesday and will not be far behind now. Teammates and coaches were understanding of his position as he’s scheduled to earn $445,000 this season. General manager Jerry Angelo spoke with Hester’s agent Eugene Parker on Thursday and expressed that he didn’t want Hester to feel slighted that the club got a slew of contracts done and not his, that it remained a top priority for the club.

      Hold out two days and lose $30,000. I’m no math major but that doesn’t sound like it was a wise move for Hester. But surely the team will eat that fine and get the lad a new deal.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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