Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 16 of 1503)

      If you’ve blinked, you’ve missed some exciting baseball in 2012

      May 30, 2012 /

      If you haven’t been paying attention to Major League Baseball this season, then it’s time to wake up.
      Because you’re missing quite a show.

      It’s not even June and we’ve already seen a perfect game pitched by Philip Humber and a no-hitter by Jered Weaver. Josh Hamilton hit four home runs in a game against the Orioles on May 8 and by May 29 Melky Cabrera reached 50 hits…in the same month. Chris Sale even struck out 15 batters on Monday and didn’t even pitch eight full innings.

      Baseball will never touch the love affair that America has with football, but 2012 already has the makings of the most exciting season in recent memory. When you consider that the Orioles and Nationals are in first place while the Phillies and Red Sox are stuck in the cellar of their divisions, that’s exciting stuff by itself. (Or, at the very least, intriguing stuff.)

      So are young players Bryce Harper and Mike Trout, who are raking Major League pitching despite the fact that they’re not even old enough to buy their teammates a beer yet. When you think about what Carlos Beltran and Rafael Furcal are doing in St. Louis, it’s not as if baseball is entirely a young man’s game either. Players from all ages are doing incredible things and making baseball a must-watch every night.

      The game has become interesting off the field as well. Since his five-game suspension Ozzie Guillen has held his tongue but he’s still a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. Apparently so is Indians’ closer Chris Perez, who all of a sudden has turned into a walking quote. What’s great is that Perez is also pitching his ass off, so he’s not making headlines just for being a mouthpiece. Just days after he hit one of the more improbable home runs you’ll ever see, Reds rookie Todd Frazier also saved a man’s life by using the Heimlich Maneuver while eating at a downtown Pittsburgh restaurant.

      A no-handed home run and the Heimlich Maneuver all in the same week? Fantastic.

      Yes, the law of averages is bound to catch up, as we’ve already seen with Albert Pujols. El Hombre entered play on May 6 with a batting average of just .194 with no home runs and five RBI through 114 plate appearances. Since then, he’s raised his average to .238, has blasted eight home runs and has driven in 23 runs. At some point things will come back to the mean in baseball and maybe the intrigue will die down with it.

      But whether you’re a diehard or casual fan, it’s fun to watch Major League Baseball these days. Bud Selig has a good product on his hands and the best part is it’s a steroid-free product. (Well, not entirely steroid-free; just ask Guillermo Mota.) Thanks to the nightly feats of guys like Hamilton, Cabrera, and Matt Kemp, the storyline is no longer about how some big-headed monster is chasing down the home run record. Good, clean baseball is on display at ballparks across the nation.

      And how refreshing is that?

      External Sports, MLB

      Terrell Owens gets booted by the team he owns

      May 29, 2012 /

      Just how insufferable is Terrell Owens to work with? Enough for a team that he owns to release him.

      That’s right, Owens has been released by the Indoor Football League’s Allen Wranglers, who cited T.O.’s refusal to play in two upcoming road games (which had playoff repercussions) as well as skipping out on a scheduled appearance at a local children’s hospital as reasons for his termination. His ownership stake has also been terminated.

      “It’s disappointing and unfortunate,” owner Jon Frankel said in a statement. “But (he) could no longer be tolerated by the Wrangler organization.”

      Considering none of the 32 teams has dialed Owens’ number the past two years, that sentiment is likely shared by the NFL as well. He has always taken phenomenal care of his body but given his personality and age, there’s absolutely no chance any team will take a chance on him moving forward. Get yourself released from an IFL team and you can forget any NFL teams contacting you.

      Furthermore, what kind of selfish human being is a no-show for an appearance at a lock children’s hospital? Granted, there are always two sides to every story but what was his excuse? That he had to make another appearance on Dr. Phil to bitch about his current financial predicament? What an ass.

      The nice thing about Owens’ release from the Wranglers is now he has become even less relevant than he already was. Not that it’s right to bask in others’ misery but this latest setback is downright comical.

      External Sports, General Sports, News, NFL

      Spagnuolo was a great hire but do Saints the have enough pieces on defense?

      May 28, 2012 /

      Steve Spagnuolo proved in St. Louis that he was overmatched as a head coach but there’s no denying that he’s one hell of a defensive coordinator. That’s why the New Orleans Saints did well to replace Gregg Williams with Spagnuolo when their coordinator position became open last January.

      But do the Saints have enough pieces on defense to make Spagnuolo’s scheme work?

      Make no mistake, Spagnuolo’s defense has more depth, is more creative, and is more versatile than the one Williams developed over his three-plus decades of coaching. Spags is a disciple of the late Jim Johnson, who was a blitz-happy playcaller but he also played with discipline on the backend.

      That’s why New Orleans fans should take comfort in the fact that Spagnuolo will keep the Saints aggressive while also implementing more zone coverage in the secondary. Instead of almost irresponsibly blitzing defenders like Williams, Spags will bring a more calculated approach to his play designs.

      That said, you have to wonder whether or not Spagunolo has enough to work with. Leading pass rusher Will Smith has been suspended four games for his role in the team’s bounty scandal and Curtis Lofton, one of the Saints’ free agent signings this offseason, doesn’t have the same coverage skills as Jonathan Vilma (suspended for an entire year).

      Can the Saints generate enough pressure with their front four in order for Spags’ defense to be effective? Safety Roman Harper recorded nine sacks last season but if Spagnuolo plans to run a lot of zone, Harper will likely remain in coverage. Junior Galette finished with four sacks last season but he’s only a situational pass rusher and Sedrick Ellis has been a major disappointment since the team selected him with the seventh overall pick in the 2008 draft.

      The Rams weren’t very good under Spagnuolo the past three years but one thing they could do was get after the quarterback. Chris Long finished with 13 sacks last season while James Hall and Robert Quinn each had six apiece.

      But all three of those players were able to rush the quarterback starting with their hand in the dirt, just like Osi Umenyiora, Michael Strahan and Justin Tuck were able to do while Spags was the defensive coordinator in New York. His schemes work best when the front four is able to generate pressure on its own, which is why he potentially has a problem in New Orleans.

      While Williams was able to generate pressure from the secondary, that’s not the way Spagnuolo runs his defense. The Saints simply lack that premier pass rusher and unless 2011 first-round pick Cam Jordan is ready to take the next step in his development, New Orleans could struggle in Spags’ first season as DC.

      That’s not to say that Spagnuolo isn’t creative enough to find other avenues to get after the quarterback but Saint fans may have to exercise patience when it comes to their new defensive coordinator. He was an excellent hire but every coach needs the pieces in order for their scheme to work.

      External Sports, NFL

      The Eagles are primed for a bounce back year but title run is on Vick’s shoulders

      May 26, 2012 /

      Want one team that missed the playoffs last year but is bound to crack the postseason in 2012? Look no further than the Philadelphia Eagles.

      After opening their checkbook last season for free agents Nnamdi Asomugha, Jason Babin, Cullen Jenkins and Ronnie Brown, a lot of pundits just assumed that the Eagles would win the NFC East. But the team lost four of its first five games and despite a strong second-half run that saw them win four straight, the Eagles missed the postseason after finishing 8-8.

      But Asomugha is primed for a bounce back, defensive coordinator Juan Castillo will be more comfortable calling plays in his second year and the offense is still chockfull of playmakers.

      Thus, there’s little doubt that Eagles will give opponents fits again in 2012.

      Their biggest problem remains Michael Vick, who had a very average third season in Philadelphia. He threw for 3,303 yards, 18 touchdowns and 14 interceptions while compiling a QB rating of 84.9. He also only played in 13 games after starting just 12 in 2010.

      The Eagles will only go as far as Vick takes them. As most have pointed ad nauseam, he’s immensely talented and capable of winning games with his feet or the rocket he calls for a left arm. But only once in his career has he ever played a full 16-game schedule (that was in 2006) and only once has he completed over 60 percent of his passes (2010, his second year with the Eagles).

      If you look at last year’s numbers, seven quarterbacks who finished in the top 12 when it came to completion percentage made the playoffs. In 2010, eight of the top 12 most accurate signal callers led their teams to a postseason berth, including Vick, who finished 10th in that category.

      Tim Tebow is the exception to the rule. Everyone saw what happened last year when the Broncos defense didn’t shut an opponent out for three and a half quarters. The majority of the time, quarterbacks have to be able to complete 60-percent of their passes to win in the NFL.

      People become transfixed by Vick’s ability to beat teams with his legs but if he’s going to carry this talented Philadelphia team deep into the playoffs, then he has to be able to win with his arm. He did so in 2010 before he ran into the buzz saw that was the Green Bay Packers and he’ll need to do it again before Andy Reid starts looking at other quarterbacks to run his offense. Say what you will about Reid, but he knows when a player’s best days are behind him (just ask Donovan McNabb).

      Granted, there are a lot of facets that play into whether or not a team will be successful. The offensive line has to protect Vick when he’s in the pocket, Jackson can’t disappear for games on end and the defense has to play like it did in the second half of last year – not the first half.

      But there’s no question that this Eagles team is primed for a bounce back year and should make the playoffs in 2012. That said, they’ve met their ceiling. If Vick can’t stay healthy and accurate when he does play, then we won’t see this Philadelphia team in the Super Bowl. He’s only one man but Philly’s championship hopes rest on Vick.

      External Sports, NFL

      Report: Colts pursuing Cowboys cornerback Mike Jenkins

      May 25, 2012 /

      The Indianapolis Colts are looking to upgrade a very depleted roster and thus, are trying to acquire Dallas Cowboys cornerback Mike Jenkins according to Adam Schefter.

      The Indianapolis Colts have made multiple trade offers to the Dallas Cowboys in an effort to acquire disgruntled cornerback Mike Jenkins, and the last one remains on the table, according to a league source.

      Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said this week that Dallas would not trade Jenkins. But another NFL source familiar with the situation said he believed a trade could be worked out for the right price.

      It was predictable that the Cowboys came out and said that they had no intentions of trading Jenkins after trading up for LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne in April’s draft. Why anger Jenkins more than he already is?
      That said, it’s hard to believe that Dallas isn’t at least entertaining trading Jenkins. With the NFL being a passing league now, every team would love to have three quality cornerbacks on their roster. But Jenkins has already demanded a trade and he’s not going to play second-fiddle to the Cowboys’ new corners (Claiborne and Brandon Carr). Thus, it’s in their best interest to move Jenkins while he still has some trade value.

      Jenkins didn’t play well in 2010 and was inconsistent last year, but the talent is there and maybe he just needs a new scheme and a new city. He would be a nice fit for the Colts depending on the compensation. Anything more than a third-round pick would be too much.

      External Sports, NFL

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