Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 418 of 1503)

      The Colts have a potential mess on their hands regarding Wayne

      June 4, 2010 /

      Peyton Manning needs a new contract, as do 18 other Colts players that are set to become free agents in 2011.

      Reggie Wayne doesn’t need a new contract, but he wants one. He’s also willing to skip the team’s mandatory three-day mini-camp this weekend in order to show the Colts that he’s unhappy with his current deal.

      Wayne has two years remaining on the six-year, $39 million contract he signed in 2006. He’s making less than $6 million per season, which is where the root of the issue comes in. Larry Fitzgerald, Brandon Marshall and Randy Moss – three players that Wayne outperformed last year – are just some of the receivers that are making more than Indy’s star receiver. Those three are all making $9 million a year, while four other receivers had multiyear contracts in 2009 that reached more than $8 million annually.

      The problem is that the Colts’ main focus (and rightfully so) is on Manning. The quarterback that has led them to two Super Bowls over the past five years needs a new deal to help him finish out his career in Indianapolis and the Colts have made re-signing him priority No. 1 on their to-do list.

      No matter how good they may be, the Colts’ front office doesn’t make it a habit of re-working players’ contracts that still have two years remaining on them. Wayne may be one of the team’s most productive players, but Manning, Joseph Addai, Antonie Bethea, Melvin Bullitt, Clint Session and Adam Vinatieri all need new deals when 2010 wraps up. Wayne is set through 2011.

      There’s no doubt that Wayne is underpaid. But the Colts’ hands are tied at the moment until Manning gets his new deal and they have a plan in place to retain the other potential free agents. He may have to show some patience and have faith that the team will re-work his deal after the season. That said, if he continues to hold out through training camp, he may force the Colts into a making a decision that they didn’t think they’d have to make for another year or so.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      Is time really the only thing keeping MLB from expanding instant replay?

      June 4, 2010 /

      If time is the only reason why baseball won’t use instant replay for close calls like the one Jim Joyce regrettably got wrong on Wednesday night, then Bud Selig should be embarrassed. (He should be embarrassed for a lot of things actually, but let’s just stick with this instant replay topic.)

      Think about it: the biggest argument against expanding instant replay to calls around the base paths is that the game would be slower than it already is. But that can’t be a genuine argument, can it? If Joyce and the rest of the umpire crew had another 30 seconds to check a video monitor underneath Comerica Park, then Armando Galarraga would have a perfect game on his resume.

      Thirty seconds. One minute – whatever. It doesn’t take long for umpires to use instant replay to figure out if a home run was actually a home run and it wouldn’t take long for them to determine whether or not a runner was safe on one of the base paths. The league (and some fans for that matter) is so concerned that a game would take too much time to complete that it’s willing to live with a wrong call like the one Joyce made.

      That’s almost laughable when you think about it. If it takes three hours and forty-five minutes to finish a game with instant replay and three hours and thirty minutes without it, does the extra 15 minutes matter? Would an extra 30 minutes matter? If it does, then whom would it matter to? The fans? It’s not like they’re being strapped to an electric chair and held at gunpoint to stay for an entire game. If they want to leave, they can leave. If they want to turn to another channel, they can turn to another channel. It shouldn’t really affect them in the end.

      Getting the calls right should be the only thing that Selig and baseball should care about. And if time is the one thing that is holding MLB back from expanding instant replay, then the league is in luck because time just happens to be endless.

      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

      Orioles fire manager Dave Trembley

      June 4, 2010 /

      Following the club’s 6-3 loss to the Yankees on Thursday night, the Orioles fired manager Dave Trembley. The O’s currently sit in last place in the AL East with a 15-39 record. They’re off to the worst start in club history since the 1988 team began the year 0-21.

      From the Baltimore Sun:

      “I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to Peter Angelos and Andy MacPhail for the opportunity to serve as manager for the Baltimore Orioles for the past three years. The results on the field were not what any of us would have hoped for, and I understand that the organization felt the time was right to move in a different direction. While I am disappointed at the outcome, I feel it was a privilege to wear the Orioles uniform each day and I thank all the fans for their tremendous support. I hope the team will soon return to the winning tradition they enjoyed for so many years.”

      Trembley, who took over as Orioles manager on an interim basis on June 19, 2007, after Sam Perlozzo was fired, compiled a 187-283 record guiding the club. The .398 winning percentage is second-worst of any manager in Orioles history, better only than Jimmy Dykes (.351 in 1954).

      The fans and media often criticized Trembley for the way he didn’t hold his players accountable for their poor play. His handling of the bullpen has also come under criticism.

      It’s easy to see that Tremebly couldn’t motivate his players. For as young as the Orioles are, they’re not improving and that’s a problem. Angelos and MacPhail would be best served finding a young, energetic coach that the players will play for.

      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

      Revis reportedly furious over Jets’ contract offer

      June 3, 2010 /

      Trouble could be brewing between the Jets and stud cornerback Darrelle Revis, who skipped today’s OTAs because he’s not happy with how his contract talks with the team have gone thus far.

      From the New York Daily News:

      “Darrelle’s actions always speak louder than his words,” a league source told The Daily News.

      Revis, who is entering the fourth-year of his six-year rookie deal, is scheduled to make $1 million this season. He’s looking to top Raiders’ Nnamdi Asomugha’s 15.2 million per year deal to become the highest paid cornerback in the league.

      Rex Ryan said he didn’t have direct communication with Revis before the All-Pro corner decided to skip today’s session.

      “I love him. He’s a great guy,” Ryan said. “The fact that he wasn’t out there today, this is voluntary camp. So you’d have to ask him the reason why he wasn’t here.”

      Revis publicly stated a couple of weeks ago that he had faith that the Jets would offer him a fair deal. This is the first bump in the road, so there’s no need to panic yet.

      That said, the Jets are going to have to pony up at some point. Maybe Revis won’t be able to make what Asomugha earns, but the Jets are going to at least have to come close. Revis is the best cornerback in the league and a vital part of New York’s defense. A deal will still likely be struck before the season starts, but this is an interesting development.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      Joyce, Galarraga and Leyland display class during hostile situation

      June 3, 2010 /

      Tiger fans have a right to be angry with umpire Jim Joyce, the man who ruined Armando Galarraga’s perfect game with a blown call during the top of the ninth inning on Wednesday night. But when the dust settles on this historic moment, hopefully even they can admit that Joyce has displayed class following the biggest mistake of his professional career.

      On Thursday, Joyce was set to call balls and strikes behind the dish at Comerica Park for the third and final game of the Tigers-Indians series. When the Tigers were ready to turn in their lineup card, Detroit skipper Jim Leyland sent out none other than Galarraga to meet Joyce at home plate.

      As Dave Hogg of the New York Daily News writes, Leyland planned the gesture in hopes of possibly defusing an angry Detroit crowd.

      “Major League Baseball gave Jim a chance to take himself off this game, but he said he wanted to do the game and take whatever he got,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. “That shows you what kind of man he is.”

      “This is a chance for the city of Detroit to shine,” Leyland added. “I hope everyone remembers that this was a man who made a mistake, and who feels worse about it than anyone.”

      Even though he has the right to be the most upset, Galarraga has perhaps shown the most class through all of this.

      “I’m sad, because everyone knows I pitched a perfect game, but he is just a human being,” Galarraga said before the game. “He came over and apologized. I forgave him, and I gave him a hug. He made a mistake. That is all.”

      There’s no doubt that Joyce made the wrong call and there are several replays that prove it. Personally, I don’t know how in that moment, when it’s a play that could have been called either way and would determine whether or not a pitcher could complete a perfect game, how Joyce could call the runner safe. But let’s keep things in perspective here.

      Everyone needs to realize that it’s only a game. I love baseball and respect the sacredness of a perfect game. I’m also well aware that this could have been the only time that Galarraga will ever taste a moment like this. But again – this isn’t life or death. The fact that Joyce’s family is being attacked because of this shows how far we have to come as a society. It’s unfortunate that even through people’s anger, they can’t see that a man made a mistake.

      I have nothing but respect for Galarraga, Leyland and yes, even Joyce. They’ve handled themselves with grace and poise.

      External Sports, MLB

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