Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 842 of 1503)

The Mets are flabbergasting

So far, one of the biggest mysteries of the 2009 MLB Season has to be the play of the New York Mets, who I would estimate is the most frustrating team to watch on a nightly basis.

Case in point, last night they had the go-ahead run taken off the score board in the top of the 11th in L.A. because Ryan Church missed third base. And he didn’t just miss third base by a step – he missed it by a good mile and a half. Then in the bottom half of the inning, first baseman Jeremy Reed air-mailed a throw home trying to cut down the winning run with bases loaded and the Dodgers managed to beat the Mets 3-2 despite being out hit 11 to 5.

Also in that crucial 11th inning, outfielders Carlos Beltran and Angel Pagan let a routine fly ball hit the ground, which put runners on second and third with no outs. Three batters later is when Reed decided to play catch with a fan in the stands instead of nailing the running at home, which would have given the Mets two outs and a chance to get out of the inning.

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Saints considering Edgerrin James – but why?

According to a report by FOXSports.com, the Saints are considering signing free agent running back Edgerrin James.

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis told FOXSports.com that the team is still considering making a contract offer to free-agent running back Edgerrin James.

“We’ve spent some time evaluating Edgerrin,” Loomis said Tuesday morning. “We think he can still play. We’re going to continue to evaluate that and see where it ends up. We haven’t made a decision on Edgerrin yet.”

James could be a nice fit in New Orleans, which didn’t draft or sign a replacement for the released Deuce McAllister. Loomis, though, expressed confidence that Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush could carry the Saints’ rushing load. A five-game starter last season, Thomas scored nine times and gained 625 yards on only 129 carries. Bush generated 844 yards from scrimmage in an injury-plagued 2008 campaign.

“Every time Pierre has had the opportunity to play, he’s performed really well,” Loomis said. “I think he was one of the leaders in the league in not getting tackled for a loss among running backs (in 2008). He’s not the big prototype back that Deuce was but we’re confident that Pierre can do some good things for us.

I completely disagree that James would be a good fit. I know the Saints are trying to replace McAllister, but Thomas proved last year that he deserves more carries and the team still has to make sure that Bush gets his touches as well (at least until he gets hurt).

If they want to add a bruiser for short yardage situations ala McAllister last year, then James isn’t the guy. And don’t forget that James wanted out of Arizona because he didn’t like splitting carries with Tim Hightower and feels as though he can still be a starter. Thomas has way more upside than James, so why eat into his carries?

The Saints only had one draft pick in the first three rounds this year. Had they had more, there’s a very likely chance that they would have selected a running back like Beanie Wells in the first round. Why? I’m a little confused by the Saints line of thinking here with how well Thomas played last season.

ESPN disputes Favre surgery story

On Monday, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that Brett Favre would have surgery at the end of the week to repair a tear in his right biceps so that he could eventually sign with the Vikings. But ESPN.com’s Ed Werder is disputing that claim and says that Favre doesn’t want to have surgery.

Favre, however, remains focused on non-surgical options, including cortisone injections and natural movements like light throwing and bicep curls that might cause the tendon to release naturally, the source told ESPN. If the tendon releases and the pain subsides, Favre is virtually certain to play again. If he has surgery and his arm strength diminishes or the pain remains, he will remain retired, the source said.

At 39, Favre believes the less he has to do to correct the problem the better as he believes he still possesses the arm strength he had 10 years ago. The difference now is the injury is causing pain. According to the source, Favre will return to the NFL to play for the Minnesota Vikings if the tendon ruptures and it makes him pain-free. If he submits to arthroscopic surgery and it fails to resolve the problem, then Favre intends to remain retired.

Either way, Favre is losing patience, causing the source to say the shoulder problem must be overcome soon or Favre is likely to abandon his effort to play a 19th NFL season.

It’s past the point where we should question anything the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports about Favre. It’s almost becoming second hat that when they report something, it’s going to be disputed the next day by a major media outlet, although ESPN did take the bait yesterday in regards to this story, because they linked to the St. Paul Pioneer Press’ Favre-surgery report themselves.

It’s getting harder and harder to decipher whether or not Favre will play next year. One moment it looks like he’s doing everything he can to return, and the next it looks like he’ll stay retired. The key hurdle seems to be his health and whether or not he can play without having surgery. In the end, maybe he’ll throw his hands up to the situation and stay retired after all.

Top 10 Impact Defensive Rookies for the 2009 NFL Season

My colleague (and inspiration according to him) John Paulsen did a great job of highlighting the impact that this year’s offensive rookie class could have in terms of fantasy football, so I thought it would only be appropriate to show some love to the defensive rooks.

I’ve ranked the 10 rookies who I feel could make the biggest impact for their teams in 2009. This doesn’t mean that I think they’ll put up gaudy numbers, although they could. These rankings are more of a reflection of how I feel each rookie fits into their specific defensive scheme and what teams can expect in terms of overall production from these players in their first season.

Side Note: I stuck to only the defensive players that were drafted in the first two rounds. While plenty of mid-round picks have started and were successful in their rookie seasons, it’s a little hard to project at this point which third and fourth rounders could have an impact with training camps still a month or so away. Maybe I’ll re-visit this topic once again before the season starts and dedicate another piece to the mid-rounders that could have an immediate impact.

1. Aaron Curry, LB, Seahawks
Curry might not have been the first defensive player to come off the board in April (that honor went to LSU’s Tyson Jackson, who was selected with the third overall by the Chiefs), but he was the best defender that the 2009 draft class had to offer. Curry has the ability to play all three linebacker positions in a 4-3, although he’ll likely start on the strong side, allowing the Hawks to keep LeRoy Hill at weakside ‘backer. Curry has outstanding speed (4.5), size (6’2”, 254 pounds) and can stay on the field in passing situations, unlike some linebackers, who are often replaced in nickel packages because they can’t hang with backs, tight ends and receivers. Curry isn’t one of those situational prospects – he’s a complete player and should make a significant impact in his first year.

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Report: Favre to have surgery on biceps

According to a report by the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Brett Favre is scheduled to meet with Dr. James Andrews to discuss having a procedure done to repair his torn right biceps tendon.

Surgery to release the tendon is considered routine and is expected to be performed by Andrews later this week. Rehabilitation for Favre would be six to eight weeks.
If it goes well, Farve, who will turn 40 in October, is expected to sign with the Minnesota Vikings.
Favre missed a scheduled appointment with Andrews last week.

The torn biceps tendon is one of several sources of pain in Favre’s shoulder, but could be the most correctable. If cutting the biceps tendon doesn’t eliminate the pain, Favre would have to consider whether other more complex surgical procedures are worth undergoing. That could hinder chances of him signing with the Vikings.

The St. Pioneer Press has been hit and miss with its Favre coverage so far, but ESPN.com cited the same story so there might be some truth to this.

What’ll be interesting to see is if Favre does have the surgery, will the Vikings sign him before they see him throw? That would be a ridiculous notion, but maybe they already have an agreement in place that if he has successful surgery, they’ll sign him no matter what. I would have to imagine that the Vikings would want their doctors to check him out before they sign him, but who knows. Favre seems hell bent on playing and if the Vikings are hell bent on signing him, then there might be nothing stopping him from donning purple and white next season.

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