Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 90 of 1503)

      Reds send down Edinson Volquez after he calls out teammates

      May 24, 2011 /
      Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Edinson Volquez reacts after giving up a run to the Philadelphia Phillies during the second inning in Game 1 of the MLB National League Division Series baseball playoffs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 6, 2010. REUTERS/Tim Shaffer (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      If you’re going to call out your teammates, you better a) have some stature in your respective league or on your respective team and b) be playing well yourself.

      That does not describe Reds starter Edinson Volquez, who was sent down to Class AAA Louisville on Monday after he called out his teammates on Sunday following a loss to the Indians.

      “Everybody has to step up, start to score some runs,” Volquez said. “In the last five games, how many runs have we scored? Like 13? That’s not the way we were playing last year. We’re better than that.”

      This is coming from the same guy who gave up seven runs in only 2.2 innings of work and is now the proud owner of a 6.35 ERA.

      Volquez is right: the Reds are better than what they’ve showed over their last six games (all losses). But they’re still second in runs scored in the National League behind the Cardinals, so obviously they’re just in a funk right now. It’s a long season – it happens.

      Besides, the main point is that Volquez shouldn’t be the one calling his teammates out. If Joey Votto (who has a MVP to his name) or Brandon Phillips wanted to say something similar to what Volquez said, fine – no problem. But your words don’t carry much weight when you’ve contributed to the problem.

      Hopefully for the Reds’ sake, Volquez will iron out his issues in the minors and when he returns, he’ll be ready to help the club in a more productive manner.

      External Sports, MLB

      Man arrested in Bryan Stow case says he has alibi

      May 24, 2011 /
      REFILE – ADDITIONAL CAPTION INFORMATION Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (L) and Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck announce that a suspect has been arrested in the baseball season opening day assault of San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow, at a news conference held at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles May 22, 2011. Police in Los Angeles arrested one suspect and detained several other people for questioning on Sunday in connection with the brutal beating of Stow at Dodger Stadium. An LAPD news release identified the suspect as 31-year-old Giovanni Ramirez. REUTERS/Phil McCarten (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASEBALL CRIME LAW POLITICS)

      A man has been arrested in the beating of Giants fan Bryan Stow, but according to the Examiner, he has an alibi.

      Giovanni Ramirez, 31, was arrested in an East Hollywood apartment early Sunday morning and is alleged to have been “the primary aggressor” in the beating of 42-year-old Brian Stow on March 31. Stow suffered a severe skull fracture and is in a coma.

      Ramirez’ lawyer, Chip Matthews, says three witnesses will testify that his client was at his Los Angeles apartment, not at the game, at the time of the attack, TMZ reported.

      Ramirez was nabbed following a tip from his parole agent, who noticed a resemblance to police sketches that have been widely disseminated by the media, and is featured on 300 billboards in the Los Angeles area.

      According to the Examiner, Ramirez has previous convictions on charges including attempted robbery and “possessing or importing for sale composite or hard wooden knuckles,” which apparently is a misdemeanor. Other charges including assault, drug-related charges and one count of firing a weapon in public were dismissed.

      Justice cannot come soon enough in this Bryan Stow case, but the more important thing is that police get the right criminal. Here’s hoping that if Ramirez was responsible, justice will be served. And the same can be said for the other two people who remain at large, which include the female who drove the two thugs after they committed the heinous act.

      External Sports, MLB, News

      Ray Lewis: Crime will increase if there’s no NFL season

      May 24, 2011 /
      Baltimore Ravens Ray Lewis is introduced prior to the Ravens game against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on January 2, 2011. UPI/Kevin Dietsch

      During a recent interview with ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio, Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis suggested that crime would go up if the lockout continues and there’s no NFL season this year.

      “Do this research if we don’t have a season,” Lewis said. “Watch how much evil – which we call it a crime – watch how much crime picks up, if you take away our game. There’s nothing else to do, Sal.”

      The crime will pick up for whom? If Lewis was referring to the fans, then I would tend to disagree with him. If he’s talking about the players, then I think he’s right on the money.

      With Garrett Wolfe’s arrest in South Beach over the weekend, there have now been 13 NFL players arrested or indicted since the lockout began in mid-March. That was roughly 75 days ago, which means a NFL player has been, on average, arrested every six days since that point. (And I’m even rounding up.)

      Lewis is right when he suggests, “there’s nothing else to do” for players. Without football they have plenty of disposable income (or what they think is disposable income) and all of this free time on their hands with no structure or organization when it comes to their lives. I apologize if this sounds crass, but some players simply don’t know what to do with themselves without having to report to team headquarters every day.

      That said, there are plenty of players that continue to work out on their own or with teammates in preparation for an upcoming season. These are hard-working guys and I don’t want to make it sound like every player is out there committing crimes when it’s just a percentage of these boneheads. But 13 arrests in 75 days? That’s ridiculous. The union formerly known as the NFLPA should be ashamed of its defunct self.

      Granted, I realize this is all very subjective. If someone were to conduct an actual study to figure out whether or not players or fans would commit more crime if there weren’t a NFL season, then they’d probably find out that fans got into more trouble. And besides, we only hear about athletes because they’re public figures. We’re not hearing about Joey Eagle fan being arrested for robbery. (Of course, there are more fans than there are players so that would have to be factored into the study as well and…I’m nauseous.)

      But in this realm of subjectivity, I think Ray Lewis should be more worried about his fellow NFL brethren when it comes to crime than he is about fans.

      External Sports, NFL

      Bengals owner reiterates that team won’t trade Carson Palmer

      May 23, 2011 /
      Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer (L) is sacked by Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Tank Johnson during the second half of their NFL football game in Oakland, California November 22, 2009. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith (UNITED STATES SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Bengals owner Mike Brown reiterated on Monday that he has no intentions of honoring Carson Palmer’s trade demand.

      From NFL.com:

      “We don’t plan to trade Carson,” Brown said Monday at the NFL Spring Meeting. “He’s important to us. He’s a very fine player, and we do want him to come back. If he chooses not to, he’d retire. And we would go with Andy Dalton, the younger player we drafted, who’s a good prospect.

      “Ideally, we’d have both of them. That’d be the best way to go forward. If we don’t have Carson, we’ll go with Andy.”

      Neither Brown nor Palmer is giving in here. The Bengals would probably prefer to play Palmer for a year or two before Dalton is ready to take over, but Palmer seems hell bent on leaving. At this point Dalton seems like a lock to start Week 1 of the season, although situations change all the time in the NFL so you never know.

      It’ll be interesting to see if the Bengals are the ones to crack first and talk to Palmer about restructuring his deal so they can trade him. Because I don’t see anyone dealing for a 31-year-old quarterback with poor arm strength and paying him $20-plus million over the next two years.

      External Sports, NFL

      Report: Jets are serious about adding Moss

      May 23, 2011 /
      Tennessee Titans wide receiver Randy Moss shows his frustration as he watches the game from the bench against the Houston Texans in the first half at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas on November 28, 2010. The Texans defeated the Titans 20-0. UPI/Aaron M. Sprecher

      Sources have told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News that the Jets in fact of interest in free agent Randy Moss.

      Last month, there were conflicting reports over Gang Green’s level of interest in Moss. Earlier this month, Pro Football Talk reported that it heard rumblings that the 34-year-old wide receiver was on the Jets’ radar.

      The Jets will have more than a cursory interest in Moss if Holmes or Edwards doesn’t return, per sources.

      Rex Ryan firmly believes that Moss is still a viable vertical threat. Even in the twilight of his career, he creates matchup problems. In other words, opposing defensive coordinators still game plan to stop him. Moss is apparently as motivated to prove doubters wrong as he was when the Patriots rescued him from the Raiders four years ago.

      Moss may not ultimately be a Jet, but Gang Green is certainly interested in him if it loses Holmes or Edwards.

      I don’t doubt that Moss can still play at a high level, even given the disastrous ending to his 2010 campaign. If the guy is motivated and focused, he can still be a playmaker in any offense.

      The problem is whether or not he’ll be motivated and focused. And more specifically, whether he’ll be motivated by more than money and focused on helping his team win. He was only motivated by money in New England last year and he clearly wasn’t focused after he was traded to Minnesota and picked up by Tennessee.

      This guy flat out disappeared for two years in Oakland only to resurrect from the dead to post 98 receptions for 1,493 yards and 23 touchdowns in New England during the 2007 season. So even at this stage in his career, the question isn’t whether or not he can play. He can. The question is whether or not he’ll be motivated enough to be worth an investment, which is something that Rex Ryan (a great motivator) and the Jets will have to figure before they eventually pursue him. (Assuming of course that the above report is accurate and they are interested.)

      External Sports, NFL

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