Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 931 of 1503)

      Manny to the Yankees still alive?

      February 25, 2009 /

      John Tomase of the Boston Herald writes that as long as Manny Ramirez is still available, the Yankees should never be counted out as a potential suitor.

      Which brings us back to Ramirez. He has been linked mainly with the Dodgers, with talks reportedly intensifying in the past week. However, he and agent Scott Boras are stubbornly holding out for a four-year deal, while LA is unwilling to offer more than two.

      So the clock ticks, with the Yankees sunning themselves like a rattlesnake. Maybe they’ll stay coiled and motionless, but maybe they’ll take their seemingly limitless cash and strike.

      “I can’t see it,” Youkilis said. “I only see him really going to LA. The Dodgers will sign him. Maybe San Francisco. I think the Yankees are capped out. They’ve spent all that money, and I can’t see them going after Manny. But you never know with the Yankees.”

      Youkilis notes that New York’s outfield already is overflowing with Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, Xavier Nady, Nick Swisher, Melky Cabrera and youngster Brett Gardner. Matsui will DH while he recovers from knee surgery and Damon is set in left field, leaving four players fighting for two spots.

      Could the Yankees really add Ramirez to that cluster?

      Hell yes they could. They’re the Yankees – they can do anything.

      The idea seems farfetched with the Dodgers seemingly on the verge of bringing him back, but would anyone be surprised if the Bombers stepped in at the last second and handed Manny the long-term contract he covets? No.

      And if they needed room for him, they’d make it.

      MLB, Rumors & Gossip

      Bucs release Brooks, Dunn, Galloway, Hilliard and June

      February 25, 2009 /

      In one sweeping move, new Buccaneers GM Mark Dominik released veterans Derrick Brooks, Warrick Dunn, Joey Galloway, Ike Hilliard and Cato June on Wednesday according to the Tampa Tribune.

      Tampa fans will be outraged at seeing the names Brooks, Galloway and Dunn (even though he played in Atlanta four of the past five seasons), but June is the only surprising cut. The rest are cap casualties whose salaries have exceeded their on-field production.

      Still, this must be a sobering day for Bucs fans, which no doubt will miss what Brooks, Galloway, Hilliard and Dunn brought to the field every Sunday. All four are consummate professionals who are team-first players and in the case of Brooks, he essentially carried Tampa to a Super Bowl victory in 2002.

      With June’s release, it’s clear that new defensive coordinator Jim Bates wants bigger athletes on that side of the ball. June is a sideline-to-sideline player and is solid in coverage. But obviously Bates wants his linebackers to be tough, physical and always thinking run-first. Goodbye Tampa 2, hello more conventional defense.

      With the departures of Brooks, Galloway, Hilliard, Dunn, Jon Gruden, Bruce Allen and Monte Kiffin, it’s clearly an end of an era in Tampa.

      NFL

      NFL News and Notes: Chiefs release three, Harrison possibilities and more

      February 25, 2009 /

      – The Chiefs released three players, including quarterback Damon Huard, linebacker Donnie Edwards and cornerback Pat Surtain. Scott Pioli’s cleansing process in KC has begun.

      – The Colts officially released wide receiver Marvin Harrison. Apparently owner Jim Irsay tried to get Harrison to retire, but the wideout wants to keep playing. The Titans, Giants and Eagles could be possible landing spots for the 36-year old.

      – All charges from Jonathan Vilma’s January arrest in Miami have been dropped. This is great news for Vilma, who is set to become a free agent on Friday.

      – Free agent center Jeff Saturday (Colts) apparently wants to play for the Steelers and is willing to move to guard in order to make it happen.

      – After watching game film from last year, Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner attributes quarterback Kyle Orton’s struggles to the ankle injury he suffered midseason. Turenr claims that the injury threw off Orton’s mechanics.

      NFL

      Did OSU’s Malcolm Jenkins cost himself the top 10 at the combine?

      February 25, 2009 /

      Ohio State cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, who many scouts feel is the best defensive back in the draft, might have cost himself an opportunity to be a top 10 pick after a poor showing at this year’s scouting combine.

      Malcolm JenkinsJenkins, mentioned as a possible selection of the Browns at No. 5, ran unofficial times of between 4.53 and 4.58 at Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium. He also dropped some passes in the ball drills, prompting Deion Sanders of the NFL Network to proclaim that Jenkins and a couple of the other DBs were “killing themselves.”

      “His value will be affected by his time, like it or not,” said Mayock. “But there’s a lot of good tape on him and a lot of Cover 2 teams are going to love him at corner.”
      Or perhaps at another position.

      “Some people think day one he’s a Pro Bowl free safety,” said Mayock. “He’s got the size and the strength and the physicality to play the position.”

      Most of the analysts were more concerned about Jenkins’ shaky performance in the ball drills.
      “He kind of followed up [the 40 time] with an average at best — and probably not even average — performance for his skill-set,” said Mayock.

      I watched the combine yesterday on the NFL Network and Jenkins’ performance was as bad as the article suggests. He’s a good player and he had a tremendous collegiate career at Ohio State. The combine doesn’t mean everything, but it’s hard to shake off a bad 40-time when you’re a corner – especially when you’re projected to go in the top 10. Most safeties run n the mid 4.5’s, so this isn’t good for Jenkins’ draft stock.

      What’s interesting about Jenkins being labeled a Cover 2 corner by Mayock is that some say that’s a knock. But the fact of the matter is that most defenses run a variety of coverages (Cover 2, man to man, Cover 4, etc.) and outside of Denver’s Champ Baliey and Oakland’s Nnamdi Asomugha, there aren’t any true cover corners left in the NFL anymore. So Jenkins being labeled as a Cover 2 corner isn’t a bad thing and chances are he’ll still be a top 15 pick.

      Illinois’ Vontae Davis ran a 4.49 at the combine and is a physical marvel. The knock on him is that he freelances too much in coverage, but he might have done enough at the combine to leapfrog Jenkins as the top corner selected in April.

      College Football, NFL Draft

      Marshawn Lynch’s momma ready to crack the whip

      February 25, 2009 /

      No matter how much money or fame a professional athlete makes, it still doesn’t allow them to escape the wrath of their mothers.

      Case in point, Marshawn Lynch’s momma is growing tired of her son’s recent behavior according to a story in the San Francisco Chronicle.

      Marshawn Lynch“Somebody said his mom must have loosened the leash,” she said in an interview. “If I have to grab the leash back, I’ll do it. Whether you’re 22 or 52, I’ll do it.”

      She said Marshawn Lynch, 22, has had trouble adjusting to his new life, the one with the $10 million in guaranteed money from a six-year, $18.9 million contract he signed after being the 12th pick of the 2007 NFL draft.

      “It’s been a big culture change for him,” she said. “It’s a shock. It hasn’t really sunk in to Marshawn – the stardom and everything that goes with it. He doesn’t like the media attention. I told him at Cal, ‘You’re a role model now.’ ”

      Another close friend, who didn’t want to be identified, said, “He’s a good person, but he’s hanging around with the wrong people. He needs to grow up.”

      Marshawn seems like a good kid, but if the close friend is right and he’s hanging out with the wrong people, that’s not good.

      When the dog-fighting story became public early last year, reports surfaced that Michael Vick was hanging out with the wrong people. Not that Lynch and Vick are the same person or that Marshawn is fighting dogs in his spare time, but friends can often have an influence on your behavior. And I’m sure it’s hard for these athletes to make millions of dollars and try to convince their childhood friends that they’re still the same person but in the case of Lynch, he needs to forget about impressing his crew and start cleaning up his act.

      As Vick proved, all of the money and fame can be taken away in a heartbeat if you start getting mixed up in the wrong things off the gridiron.

      NFL

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑