Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 969 of 1503)

      Acee: GM wasn’t mocking LT

      January 26, 2009 /

      Kevin Acee of the San Diego Tribune writes that despite what many have perceived, Chargers’ GM A.J. Smith wasn’t mocking LaDainian Tomlinson last week when he repeated (almost word for word) what the running back said on his website about not having any control over whether or not he stays with the team or is traded.

      LaDainian TomlinsonI definitely see where that interpretation comes from. Repeating someone’s words to fashion your own quote would certainly not seem to be an attempt to show respect.

      But as the person who elicited the quote, I feel a certain unique ability to interpret Smith’s intent.
      For as abrupt, unpolished and even unfriendly as Smith can come off, I assure you he did not mean to mock LT.

      Was he unhappy that Tomlinson had once again gone public talking about how badly he wanted to stay in San Diego? Yes.

      Might Smith have been better served saying nothing? Yes.

      However, what Smith was simply addressing, in his own uniquely straight-forward way, was the reality of the situation.

      In a perfect world without limitations on money and salary cap, Smith would have Tomlinson stay a Charger, too. But given all the reasons that have been outlined ad nauseam over the past few weeks, that might not be possible. And tough decisions have to be made – by Smith.
      And again, Smith was not meaning to disrespect LT.

      If anything, his comments were a shot across the bow of the greater Tomlinson camp – namely agent Tom Condon – and what Smith perceived as repeated attempts to paint a certain picture.

      Sure looked like mocking to me. And if it wasn’t, then why go about it that way? If Smith wasn’t trying to mock LT, why repeat almost verbatim what the running back had said on his wesbite? Even, “I’m tired of answering these questions – I’ll let you know when I know more,” would have been better than what Smith did.

      And if Smith really wasn’t mocking LT, it’s hard to blame anyone who thought he was because he’s been a jerk throughout his entire career in San Diego. So why wouldn’t he be viewed a jerk in this situation? Again, Smith handled this entire situation poorly and all of this could have been avoided.

      NFL

      Vaccaro: Torre ruined his legacy

      January 26, 2009 /

      Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post writes that Joe Torre has ruined his legacy in the wake of his new book, which trashes Yankee management and takes shots his former players like Alex Rodriguez.

      Joe TorreThis book of yours, “The Yankee Years,” is that classy, Joe? Does it dignify what those 12 remarkable years were to baseball, to this city and, not incidentally, to your career? Was it necessary to air the fact that his teammates call Alex Rodriguez – an awfully easy target, by the way, Joe, and also a guy who won two MVPs while playing for you – “A-Fraud,” or to liken him to the crazed Jennifer Jason Leigh character in “Single White Female”?

      Seriously, Joe. Did you even see “Single White Female”?

      Why would you take shots at Brian Cashman? All he did during that lengthy post-2000 time, when you weren’t winning championships, was defend you exhaustively – to fans, to the press, to fellow Yankee executives, to various and sundry Steinbrenners, to your old front-office pal Randy Levine.

      You never much cared to admit this, Joe, but Cashman was your boss. He could have sold you out. He didn’t.

      Cashman deserved better, Joe. So did the Yankees. And, most important, so did you. You transformed yourself as a Yankee, earned yourself a certain Hall of Fame plaque.

      There were lots of people who thought you were exiled wrongly in 2007, who winced when you hinted at a possible grudge with the Yankees, who figured, no, Joe is bigger than that. Joe is better than that.

      Were we really that wrong, Joe? Really?

      If you wanted to hurt the Yankees, Joe, understand this: Yesterday at Legends Field in Tampa, workers were manicuring the field, watering the lawn, getting ready for another spring training once the Super Bowl leaves town.

      At the minor-league complex just down Dale Mabry Boulevard, kids were working out. Jorge Posada was said to have taken some swings. Derek Jeter will be here this week.

      The Yankees have moved on, Joe. Isn’t it time you did, too?

      I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again – this doesn’t seem like Joe’s style.

      I haven’t read the book, but already this doesn’t seem like a classy way to go about things. No matter how wronged Torre believes he was by the Yankees, you always take the high road. Most people in New York were going to remember Joe as the World Series-winning manager in pinstripes – and they still might. But this book definitely casts a shadow over Torre’s great career. Instead of remembering how great of a manager he was in the Bronx, people are going to point to when he called Alex Rodriguez, “A-Fraud” in his book. Is that how Joe wanted to be remembered?

      MLB

      Don Banks’ Mock Draft 1.0

      January 26, 2009 /

      Don Banks of SI.com takes his first crack at predicting the first round of April’s NFL draft.

      Here’s a look at his top 5:

      1. Lions: Andre Smith, OT, Alabama
      Sure, it’d be a sexier No. 1 pick if I went with Georgia junior quarterback Matthew Stafford, but I’m not yet at the point where I can see the winless Lions taking anything that resembles a risky pick with the very first selection of the Jim Schwartz era. Plenty of questions remain about Stafford’s readiness to play quickly in the NFL, and my early read is the Lions will play it safe and start rebuilding their roster from the lines out. Smith, Virginia’s Eugene Monroe and Mississippi’s Michael Oher are all in the discussion when it comes to divining the top-rated offensive tackle.

      2. Rams: Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia
      The Rams missed out on offensive tackle Jake Long with the No. 2 pick in last year’s draft, but they’re assured of coming away with one of the upper tier tackles this time around. St. Louis needs an heir apparent for Orlando Pace, whose body has started to betray him in recent years. Monroe’s game might not be as highly regarded as Smith’s or Oher’s, but he’s a cleaner pick who comes with fewer question marks regarding his character, maturity and size.

      3. Chiefs: Mathew Stafford, QB, Georgia
      Screaming in my head as I make this pick is the reality that taking a first-round quarterback is not exactly the Scott Pioli way (see Brady, Tom, and Cassel, Matt). But the Chiefs quarterback situation has been a nightmare since Len Dawson or so, and that might make for a scenario in which Pioli makes an exception. With Tyler Thigpen playing serviceably last season, the Chiefs could afford to give Stafford the year or so of development that everybody seems to think he needs. Then again, finding another quality offensive tackle to pair with Branden Albert is much more Pioli-like.

      4. Seahawks: Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech
      This could be a pick that doesn’t change between now and April 25’s first round. In the perfect marriage of need and draft slot, the receiver-starved Seahawks should find Crabtree waiting. All you need to know at the moment is that Crabtree has conjured up comparisons to Cardinals all-world receiver Larry Fitzgerald with his blend of size, hands, athleticism and ability to make yards after the catch.

      5. Browns: Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State
      Eric Mangini’s Browns (still getting used to that) could go a lot of different ways in the five spot, but it’s going to be a defensive pick. The home-state hero Jenkins would give Cleveland’s shaky cornerback situation an infusion of talent, but you can make a strong case for help in the pass rush (DE/LB Brian Orakpo of Texas) or maybe at linebacker (USC’s Rey Maualuga).

      Anyone else find it ironic that the year the Lions are picking No. 1, the best player in the draft is a wide receiver? (I’m referring to Crabtree, of course.)

      Speaking of the Lions, the big questions surrounding their draft is whether or not they’ll pull the trigger on a quarterback like Stafford in the first round. With the success of rookie signal callers Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco, it’s going to be tempting for new GM Martin Mayhew to want to get a franchise quarterback with his first pick. But Banks has the right idea in building from the inside out and taking an offensive lineman like Andre Smith might be the best route for Detroit to take.

      NFL

      Is Big Ben underappreciated?

      January 26, 2009 /

      Clark Judge of CBS Sports.com writes that Ben Roethlisberger is one of the most underappreciated quarterbacks in the game.

      Ben RoethlisbergerRoethlisberger had big numbers last season, but that was the exception. Normally, he’s more efficient than he is overwhelming, doing what he must to win. As Fassel said, he’s at his best when his team needs him to be, which it did this season when Pittsburgh pulled off a raft of come-from-behind victories.

      But let’s not stop there. When Pittsburgh held off AFC favorite Indianapolis three years ago to advance to the conference championship game, it was none other than Roethlisberger who made a game-saving tackle of Nick Harper after the Colts defensive back scooped up a Jerome Bettis fumble and seemed headed for the go-ahead touchdown.

      So why doesn’t he get more attention? I mean, if you talk about what makes the Steelers tick you start with the league’s top-ranked defense, pump up coordinator Dick LeBeau, move over to Hines Ward, shift to the team’s trap running game, the club’s storied history and its stable ownership, then get around to Roethlisberger somewhere before dessert is served.

      “Things have worked against him,” said an AFC offensive coordinator. “He has the best defense in the league, so people ask, ‘Is it the defense or is it him?’ He typically has one of the top five rushing attacks in the league. So is it him or the other two?

      “But with the combination of the three, he’s a miracle worker. If he had just an ordinary defense or running game, the guy would be unbelievable because he would be forced to make plays.”

      Big Ben’s career breeds the perfect debate. On one hand, his numbers aren’t eye-popping and he’s been fortunate enough to have played on good teams his entire career. And if you want to get technical about his game, he holds onto the ball way too long and he’s a bit turnover prone.

      But there’s no denying that he’s clutch and he wins. He also played behind an offensive line this year that didn’t gel until the end of the season and one could make the argument that this was the worst Steeler o-line since Big Ben came into the league. So if you can’t appreciate what Roethlisberger has done this season, you’re either a Raven/Brown/Bengals fan, or you’ll never appreciate him.

      NFL

      Joe Torre blasts A-Rod and Yankee management in new book

      January 26, 2009 /

      Dodgers’ skipper Joe Torre decided to write a book. And then ripped his former employer and at least one former player in said book.

      Joe TorreIn an explosive new book called “The Yankee Years,” Torre gets most personal in his attacks against Alex Rodriguez, who he says was called “A-Fraud” by his teammates after he developed a “Single White Female”-like obsession with team captain Derek Jeter and asked for a personal clubhouse assistant to run errands for him.

      Torre, who left the Yankees and became manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers after the 2007 season, says Cashman never told the brass that the manager wanted a two-year deal and instead remained silent during Torre’s tense final sitdown with the bosses.

      The 477-page tell-all, which The Post purchased from a city bookstore last week, is written by co-author Tom Verducci, a longtime Sports Illustrated reporter.

      Torre recounts his 12-year career in New York through interviews. It is being published by Doubleday.
      Torre spent years trying to bring out a winning performance from A-Rod, the highest-paid player in baseball, which from all reported accounts included a lot of hand-holding and battling the insecurities and demons Rodriguez struggles with.

      And while the Bombers would win four world championships under Torre’s watch by 2000, there were years of tension over management’s choice of players and the growing silence between him and Yankee brass.

      Torre’s exit in the fall of 2007 came after a 20-minute meeting over his contract with Steinbrenner and other Yankee officials at the team’s Tampa, Fla., office.

      At the time, the skipper was coming off a tough and highly scrutinized season. He was seeking a two-year contract with the possibility of a buyout.

      Boy, how bad did the Yankee front office brass piss Torre off if he was compelled enough to write a 477-page tell-all? Joe doesn’t seem to be the type that would air secrets about his former club publicly, but this is a man that believes he wasn’t treated right in the end and obviously this is his retaliation.

      And once again A-Rod gets blasted, although this has to be the worst. Having your former manager call out your love affair with Derek Jeter? Ouch.

      MLB

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