Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 982 of 1503)

      Clearly Sam Bradford does not want to be a Lion, but maybe Mark Sanchez does

      January 14, 2009 /

      The Oklahoma Sooners will have the quarterback the led them to the national championship back under center next year as Sam Bradford has decided not to enter April’s NFL draft.

      The USC Trojans, however, might not be as fortunate. Word has it that quarterback Mark Sanchez will forgo his senior season and turn pro next year.

      USC quarterback Mark Sanchez has said that he would monitor the decisions of other top draft-eligible quarterbacks as he pondered whether to return to USC for his final season of eligibility or make himself available for the NFL draft.

      Thursday is the deadline to declare for the April draft.

      Bradford, the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner, is the third high-profile quarterback to announce he was staying in school, possibly increasing the chances that Sanchez will opt to turn pro.

      Texas’ Colt McCoy said during he season that he would back. Florida’s Tim Tebow and Bradford have since said they would remain in school.

      It would be hard to pass up that much money, but I think it’s Sanchez’s case, he would benefit from another year at USC. The Trojans’ offense didn’t hit their stride until late in the season and at times, Sanchez was highly inconsistent. Of course if he does leave, he’s doing so on a high note because his Rose Bowl performance was the best of the year. It’ll be interesting to see not only if he decides to come out, but what round he’ll be selected in.

      As for Bradford, his decision to stay at Oklahoma was clearly a calculated risk. He figures that if Matthew Stafford of Georgia comes out, there’s a good chance that the Lions will take him with their No. 1 pick and Sam will bypass the mess that is Detroit. Well played, Sam – well played.

      College Football, NFL

      The World’s 10 Most Valuable Sports Franchises

      January 14, 2009 /

      Forbes.com put together a list of the world’s 10 most valuable sports franchises.

      Real Madrid
      No. 1 Manchester United
      Soccer
      $1.8 billion
      An annual powerhouse with a true global brand, Man-U fetched the highest price ever for a sports franchise when Malcolm Glazier forked over $1.45 billion for it in 2005.

      No. 2 Dallas Cowboys
      Football
      $1.6 billion
      Owner Jerry Jones smartly broke away from the NFL merchandising collaboration several years ago, leaving the Cowboys to run their own league-leading operation. A new state-of-the-art stadium awaits for 2009, with a Personal Seat License (PSL) plan that could bring in upwards of $700 million. The rough economy–a naming rights deal still hasn’t been done–may scale back expectations. But only so much.

      No. 3 Washington Redskins
      Football
      $1.5 billion
      Since taking over in 1999, owner Dan Snyder has had mixed results on the field. But he’s turned the Redskins into the NFL’s leading revenue machine through heavy marketing and by selling the naming rights to Jack Kent Cooke Stadium to FedEx. The stadium has sold out every game during its 12-year history.

      No. 4 New England Patriots
      Football
      $1.32 billion
      New England’s value has roughly tripled since 2000, following three Super Bowl titles and a 97-31 record over the past eight years. Seven-year-old Gillette Stadium includes 6,000 club seats and 87 luxury boxes.

      No. 5 New York Yankees
      Baseball
      $1.3 billion
      Baseball’s only billion dollar club benefits from its own cable network, huge market and storied history. No wonder the Yankees have made the only real noise around the league this winter, throwing more than $400 million at three premium free agents. The tight economy may have the team scrambling to sell the last few luxury boxes at the new Yankee Stadium for 2009, but expect the place to be a revenue machine over the long haul.

      Given soccer’s popularity around the world, I’m a little surprised only one futbol team made the top 5. (Although Real Madrid and Arsenal were No. 6 and 7, respectively.)

      I’m shocked at how much the Washington Redskins are worth, especially considering they’re sandwiched between the Cowboys and Patriots.

      MLB, NBA, NFL, Soccer

      New Bang! Cartoon: Perfect

      January 14, 2009 /

      Some view the Detroit Lions’ 0-16 season as imperfection at its finest. But not Bang! Cartoons. In their latest ‘toon, Bang! Cartoons take a look at the perfection that was the Detroit Lions’ 2008 Season.

      If you liked the cartoon, make sure you check out Bang! Cartoon’s Radio Hour this week, where they tackle topics such as Stephen A. Smith, the dry humbling dance of Rey Mauluga on Erin Andrews and much more.

      Humor, NFL, Video

      ‘Oh sh*t – that’s Michael Irvin!”

      January 14, 2009 /

      According to the Dallas Morning News, Michael Irvin had a gun pulled on him by a motorist traveling in the car next to him Monday night, but the gunman let the former Cowboy receiver go after realizing who he was.

      Michael IrvinThe Pro Football Hall of Fame member was not injured. He told police he stopped at a red light in the 18200 block of Marsh Lane, near the Bush Turnpike, about 9:30 p.m., when the driver of the vehicle next to him rolled down his window, the police report said.

      Irvin put down his window because he thought someone wanted to talk to him and saw the passenger in the other vehicle raise a gun, the report said. Irvin said in an interview Tuesday night that he feared the men had planned to rob him and changed their minds when they saw who he was.

      “The passenger pulled out a semiautomatic and I knew what time it was,” Irvin said. “But he said ‘Oh, that’s Michael Irvin, with the Dallas Cowboys.’”

      Despite being scared, Irvin said he tried to keep the conversation going.

      “So we started talking about the Cowboys and everything,” he said. “Then they got back on the highway.”

      “I tell you what, I’m glad he was a Cowboy fan,” Irvin said.

      Let me get this straight. A man pulls a gun on Irvin, realizes who he is, decides not to rob/shoot/kill him and Irvin proceeds to talk Cowboy fever with the guy? You would have seen smoke from my tires as soon as the man put the gun down.

      But I guess that’s the difference between Michael Irvin and I; he has the decency to talk a little football after a man tries to rob him at gunpoint. And that’s why I’ll never be a Cowboy…

      General Sports, NFL

      The Braves gave Derek Lowe how much?

      January 14, 2009 /

      After losing long-time veteran John Smoltz to the Red Sox, the Braves decided to fill the hole in their starting rotation with former Dodger pitcher Derek Lowe. They also paid him $60 million.

      Derek Lowe10: I understand the desperate need for a starter and Derek Lowe’s leverage played huge roles in the decision. But don’t you find it interesting that Braves general manager Frank Wren, who didn’t want to take any “risks” with the pitching staff next season, just gave a four-year, $60 million contract to a 35-year-old?

      9: Lowe is solid but not what you’d call spectacular: 68-60 with a 3.91 ERA over the last five years. He has averaged 206 innings in that span. A $15 million a year pitcher? No. But he’ll help. Given the collapse of Pompeii, Wren didn’t have much of a choice. But if Lowe starts to look his age in two years, this contract has the potential of being a Hamptonian albatross.

      Sixty million is a lot of dough for a 35-year old pitcher who doesn’t have dazzling numbers, but the Braves are probably still better off with him at a cheaper rate than A.J. Burnett, who signed a five-year, $82.5 million contract with the Yankees. Lowe is more dependable than Burnett, as well as more consistent.

      But $60 million? I thought baseball GM’s were trying to cut down on ridiculous salaries?

      MLB

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