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      Who will the Dodgers start at second base?

      January 28, 2010 /

      With the Dodgers re-signing of Ronnie Belliard the team might have found their starting second baseman. The contract, for one year and $875,000, is a steal of a deal for the Dodgers considering Belliard’s unexpected success with the team. Still, that money is only guaranteed if he hits 209 pounds or less during spring training.

      Before being acquired by the Dodgers in August of last year, Belliard was going nowhere in Washington. When he landed in Los Angeles, he took over for eventual Gold Glover Orlando Hudson. If Belliard had fallen on his face, the signing would have looked terrible. Instead, he was a pleasant surprise. He quickly won over the fans, posting a .351 average with 5 home runs and 17 RBIs. Remaining a starter in the playoffs, Belliard hit .300 and played strong defensively.

      But do the Dodgers stick with Belliard over the ever-patient Blake DeWitt? Manager Joe Torre has alluded to starting DeWitt, but that now remains uncertain given Belliard’s return. Also, DeWitt has never really made a splash on the big stage. Over the past couple years, DeWitt has been sent back and down to the minors a ridiculous amount of times. It’s just hard to believe the organization has confidence in the guy. While he is probably a better at second than Belliard, I think it comes down to their bats in this situation.

      As for Jamey Carroll, his signing just makes things worse for DeWitt. I think Carroll will end up spelling Belliard, further decreasing DeWitt’s role.


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      MLB

      Nuggets’ Smith makes good with former lawyer

      January 27, 2010 /

      In 2006, J.R. Smith broke someone’s jaw during a pick-up basketball game in Houston. Charges were filed and Smith hired Houston lawyer Rusty Hardin, known for representing Roger Clemens’ in his case involving Brian McNamee. After Smith’s case, Hardin claimed he never received $22,753.51 in legal fees. Well, Smith decided to pay him just before things got ugly.

      From NBA.com:

      Dale Jefferson, Hardin’s attorney, had threatened to serve Smith with legal papers before Wednesday’s game at the Toyota Center. Smith paid a chunk of the fees less than two hours before tipoff, prompting Hardin to call off the process server. Smith has 30 days to pay the rest.

      “Mr. Smith has owned up to his obligations, and agreed to pay them in full,” Jefferson said, before he and Hardin settled into front-row seats. “When he does that, we will dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice. It has not been accomplished yet, but he did make a good-faith wire transfer prior to the start of the game.”

      The 24-year-old Smith called the dispute “a miscommunication.” He said before the game that he wasn’t aware that the bills had not been paid and had to “talk to my financial people about that.”

      Jefferson set a 6 p.m. deadline for Smith to start paying the fees, and Smith’s wire transfer on Wednesday was received with eight minutes to spare.

      “It was like a 3-pointer at the buzzer,” Jefferson said.

      I know professional athletes in general aren’t the smartest of people, but NBA players seem to find themselves in the stupidest situations. I have a feeling Smith just forgot that he owed Hardin the cash. If not, then he would have done this earlier in his career when his team was visiting Houston. Nevertheless, given Hardin’s profession, I’m surprised it took him this long to act. It’s not like Smith doesn’t have the money.


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      NBA

      Yankees sign Winn, could signal the end of Damon’s time in New York

      January 27, 2010 /

      The Yankees signed free agent outfielder Randy Winn, which more than likely signals the end of Johnny Damon’s time in New York. Joel Sherman reports that the deal for Winn is a one-year contract worth around $2 million.

      Brian Cashman has maintained that he won’t go higher than $2 million for Damon, who still has pop in his bat but is the worst defensive outfielder in baseball. Winn was a disaster against left-handed pitching last year, but he’s an outstanding defender and will play a great right field in New York.

      Damon and his agent Scott Boras are reportedly still seeking a contract in the double-digit range, but considering he’s a defensive liability, he probably won’t get much more than $5 million guaranteed. The A’s and Rays are possible landing spots, but he’ll have to come down on his demands.

      Of course, if he comes down a bit on his demands, he might be able to return to New York.


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      MLB

      Arenas to be suspended for rest of season?

      January 27, 2010 /

      The Washington Post reports that Wizards’ star Gilbert Arenas will be suspended for the remainder of the NBA season.

      According to the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Arenas also told Stern that he would tell the players’ union not to fight the suspension. Stern will announce his ruling later this afternoon.

      Arenas met with Stern at the league offices in New York for nearly an hour this afternoon. He was accompanied by his attorney, Ken Wainstein.

      The meeting came nearly two weeks after Arenas pleaded guilty to a felony gun charge and was expected to provide Stern with the final details before he determined a punishment for Arenas and teammate Javaris Crittenton, who were involved in a locker room dispute in which guns were displayed at Verizon Center on Dec. 21.

      Arenas was suspended indefinitely for his behavior after the incident was first reported, including his decision to mockingly pretend he was shooting his teammates with his fingers before a game in Philadelphia on Jan. 5. Arenas has missed the past 12 games while serving the suspension. The Wizards have 38 games remaining, which would put the total of suspension at 50 games.

      The article also notes that Arenas has no desire to play for Wizards’ President Ernie Grunfeld again, which is why it makes sense that Arenas wouldn’t fight the suspension.

      Update: It’s official, David Stern suspended Arenas the rest of the season, according to Yahoo! Sports.


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      NBA

      Report: Warner expected to retire on Friday

      January 27, 2010 /

      ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the Cardinals have scheduled a Friday press conference to address Kurt Warner’s future and according to Schefter, all signs point towards Warner retiring.

      Teammate Antrel Rolle also believes Warner will hang ‘em up (From Player Press.com):

      “Judging from conversations that I’ve had with him I think he understands that he’s had a great, Hall of Fame career. I think football has taken its course. But he’s the best teammate I’ve ever had. He’s been a leader on and off the field.” -excerpt from Rolle’s January 26th blog.

      Warner has racked up 32,344 yards and 208 touchdown passes throughout his stellar career. He has also compiled a 93.7 passer rating, a 65.5% completion percentage and only Peyton manning (four) and Brett Favre (three) have compiled more MVP awards than Warner (two).

      There’s nothing left for Warner to prove and if the game isn’t fun for him anymore, then it makes sense that he would retire now. He took one hell of a shot in the Divisional Round against the Saints and it no doubt reminded him that he has other things that he wants to pursue when he’s done with football.

      There have been rumors that Arizona might pursue Donovan McNabb or Michael Vick, but it makes more sense that Matt Leinart will get the first crack at the starting QB job if Warner does retire. And if that happens, the Cardinals’ offense will definitely change from a pass-first unit to a balanced approach that features young running back Beanie Wells.


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      NFL

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