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      Don’t miss UNC/Texas, Duke/Gonzaga doubleheader on Saturday

      December 18, 2009 /

      At 2 PM ET on ESPN, #10 North Carolina will face #2 Texas in the first basketball game played at Cowboys Stadium. The Sporting News’s Daniel Blank examines the game…

      Texas will be the fifth ranked team the Tar Heels have played and the fourth that has been ranked in the top 10. They beat Ohio State when it still had Evan Turner and manhandled Michigan State at home. Their two losses were to Syracuse in Madison Square Garden, and Kentucky, by two points, in Rupp. The Longhorns will have to step up from playing the likes of Texas State and Texas-Pan American; Carolina will not have to make such an adjustment.

      Also, at 4 PM ET on CBS, #15 Gonzaga and #7 Duke square off at Madison Square Garden as part of the Aeropostale Classic.

      College Basketball, Television

      In the worst win-win trade of the year, the Cubs deal Bradley to Mariners for Silva

      December 18, 2009 /

      Somehow, someway, the Cubs found a team to take Milton Bradley off their hands. And somehow, someway, the Mariners found a team to take Carlos Silva off their hands.

      In a trade only Chicago and Seattle fans could love (and hate?), the Cubs traded Bradley to the M’s for Silva. The Cubs will also receive $9 million in cash to help cover some of Silva’s salary over the next two years.

      So basically, the Cubs traded their garbage to the Mariners for their trash. But the key is that both teams rid themselves of headaches.

      Bradley is only a season removed from batting .321, but he’s also a headcase and could potentially ruin a clubhouse. He was a horrible signing for the Cubs, but Seattle has a way of mellowing players out so maybe Bradley will succeed as the club’s left fielder and part-time DH.

      There’s really no silver lining when it comes to Silva, unless you buy into the theory that he will succeed by jumping to the NL. He posted an 8.60 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP in 30 innings last year and a 6.46 ERA over 153 1/3 innings in 2008. And that was in a pitcher’s park. The guy isn’t good, but again, Bradley is no longer a Cub and at least Chicago was able to scoop up $9 million in the deal too.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      MLB

      Elvis Dumervil chats with The Scores Report

      December 18, 2009 /

      If you’re an NFL fan that is unfamiliar with Elvis Dumervil – get familiar. The four-year linebacker out of Louisville is having a tremendous 2009 season and currently leads the league in sacks with 15. TSR recently sat down with Elvis to talk about a variety of subjects, including his transition from defensive end (the position he played the first three years in the league) to outside linebacker, what first-year head coach Josh McDaniels is like and how defensive coordinator Mike Nolan has helped him become the rising star he is today.

      The Scores Report: People talk about you emerging as one of the best young defenders in the game, but you recorded 8.5 sacks in your rookie season and 12.5 sacks in your second season. So obviously you’ve had success before. Do you feel that people have been sleeping on your ability?

      Elvis Dumervil: I do sometimes feel as though my production has often times gone unnoticed, which I credit to the fact that I really stay under the radar for the most part. It’s something that has followed me through my entire career – even in high school and college. It keeps me striving everyday to work hard and prove my value out there. Like my mom always tells me: There is nothing wrong with hard work. I don’t take it personally; I know that I am a valuable asset to the Broncos defense and I have been an integral part of the team since being drafted 2006. As long as the team is doing well, and benefiting from having me out there, the personal praise is not necessary.

      TSR: What has the transition been like for you from defensive end to a hybrid outside linebacker/defensive end?

      ED: It’s has been very challenging transition I must say, but also very exciting and fun. I was fortunate to have a coaching staff that could see my potential to thrive at this position and allowed me the opportunity to run with it. I definitely had to make some changes to my diet and had to humble myself in order to learn a craft and a skill set that I was unfamiliar with.

      Continue reading »

      Interviews, NFL

      Damon to the Giants? You must be kidding me.

      December 18, 2009 /

      There’s a horrifying rumor making its way around the web that Johnny Damon could be heading to San Francisco now that his time in New York appears to be finished.

      Now, some people might be thinking, “Hey, Damon can hit and the Giants need hitters sooooooooooooooo…it’s a perfect fit!”

      But no. I mean seriously: No. (No.)

      Johnny Damon and his chicken wing would be a horrible fit in San Francisco and if Giants GM Brian Sabean goes for this then he should be forced to give tours on Alcatraz for the rest of his life.

      Sabean is notorious for overspending on the wrong players. Outside of a respectable 2009 campaign, Barry Zito and his mega-million dollar contract has been nothing short of a disaster. Aaron Rowand has been a great defender and a solid clubhouse guy, but he can’t hit and therefore, can’t live up to his contract either. Sabean is also the genius that overpaid for Edgar Renteria (yet another player that has no concept of a decent batting average) last winter.

      Yeah, Damon can hit. He also has the worst arm in baseball and fails to reach the cutoff man on a consistent basis. He would no doubt cost the Giants’ pitching staff runs based on his shoddy fielding and there’s no guarantee that he would even produce as a hitter in spacious AT&T Park.

      Hopefully this rumor is just that: A rumor. Damon belongs in the American League as a DH. He’s half a player in the NL and a quarter of a player in a pitcher’s ballpark. Maybe the Red Sox could use him as a piñata or something, but keep him out of San Fran.

      MLB

      Bobby Knight calls out John Calipari

      December 18, 2009 /

      Speaking at a fundraiser at the Indiana Hall of Fame, Coach Knight had this to say (via ESPN)…

      “We’ve gotten into this situation where integrity is really lacking and that’s why I’m glad I’m not coaching. You see we’ve got a coach at Kentucky who put two schools on probation and he’s still coaching. I really don’t understand that.”

      Finally. Someone of note calls out John Calipari for his long history of shenanigans at the college level. He has had two Final Four appearances vacated by the NCAA after scandals at UMass (Marcus Camby accepted gifts from an agent — probably not Calipari’s fault) and Memphis (Derrick Rose’s SAT — partly Calipari’s fault). He hired Dajuan Wagner’s father as his Coordinator of Basketball Operations, hired Tyreke Evans’s personal strength coach as his administrative assistant, and allowed Rose’s brother to travel with the team for free (another NCAA violation that would have vacated the team’s Final Four appearance even if Rose’s SAT came back clean).

      Knight wasn’t done…

      “Very few people know this, but a kid can play the first semester as a freshman, pass six hours of anything and play in the NCAA tournament without ever attending a class in the second semester. I don’t think that’s right.”

      This is the unseen drawback to the NBA’s one-and-done rule. Freshman that know that they’re going pro the next year have no incentive to go to class during their second semester. This is a great reason why the NBA rule should be altered so that players can come out straight from high school, but if they do enter college, they need to attend for a minimum of two years. That way, there’s at least a chance that they’ll have enough credits to eventually graduate.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      College Basketball, News

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