Page 1266 of 2957

Report: Angels make offer to Blue Jays for Roy Halladay

According to a report by the Toronto Sun, the Angels have offered starting pitcher Joe Saunders, shortstop Erick Aybar and outfielder Peter Bourjos to the Blue Jays for ace Roy Halladay.

For the second day in succession the Angels are the lead team in the chase for Halladay, a year away from free agency.

And unless someone steps up with a better offer could the Angels wind up with Halladay? Will Halladay report to a west coast team which has spring training in Arizona?

“Let me ask you this,” said one major league executive, “do you think that the Angels would be running through hoops, having one conversation after another with the Jays and not know whether Halladay would report to Los Angeles?”
Good point.

The Angels are also in on free agents John Lackey, Jason Bay and Matt Holliday.

For the past three seasons, the Angels have made the postseason and have yet to even sniff a World Series appearance (although last year they did push the Yankees to a Game 7 in the ALDS). Thus, it would make sense that they’re trying to load up in efforts to match the Yankees and contend for a title next season.

As the article points out, the question now becomes whether or not Halladay would want to join a club that holds their spring training in Arizona instead of Florida. It has become public knowledge that Halladay wants to go to a team that trains in Florida, because his home is in Tampa.

That said, if Halladay truly wants to play for a contender, this might be his best and most realistic shot.


Photo from fOTOGLIF

Agent: ‘I couldn’t get Bonds a job.’

On Thursday, Barry Bonds’ agent Jeff Borris confirmed what everyone already knew: The juiced up slugger’s career is officially over.

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

“It’s two years since he played his last game, and if there was any chance he’d be back in a major-league uniform, it would have happened by now,” agent Jeff Borris told The Chronicle. “When 2008 came around, I couldn’t get him a job. When 2009 came around, I couldn’t get him a job. Now, 2010 … I’d say it’s nearly impossible. It’s an unfortunate ending to a storied career.”

Technically, Bonds hasn’t retired, and he repeatedly has said he won’t retire, leaving open the outside chance that some team will call.

There are many who believe that baseball owners blacklisted Bonds from the game because of his alleged ties to steroids. If you believe in conspiracy theories, then it’s an easy argument to buy; surely one AL team in need of a DH would have called Bonds in 2008 when the Giants dumped him, right?

But considering he was severely limited (and that’s putting it mildly) in the outfield, it would make sense that no NL team would sign him. And given that he was being probed for lying to a grand jury regarding his involvement with performance-enhancing drugs, it would make sense that no AL clubs would sign him either. Let’s not forget that Bonds was also highly regarded as an a-hole and was poison to a clubhouse with what, his extra lockers, reclining chairs and big screen TV. It would make sense that no club would think he was worth the risk.

What’s interesting about Borris’ comments is that back in 2008, he said that multiple teams were interested in Bonds. Yet now Borris claims that he “couldn’t get him a job.” I realize all agents lie, but it’s just interesting to hear Borris admit now that nobody wanted his client.

John Wall leads #4 Kentucky over #12 UConn

Freshman phenom (and likely #1 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft) John Wall scored 25 points, including 12 of his team’s final 15 points, in a 64-61 win over UConn [highlights]. Dana O’Neil says that Wall lives up to the hype.

The latest chapter in Wall’s building biography of game-changers came against 12th-ranked Connecticut, his the fitting last dagger in an epic game. With 30 seconds left and Kentucky down 61-60, Wall took the ball on a toss back from Darius Miller and drove, splitting two defenders before going to the rim and banging bodies with Connecticut’s Alex Oriakhi.

Wall gives up 45 pounds to Oriakhi, all of which ended up in his right hip as he went up.

No matter.

Count the bucket, score the foul.

End the game, 64-61.

I caught Kentucky’s win against North Carolina and Wall looks like the real deal. He’s incredibly athletic and has a great feel for the game. He had a couple of jaw-dropping finishes against the Tar Heels — check out the video below.

Line of the Night (12/9): Aaron Brooks

After losing to the Grizzlies the night before, I fully expected the Cavs to come out sharp and focused in Houston. But the Rockets jumped out to a 33-19 lead at the end of the first quarter and went on to win, 95-85. A big reason for the win was the fine play of Aaron Brooks, who thoroughly outplayed Mo Williams at the point. Brooks posted 27 points, six assists and three rebounds. He wasn’t great from the field (7-17) but he nailed 12 of 13 free throws on the night.

Trevor Ariza (26-5-2, two steals) also played well. After his Laker deal fell through, he reportedly had an opportunity to sign with the Cavs in the offseason, but didn’t think it was a great fit.

LeBron’s supporting cast didn’t show up. Williams (7p, 4a) and Shaquille O’Neal (7p, 10r) combined to shoot just 4 of 18 from the field.

With the win, the Rockets advance to 12-9, while the Cavs fell to 15-7.

Defensive Team By Waiver Wire (DTBWW): Week 14

The strategy behind DTBWW is that each week, you pick up a defensethat is playing against a bad offense (preferably at home). And each week, you get pretty good numbers out of your DT position. To see how this approach performed last season, click here.

Last week, I recommended three DTBWW picks. Let’s see how they fared…

#1 Chargers: 23 PA (0) + 2 SK + 1 FR = 3 fantasy points
#2 Jets: 13 PA (4) + 3 SK + 1 INT + 1 FR = 9 fp
#3 Bears: 9 PA (6) + 3 SK + 1 INT + 1 FR = 11 fp

The Chargers were without Shawne Merriman on Sunday, and laid an egg against the Browns (who are playing a little better offensively). The Jets and Bears posted solid performances, as expected.

On the season, my #1 pick is averaging 9.0 fantasy points, my #2 pick is averaging 10.8 fp and #3 pick 6.7. My #2 pick has stayed hot — over the last 10 weeks, it has averaged 11.4 points and hasn’t scored less than eight points in that span. On the season, DTBWW as a whole is averaging 8.8 fp, which equates to DT4 numbers.

Let’s take a look at this week’s picks. Keep in mind that to be eligible for DTBWW, a defense must be available in at least 40% of ESPN fantasy leagues.

Pick #1: Tennessee Titans (vs. STL)
The Titans defense has struggled the last couple of weeks, but has feasted on medicore and bad offenses since Tennessee’s bye.

Pick #2: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. NYJ)
The Jets are starting Kellen Clemens at QB this week and that’s a very good thing for Tampa’s defense.

Pick #3: Kansas City Chiefs (vs. BUF)
Buffalo has been a great matchup for fantasy defenses all year, so even the Chiefs are startable this week.


Photo from fOTOGLIF

« Older posts Newer posts »