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Yankees to deal for Tigers’ Granderson?

According to a report by Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Tigers have let it be known that outfielder Curtis Granderson is available for the right package and that the Yankees might be interested.

Granderson would be attractive to many teams, with the Yankees near the top of the list. They have long searched for a premium solution in center since Bernie Williams left his prime, but now they also face the loss of the lefty power of free agents Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui. Granderson hit a career-high 30 homers last year.

Brian Cashman met with Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski at the now-concluded GM Meetings, but it is not believed the two did any more than discuss needs and available players. However, the two have a good relationship and have done significant trades before, going back to when Dombrowski was in Florida and obtained Mike Lowell from the Yanks to the more recent Gary Sheffield deal and the swap of Kyle Farnsworth for Ivan Rodriguez.

The Yankees have a touted center field prospect in Austin Jackson, who could be the centerpiece for a deal, though Detroit would have a market outside of just The Bronx.

Granderson has the talent to be a five-tool player, but he struggles mightily against left-handed pitching. That said, he would offer the Yankees a major upgrade in the outfield, especially if Johnny Damon (who throws like a sissy) leaves via free agency.

You know the Yankees would have no problem picking up the $25.72 million that Granderson is owed over the next three seasons. But whether or not they could put together the right package is the question.


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College Football Week 11 Picks and Predictions

After two strong weeks in which I went 8-0 straight up and 7-1 against the spread, I crapped the bed last week. I went just 2-2 straight up and 1-3 against the spread. My only saving grace was that I predicted Ohio State to beat Penn State outright, but the refs took care of any opportunity LSU had of covering.

No. 25 West Virginia at No. 5 Cincinnati, 8:00PM ET, Friday
The Bearcats received a scare last week from Connecticut, which scored 35 second half points in order to erase a 30-10 halftime deficit. While Cincinnati held on to beat the Huskies 47-45, the narrow win raised some doubts about whether or not the Bearcats should be ranked in the top 5. Tony Pike continues to battle a forearm injury, which means sophomore Zach Collaros will once again be counted on to keep Cincinnati’s BCS hopes alive. The Bearcats might have trouble running against a decent West Virginia front seven, but Collaros should have opportunities to methodically drive the ball down the field on an inconsistent Mountaineer secondary. I see this game being close early, but Cincinnati will pull away and hold on to victory in the second half.
Odds: Cincinnati –9.
Prediction: Cincinnati 34, West Virginia 24.

No. 16 Utah at. No. 4 TCU, 7:30PM ET, Saturday
I’m a little surprised to see that TCU is a whopping 19.5-point favorite in such a marquee matchup. I fully expect the Horned Frogs to take care of business at home, but the Utes have a good enough defense to somewhat contain quarterback Andy Dalton and TCU’s trio of running backs in Joe Turner, Ed Wesley and Matthew Tucker. Plus, Utah can grind it out on the ground with running backs Eddie Wide and Sausan Shakerin, so they have the ability to keep TCU’s potent offense on the sidelines and have a chance to win in the fourth quarter. In the end, I think freshman quarterback Jordan Wynn will succumb to the pressure of TCU’s aggressive defense, but this one will be close throughout.
Odds: TCU –19.5.
Prediction: TCU 30, Utah 24.

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Love ‘Em & Leave ‘Em: Week 10

Every week, I will highlight a few players to start and a few players to sit at each position. I’m a firm believer in starting your studs, so I won’t tell you about how Drew Brees or Adrian Peterson has a tough matchup – just go ahead and keep them in your lineup. Instead, I’ll focus on the borderline guys – players you’ll only start under the right circumstances. It’s important to note that depending on your roster and situation, you may not be able to follow these recommendations. For example, if I suggest you bench a solid starter like Tony Romo, only do so if you have a clearly better option on your bench.

The “love ‘em” players are listed in the order that I’d start them this week.

love-em

Brett Favre is coming off a bye week and is facing Detroit’s 31st-ranked pass defense at home. This is not a good combination for the Lions, but it’s an excellent situation for his fantasy owners…The Bears are really struggling against the pass, so Alex Smith should be able to post a nice fantasy line on Thursday night. He has averaged 230 pass yards and 2.0 TD per game since taking over in Week 7…Matt Hasselbeck looks like a good start against the Cards’ 29th-ranked pass defense…Mark Sanchez is startable this week against the Jags, who are ranked 26th against the pass. Jacksonville is giving up an average of 242 yards and 1.9 TD through the air this season.

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Brady Quinn gets a second chance in Cleveland

Brady Quinn won the Browns’ starting quarterback job in preseason and then promptly crapped himself as soon as the regular season started. In three starts, his average pass went less than six yards, he threw just one touchdown pass and was intercepted three times. He also had a horrific time with his decision-making and accuracy, and even when he did find ways to complete passes his receivers didn’t have a chance to make plays up field because Quinn couldn’t hit them in stride.

When Eric Mangini decided to replace Quinn for Derek Anderson, some Cleveland fans were elated because at least Anderson had the ability to throw the ball vertically. Sure, he’d throw the occasional interception or two, but at least he could run the offense better than Quinn, right?

Wrong.

Over the past couple weeks, Anderson displayed some of the worst quarterbacking this side of Drew Henson. In six appearances, he failed to throw for over 100 yards in four of those games and threw nine interceptions compared to just two touchdowns. His performance in the past month and a half deserves to be mentioned in the Epic Failure Hall of Fame (EFHoF).

Facing little to no choice given Anderson’s all-around suck, Mangini has decided to go back to Quinn and start him against the Ravens on Monday night. If Quinn doesn’t realize that this may be his final shot to impress in Cleveland, he should. Because if/when Mangini is fired at the end of the season there’s no guarantee that Quinn can fool the next coaching staff into believing that just because he has the size and frame to be a starting quarterback in this league, that he actually should be one.

Who knows, maybe with a better supporting cast Quinn could actually be a decent starter in this league. Unfortunately for him he’s stuck with what’s around him around now and he better make the most of his situation or else people will continue to wonder whether or not he can be a starter in this league. He better make the most out of his second chance.

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