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      MacPhail: MLB buyers and sellers

      July 21, 2009 /

      SI.com’s Andy MacPhail put together a small list of MLB teams that should either buy or sell as the trade deadline nears.

      Of the teams he discussed (which also include the Blue Jays, Mariners, Orioles and Brewers), MacPhail seems to be way off in his assessment of the Mets:

      Mets: SELL
      44-48, 9 games back in East, 6 1/2 games back in wild card.
      The Mets held on as long as they could without Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado, but once Carlos Beltran joined them on the disabled list, their season was lost. Since all three will not be coming back anytime soon, it’s highly doubtful the Mets will be able to make a legitimate run at the postseason. There may not be much to sell on this team — the core is still very impressive — but dealing prospects or taking on salary with a team going nowhere has burned the Mets before, like in 2005 when they traded stud prospect Scott Kazmir to the Rays for the middling Victor Zambrano.

      Just what do the Mets have to sell with all of their tradable pieces being on the DL? They’re obviously not going to trade David Wright, Johan Santana or Francisco Rodriguez, so who would they be able to offer in a trade – Gary Sheffield? Come on.

      Unfortunately for the Mets, they’re stuck in a holding pattern right now. Reyes, Delgado, Beltran, John Maine, Billy Wagner and J.J. Putz are all currently on the DL with various alignments and with each passing day, they slip further and further out of contention. They’re just going to have to view this season as a wash and regroup for next year.

      One thing is for sure though – they’re not going to be “selling” anything in the next two weeks.

      MLB

      Veritix becomes exclusive retailer for The Q

      July 21, 2009 /

      the q

      Beginning October 1st, all tickets purchased for sporting events or concerts at The Q must be made through Veritix on the primary market. Cavs owner Dan Gilbert is the majority owner of the company, who recently settled a lawsuit earlier this year with Ticketmaster.

      The change means all tickets to events there can be purchased using Flash Seats, a Veritix technology that provides paperless entry to the arena and a Web site for reselling tickets.

      A fee will be charged for reselling tickets, but the amount has not be determined, said Cavs spokesman Tad Carper. Previously, someone buying a Cavs ticket from a season ticket holder on Flash Seats paid a 20 percent fee.

      Event-goers will still have the option of a paper ticket that can be presented at the gate, Carper said. Tickets sold by Ticketmaster to events held at The Q after Oct. 1 will still be honored and will not have to be exchanged.

      Ticketmaster had claimed in court that the use of Flash Seats as on online venue for season ticket holders to unload seats violated the club’s contract with Ticketmaster. U.S. District Judge Kate O’Malley agreed, although she left pending a countersuit by Flash Seats and the Cavs that claimed Ticketmaster was violating antitrust law.

      While it’s not clear how much the Veritix surcharges will be, I assume the fan will get a better deal than through Ticketmaster. This deal also shouldn’t affect resellers on the secondary market since it appears that they’ll be able to buy and sell tickets much in the same way they always had, except it will be through a different medium. For years, Ticketmaster has used its dominance to charge high and unexplainable fees to the common fan.

      Right now, the company is in the midst of an anti-trust case after they tried to merge with Live Nation. I think it’s great that owners can control their tickets as long as they distribute and price them fairly to all.

      NBA

      Vick should take whatever he can get

      July 21, 2009 /

      Michael Vick is officially a free man these days after being released from federal custody on Monday at his home in Virginia. He now will wait to see if NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will reinstate him into the league.

      In the meantime, Vick, per ESPN.com, doesn’t want to play in Canada and “hasn’t entertained any thoughts” of joining the UFL. He’s also focused on playing quarterback if he’s reinstated (this coming from NFL.com).

      Come again? Isn’t this the same Michael Vick who just spent two years in a federal penitentiary for setting up an illegal dog-fighting ring in his backyard and subsequently lying to Goodell when probed about the subject?

      Granted, these are just reports and there’s a possibility that Vick never stated that he only wants to play quarterback in the NFL. After all, these aren’t actual quotes from Vick so maybe the national media is just drumming up a story that parallels his release from federal custody.

      But if I’m Vick, if the freaking Toronto Argonauts need a backup punter I would be open to doing it. He’s 29 years old, hasn’t played a down of football in two years and committed one of the most heinous acts the professional sports world has seen in some time. So I would take what you can get, Mikey – especially considering that half the NFL has already stated it doesn’t want you for anything (not even a backup punter).

      If Vick truly believes that he’s just going to walk back into the NFL, assume a starting quarterback role and be paid like a starting quarterback, than he’s more naïve than any of us ever imagined.

      NFL

      NBA Rumors: Boozer, Sessions, Miller and Jerry Reinsdorf

      July 21, 2009 /

      Carlos Boozer wants to play in Miami.

      The two-time NBA All-Star said Monday that he and the Jazz have “mutually agreed” to a trade, and it would be “a beautiful thing” if he wound up reunited with Olympic teammate Dwyane Wade on the Heat.

      “We first came here for tax reasons and fell in love with it,” Boozer said, taking a break from his campers. “We love the palm trees, the laid-back attitude, the sun, quality of life. It’s like paradise here, and I would love to be part of the Heat. They’re a very good team, and I’m real close to some of the guys. Dwyane and I started to get close at the Athens Olympics in 2004, and I’d love to play on his team. Plus, I already live here. I’m just waiting to see what happens.”

      The Heat have a few trade chips, but when considering Boozer, who is in the final year of his contract, the Jazz aren’t going to want to take only expiring salaries in a trade. They might as well keep him for the year and hope they can make some noise in the playoffs.

      Udonis Haslem is a good player, but he’s in the final year of his deal. Would Miami be willing to part with Michael Beasley? Would Jerry Sloan even want him? Miami may need to get a third team involved to facilitate this deal.

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