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      Murray wins at Queen’s Club

      June 14, 2009 /

      murray

      After a poor showing at the French Open, the UK’s best tennis player, Andy Murray, beat American James Blake at the Queen’s Club to capture his first grass-court title. This victory is important to Murray who is a true contender at the upcoming Wimbledon, which is the only grass-court Grand Slam.

      The top-seeded Murray became the first British player to win the tournament since Bunny Austin in 1938, who then went on to become the last Briton to reach the Wimbledon final.
      Murray took an early lead Sunday with a break in the third game, but Blake immediately leveled with a forehand winner down the line. Both players then easily held serve until 5-5, when Blake missed a forehand on break point.

      The second set was equally competitive until Murray broke for a decisive 4-3 lead when a fierce return forced Blake to net a backhand volley.

      It seems like only yesterday that Roger Federer captured his first French Open Grand Slam, beating Robin Soderling in straight sets in the final. Nevertheless, Wimbledon is right around the corner as it kicks off June 22nd and concludes on July 5th.

      Players such as Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick, and James Blake were expected to have promising years, but all have trailed off since their performances at the Australian Open. Out of the top-ranked players, I would say Murray has the best shot against Nadal and Federer. He’s fared excellently against them in the past, but is always missing that extra something in a Grand Slam final. Maybe he’ll have his day at this year’s Wimbledon.

      Tennis

      Does Favre-to-Minnesota deal hinge on incentive-based contract?

      June 14, 2009 /

      According to a report by the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Vikings will sign free agent quarterback Brett Favre if he’ll agree to a contract that is largely incentive-based.

      Yes, this is it: If Favre is willing to sign a contract with an option that will determine his pay based on how he performs and how much he plays, the Wilf family will go all out to add Favre to the team. The contract will not be guaranteed. It could have some good incentive clauses that will pay Favre well if he can perform like he did in 2007, when he led the Packers to a 13-3 record and was an intercepted pass away from going to the Super Bowl. On the other hand, if he fails to produce, he will get paid for just the time he was with the team. With the economy as poor as it is, the Wilfs aren’t going to sign Favre to a guaranteed contract and then find out he can’t perform. But they are willing to pay him big money if he can produce.

      Once Favre agrees to that option clause in the contract, some coaches will meet the 39-year-old star here or at a mutually decided site, and he will work out to demonstrate to the coaches that his recent shoulder surgery was a success and he is ready to perform in the NFL like he did in the first eight games last year for the Jets until he was injured. Of course, he will have to pass a normal physical.

      This is news, but then it isn’t. Of course the Vikings would sign Favre if he would agree to an incentive-based deal – why wouldn’t they? They would be signing a player they want, all while protecting themselves in the process.

      It’ll definitely be interesting to see if Favre would be willing to play on an incentive-based deal. If he truly just wants to play for the love of the game (and stick to Packers’ GM Ted Thompson as he’s already indicated) then he should be willing to accept a deal in which he only gets paid if he plays and/or performs well. If he wouldn’t be willing to do that, then I question his motives for wanting to return.

      NFL

      Could Lee be a trade option for Giants?

      June 14, 2009 /

      The Chicago Tribune is speculating that the Giants could make a push to acquire Cubs first baseball Derrek Lee. The paper notes that San Fran’s pitching is good enough to keep them in contention, but the team desperately needs a big bat and Lee could be a viable option given that Chicago has a couple of replacements for him in Micah Hoffpauir and Jake Fox.

      While rumors are definitely fun to discuss, this one looks like it has no teeth. The Cubs haven’t given any indication that they want to deal Lee and even if they have considered it, he’d still have to waive his no-trade clause. (And why would he waive it to go to a team like the Giants?)

      The Giants make an easy target in all of this because yes, they do need a bat. Aaron Rowand, Pablo Sandoval, Bengie Molina, Randy Winn and Juan Uribe don’t exactly strike the fear of God into opposing pitchers. But GM Brian Sabean has to be smart here and even though San Fran is playing well, it’s probably not worth it for the Giants to trade young arms (which they’ve got plenty of) so that they can put a band-aid on a deep gash.

      Now, if a situation comes up and a club is willing to part with a young bat in order to get a couple of arms, then all bets are off. If the Giants can get a young, productive bat this season that could also add to their rebuilding process, then Sabean would be a fool not to jump on the opportunity. But how often do clubs make young bats available?

      The Giants have already been linked to the Marlins’ Dan Uggla and the Nats’ Adam Dunn. Now Lee’s name has been throw into the mix and while it would be tempting for Sabean to add a bat to his weak lineup, none of the aforementioned names are going to help the Giants win a World Series this year so why bother? Why sacrifice the future for half a season?

      We’ll see if this rumor grows any legs, but I hardly doubt it will.

      MLB, Rumors & Gossip

      Nationals to fire manager Acta

      June 14, 2009 /

      According to a report by SI.com, the Nationals are expected to fire manager Manny Acta, possibly as early as Monday.

      Acta, 40, is well-liked by his bosses but appears to be taking the hit for the team’s 16-43 start. Nationals bosses feel “something needs to be done,” a person familiar with their thinking said.

      Nationals bosses are said to admire Acta’s patience. However, they may not have the same sort of patience. He is 148-234 in his time in Washington.

      Nationals president Stan Kasten and interim GM Mike Rizzo did not return phone calls.

      The likely firing was first reported by foxsports.com, which said that Jim Riggleman would take over for Acta. Riggleman has managed the Cubs, Padres and Mariners.

      It isn’t known how the early report of the likely firing might affect the Nationals’ thinking. But normally the ultimate decision doesn’t change based on the reporting.

      Acta’s record speaks for itself, but what were the front office heads expecting? He’s got a young pitching staff that is going to need time to develop and although the offense is solid, the Nats are still a year or two away from competing (if not three, four or five years away).

      I don’t follow Washington too closely, so I don’t know how good or bad Acta’s game managing is. But I do know he’s not working with much and I’m a little surprised that the front office wants to make a move, especially to Riggleman, who isn’t going to be much of an upgrade.

      MLB

      Shaq to Cleveland?

      June 14, 2009 /

      Talks between the Suns and the Cavs regarding a possible deal sending Shaquille O’Neal to Cleveland are reportedly ongoing, but nothing is imminent.

      The clubs have not spoken within the past few days, but sources say talks of a possible trade involving O’Neal, Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic never completely died after it was first discussed in February.

      O’Neal, 37, will make $20 million next season in the final year of his current deal, while Wallace will make $14 million in the last year of his contract and Pavlovic $4.9 million with only $1.5 million guaranteed.

      The salary swap is close enough to make the trade work under the salary-cap guidelines, and the Suns would save $10 million in the transaction — $4.5 million in salary and $5.5 million in luxury-tax payments.

      They could save even more money if Wallace takes a buyout, a possibility that was raised when Wallace said he was considering retirement after the Cavs’ Eastern Conference finals loss to the Orlando Magic.

      If the Suns acquired him and bought out his contract for less than face value, they could lower their actual expenditures, although the full amount would still count toward their luxury-tax total.

      What’s funny is that the Suns walked away from the negotiation table last season because they thought that a trio of Shaq, Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire could contend under new coach Alvin Gentry. Stoudemire got hurt, so what’s changed? It appears that the Suns are unwilling to pay the luxury tax price of keeping Shaq on the roster, that’s what.

      This trade has the potential to set up some serious drama next season. Imagine a (hopefully) healthy and motivated Shaq joining LeBron in Cleveland. Assuming the Lakers win the Finals, Kobe and Co. will be seeking a repeat. Imagine Shaq and Kobe squaring off for a title next season…

      Whether or not this helps Cleveland depends solely on Shaq’s ability to play at a high level deep into the postseason. If they do acquire him, they will need to watch his minutes closely and give him some time off during the season. Winning 66 games isn’t as important as having a healthy Shaq ready for the playoffs.

      I like this trade for Cleveland, but Shaq wants another extension and he knows he’s not going to get it in Phoenix. It’s not necessarily a good idea for the Cavs either, as any extension for O’Neal means that they won’t be able to sign a big-name free agent next summer. But if they can rent Shaq’s services for a season and see how it goes, then maybe he could play himself into an extension with an NBA championship.

      NBA, NBA Finals, Rumors & Gossip

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