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      Carlos Zambrano: ‘I’m done in five years.’

      June 6, 2009 /

      After earning his 100th career victory on Friday in a win over the Reds, Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano was asked by reporters if he has visions of winning 300 games a la Randy Johnson. Instead of giving a clichéd response of, “We’ll see” or “I don’t think about that stuff,” Big Z dropped a bombshell that he’s walking away from baseball once his contract expires in five years.

      “For 300, me? No, I’ll be out of here in five years,” said Zambrano, who is three years younger than Johnson was when the Big Unit won his 100th.

      After his response drew laughter, Zambrano added, ”No, believe me. After this contract I’m done. … I’m serious. Because I don’t want to play anymore.”

      Zambrano will be 32 when his five-year, $91.5 million contract expires after the 2012 season — 33, assuming a sixth-year, vesting option is reached.

      After accepting a $100 bet from a beat writer that he was serious, Zambrano elaborated:

      ”I want to help this team and do everything possible to win with this team. After five years, or four years, or whatever it is, that’s it. I just don’t want to play. I want to stay at home and see my daughter grow up and be with my family more.

      ”You know how many Mother’s Days I haven’t spent with my mother? Twelve. You know how many things I lose in my life [because of the baseball schedule]?

      ”It’s good to be here, also it’s good to be in baseball. But in five years I will retire, and I won’t have to see you again.”

      While his comments might come off as a little shocking to some, what Zambrano said shouldn’t be taken out of context. Sure the, “I don’t want to play anymore” might be a little unnerving for Cubs fans, you take everything he said into account and look at the big picture.

      Zambrano is essentially saying that there is more to life than just baseball and once he fulfills his comment to the Cubs, then he’s walking away. He wants to enjoy other aspects of his life that he’s had to push to the side in the past because of the demands of baseball. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that and I think his comments are kind of endearing in a way.

      Zambrano is a competitor – he’s not going to just take a paycheck over the next five years until his contract expires and then walk away. He wants to win and while he’s still playing, he’s going to do everything possible to help the Cubs succeed. But like he said, once his contract is up, it’s up and he’s done. And while he comments were a little out of the norm, I don’t find anything controversial with what Big Z said.

      MLB

      Five Reasons to Watch the 2009 Belmont

      June 6, 2009 /

      The 141st running of the Belmont Stakes takes place today (post time is at 6:30 ET) and although 2009 Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra won’t run, there are still plenty of intriguing storylines surrounding this year’s annual race from Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Here are five of them.

      1. Calvin Borel’s quest for his own Triple Crown.
      Not many people outside of the horse racing world had ever heard the name Calvin Borel before the 2009 Kentucky Derby, but the jockey started gaining a name for himself after riding 50/1 long shot Mine That Bird to victory at Churchill Downs. Then, when the opportunity presented itself a couple weeks after the Derby, Borel once again was the winning jockey, this time riding 3-year old filly Rachel Alexandra to victory at the Preakness Stakes. With Rachel Alexandra skipping the Belmont, Borel has again hitched a ride on Mine That Bird and if he wins today at the Belmont, he would become the first jockey since Steve Cauthen in 1978 to win the Triple Crown. A win would also make him only the second individual to win the Triple Crown by sweeping the three legs in one year while riding different horses. (The other being D. Wayne Lukas, a trainer, in 1995.)

      2. Mine That Bird continues his amazing season.
      Entering the 2009 Kentucky Derby, Mine That Bird was a 50/1 long shot to win. But thanks to a sloppy track, this powerful horse was able to claim victory at Churchill Downs and turned the horse racing world on its head. (At least for this season, that is.) Even though he won the Derby, many people were convinced that the poor track conditions at Churchill Downs played a major factor in Mine That Bird’s victory. Therefore, Rachel Alexandra was made the odds favorite to win the 2009 Preakness and even though the 3-year old filly won, Mine That Bird gained respect by finishing second at Pimlico. Now that Rachel Alexandra is out for the Belmont, Mine That Bird is once again a favorite and with a victory, he should at least gain some notoriety as one of the best thoroughbred racehorses of 2009.

      3. Watch out for the dark horse (no pun intended).
      One horse to keep an eye on today to play spoiler at the Belmont is Charitable Man (5/1). He has the next best odds to win today behind Mine That Bird and for good reason – he’s undefeated so far at Belmont Park and also undefeated on dirt tracks. Charitable Man was bred to race on one and a half mile tracks like the one he’ll run on today at Belmont Park and he’s also fresh, which is one thing Mine That Bird cannot say after racing in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. Nobody is going to consider him a long shot today at 3/1 odds, but if you’re looking for a horse to upset Mine That Bird at the Belmont, Charitable Man could be your thoroughbred.

      4. Flying Private: The Ultimate Long Shot?
      One long shot that is creating a buzz is Flying Private, who has already faced stiff competition at the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and could be a potential sleeper to give Mine That Bird a run for his money. At 18/1 odds, Flying Private certainly isn’t the type of long shot that Mine That Bird (50/1) was when he won the Kentucky Derby, but then again odds makers aren’t handing out those kinds of odds today anyway. (The horse with the longest odds to win today is Luv Gov at 25/1.) After a lackluster 19th place finish at the Kentucky Derby, Flying Private seemingly came out of nowhere to finish fourth at the Preakness Stakes and that could mean he’s prime to make another leap at the Belmont today. He certainly has the experience and while he might not be as fresh as some of the other horses, Flying Private has already squared off against Mine That Bird twice and therefore he could be your best shot at cashing in on a long shot.

      5. This is the finale, so eat it up while you can.
      The Belmont is the third and final leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown, so soak up the action while you can. While this year’s Belmont certainly lacks the excitement of last year when Big Brown was going for the Triple Crown, there are still plenty of reasons to watch today. Enjoy the race and if you’ve decided to throw a few coins down today, good luck.

      General Sports

      Kuznetsova wins French Open title

      June 6, 2009 /

      Svetlana Kuznetsova beat fellow Russian Dinara Safina, 6-4, 6-2, to win her second Grand Slam title five years after she won her first.

      Kuznetsova dominated the match, winning on Centre Court in just 74 minutes.

      In 2004, she also beat a fellow Russian, Elena Dementieva, for the U.S. Open title. She was the runner-up in the 2006 French Open and the 2007 U.S. Open, losing to Belgian Justine Henin both times.

      Full story…

      Tennis

      Weekly MMA Review 6/6

      June 6, 2009 /

      Here’s a weekly rundown of MMA content from Ben Goldstein of CagePotato.com:

      Kimbo Slice– YouTube star/MMA punchline Kimbo Slice has agreed to redeem himself on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter. Between his outsized presence and the rivalry between coaches Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans, TUF 10 should be utterly insane.

      – The New York State Assembly voted in favor of a bill that would allow MMA to be regulated in New York. Could we be seeing UFC shows at Madison Square Garden in 2010?

      – Despite being KTFO’d at UFC 98, Rashad Evans still claims that Lyoto Machida hits like a bitch.

      – We put together a highlight reel of Kazushi Sakuraba’s most brutal beatings and took a look back at MMA’s most influential fighters.

      – Contrary to popular belief, Andrei Arlovski never said “how’s taste my pee pee pee?”

      – Joe Riggs accused Phil Baroni of steroids, while Phil Baroni claimed that it’s only lack of sex that makes him such a monster.

      – “Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields” and “WEC: Brown vs. Faber II” go down this weekend. Swing by CagePotato.com Saturday night starting at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT for our liveblog of the Strikeforce show, and Sunday morning for full results from the WEC event. Get familiar with the fights by reading this heated debate and our gambling advice here and here.

      Mixed Martial Arts

      2009 fantasy football is coming soon—a look back at 2008 WRs

      June 6, 2009 /

      Last week we looked at the top 10 fantasy quarterbacks from 2008 with a look toward 2009. This week, it’s about those who catch passes. Wide receivers have become almost as valuable as running backs, so it’s important not to overlook that when you’re preparing for your fantasy draft. And you are preparing, right? Or will you cram on Labor Day weekend? If you’re like me, you’re reading this stuff now because these long months without football suck. So, about those receivers….and keep in mind this Top 10 is based on scoring from one of my own fantasy leagues, and stats may differ from league to league:

      1. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals—There should be no question remaining as to who has the best hands in football. In fact, I’ll just say it — that Larry Fitzgerald is the best receiver in football, and one of the best since the days of (dare I say it) Jerry Rice, or Lynn Swann. Yeah, he’s that good, and he’s just getting started. In ’08, Fitzgerald had 96 catches for 1431 yards and 12 touchdowns….and that’s with Kurt Warner having two other legitimate targets in Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston.

      2. Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions—This poor bastard put up huge numbers last year for an 0-16 team—78 receptions for 1331 yards and 12 scores. It’s difficult to draft anyone on the Lions, though.

      3. Andre Johnson, Houston Texans—This guy is just a beast. I mean, a freaking beast. Johnson had SIX games of over 130 receiving yards, and wound up with 115 catches for 1575 yards and 8 TDs…all usually with two guys covering him. Like I said, a beast. Now what would he do with a real QB?

      4. Anquan Boldin, Arizona Cardinals—Q wants the ball, and he may not get it in Arizona this season. But his numbers and skills have every other GM salivating. Last year, despite missing four games with injuries, Boldin caught 89 passes for 1038 yards and 11 scores. He even rushed 9 times for 67 yards.

      5. Greg Jennings, Green Bay Packers—Jennings has been on the verge of fantasy superstardom for a few years now, and I think the next two seasons may be peak years for him — especially with Aaron Rodgers coming into his own and Donald Driver losing a step or two. His 2008 numbers? 80 catches for 1292 yards and 8 touchdowns. This year, I’m saying 100-1500-12.

      6. Randy Moss, New England Patriots—The fact that Moss still had a 1000-yard season catching passes from the yet-unproven Matt Cassel says a lot about Moss. Dude is a sick receiver. He had just four 100-yard games, but was consistent over the season with 69 receptions for 1008 yards and 11 TDs. He gets his boy Brady back in 2009, so look for 2007-ish numbers again.

      7. Terrell Owens, Dallas Cowboys—He had one game over 200 yards, one more over 100, and every other game below 100. Owens managed 1052 yards on 69 catches with 10 scores, but by his standards the season was a bust. In Buffalo, I can’t imagine his numbers will be much better.

      8. Lance Moore, New Orleans Saints—Marques Colston was never quite right after coming back from an injury, but Drew Brees kept throwing the ball to this guy, to the tune of 79 catches for 928 yards and 10 touchdowns—with three 100-yard games.

      9. Steve Smith, Carolina Panthers—He was suspended for the first two games in 2008, but still racked up 1421 yards on 78 catches with 6 scores…and a whopping eight 100-yard games. Steve Smith is just money, and he should be a Top 5 receiver in every fantasy league.

      10. Antonio Bryant, Tampa Bay Bucs—Bryant had his best season as a pro last year after missing the entire 2007 campaign, catching 83 passes for 1248 yards and 7 TDs…and he gets bonus points for doing it with the Tampa Bay Bucs!

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, Fantasy Football, Happy Hour, NFL

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