Page 1665 of 2957

      Mr. Smith goes to the negotiating table

      June 4, 2009 /

      In March, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) made an historic move by electing Washington D.C. power attorney DeMaurice Smith as their new executive director, and skeptics wondered if this was the right time for the union to bring an outsider into a leadership role. All eyes will be watching as he begins negotiation with the NFL on a new labor contract this week in New York.

      Smith wowed the NFLPA’s board with an hour-long presentation detailing his plan for their upcoming collective bargaining sessions, as he promised to use his Congressional friends to challenge the league’s long-standing anti-trust exemption in order to obtain a better deal.

      The owners have believed for a long time that the players’ cut of the revenue pie has been too big for too long, and opted out of the current agreement last year, which almost guarantees that there will be no salary cap for the 2010 season. With concerns of a slowing economy, the owners feel that escalating salaries within the league could impact the revenue stream for several clubs.

      Smith recognizes the economic challenges facing the league, and has requested the NFL to open each team’s financial books. The league’s negotiating team has rejected his request and claims the union has enough information to secure a fair deal.

      Many NFL insiders feel the league is at a disadvantage in this upcoming labor negotiation due to the fact that Smith is an unknown entity. He speaks like a politician (insisting on calling the players “businessmen”) and promises the union will maintain a hard line stance in the upcoming labor negotiations.

      Everyone involved expects to play football in 2010, albeit without a salary cap, but Smith warns the owners that no new agreement will include a salary cap if the 2010 season is played without one. There is a good possibility that some form of a work stoppage will take place in 2011, either in the form of a players’ strike or an owners’ lockout prior to the start of training camp. Smith pointed out that a lockout would hurt not only the players, but the people and businesses that rely heavily on the NFL to make a living.

      If the NFLPA had hired an insider that had a better understanding of the league’s politics and the current state of the labor/management relationship, many believe both parties would find common ground for a new agreement and the NFL would continue to flourish. But this isn’t the feeling anymore, as Smith encourages the players to prepare for war inside the board room.

      It should be an interesting negotiation.

      NFL

      Jameer Nelson not expected to play tonight

      June 4, 2009 /

      According to the Orlando Sentinel, the Magic are expected to keep All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson sidelined for Game 1 tonight.

      Orlando Magic point guard Jameer Nelson isn’t likely to play tonight in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the L.A. Lakers, but he is expected to be activated and dress out, the Sentinel has learned. The chance of him playing in the series is still remote.

      It’s interesting that the team is going to activate him and that he’s going to dress for the game. One of the most amazing things about Orlando’s run to the Finals is the fact that they’ve done it without Nelson, who is considered to be the team’s second-best player after Dwight Howard (or at least he was having the second-best season when he injured his shoulder). The Magic are still capable of upsetting the Lakers in the series, but it will be tougher without Nelson’s help.

      NBA, NBA Finals

      Could Ortiz’s struggles at the plate be due to his eyes?

      June 4, 2009 /

      David Ortiz will do anything to break out of the incredible funk he’s in this season, including getting his eyes checked.

      “You know what? I’ve been thinking about getting my eyes checked, for real,” Ortiz said this morning. “There have been some situations that something has happened to my eyes, my vision. But I’m planning on getting my eyes checked out sometime soon. I don’t know. It’s just sometimes that I’ve been feeling lately. It’s not anything crazy, but just to make sure.

      “We get our eyes checked every year. I’m 20-20. Go and check it out. It’s not anything big. I will, though. I seriously will.”

      A ball player’s eyes are everything to them, so it’s not a stretch to think that Ortiz’s issues could have something to do with his peepers. But considering he got them checked before the season and has 20/20 vision, his problems at the plate probably have nothing to do with his eyes.

      There has been a lot made about Ortiz’s struggles this year. Some believe that the absence of Manny Ramirez in the Red Sox’s lineup has led to Ortiz not getting enough good pitches to hit, while conspiracy theorists say that his struggles can be tied to him getting off the juice. We can speculate all we want about whether or not Ortiz has ever used PEDs, but the fact remains that he’s never tested positive for them, as far as we know.

      Don’t forget that Ortiz is no spring chicken, either. He’s 33-years old and while plenty of players have been productive well into their mid-30s, Ortiz could just be breaking down. He’s also dealt with a variety of nagging injuries, so there’s a good chance that the overall wear and tear his body has amassed over the years is finally catching up to him.

      We’ll see what comes out of Ortiz visiting the eye doctor. Several players have gotten LASIK eye surgery with great results but again, if Ortiz’s vision is already 20/20 there probably isn’t much need to have that type of procedure.

      MLB

      French Open: Women’s Finals Preview

      June 4, 2009 /

      For the second time in five years, we are going to have an all Russian women’s final at the French Open. The match will pit #1-ranked Dinara Safina against #7-ranked Svetlana Kuznetsova. That stat isn’t that vexing, actually, when we look at the current complexion of women’s tennis. Of its top-ten ranked players, four are Russian (Dinara Safina, Elena Dementieva, Vera Zvonareva, and Svetlana Kuznetsova). Popular Russian Maria Sharapova made a strong campaign into the quarterfinals, but she is currently unranked.

      Given a victory, this would be Safina’s first Grand Slam title, though she’s reached the finals twice, including her loss last year at the French Open to Ana Ivanovic. Kuznetsova is no stranger to high-pressure tennis as well as she captured the 2004 U.S. Open championship and was runner-up to Justine Henin at the 2006 French Open and 2007 U.S. Open.

      Safina hasn’t been playing her best tennis, but I would count on her coming out on top. The big thorn in her side has been Serena Williams who was eliminated in the quarterfinals.

      You can watch the final Saturday at 9 AM ET on NBC.

      Tennis

      NBA free agency and draft rumors

      June 4, 2009 /

      – Charlie Villanueva is open to joining the Cavs, and given the current state of the economy, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the best he’ll be able to do is a deal at the mid-level (~$5.8 million). The Bucks first have to decide whether or not to make the qualifying offer (~$4.6 million) and they may elect not to in order to avoid going over the luxury tax threshold (~$71 million, and could drop). Without Villanueva (and Ramon Sessions, who is also slated to become a restricted free agent), the Bucks’ payroll is at about $61 million with only eight players under contract. Villanueva would give the Cavs a good matchup for Rashard Lewis. Both players are slender power forwards who can shoot the ball, though Charlie V isn’t known for his defense.

      – UFA Andre Miller doesn’t have a problem with the Sixers’ hire of head coach Eddie Jordan. The Sixers are over the cap but well under the luxury tax, so I’d expect them to sign the 33 year-old to a one- or two-year deal in the $6-7 million range. He is unlikely to get that on the open market, but Portland is a team with cap space that could use his leadership.

      – Toronto GM Bryan Colangelo plans to keep Chris Bosh and try to surround him with better players, unless the talented power forward expresses serious doubts about re-signing. By sending Jermaine O’Neal to the Heat for Shawn Marion (and his expiring contract), the Raptors have about $10 million in cap space heading into the summer. While that may not be enough to land someone like Carlos Boozer, it is enough, coupled with the team’s mid-level exception, to add two or three pretty good players to the roster. How about Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva/Chris Andersen? I’d expect the Bosh rumors to heat up next season if Toronto struggles again early on.

      – Hoopsworld says that there’s a rumor making the rounds that the Thunder might take DeMar DeRozan #3. This sounds a little fishy to me because everything I’m seeing shows DeRozan slipping a little after poor agility and sprint tests at the combine. James Harden has the better standing vertical and is just 1.5″ off of DeRozan’s max vertical. Harden also beat DeRozan soundly in the agility and sprint tests and is the much more polished offensive player at this point. DeRozan is 1.5″ taller, but Harden has a higher reach because he has a longer wingspan.

      – With Jonny Flynn and Jrue Holiday climbing the draft charts, Ricky Rubio is suddenly open to interviews and workouts with teams picking #2 to #4, which includes Memphis, Oklahoma City and Sacramento. Rubio apparently didn’t play very well in his season finale, and his camp may be worried about him slipping out of the top four if those teams in question find a guy they like better.

      NBA, NBA Draft, Rumors & Gossip

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑