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      Yankees now 0-5 against Red Sox

      May 6, 2009 /

      With their 7-3 win over their hated rivals on Tuesday night, the Red Sox swept the Yankees for the second time this season and are now 5-0 against the Bombers this season. Jason Bay hit a two-run homer (his seventh of the season) off Yankees’ starter Joba Chamberlain in the first inning to spark Boston’s victory.

      It’s only May, but it has to be somewhat troubling to the Yankees that they are nothing more than a .500 club at this point after spending as much as they did to fix their pitching staff in the offseason. They currently have the second worst ERA in baseball at 5.86 and opponents are currently batting .277 off them to date.

      Part of the Yankees’ issues, as they’re finding out, is that they now play in Coors Field Jr. There’s a jet stream in right center at the new Yankee Stadium and opponents are hitting bombs as if the Yankees were hosting the Home Run Derby on a nightly basis. Of course, not having Alex Rodriguez in the lineup has been an issue as well, although he is set to return soon so that all could change.

      But what has to be most troubling to the Yankees is that they’re just 3-7 against AL East opponents so far this season. And it’s not like they were facing the same red-hot Boston team the past couple days that rattled off 11 straight wins during the month of April; the BoSox had just been abused by Tampa entering their two-game series with New York. Opponents have largely teed off on Josh Beckett and Jon Lester so far this season, yet each had solid outings against a Yankee offense that was supposed to once again be one of the best in baseball.

      Again, it’s early and once A-Fraud gets back into the lineup the Yankees’ offensive production should pick up again. Plus, they have always been relatively slow starters before picking it up around the All-Star break, but Joe Girardi and the rest of the Yankees’ brass can’t feel great that they’re sitting at 13-13 with that payroll and are now 0-5 against the Red Sox.

      MLB

      Cavs, Nuggets cruise

      May 6, 2009 /

      The one-two punch of LeBron James and Mo Williams provided 55 of Cleveland’s 99 points as the Cavs routed the Hawks, 99-72. LeBron had an MVP-like performance with 34 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and four steals. The Hawks have the talent to compete in this series, but they didn’t play very well against the Heat in the first round and that trend continued in the second half, where they were outscored 50-28. The Cavs’ defense forced 17 turnovers and held Atlanta to under 44% shooting.

      In the late game, the Nuggets continued their march to the conference finals with a 117-105 win over the Mavs. Denver led by three heading into the fourth quarter, but a 9-0 run (including seven points from Carmelo Anthony) put Dallas in a bad spot. The Nuggets were up 19 with 2:50 to play, so the game wasn’t quite as close as the final score would indicate. Dirk Nowitzki did everything he could — 34 points, nine boards, four assists — but the Mavs were without Josh Howard (ankle) and were simply overmatched. The Nuggets had a balanced attack of Anthony (25 points), Nene (25), J.R. Smith (21), Chauncey Billups (18) and Kenyon Martin (12).

      Smith in particular is an interesting player. He has a ton of scoring ability, but every so often he makes a bonehead play. I didn’t watch much of this game, but in the 10 minutes or so I did watch, Smith came over to help on Nowitzki at the top of the key and then suddenly left him — Dirk had the ball, mind you — to go cover J.J. Barea (or was it Antoine Wright?). Regardless, you don’t leave one of the league’s best scorers alone at the top of the key with the ball. Then, on the final play of the second quarter, he dribbled the ball around trying to wind the clock down, but then launched a 30-footer with five or six seconds to play. The long rebound bounced out to Jason Kidd, who had enough time to dribble to the other end of the court and get a good look at a three, which he made, cutting the Nuggets’ halftime lead to three.

      But I guess when a guy is capable of scoring 21 points on just 10 shots in 25 minutes, you live with the occasional bonehead play.

      NBA

      Tony Dungy visits Michael Vick in prison

      May 6, 2009 /

      Former NFL head coach Tony Dungy visited Michael Vick at a federal prison in Leavenworth, Kansas recently and according to Vick’s agent Joel Segal, the meeting was “private” and “positive”.

      Vick met with Dungy to discuss his life after he gets out of prison. He is scheduled to leave Leavenworth May 20 and serve the remainder of his sentence under home confinement at his five-bedroom home in Hampton, Va., with his fiancée and two of his children.

      “I am going out there to really talk about life. To talk about the Lord,” Dungy said on the show. “I know he has made a profession that he has accepted the Lord into his life. Talk to him about what he’s going to face. Most people are going to be against him. He’s got to understand that.”

      Considering all the work Dungy does with his youth boys programs, I would imagine the conversation with Vick was very positive. But everything is in Vick’s hands now. Dungy can’t be with him every second of every day to ensure he’s staying out of trouble and making something of his life. It’s up to Vick to show remorse for what he has done and to move forward with his life in a positive manner. Returning to the NFL should be the last thing on Vick’s mind right now and here’s hoping he continues to seek Dungy’s guidance from here on out.

      NFL

      Lions sign linebacker Larry Foote

      May 6, 2009 /

      According to Mlive.com, the Lions have reached an agreement with former Steelers’ linebacker Larry Foote, who will play middle linebacker for them next season.

      Foote, who turns 29 next month, is hoping to eventually sign a more lucrative contract after this season turned down the two-year offer.

      Foote, a seven-year veteran, was a full-time starter for the Steelers for the last five seasons and didn’t miss a game during that span. Foote’s tackling numbers have declined in each of the last four years, from a high of 102 in 2005 to 63 last season.

      Now we know why Lions’ GM Martin Mayhew passed on a middle linebacker with the No. 20 and No. 33 picks in last month’s draft when USC’s Rey Maualuga and Ohio State’s James Laurinaitis were still on the board. Mayhew knew that the Steelers would eventually release Foote and that he wanted to come to Detroit, which is where he grew up and attended high school.

      Mayhew has done a nice job in his first offseason with the Lions. He added talent via the draft in quarterback Matthew Stafford, tight end Brandon Pettigrew and safety Louis Delmas and he has signed quality role players in free agents Grady Jackson, Philip Buchanon and now Foote. Whether or not all of his moves will pan out is still up in the air, but Lion fans have to at least be pleased that Mayhew has a plan and is executing it.

      NFL

      Report: Favre to meet with Vikings’ coach Brad Childress

      May 6, 2009 /

      According to ESPN.com and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Brett Favre will meet with Vikings’ head coach Brad Childress sometime this week at an undisclosed location to discuss his return to football.

      The ESPN report stated that there is a mutual understanding that sometime soon after the meeting, Favre will decide whether to sign with the Vikings and that Childress would expect him to participate fully in the offseason minicamps and training camps. Favre, who will turn 40 on Oct. 10, was never fond of participating in the Packers’ offseason camps. The future Hall of Famer did not get traded to the New York Jets in time last year for that to become an issue.
      One thing working in the Vikings’ favor is that Favre is very familiar with the West Coast offensive system the team runs — he directed the same offense for several years in Green Bay. He also is extremely close with former Packers assistant and current Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.

      Perhaps the Vikings’ biggest concern will be the condition of Favre’s injured right biceps tendon, which played a role in his struggles late last season when the Jets won only one of their final five games. ESPN reported that Favre might believe his arm can heal on its own without surgery, and how the injury heals will be a factor in his decision.

      Assuming of course that these reports are true and that he wants to come back, the question the Vikings should be asking themselves is whether or not Favre makes them better. Since 1998, he is 3-6 in the playoffs with 16 touchdowns and 18 interceptions and his play dramatically fell off again towards the end of last season because of his biceps injury. Is he completely healthy? If he is, can he stay healthy for an entire season?

      I’m not entirely sure that at this point Favre is significantly better option than Sage Rosenfels or Tarvaris Jackson. The same core that got the Vikings to the playoffs last year is returning and while Rosenfels isn’t a spectacular quarterback, he can certainly turn around and hand the ball to Adrian Peterson 25 times a game.

      NFL

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