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      Athlete Profile: Vontae Davis

      April 15, 2009 /

      Vontae Davis

      Vontae Davis wants to be known as more than just Vernon Davis’ little brother.

      And understandably so. After all, Vernon’s most noteworthy action of the 2008 NFL season was when the San Francisco 49ers tight end was banished to the locker room in the middle of a game by Head Coach Mike Singletary for demonstrating less than team-oriented behavior.

      But when it comes to some comparisons, he’ll gladly take them. Like when his physical skills are compared to Vernon’s eye-popping athleticism and top-flight talent. Vontae says he owes a lot to Vernon, that his big brother helped him out in developing into the football player he has become – a football player poised to become a first-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.

      Davis, an early-entry prospect out of the University of Illinois, is considered one of the top cornerbacks in the draft. The 6-0, 200-pounder possesses incredible athleticism, capable of both running with the league’s fastest receivers and coming up to the line of scrimmage both in run support and on corner blitzes. In three years with the Illini, Davis earned the reputation of one of the nation’s hardest-hitting defensive backs.

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      College Football, NFL, NFL Draft

      Chris Carpenter likely headed to DL

      April 15, 2009 /

      Cardinals’ manager Tony La Russa indicated Tuesday night that starting pitcher Chris Carpenter is likely to be out for a while after he strained his left rib cage during the fourth inning of St. Louis’s 9-6 loss to the Diamondbacks.

      “Couldn’t throw,” Carpenter said. “I tried to throw the last one there and it hurt pretty good.”

      Carpenter was removed from the game after throwing his warmup pitches for the fourth inning. The righthander was diagnosed at the scene with a strained rib-cage muscle. Carpenter later described it as an oblique injury, pointing to the left side of his torso as he explained that it was still sore after the game. He said he will return to St. Louis and meet with team doctors Thursday.
      While the Cardinals wouldn’t confirm their plans to make move Wednesday morning, it is certain that Carpenter is headed to the 15-day disabled list and the Cardinals will be looking for a starter.

      “The most important thing is that Chris Carpenter got hurt,” manager Tony La Russa said after his team’s 7-6 loss in extra innings to Arizona. ” No matter what happens in the game, the most important thing is it looks like he’s going to be out for awhile. That kind of overwhelms everything else that happened in the game.”

      So much for Carpenter turning in a full year. The risk of him getting hurt is always high and it happened again just three starts into his 2009 campaign. Hopefully for the Cardinals’ sake, that it’s nothing too serious and that he’ll only make one trip to the DL, but either way this has to be frustrating for a team that needs Carpenter to stay healthy in order to make a serious run this season.

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Hasheem Thabeet to enter NBA Draft

      April 14, 2009 /

      UConn junior Hasheem Thabeet will forgo his senior season and declare for the NBA Draft.

      “After spending time with my family and friends and speaking with Coach (Jim) Calhoun, I have decided to give up my final year at UConn and enter my name in the 2009 NBA Draft,” Thabeet said via a statement. “I have had a great experience at Connecticut and cannot thank my coaches and teammates enough. I look forward to the challenge of playing professionally and know that my time here at UConn has prepared me to be successful in the future.”

      The 7’3″ center averaged a double-double (13.6 points, 10.8 rebounds) and an eye-popping 4.2 blocks per game on the season. I think he has the potential to be a very good defensive-minded center (think Dikembe Mutombo). He’s pretty fluid for his size and can get up and down the court with ease. His hands seem small (as he loses the ball often when he brings it down below his waist) and his post moves need a lot of work. Like anyone with his size and natural athleticism, he’ll be as good as he wants to be.

      He is a likely top 5 pick, so this decision makes sense.

      College Basketball, NBA, NBA Draft, News

      League suspends Ray Allen for one game

      April 14, 2009 /

      The NBA has handed down a one-game suspension for the elbow Ray Allen threw at Anderson Varejao’s family jewels.

      Allen, who averages 18.2 points and 3.5 rebounds, will serve his suspension when the Celtics visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday. Allen will be docked more than $167,000 in salary. Kevin Garnett also will miss the game to rest his strained knee.

      Varejao flung Boston’s guard to the floor, and Allen responded with a well placed elbow into the forward’s groin area. Both players jawed at each other before getting technical fouls.

      “It was a dirty play,” Allen said. “He locked my arm and threw me to the ground. I wasn’t going to allow him to think he could do whatever he wanted. I’m always going to stand up for myself. It’s one thing for a team to be beating us, but they’re not going to walk all over us.”

      The frizzy-haired Varejao had his own take.

      “You don’t hit a man in his [groin],” he said. “He doesn’t like Brazilians or he doesn’t like my hair.”

      Holy crap: Ray Allen makes $167,000 per game. Amazing.

      It was a cheap shot, but given Varejao’s actions, I still think Allen’s elbow was justified. Though I don’t know that it was worth $167 K.

      NBA, News

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