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      Are the Yankees better off without A-Rod?

      March 9, 2009 /

      Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.com writes that there is no way the Bronx Bombers are better off without A-Rod in the lineup.

      The Yankees need him — badly. They can find a stopgap at third base and patch together a lineup while he misses the first part of the season. But if Rodriguez does not return from hip surgery as the A-Rod of old — or something close to it — then the team will be in trouble.

      Rodriguez, Jason Giambi, Bobby Abreu — all posted on-base percentages of .370 or better last season while combining for 87 homers and 299 RBIs. Giambi and Abreu left as free agents. Rodriguez is now questionable. Mark Teixeira cannot replace all three.

      The offense already had offensive issues; the Yankees finished only seventh in the American League in runs last season. Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui are coming off surgeries. Either Brett Gardner or Melky Cabrera will likely be a below-average producer in center field. And Teixeira, for all his gifts, is a .259 career hitter in April.

      The Yankees should be far better at run prevention now that they’ve added CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett to their starting rotation, and the return of a healthy Rodriguez in May would make them reasonably whole.

      But no one should assume that Rodriguez will simply return to his normal level of production, not when he will require further surgery at the end of the season.

      Anyone who thinks the Yanks will be better without A-Rod is dreaming. Their pitching staff has dramatically improved over last year’s staff, but it’s hard to replace a bat like A-Rod’s (he hit .302 last year with 35 dingers and 103 RBI) with Cody Ransom, even with guys like Teixeira, Posada and Jeter in the lineup.

      Maybe the clubhouse will be free of distraction without Rodriguez present, but the current Yankee players will still have to field questions about A-Rod’s absence and his steroid issues no matter what. Granted, those questions should fade after a while, but Rodriguez will return at some point and then the circus will start up again.

      The bottom line is that the Yanks need A-Rod’s bat if they want to compete with the Red Sox, Rays and Angels this year in the AL.

      MLB

      Don Nelson is playing mind games with Jamal Crawford

      March 9, 2009 /

      After the season, Jamal Crawford can opt out of the final two years of his contract. Those two years would pay him $19.5 million, so given the current state of the economy and the coming “nuclear winter” for NBA free agents, it’s highly unlikely that he’d be able to find that kind of money in the open market. But Tim Kawakami says that Golden State head coach Don Nelson is pushing the guard to opt out.

      I’ve heard that when Nelson explained Crawford’s recent one-game benching, he spoke about getting the younger players more time, etc, etc.

      But Nelson also told Crawford that he was doing the complete benching in order to help Crawford’s per-game averages, all the better for when (or if) Crawford opts-out, which Nelson very much wants him to do this summer.

      That is a loud and clear NBA message, by the way. By even mentioning the opt-out (Crawford can erase the final two years and $19M+ on his deal), Nelson was indicating to Crawford that Nelson wanted him to opt-out.

      Even more, Nelson was suggesting that Crawford HAD BETTER OPT-OUT or else Nelson would probably make sure that the situation next year isn’t to Crawford’s liking.

      My understanding is that Crawford’s reaction was the same as any proud player’s reaction: Why in the world should I be pushed into a decision like that?

      Nelson is trying to shove Crawford into opting out, and therefore messing up Crawford’s marketability, which, in the end, probably will drive Crawford NOT to opt out this summer.

      I repeat: What in the world is Nelson doing? If you guess that he’s trying to make things as messy as possible, either to shake up the Warriors or to make his firing (with TWO YEARS and $12M left on the deal after this season) as inevitable and quick as possible…

      Exactly. Given Nelson’s actions, it only makes it more likely that Crawford would stand his ground and choose to play out the final two years of his contract. The only way I can see an opt out in this scenario is if the situation in Golden State is so bad that Crawford decides it’s not worth the money to stay. Nelson would be better off trying to work with Crawford, but it seems like the two are past that point. The guy is averaging 19.6 points and 4.4 assists per game — it’s not like his contract is dead money. Sure, he has never been known as a good defender and he’s not an efficient scorer (41% FG%), but that shouldn’t be a surprise to the Warriors. Crawford has been in the league for eight years — what did they expect? (And since when did Nelson put a lot of stock in defense?)

      One of the things I’d like to see in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement is non-guaranteed contracts. Teams should be able to cut a player if they are underperforming, injured or if the relationship has just run its course. As a consequence, the team would have to pay 50% of the player’s salary for the remainder of the contract. If the player is picked up on waivers, his new team would pay the other 50%, essentially getting him at half price. If he clears waivers, he becomes a free agent and would be able to sign with whomever he likes. This system would reduce the number of dead contracts around the league (which would make management happy) and allow for more player movement in bad situations like Crawford’s (which would make the players happy) while still allowing for some security if a player is injured or his game disappears. This, combined with shorter contracts — three years when a player signs with a new team, four years when he re-signs with his current team — would make it a lot tougher for bad general managers to get their teams into salary cap hell. (I’m looking at you, Ernie Grunfeld.)

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, Rumors & Gossip

      Trent Edwards wanted Bills to pursue T.O.

      March 9, 2009 /

      In his latest edition of “Monday Morning Quarterback”, Peter King writes that Trent Edwards wanted Bills’ chief operating office Russ Brandon to pursue Terrell Owens.

      “How about T.O.?”

      Bills chief operating office Russ Brandon woke up sometime after midnight Friday morning and noticed there was a text message on his cell phone. So he reached over and looked. It was from Trent
      Edwards, the quarterback of the Bills. “How about T.O.?” That’s all it said.

      Brandon shot back with this: “?”

      “T.O. was released. Go get him,” Edwards texted back.

      Brandon still seemed surprised when I spoke to him late Sunday. “I went back to sleep,” he said, “but I was stunned by it. The next morning, [coach] Dick Jauron and I talked, and he said, ‘I think it’s something we certainly should take a look at.’ I put a call into [owner] Ralph Wilson, and he said, ‘Absolutely look into it.”’

      And that was it. The only team to seriously kick the tires on Owens got its man a day later for three major reasons:

      1. The Bills think Jauron is the perfect coach — calm but commanding — to handle Mount Terrell.

      2. The organization is sick of perpetually being one weapon away from catching New England (and Miami and the Jets, as it turns out), and it’s willing to take the risk of having Owens ruin the locker room so it can have a chance to win the division.

      3. The Bills did the one-year deal for a fairly strategic reason, in my opinion. Owens is good when he’s trying to make a good first impression.

      If Jeff Garcia, Donovan McNabb and Tony Romo read this, they no doubt laughed at how naïve Edwards is when it comes to what T.O. brings to a locker room. But at least the Bills knew Edwards was completely on board when they decided to pursue Owens.

      There’s no doubt that Buffalo could use T.O.’s talent, but Edwards is in for a rude awakening. There was a Monday night game that the Bills played last season against the Browns. In that game, Edwards was petrified to pass the ball more than 5-10 yards and settled for check downs to Marshawn Lynch instead of going downfield. That’s a game where T.O. would no doubt express his frustration in a dysfunctional manner. I don’t think the signing was bad (especially since the Bills only signed him to a one-year deal), but hopefully Edwards and Co. know what they’re getting into.

      NFL

      Saints interested in LaDainian Tomlinson?

      March 9, 2009 /

      According to Rotoworld.com, Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees is making a pitch to lure former teammate LaDainian Tomlinson away from the Chargers (if San Diego eventually trades or releases him, that is) and bring him to New Orleans.

      In a radio interview with XX 1090 AM, Drew Brees admitted to conversing with former teammate LaDainian Tomlinson about the possibility of LT joining the Saints if the opportunity arises.

      “For me, I’m just waiting for the opportunity if he is available to come and snatch him,” Brees said. Asked if he told LT that he wanted him as a teammate, Brees replied, “I think that’s pretty obvious, don’t you think?” The National Football Post reported last week that the Saints would have a “high level of interest” if LT becomes available.

      In no way do I think LT is done. With a full offseason of rest, he could bounce back next season and still be highly productive. But speaking hypothetically, would he actually make the Saints better? Pierre Thomas is younger and he proved last year that he can run well between the tackles, which is exactly what they need to compliment Reggie Bush. It’s nice that Brees wants to bring his friend to New Orleans, but the Saints seem to be set at running back with Thomas and Bush.

      NFL

      Oden getting frustrated

      March 9, 2009 /

      He missed the entirety of the 2007-08 season with microfracture surgery on his right knee and now he has a chipped left kneecap which has bitten a good chunk out of this season. The Trail Blazers mishandled the injury, calling it “day-to-day” when in fact it should have been labeled from the start as a potential long-term injury. Jason Quick of The Oregonian does a nice job of breaking down the timeline and Oden’s resulting frustration.

      All the while, questions, both inside the Blazers locker room and in public mounted: What is going on? Is he really trying to get back? Why isn’t he playing by now?

      Oden was stung by the mounting criticism. A national radio talk show called him a “lemon” and a “bust.” He thought a local columnist questioned his desire to return.

      “I get portrayed wrongly, like I don’t have a heart,” Oden said. “But I sit there and I try to explain to people what is going on, and it’s like they aren’t listening to me.”

      There is pain, Oden says, and not just any pain, but biting pain. He said it so many times in interviews that he started saying it more demonstratively, in hopes that his louder tone would finally get someone to believe him.

      “I don’t know how else to put it: There’s a difference between sore and painful, and this is painful,” Oden said.

      He says if the team pushes him to play, he will do it. He just doesn’t know how effective he would be. He can’t run as fast, he can’t jump as high and he is not as agile.

      “Look, I’m tired of sitting; I want to get out there,” Oden said. “But damn, if I did go out there and play, it may be worse having me out there. They’d be playing four-on-five most of the time.”

      “To this day, there’s still no real timeline,” Oden said. “It’s 7 to 10 days and then see how it feels. Yeah, well, what if the 7 to 10 days comes and it doesn’t feel good? I’m sitting here like everyone else going. ‘What the …?’ I hope one of these days I don’t feel it, but right now, I do.”

      I’m really rooting for this kid. He has had a rough go of it in his first two years, but he definitely flashed some potential this season. Keep in mind that he’s just 21 and if he can ever get his knees straightened out — that’s a big IF, I know — he has the ability to become a very good starting center in this league. He’s averaging 9.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks this season and if he can get enough experience and figure out how to stay out of foul trouble, he could be a force. (His PER of 17.80 is 12th amongst centers, ahead of Al Horford, Marc Gasol and Andrew Bogut.) Moreover, he seems a like a thoughtful, worldly guy, and I’d like to see him succeed.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

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