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      NHL Trade Deadline: Deal or no deal?

      March 4, 2009 /

      With hours remaining before the NHL’s trading deadline at 3 PM (ET) today, hockey fans want to know…

      Who’s buying?

      Who’s selling?

      Who’s going to be traded?

      Rumors are running rampant, and it’s very hard to distinguish fact from fiction. 25 of 30 teams in the league have a realistic shot of making the playoffs, and nine of them are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. You can expect a number of trades today, as a combined 50 deals were executed at the trade deadline in the past two years.

      Here are six likely candidates:

      Chris Pronger – D, Anaheim Ducks
      His immediate impact as an offensive defenseman could be very beneficial to any team that would acquire him. The Ducks are looking to make a major roster overhaul this off-season, and cannot afford to keep Pronger’s large contract ($6.25 million) on the cap next season. He is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) after the 2009-10 season.

      Tomas Kaberle – D, Toronto Maple Leafs
      He has an iron-clad no-trade clause in his contract, but the Canadian press is reporting that Kaberle gave Maple Leaf GM Brian Burke a list of 10 Eastern Conference teams for which he would waive his no-trade clause. Their asking price could be a stumbling block, as Burke is requesting a minimum bid of a first-round draft choice, an impact roster player, and a prospect from any prospective buyer.

      Jay Bouwmeester – D, Florida Panthers
      Panthers GM Jacques Martin will have a tough deadline decision to make today. Does he acquire a nice package to aid his team’s effort in making a playoff run or does he stand pat and allow Bouwmeester to become an UFA after the season? The Panthers haven’t been in the playoffs since the ’99-’00 season, and must show their fans some progress.

      Keith Tkachuk – C/LW, St. Louis Blues
      Here’s another veteran player with a no-trade clause in his contract, and the local media is reporting that Tkachuk is willing to waive it for the right opportunity. The Blues have made a late run for a playoff spot, but they haven’t secured a position yet. If Tkachuk is traded, this will be sign that ownership has decided the playoffs are out of reach and believes he deserves one last opportunity to play for a Stanley Cup.

      Olli Jokinen – C, Phoenix Coyotes
      The Coyotes are on the brink of financial ruin with no immediate help in sight. They have fallen out of the playoff picture, but upper management is convinced that Jokinen still remains a key ingredient to their recipe for success. All media reports have stated that the Coyotes will need to receive a helluva offer to pry him out of Phoenix. Contenders are trying to gauge the Coyotes’ level of desperation before submitting trade offers.

      Ryan Smyth – LW, Colorado Avalanche
      The Avs are in a rebuilding mode and Smyth’s salary ($6.25 million) is an albatross around their neck. He is one of few Avalanche players that could bring value back in a trade, but Colorado’s asking price has been too high for most teams to even continue trade talks. If their price comes down, then Smyth will be traded by the deadline.

      Let the trading begin…

      NHL

      Manny Ramirez, Dodgers have deal in place

      March 4, 2009 /

      My God, it may be finally over.

      According to the Los Angeles Times, free agent Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers have a deal in place on a two-year, $45 million contract and that the outfielder could report to spring training as early as Thursday.

      For those that still have a shred of interest in this story after months of speculation, the Dodgers only upped their offer another $3 mil. Manny and Boras just rejected a two-year, $42 million offer last week, but apparently a two-year, $45 million deal was good enough.

      Awesome.

      There are Americans all over the country losing their jobs hand over fist and these ass clowns (i.e. Boras and Ramirez) put the Dodgers through the ringer for another $3 million? I thought this whole stance by Boras was so that Manny could get at least a three or four year deal? But they eventually broke down and compromised on an extra $3 million? What a joke.

      Good for the Dodgers for never giving in on their two-year offer. They were steadfast all along in that they wouldn’t up the years of their contract offer and they never did.

      Anyway, so the one place Manny was always expected to go was the exact place he wound up. The Dodgers are now the clear favorites to win the weak NL West and as long as their pitching holds up and some of the youngsters produce, they’ll have a great shot at battling the Phillies, Mets and Cubs for a pennant.

      As for the Giants, one has to wonder if they were ever interested in Manny in the first place or if they just feigned interest in order to mess with the Dodgers. They could have pretended to be interested this entire time in order to delay L.A.’s signing of Ramirez just long enough to piss everybody off. After all, it doesn’t appear that they ever made an official offer to Manny.

      But the thing is, GM Brian Sabean isn’t that smart. Chances are, Sabean was interested in Manny the entire time, but just wasn’t willing to pull the trigger with the ghost of Barry Zito’s contract still calling out to him in the dead of the night. Either way, the Giants can continue their rebuilding plan and pray that youngsters Fred Lewis and Pablo Sandoval overachieve this year offensively.

      MLB

      #7 Duke, #10 Wake keep it going

      March 4, 2009 /

      Only those viewers lucky enough to have access to ESPN360 saw #7 Duke edge #24 Florida St. last night, 84-81. Apparently, you have to subscribe to an approved internet service provider to watch games on ESPN360. (Great. Then what the hell is my Insider subscription for?) Anyway, the win sets up an ACC regular season title game between Duke and North Carolina on Sunday. If UNC wins tonight (@ Virginia Tech), then the Blue Devils will be playing for a share of the title, but the Tar Heels lose to the Hokies, Sunday’s game will be of the winner-take-all variety.

      North Carolina is still the heavy favorite, but Duke is playing a lot better of late, ever since Coach K inserted freshman guard Elliot Williams into the starting lineup five games ago. He is averaging 11.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 31.4 minutes of play after getting just 10.6 minutes in the previous 22 games. He gives the Blue Devils more athleticism in its backcourt, which helps both offensively and defensively. If Duke were able to pull off the upset in Chapel Hill, they’d position themselves for a possible #1 seed if they could go on to win the ACC tournament. But that’s a long way off.

      Elsewhere in the ACC, the Maryland Terrapins really needed a win against visiting Wake Forest to get an NCAA bid, but the Demon Deacons finished strong in a 65-63 win. ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi already had the Terps out of the tournament, but they had a chance to play themselves back into the conversation in a major way with home games against Duke and Wake, but they weren’t able to win either contest. Now they have to beat Virginia on Saturday (to get to 8-8 in the conference) and then make a big run in the ACC tourney with a couple of wins against the likes of North Carolina, Duke, Wake and Clemson. Good luck with that, Terps.

      College Basketball, March Madness

      The World Baseball Classic is a bad idea

      March 4, 2009 /

      Gil LeBreton of the Star-Telegram.com is down on the World Baseball Classic:

      The Classic’s inception three years ago was supposed to put baseball on the world map. Tired of sending the planet acid rain and Barney Miller reruns, America will again don its “USA” suits and dare the world to take down our pants.

      How do we know this? Because the line of U.S. major league stars who have already begged out of the tournament now stretches around the ballpark block.

      Grady Sizemore, Nick Markakis, Chase Utley, Joe Mauer, Jonathan Papelbon, Joe Nathan — all have declined invitations, citing everything from groin surgery to wanting to be at the birth of their first child.

      Clearly, the patriotism factor is tepid at best. But that’s just one of the things working against the World Baseball Classic, which begins Thursday.

      Some nations are sending a veritable Who’s Who to represent their countries. Team USA, meanwhile, appears overstocked in relative Who’s Thats.

      Take Tuesday’s exhibition against the Yankees, for example. Roy Oswalt was scheduled to start for the U.S. team, followed by Jonathan Broxton, Matt Lindstrom, Brad Ziegler, Matt Thornton and LaTroy Hawkins.

      Three years ago at the inaugural Classic, the Americans were snuffed out and embarrassed in the second round. This time, then, it won’t be a surprise when the bullpen coughs up a bronze medal against the Koreans or Cubans.

      Spring is the time for baseball players to get ready for the long season.

      Spring isn’t the time for players to try to muster a patriotic fever.

      It’s a case — a classic case — of a wrong idea at the wrong time.

      The WBC is a nice idea in theory, but I completely agree – the timing of it is awful. You’re asking major league players to essentially play in an extended tournament before the start of the regular season. Pitchers break down enough throughout the course of a 162 game season – now you want them to pitch even more? It doesn’t make sense.

      MLB

      Warner expected to re-sign with Cards soon

      March 4, 2009 /

      Kurt Warner and his agent must have read my latest column because apparently the free agent quarterback is on the verge of re-signing with the Arizona Cardinals according to ESPN.com. If the deal is completed, Warner is expected to receive $23 million over the next two years.

      On Monday I speculated that Warner wouldn’t re-up with the Cards after making a free agent stop in San Francisco to talk with the 49ers. I concluded that with the departure of Todd Haley and the eventual/possible trade of Anquan Boldin, Warner might soon jettison as well.

      Uh, not so much.

      Arizona truly is a perfect fit for Warner, who led the Cards to their first-ever Super Bowl appearance last season. Losing Haley hurts, but head coach Ken Whisenhunt promoted from within and made assistant head coach Russ Grimm the run-game coordinator and wide receivers coach Mike Miller the passing game coordinator. Who knows if the split offensive coordinator duties will work, but at least Warner is familiar with the two coaches that will be devising the game plans next season.

      Assuming they do complete the deal with Warner, the Cards could turn their attention to either re-working Boldin’s contract or finding a suitable trade partner. Boldin has expressed both his desire to stay and leave, with his chief motivation being about money. The Cards will essentially have to decide whether or not they want to pony up big to keep Boldin happy (and soak a ton of money into the wide receiver position with Larry Fitzgerald already on the roster), or possibly acquire multiple draft picks in hopes to address needs on defense.

      Either way, it looks like ‘Zona will have their starting signal caller back under center next year. (Matt Leinart must be doing summersaults right now.)

      NFL, Rumors & Gossip

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