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      Lockout ruling not expected by mid-April; NFLPA won’t go head-to-head with NFL on draft night

      March 28, 2011 /
      NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell departs after a day of negotiations with players association representatives in Washington March 8, 2011. The two sides are seeking an agreement as the deadline looms for a player lockout. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL EMPLOYMENT BUSINESS)

      A pair of updates on the NFL labor situation:

      – Even though the owners and NFLPA will due battle in court over the validity of the lockout on April 6, a source tells ESPN’s Adam Schefter that no one should expect a ruling by mid-April.

      This news is the final dagger in the hopes that free agency would start before the draft. Now teams can almost expect to make selections not knowing whether or not they’ll be able to re-sign their own free agents (or what free agents are interested in joining their team). Now more than ever it’s paramount that a team has a good general manager and scouting department in place. (In other words, yes, you’re screwed Bengal fans.)

      – In separate but somewhat related news, the NFLPA has decided to schedule its draft parties so that they won’t conflict with selections made April 28-30. Originally, the NFLPA was threatening (for lack of a better word) to hold parties during the draft to discourage prospects from shaking commissioner Roger Goodell’s hand on stage at Radio City Music Hall.

      Good for the NFLPA. These prospects deserve to have their moment on stage with Goodell, even if it means they’ll be whisked away to lockout land immediately after they snap that photo on stage. Eventually there will be a new CBA in place. Eventually there will be a season. Eventually this bloody mess will have a resolution. In the meantime, it’s nice to know that top prospects can still have their moment on draft day. I might be looking at the situation wrong, but to me this is also a sign of good faith by the NFLPA.

      External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

      Time is running out: Beat me in fantasy baseball and have the chance to win $200

      March 28, 2011 /
      Baseballs sit on the infield grass during batting practice at the Minnesota Twins baseball spring training facility in Fort Myers February 23, 2011. REUTERS/Hans Deryk (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      Here’s the deal folks, if you haven’t signed up for the ScoresReport.com $500 Contest at FanDuel.com, you’re a fool. I hate to be harsh, but the truth hurts sometimes.

      As of this post, we have eight entries and seven of those contestants are going to at least quadruple their money, just for playing one day of fantasy baseball. Not a season, not a month, not even a week: ONE DAY. This Friday, April 1st. Are you telling me you don’t have the cojones to take me on in fantasy baseball for the chance to win $200? I don’t care if you play fantasy baseball or not; as of right now you have the chance to turn $5 into $200 all for filling out a lineup so what are you waiting for? Sign up today! (Details are below.)

      What do I have to do to win $200 and stick it to you, Anthony?
      Sign up at FanDuel.com and enter the ScoresReport.com $500 Contest. It’s easy to sign up and the entry fee is only $5. Once you’re signed up, FanDuel will give you the opportunity to select nine players from the following April 1 MLB games (click here for more detailed rules, or see below). If you beat me and fellow TSR members (and longtime fantasy baseball enthusiasts) Jamey Codding and David Medsker, you’ll win $5. If you finish in the top 7, you’ll win even more cash, up to $200.

      What are the rules?
      – Each player has a salary, and you only have $35k to spend.
      – You must pick the following positions: P, C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF, CF, RF
      – The game starts Fri 1st Apr at 1:05pm EDT so enter before then.
      – Again, if you manage to finish above our three experts you win an extra $5

      How does the scoring work?
      Once you’ve selected your team, they’ll be awarded these points in these categories: Hitters: 1B = 1pt, 2B = 2pts, 3B = pts, HR = 4pts, RBI = 1pt, R = 1pt, BB = 1pt, SB = 2pts, Out = -.25pt Pitchers: W = 7pts, ER = -1pt, SO=1pt, IP = 1pt.

      Can I win a cash prize if I come in second?
      Yes, $100, as well as for third place ($75), fourth place ($50), fifth place ($30), sixth place ($25) and seventh place ($20). So for signing up for a $5 contest, you could win $20 as long as you come in seventh. You can finish in at least seventh place right? Right? Right?!

      What’s the catch?
      No catch. Sign up is easy, the entry fee is only $5 and all you have to do is beat me in fantasy baseball for one day…ah, so there’s the catch. There’s no way you’re beating me in fantasy baseball.

      Sign up for the ScoresReport.com $500 Contest.

      External Sports, Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Rick Reilly kicks Jimmer Fredette while he’s down

      March 28, 2011 /
      Brigham Young Cougars’ guard Jimmer Fredette reacts during a break in overtime of his team’s play against the Florida Gators during their NCAA Southeast Regional college basketball game in New Orleans, March 24, 2011. REUTERS/Sean Gardner (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

      Ah, Rick Reilly. We love him here at The Scores Report. Whenever Anthony and I get together for a drink or dinner we always start off with a moment of silence in honor of Sir Rick. (That’s what we call him.) Without Rick Reilly’s genius, neither of us would have ever become writers. It was Sir Rick who inspired us.

      Juuuust kidding. Can’t stand the guy. He can write, and he’s the King of the Schmaltz, but we can’t stand the guy.

      Example #247, his postmortem on the BYU/Florida game, entitled, “Jimmer grows dimmer.” (Like I said, genius.)

      Except for a stretch in the middle, when he was brilliant, Fredette was brutal.

      Yes, he scored 32 points, but he took 29 shots to do it. He seemed to be wearing a blindfold from the 3-point arc — 3-for-15. Plus, he committed six turnovers and wandered aimlessly through the lane on defense like Moses in the desert. I’ve seen dead people play better defense. At least they occasionally trip people.

      If his last college game is what he’s bringing to the NBA, then I’d say, in five years, he’s got a really good chance to be your Provo area Isuzu dealer.

      As Reilly notes later, Fredette played 44 minutes against Florida and is asked to carry most of the scoring load for his team. His defense is definitely suspect, but he can’t be expected to expend a lot of energy on that end of the court if his team needs him to score 40 points to win. Cut the guy some slack.

      “He’s a little Maravich,” a guy in a BYU shirt told me.

      No! No, he isn’t! He’s not within a mile of Mardi Gras floats of Maravich. Maravich could get his shot off from the bottom of a swimming pool. He could get 40 in handcuffs. He averaged 44 points a game in college (to Fredette’s 28 this season) and that’s without the 3-point shot. With it, studies of his game film have shown, he would have averaged over 55.

      Of course he’s not Pete Maravich, but why is Reilly devoting precious column space on ESPN.com on the rambling delusions of a BYU fan? Fredette doesn’t have Maravich’s handle, though he does have a wide range of scoop shots that would make Pistol Pete proud.

      It was one of Fredette’s worst shooting nights of the season, but he still managed to score 32 points and lead his team to overtime. Reilly only wants to kick him while he’s down.

      Where was he when Jimmer dropped 52 points on New Mexico, or 43 in a home win against a very good San Diego State defense? Or even five days prior to the Florida loss, when Fredette hit 7-of-12 three-pointers en route to BYU’s 18-point win against a pretty hot Gonzaga team?

      Shooters shoot. And sometimes they have a night like Jimmer did against Florida.

      After all the kid has accomplished this season, why does Reilly feel the need to devote 900 words about what he’s not?

      College Basketball, External Sports, March Madness

      Report: Da’Quan Bowers failed at least two physicals

      March 28, 2011 /

      Clemson defensive end Da’Quan Bowers’ pre-draft stock continues to take a hit.

      One scout told SI.com’s Peter King that Bowers “failed at least two physicals that I know of” after having meniscus surgery following the college season. As King points out, three months ago Bowers was a lock to be drafted in the top-5. But if he doesn’t prove to teams that his knee is healthy at his Pro Day on Friday, there’s no telling how far he could fall.

      King also had some interesting stuff to say about Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley, who more and more is being perceived as a “one-year wonder.” Alabama’s Marcell Dareus has already passed Fairley on most team’s draft boards (or at least presumably based on reports), but the real question is how far the former Tiger will fall. Some mock drafts projected Fairley would be taken No. 1 overall by the Panthers before the scouting combine and now it sounds like he’s not even a lock to go in the top-10.

      One other tidbit from King: The Bills like Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller and Patrick Peterson “a lot.” King isn’t saying that they’ll take either player, but just that they’re high on both. I think the general consensus is that the Bills will go defense at No. 3 and wait until the middle rounds to address their need at quarterback.

      External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

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