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      After adding Gonzalez and Crawford, Boston’s lineup suddenly looks potent again

      December 9, 2010 /
      August 10, 2010: Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Carl Crawford ( ) during pregame action between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. The Rays defeated the Tigers 8-0.

      After they lost Jason Bay to free agency last winter, Boston’s offense looked about as dangerous as a ball-pit in a kid’s indoor playground. But after trading for Adrian Gonzalez and signing Carl Crawford to a massive seven-year contract, the BoSox have suddenly become the team to beat again in the AL East.

      Gonzalez finished the 2010 season with a .298/.393/.511 batting line, 31 home runs and 101 RBI over 591 at-bats. And he posted those numbers at spacious PETCO Park, so one can only assume that he’ll have plenty of success hitting at smaller Fenway.

      Crawford, who inked a whopping $142 million contract with the Red Sox late Wednesday night, battled .307 with 19 home runs and 47 stolen bases for the Rays last season. He immediately adds speed, defense and a little pop to Boston’s much-improved roster and should do incredibly well hitting in the same lineup as Gonzalez, David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis.

      Considering the Yankees have major pitching issues, the Red Sox have to love what they’ve been able to do this offseason. After they lost Victor Martinez to the Tigers, fans were worried that Theo Epstein may strike out this winter. Instead, he’s answered with the best offseason of any club and it’s not even the middle of December yet.

      External Sports, MLB

      2010 Fantasy Football: Week 14 Rankings

      December 8, 2010 /

      Well, the good news is that I’m still the top-ranked fantasy expert at FantasyPros, but the bad news is Week 13 wasn’t my best (#29 overall), and David Dodds has gained on me for two straight weeks. I still have a lead, but it’s getting smaller. Time to buckle down.

      For the 9th week in a row, John Paulsen (The Scores Report) checks in as the #1 overall expert. While week 13 wasn’t Paulsen’s best showing (29th overall), his success throughout the course of the season has put him in the enviable position of having a cushion to work with as we head into the final 3 weeks of the competition. With that being said, it’s still too early for Paulsen to carve out space on his mantle (do people still have mantles?) for the first place trophy. That’s because David Dodds (FootballGuys) is coming on strong and he has cut into Paulsen’s lead for the 2nd week in a row. We should be in for an exciting conclusion to the competition if the trend continues.

      I’d like to note that I was #7 last week in both DT and K rankings, which don’t count towards my overall score…so there’s that.

      Below you’ll find my first stab at the Week 14 rankings. Be sure to check back as Sunday approaches because they’ll be updated as the news trickles in.


      If the above widget isn’t working, there are text rankings below (but be warned, they aren’t as easily updated).

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

      Iowa star receiver Johnson-Koulianos arrested on drug charges

      December 8, 2010 /
      IOWA CITY, IA - NOVEMBER 8: Wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos #15 of the Iowa Hawkeyes scores a touchdown in the third quarter of play as Anthony Scirrotto #7 of the Penn State Nittany Lions defends on the play at Kinnick Stadium on November 8, 2008 in Iowa City, Iowa. Iowa defeated Penn State 24-23. (Photo by David K Purdy/Getty Images)

      Derrell Johnson-Koulianos just took a sledgehammer to his NFL career.

      Iowa’s all-time leading receiver was arrested on drug charges on Wednesday and has been accused of “keeping a drug house” at his home several blocks from campus. He’s also being charged with possession of cocaine and marijuana and apparently tested positive for both upon his arrest.

      Good grief.

      According to a report by ESPN.com, he could face up to 7 ½ years in prison and multiple fines. His roommate, 21-year-old Brady Cooper Johnson, was also charged after police raided their Iowa City home and discovered marijuana, more than $3,000 in cash, a digital scale and other items used to sell drugs.

      Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz immediately suspended Johnson-Koulianos from team activities as soon as he received word of the charges and obviously the receiver won’t play against Missouri in the Insight Bowl on December 28.

      The senior received first-team All-Big Ten honors and finished the regular season with 46 catches for 745 yards and 10 touchdowns. He became Iowa’s career leader in receptions and receiving yards and was the first player ever to lead the Hawkeyes in receiving his first three seasons.

      I’m not a lawyer and therefore I don’t want to speculate on what Johnson-Koulianos faces from here on out. But it’s probably safe to assume that he can kiss any dreams of playing in the NFL goodbye.

      College Football, External Sports

      Urban Meyer stepping down at Florida – will he reunite with Tim Tebow in Denver?

      December 8, 2010 /
      NEW ORLEANS - JANUARY 01: Quarterback Tim Tebow #15 hugs head coach Urban Meyer of the Florida Gators after scoring a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bearcats during the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Louisana Superdome on January 1, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

      It hasn’t quite been a year since Urban Meyer first said that he was stepping down as head coach of the Florida Gators. Right after Christmas last year, he cited health problems as the reason he would resign but then he changed his mind a day later.

      Apparently he’s changed his mind again.

      According to a report by AOL Fanhouse’s Brett McMurphy, Meyer will step down on Wednesday. McMurphy tweets that there will be a press conference this evening (rumor has it that it’ll be at 6:00PM ET) to announce the decision.

      Considering his short leave of absence in between the ’09 season and the 2010 season (as well as the down year Florida just experienced), I guess this news isn’t all that shocking. He didn’t appear to bring the same excitement and passion to the sidelines as he did in previous years when Tim Tebow was his quarterback. He’ll leave Florida after compiling a 64-15 overall record, which includes two national championships.

      Speaking of Tebow, what are the chances Meyer joins his former pupil in Denver? It’s probably just coincidence that the Broncos fired Josh McDaniels just days before Meyer quit at Florida, but all the pieces fit. He loves Tebow. Tebow loves him. The Broncos need a head coach and oh, what’a know – Meyer needs a job now.

      Another thing to consider is that the Broncos are in a tough spot. Not every coach wants to work with a massive project like Tebow and McDaniels left them as a team without an identity. Meyer could remedy both of those situations but who knows if he’ll even want to coach again in the near future. There’s a strong possibility that he needs time off (for health reasons and otherwise) and hasn’t even considered joining the NFL ranks.

      I’m sure within the next couple of hours the Broncos will deny wanting anything to do with Meyer and Meyer will do the same. “The Broncos? Yuck – I hate that team,” Meyer will say. But how many times has a college head coach lied about his future plans? Bobby Petrino just lied to someone, somewhere two and a half seconds ago.

      A Meyer-Tebow reunion in Denver seems a little to perfect right now but nothing should be ruled out.

      College Football, External Sports, NFL

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