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      Browns appear ready to head into camp with Delhomme as their starter

      July 19, 2010 /
      CHARLOTTE, NC - JANUARY 03: Jake Delhomme #17 of the Carolina Panthers reacts on the sidelines against the New Orleans Saints during their game at Bank of America Stadium on January 3, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

      Eric Mangini said Monday that the Browns’ starting quarterback job is Jake Delhomme’s to lose. Some Cleveland fans may want to throw their Jim Brown bobblehead through their office window after reading that news, while others probably shrugged and muttered, “Well, at least it’s not Derek Anderson.”

      Thus far, all of the reports on Delhomme this summer have been positive. Mike Holmgren was looking to add a veteran quarterback who could help provide leadership in the locker room and he found one in Delhomme. Perhaps more importantly, the former Panther has developed a good report with young receivers Mohamed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie.

      Of course, Delhomme has been around long enough to know how to make an impression in OTAs. While his veteran presence has probably been a welcoming sight around Cleveland this summer, the real work is still ahead. This is a player that hasn’t played with confidence in the recent past and his decision-making has been downright brutal over the last year and a change. If the Browns were looking for a savior at the quarterback position, Delhomme isn’t it.

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      External Sports, NFL

      Is the East the better conference?

      July 19, 2010 /
      Mar. 04, 2010 - Miami, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES - epa02065582 Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (L) drives the ball past Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (R) during their game at the American Airlines arena in Miami, Florida, USA 04 March 2010. The Heat defeated the Lakers in overtime 114-111.

      The West has dominated the East since the Bulls finished their second three-peat in 1998, winning nine of 12 NBA titles (Lakers 5, Spurs 4) and finishing with a better overall record in 11 of 12 seasons. (The East won the regular season matchup in 2008-09.)

      Is this dominance about to end? With the Super Friends joining forces in Miami, the Heat go from playoff also-ran to bona fide contender. However, the Cavs and Raptors will both be lucky to win 30 games this year, so regular season wins-wise it may be a wash. Amare Stoudemire joined the Knicks, which is somewhat offset by the loss of David Lee to the Warriors. Carlos Boozer signed with the Bulls, which gives Chicago a legit shot at a Top 4 seed in the East.

      The top three picks in the draft — John Wall, Evan Turner and Derrick Favors — all went to Eastern Conference teams, so the Wizards, Sixers and Nets should be better.

      Charlotte lost Raymond Felton, but they should still be decent under Larry Brown. Atlanta retained Joe Johnson which means the Hawks should be good for 45-50 wins. The Bucks aren’t going to sneak up on anyone this year, but they added some talent and the continued maturation of Brandon Jennings and Andrew Bogut should put Milwaukee in that 45-50 win range as well.

      In the West, the Lakers will continue to be excellent, while the Spurs’ addition of Tiago Splitter might put them back into contention. After that, who has a legit shot representing the West in the Finals? Dallas and Denver will be good, but both teams seem to be treading water. The Thunder should continue to improve, but they still seem to be a year or two away. The Rockets should be a lot better if Yao Ming can stay healthy. Same goes for the Frail Blazers, but the Suns and Jazz both figure to be a little worse.

      On paper, it looks as if there could be a sea change in terms of conference power this season, but one thing’s for sure — proud teams in the West like the Lakers and Spurs aren’t going to go down without a fight.

      And that’s why they play the games.

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      Padres’ Bud Black well deserving of a contract extension

      July 19, 2010 /
      May 19, 2010; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Diego Padres manager Bud Black (20) before the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Photo via Newscom

      MLB.com is reporting that the Padres are on the verge of giving manager Bud Black a three-year contract extension. If that’s the case, then yahoo for Bud Black, yahoo for the Padres and most importantly, yahoo for school.

      In case you haven’t seen many San Diego games this year (and if you rely on ESPN for games or highlights, then you haven’t), then you may not fully grasp how important Black has become to the first place Padres. This isn’t a club that puts a lot of runs on the board on a nightly basis (they’re 21st in the league in that category), nor can they wait for one of their big poppers to save them with a home run (they’re 23rd in MLB in dingers) late in games.

      But this is a club that relies on pitching, defense and fundamentals. They grasp the idea of the hit and run and more importantly, they know how to execute it. They know how to steal to put themselves in position to score and unlike so many teams in Major League Baseball these days, they’re not afraid to play their younger prospects. (As opposed to signing past-their-prime veterans, watching them hit .220, keeping them in the lineup for three-fourths of the season anyway and then allowing youngsters to play when there’s only a month left in the year.)

      And because of Black, they do all of the things mentioned above well and that’s the main reason they find themselves up four games above the Rockies in the NL West. Is that to say that another manager wouldn’t be having the same success? No, but no matter how the young Padres finish this season, Black has put them in the best position to win not only now, but also in the future.

      Also, don’t forget that many people thought the Padres would be gearing up to hold a fire sale at this point in the season. But thanks to the Padres’ strong play so far, it’s almost assured that players like Adrian Gonzalez will have the opportunity to make a postseason run in San Diego this season. Thus, in some ways, Black has played a role in keeping Gonzo in San Diego and that alone should have Padre fans elated that the club is keeping the skipper around for next few years. (Even if Gonzo is dealt this offseason after the Padres make a postseason run this year.)

      External Sports, MLB

      James Jones returns to Miami

      July 19, 2010 /

      Per the South Florida Sun Sentinel, James Jones has re-upped with the Heat.

      So despite being forced to take a $3 million pay cut by the Miami Heat just three weeks ago, the 3-point specialist and University of Miami product said Sunday he is coming back, this time with the bonus of playing not only alongside Dwyane Wade, but also heralded free-agent additions LeBron James and Chris Bosh.

      “I have to come back. This is not something I could pass up,” Jones told the Sun Sentinel. “This is too much of an opportunity to bypass.”

      Jones, 29, will now wind up receiving dual paychecks from the Heat this season. Originally due $4.7 million for 2010-11, Jones received a $1.6 million buyout from the team in June. He now will sign back at the veterans’ minimum of $1 million for the coming season.

      The Spurs were reportedly interested in Jones and had $2.4 million of their mid-level exception remaining (along with their $2.1 million bi-annual exception).

      Jones is a career 40% three-point shooter, but hasn’t played more than 16 minutes a game in either of the last two seasons, and injuries have forced him out of 88 games during that span. He probably felt that he owed it to the franchise to sign at a discount. (If he didn’t, he should have. I have no idea why NBA contracts are fully guaranteed.)

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      If Rams have trouble signing Bradford, they have themselves to blame

      July 19, 2010 /
      St. Louis Rams No.1 draft pick quarterback Sam Bradford (8) runs a play during day one of the Rams rookie camp at the teams practice facility in Earth City on April 30, 2010. UPI/Bill Greenblatt Photo via Newscom

      The Dolphins accomplished the feat two years ago with offensive tackle Jake Long. The Lions were able to do the same thing last year with quarterback Matthew Stafford.

      But the Rams decided to wait and now, well who knows. Uncertainty is about to become their best friend over the next couple of weeks.

      According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, when a deal eventually gets done, the guaranteed money in Sam Bradford’s contract will be between $45 million and $50 million. That’s a ton of dough for any franchise to fork over for one player, not to mention one whose owners are in the midst of trying to sell the team.

      Of course, this could have been avoided had the Rams struck a deal with Bradford before the draft. They had more leverage then and certainly more options. While they wanted and needed a franchise quarterback most of all, if they knew that signing Bradford would be an issue (or they weren’t prepared to hand him $50 million in guaranteed money), they could have selected Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh or Oklahoma’s Gerald McCoy.

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      External Sports, NFL

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