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      Mikey’s MLB power rankings

      July 10, 2010 /

      Not much has changed at the top of this list, but the Rangers are making a statement. Meanwhile, the Mets, Cardinals and Twins have been playing such mediocre baseball that a few upstarts have knocked them off this list. Here are the pre-All Star game power rankings:

      1. New York Yankees (55-31)—It’s on. The Rangers out-bid the Yanks for Cliff Lee, but lookie here—the Bombers have won 7 in a row. They don’t need no stinkin’ Cliff Lee.

      2. Texas Rangers (50-36)—Yesterday, Nolan Ryan and company vaulted their team from playoff contender to World Series contender by obtaining Mr. Lee. The middle of their lineup with Vlad, Hamilton and Nelson Cruz just might be the most potent heart of the order in baseball.

      3. Tampa Bay Rays (52-34)—Sorry, Boston. Sorry, New York. These pesky Rays are not going away.

      4. Atlanta Braves (51-35)—This pains me as a Mets fan, but the Braves made a series-opening statement last night at Citi Field. They are for real and they are trying to pull away from the Mets and Phils.

      5. San Diego Padres (50-36)—You think the Mets wish they still had Heath Bell?

      6. Boston Red Sox (50-36)—They aren’t giving in either. The next two and a half months are going to be very exciting in the AL East.

      7. Cincinnati Reds (45-35)—That team dressed in red leading the NL Central is not the Cardinals. By the way, if Joey Votto didn’t win that online voting, it would have been one of the worst all-star snubs in baseball history.

      8. Detroit Tigers (47-37)—Don’t look now, the Tigers have won four in a row and the White Sox six in a row, and they are 1-2 in the AL Central while the Twins are suddenly floundering.

      9. Los Angeles Dodgers (48-38)—Will the NL West be like a stock market correction and have the Dodgers and Rockies take over the Padres’ lofty spot? The Dodgers are winning again and making their move.

      10. Colorado Rockies (48-38)—Always a late bloomer, the Rockies are also making a move, and their stud ace Ubaldo Jimenez is a positively sick 15-1 at the all-star break.

      External Sports, MLB

      Vick: “There should of never been a party”

      July 9, 2010 /
      ATLANTA - DECEMBER 06: Michael Vick #7 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on from the sidelines during their 34-7 win over the Atlanta Falcons at Georgia Dome on December 6, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

      Michael Vick, whose grammar is really, really good, told Fox 29 in Philadelphia that he should “of” never held the birthday party that resulted in Quanis Phillips being shot in the leg.

      “There should of never been a party,” Vick said.

      On June 25, Quanis Phillips was shot early shortly after 2 a.m. outside a club called Guadalajara in Virginia Beach, where a 30th birthday party was being thrown for Vick. Phillips had been a co-defendant in Vick’s dog-fighting case.

      Virginia Beach police have closed the case and say Vick is not a suspect . The shooting also led to the NFL and the Philadelphia Eagles to start their own fact-gathering effort about the party.

      Vick has said in statements that he was not at the scene of the shooting and was not involved in any way.

      Vick is also set to appear at another “birthday” event next weekend as he hosts a charity golf event run by a nightclub outside Atlanta.

      Whether you host a party at a nightclub or do it form the comforts of your own home, there’s no law against celebrating your birthday. But all of this sounds way too familiar.

      He shouldn’t have fought dogs. He shouldn’t have held a party. He shouldn’t have contracted herpes. He’s the king of hindsight.

      If he hasn’t learned now that he’ll forever be in the public eye, then he never will. It can’t be too hard to just lay low, but maybe for him it is.

      External Sports, NFL

      Cris Carter has a few choice words for Sidney Rice

      July 9, 2010 /
      NEW ORLEANS - JANUARY 24: Sidney Rice #18 of the Minnesota Vikings makes a reception against Randall Gay #20 of the New Orleans Saints during the NFC Championship Game at the Louisiana Superdome on January 24, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Saints won 31-28 in overtime. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

      While I would classify it as “ripping” the young receiver, former Viking Cris Carter was a little testy that Sidney Rice didn’t show up to Larry Fitzgerald’s football camp this year. Rice did so last year and praised Carter and Fitzgerald for his breakout season (83 catches, 1,312 yards, 8 touchdowns) in 2009.

      From the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

      “I don’t know,” Carter said. “You have to ask him. I don’t know what it’s like to have one good year and then disappear. I don’t know what it’s like. That’s on him. I really don’t know. … If I had that kind of impact on him he should have been here today.”
      Carter’s response prompted another media member to ask if he is mad that Rice has not returned to workout with the group.

      “I don’t look mad do I?” he said. “I don’t get mad about kids coming or not coming. Larry is the only one who invited me. Larry is the only one but some people in Kansas City as far as their administration kind of knew I was going to be here. We kind of let them know that I would be here for [receiver Dwayne] Bowe. But I’m here for Larry. Everybody else is just getting the benefit of our relationship. But Sidney is not here so I guarantee he’s not getting no better today.”

      You’d think that if the camp helped transform Rice into the player he was last year that he’d do it again. But he has reportedly been dealing with a lingering hip injury too, so maybe that has something to do with it (and probably does).

      Either way, Carter is probably just trying to motivate Rice.

      External Sports, NFL

      USC takes another hit as redshirt freshman Moore decides to transfer

      July 9, 2010 /

      Add defensive back Byron Moore to the growing number of players that have decided that the two-year bowl ban is enough for them to bolt USC for the chance to play elsewhere.

      From the Los Angeles Times:

      “He wants a fresh start,” Byron Moore Sr. said in a text message. “USC coaches and staff were great.”

      Moore is the third player to leave USC since the NCAA announced major sanctions against the athletic program in June. The penalties include four years’ probation, a two-year bowl ban and the loss of 30 scholarships over three years. USC is appealing some of the sanctions.

      Junior defensive end Malik Jackson said Monday he would transfer to Tennessee. Junior linebacker Jordan Campbell is transferring to Louisville.

      The Trojans lost their entire 2009 secondary to the NFL this past April and now the position looks incredibly thin with the departure of Moore. They’re going to be hurting for depth once the season gets rolling (especially when injuries, which are always inevitable, start to stack up).

      Unfortunately for USC, Moore probably won’t be the last player to transfer this offseason. For current Trojans, having the opportunity to play in a bowl game is outweighing staying with Lane Kiffin and riding things out in Southern Cal right now.

      College Football, External Sports

      Mike Miller joining Miami Thrice?

      July 9, 2010 /

      Minnesota Timberwolves Wayne Ellington (19) defends against Washington Wizards Mike Miller (6) during the fourth quarter at the Verizon Center in Washington on February 17, 2010. UPI/Alexis C. Glenn.

      After freeing up some cap space by trading Michael Beasley to the T-Wolves, the Heat want to replace him with Mike Miller, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

      The Heat then turned around and reportedly utilized that $4.9 million in gained cap space on Washington Wizards free-agent swingman Mike Miller, who had a standing five-year, $30 million offer on the table from the Heat. Radio station KSFY in Miller’s native South Dakota reported the deal early Friday morning.

      The New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers also had offers on the table for Miller, with the Clippers’ package worth significantly more than the Heat package.

      Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James were nothing if not pragmatic by teaming up in South Beach, and Miller is just as wise to choose situation over salary. He’s exactly the kind of player the Heat need to play alongside their three stars.

      He’s a sharpshooter (career 40.5% from 3PT) and willing passer (3.9 apg last season) and he will make teams pay if they try to double off of him onto LWB (LeBron, Wade, Bosh). At the age of 30, he’s at the tail end of his prime, but his game should age pretty well, a la Ray Allen and Reggie Miller.

      Maybe the most important thing about this potential signing is how Miller is clearly willing to leave money on the table to play for a winner. It’s an early indication that the Heat won’t have much trouble filling out its roster with capable role players.

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

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