Page 906 of 2957

      Bucs’ owners $1.6 billion in debt

      June 7, 2010 /

      According to a report by the BBC, the Glazer family is $1.6 billion in debt. Malcolm Glazer and his sons own the Buccaneers and also the Manchester United soccer team.

      From the Tampa Bay Tribune:

      The BBC said it saw mortgage documents showing the Glazers have borrowed $570 million against shopping malls owned by their company, First Allied Corp. That’s in addition to $1 billion in debts tied to Manchester United and $95 million to the Buccaneers.

      (Bucs’ director of communications Jonathon) Grella also said the Glazers are committed to bringing in the resources to build a winning team in Tampa Bay.

      “Buccaneers fans should know that the Glazer family is as financially well-positioned as ever before,” his statement said. “Companies they own generate revenues in excess of $800 million each year.”

      Based on the article, it appears that Manchester United is the franchise most likely to suffer from the Glazers “situation” and not the Bucs. If what Grella says is true, then the Glazers won’t change their strategy with the Bucs. (I’ll leave it up to you to define the word strategy when it’s applied to how the Glazers run things in Tampa. Some will define it as “calculated,” while others will deem it “cheapskate-ness.”)

      That said, it’s not like the Bucs spent big this offseason. Instead of bringing in high-priced free agents, they concentrated on re-signing their own players, such as tackles Jeremy Trueblood and Donald Penn, running back Cadillac Williams, receivers Maurice Stovall and Mark Bradley, and linebacker Barrett Ruud. Whether that was by design or done because the Glazers are cheap, nobody knows for sure. But at least at this point, it still appears that they’re committed to winning.

      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL, Soccer

      T-Wolves interested in Gay?

      June 7, 2010 /

      Ronald Tillery of the Commercial-Appeal thinks so…

      One team that will make a strong run at Gay is the Minnesota Timberwolves. Team owner Glen Taylor and president of basketball operations David Kahn have already targeted Gay as an attainable player to uplift the struggling franchise.

      Griz owner Michael Heisley continues to insist that Gay will be a Grizzly next season. Memphis (namely Heisley) has the right to match any offer sheet that is presented to Gay from another team.

      Gay would be a nice fit in Minnesota who could use his scoring on the wing. Neither Kevin Love nor Al Jefferson are terribly athletic, so Gay would help bolster the Minnesota front line. I am sure that David Kahn is envisioning Ricky Rubio feeding the ball to Gay on the break in two years.

      But when the owner insists he’s going to match any offer for one of his restricted agents, it’s usually a good sign that it’s going to happen. He holds the purse strings, so he can spend whatever he wants to retain Gay. The Grizzlies can sit back, wait for Gay to work out a deal with another team, and then match it. Memphis has an advantage over, say, the Knicks, who hope to land LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and/or Chris Bosh. But if a team makes David Lee a “take it or leave it” offer on July 1, the Knicks may not have much time to beat it since they’ll be waiting on answers from LeBron and Co.

      Gay is not a “max” player, but there’s a good chance that he gets a max deal, or at least a maximum offer from a team who doesn’t hold his Bird rights. This may help the Grizzlies a little bit because they won’t be on the hook for that extra year and the additional $30 million.

      Gay is a nice player — he averaged 20-6-2, 47% FG, 33% 3PT — but he’s not a max guy. Chances are that whoever ultimately signs him this summer will have to overspend for his services, especially with so much cap space floating around.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Pac-10 expansion coming soon?

      June 7, 2010 /

      The Pac-10 is now one step closer to expanding and possibly devouring the Big 12, as commissioner Larry Scott announced on the final day of the conference meetings on Sunday that university presidents and chancellors have given him the authority he needs to expand the Pac-10.

      From ESPN.com:

      “What direction that process takes still could go in different directions, everything from remaining as we are as a Pac-10 that’s got some very bright days ahead of it to a bigger conference footprint,” Scott said. “I have the authority to take it in different directions, depending on various scenarios and discussions we’re going to have.”

      Scott wouldn’t give any timeframe for expansion talks — other than to reiterate that the deadline is the end of this year — or discuss specific schools. However, it sounds as if he will aggressively court some of the biggest names in college sports, including Texas. The Big 12 is in danger of collapsing and could provide the Pac-10 with six new teams or more.

      The Big 12 reportedly gave Missouri and Nebraska an ultimatum of Friday to decide if they will remain in the Big 12. If those schools leave, the Pac-10 could be strategically situated to gobble up Big 12 teams looking for bigger opportunities, including Texas. The most widely discussed scenario has Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Colorado joining the Pac-10. There was some indication Sunday that Baylor could replace Colorado under pressure from the Texas Legislature.

      If the Big 12 largely stays intact but is under the umbrella of the Pac-10, then expansion wouldn’t be a bad thing. Because then you keep some of the key rivalries (Texas vs. Oklahoma, Texas vs. Texas A&M, Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State) in place, but introduce a broader spectrum of games (i.e. Texas vs. USC). True Big 12 fans will lose out on seeing Nebraska and Missouri play Texas and Oklahoma every year, but at least the majority of the conference wouldn’t be dismantled. (Much like if Texas goes to the SEC or Pac-10, while Texas A&M and whomever else heads to the SEC, which has already been discussed.)

      That said, if the Big 12 falls apart and most of these programs split up, then it’s hard to argue for expansion. I discussed this topic more last week, but the words “rivalries” and “tradition” will mean nothing if teams like Texas and Texas A&M head to different conferences. College football was built on rivalries and tradition and I think school presidents and athletic directors should strive to keep that in mind.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      College Football, External Sports

      Just give him the Cy Young now

      June 7, 2010 /

      If you haven’t had the opportunity to watch Rockies’ ace Ublado Jimenez carve up an opponent this year, then consider yourself among the unfortunate.

      Jimenez struck out eight batters in seven innings of two-run ball on Sunday to beat the Diamondbacks, 3-2. Of course, that was like an off day for him, as he finally gave up a run after pitching 33 consecutive scoreless innings before Conor Jackson took him deep in the eighth inning.

      In 12 starts this season, Jimenez has gone at least six innings in every outing and has allowed two or fewer runs every time. His win on Sunday now gives him a record of 11-1 with an unbelievable 0.93 ERA. For sake of comparison, this time last year, 2009 Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum was 5-1 with a 2.96 ERA. Granted, the Giants are awfully stingy when it comes to run support, but you can see what kind of season Jimenez is having compared to last season’s Cy Young award winner.

      Barring injury or a complete mental breakdown, it’s safe to say that Jimenez will be your 2010 NL Cy Young winner. To early too tell? Not for anyone that has actually watched him. His stuff has been so filthy this year that hitters must think he’s throwing tiny stones at them. He’s been by far the most dominant pitcher in either league so far this year – even better than Roy Halladay (8-3, 2.03 ERA, 77 Ks), who is pitching incredibly well himself.

      I don’t want to jinx the kid, but Jimenez is on pace to exceed 20 wins this season, which is no small feat. He’s been absolutely brilliant and incredibly fun to watch.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

      Source: Cavs make offer to Izzo

      June 7, 2010 /

      The News-Herald reports that Dan Gilbert has his eye on Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, and has already made him an offer.

      According to a league source, they are centering their efforts on bringing in Michigan State coach Tom Izzo.

      In fact, they’ve already made him an offer to be their coach, the source said.

      Izzo makes $3 million a year at Michigan State, so it would take a big offer to get him to leave, especially considering that he might be coaching a Cavs team that is without LeBron James.

      Even if the Cavs doubled his salary, would Izzo want to leave East Lansing to try to coax 40 wins out of Mo Williams, Delonte West and Antawn Jamison?


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

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

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑