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      Are the Chargers taking the right approach with Shawne Merriman’s contract situation?

      May 18, 2010 /

      The NFL has always been a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league and Shawne Merriman is currently being reminded of that.

      In his first three seasons, Merriman posted 188 tackles, 39.5 sacks and eight forced fumbles. But after undergoing major knee surgery before the 2008 season, his numbers have expectedly dropped off. He essentially didn’t play in ’08 and then struggled last year while bouncing back from the injury.

      In his last six regular season games, plus his start against the Jets in the playoffs last year, Merriman has zero sacks. He has just one forced fumble in his last 28 starts and finished with only 36 tackles in 14 games last season. While two injury-plagued/unproductive seasons don’t erase three stellar years of service, it’s not unreasonable that the Bolts are holding off on giving Merriman a long-term deal.

      No one can fault Merriman for seeking a multi-year contract, especially considering his career has already been threatened once by an injury. Players want the comfort of knowing they’re set up long-term and you can’t hold it against Merriman that’s trying to parlay the success he had in his first three years into a new deal.

      That said, you can’t blame the Chargers for wanting to keep him hungry, either. If they paid him now, he may or may not strive to produce. But if they keep that long-term contract carrot dangling in front of him, they know they’re going to get his best effort next season. If he plays well and he moves on next year, then at least they got one last productive season out of him and they already drafted his potential replacement last year in Larry English. If he plays well and wants to stay, then they can feel better about investing in him long-term. If he struggles and has a down year, then they don’t have to commit to him. That might be an unfair scenario for Merriman, but the NFL has always been a business.

      Again, I don’t blame Merriman for being upset about his current situation. But what is he going to do? This is the spot he finds himself in and all that’s left is for him to prove that he deserves a long-term deal – whether that’s in San Diego or elsewhere.

      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      NBA Draft Lottery: Who wouldn’t pick John Wall #1?

      May 18, 2010 /

      The NBA Draft Lottery is tonight, and as always, there is a lot riding on a few ping pong balls. Here is a list of the lottery teams (with their chances of winning the top pick in parenthesis) along with some discussion of their possible strategy if they do win the #1 pick.

      ALMOST A SURE THING

      Nets (25%)
      The Wall-to-New Jersey/Brooklyn rumors have been strong all season, thanks to the Nets’ woeful record and Devin Harris’s struggles. Harris is now viewed as expendable, which means Wall would be a Net if the balls bounce their way tonight.

      Wizards (10.3%)
      Winning the right to draft Wall would allow the Wizards to cut ties with Gilbert Arenas and the franchise’s gun-toting past. It might also convince a free agent or two to sign for the chance to play with Wall.

      76ers (5.3%)
      Jrue Holiday is nice, but he’s not going to dissuade the Sixers from drafting a franchise-savior like Wall.

      Pistons (5.2%)
      See 76ers above but substitute “Rodney Stuckey” for “Jrue Holiday.” That is all.

      Pacers (1.1%)
      Indiana arguably needs a point guard more than any other team in the lottery, but with just a 1.1% chance of winning, they’re hoping against hope.

      Grizzlies (0.7%)
      Memphis would be buzzing with the arrival of Wall, who would seemingly be a great fit with O.J. Mayo, a re-signed Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. Memphis would likely make the playoffs next season.

      Raptors (0.6%)
      The chances are very slim, but winning the right to draft Wall would offset the likely loss of Chris Bosh this summer. Neither Jarrett Jack nor Jose Calderon would be enough to convince the Raptors to draft Evan Turner.

      Continue reading »

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, NBA Draft, Rumors & Gossip

      Hanley Ramirez rips into manager Fredi Gonzalez following benching

      May 18, 2010 /

      There’s a problem brewing in South Florida these days and at least this time, it has nothing to do with the weather.

      Hanley Ramirez showed more than a little frustration on Tuesday morning when he was probed about being benched by manager Fredi Gonzalez for not hustling after a ball in the second inning of Florida’s 5-1 loss to the Diamondbacks on Monday night.

      Here are some snippets from Ramirez’s interview with media from the Miami Herald this morning:

      What was reaction when he said he was taking you out of the game?
      Ramirez: I just said ‘I’m going to go home. I just wanted to go home. It’s brutal. It’s fine. It’s OK.

      Are you angry?
      Ramirez: It’s brutal like I said. I’m just going to play the game and he’s just going to have to leave me alone.

      Did you lose respect for Gonzalez?
      Ramirez: A little bit. We got 24 more guys out there, hopefully they can do the same things I do. That are wearing the Marlins uniform. There’s nothing I can say.

      Are you going to apologize to your team for dogging it?
      Ramirez: For what? Do what? We have a lot of people dogging it after ground balls. They never pull guys.

      Do you want to play for Fredi?
      Ramirez: It’s over. I’m done. No more [questions].

      Do you hold yourself accountable for not running?
      Ramirez: That was as hard as I could go right there. I wasn’t trying like I gave up. That was the hardest I could go after the ball.

      Ramirez fouled a pitch off his shin in the bottom of the first inning, which happened before he booted the ball in the second inning and jogged after it. He can try to blame not hustling on the injury, but I implore anyone in their right mind to watch the replay and convince me that he didn’t dog it while running after the ball. I don’t know if he was trying to play it cool after he screwed up or what, but he was clearly not going 100%.

      This is one of those times when a star athlete needs to swallow his pride, choke back some of his ego and apologize to his manager, teammates and fans. Ramirez is a phenomenal player, but just because he’s an All-Star it doesn’t give him the right to take plays off. He says that other people dog it “after ground balls” but even if that’s true, it doesn’t mean he should do it. He’s paid a lot of money to do what he does and seeing as how he’s the Marlins’ best player, he should set the bar higher for himself. If he doesn’t, then every team he plays for will have a pretty low ceiling.

      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

      LeBron’s lawyer going after blogger

      May 18, 2010 /

      TMZ Sports acquired a copy of an email sent to Terez Owens that blasts the site for starting the Delonte West/Gloria James rumor:

      In the email, Frederick Nance — attorney for LeBron and Gloria — says the report is “categorically false and per se defamatory.” Nance adds, “No thinking person could possibly believe such rubbish.”

      The guys at terezowens tell us, “We think it’s a little fishy that they waited almost 4 days to fire this off.” They say they stand by their source, and they’re consulting with their lawyers. The story is still up on their site … for now.

      When I first heard this story, I thought it was too crazy to be true. I guess we’ll have to see if all of the facts come out.

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

      Winslow undergoes fifth knee surgery

      May 18, 2010 /

      According to the Pewter Report, Bucs tight end Kellen Winslow was held out of the start of OTAs Monday after undergoing his fifth knee surgery in the last six years.

      The report states that the knee surgery was a minor arthroscopic procedure, or a “clean up” of the knee. That said, this was Winslow has already had two knee operations since undergoing microfracture surgery in 2007. At 26 he may be able to recover without much problem, but how long will he be able to play after having all these surgeries? The body obviously breaks down with age, so this isn’t a good sign for the tight end’s long-term health.

      The Bucs need a healthy Winslow heading into the season so young quarterback Josh Freeman has a primary weapon he can use in the middle of the field. If not, the team will have to count on rookie Arrelious Benn or a hodgepodge group of receivers in Michael Clayton, Maurice Stovall, Mario Urrutia, Reggie Brown and Mark Bradley.

      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

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