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      Peter King releases his 2010 NFL Power Rankings

      May 17, 2010 /

      SI.com’s Peter King released his first NFL power ranking for the 2010 season and has more than a handful of surprises, most notably at No. 1.

      1. Green Bay. It’s not just the maturation of Aaron Rodgers. It’s the carryover from a fluky end to 2009 (the weird playoff loss at Arizona) and the fact that only one team in football — New Orleans — had a better point differential than the Pack’s plus-164 last year. I like Jermichael Finley to become a great player in his second starting season. I don’t trust the pass-rush (where Clay Matthews is the only real thing), and I worry about two of the top three corners coming off ACL surgery, and aging. But the defensive front is formidable, and a very good match for the good run teams of the AFC North. I also like Weeks 2 through 5 on the schedule (Buffalo, at Chicago, Detroit, at Washington), which sets up for a strong start.

      This should make my colleague John Paulsen extremely happy. The Packers’ offense is explosive, although the offensive line will once again be the focus. Rodgers endured a ton of hits last season and those blows eventually catch up with a quarterback. His O-line must do a better job of protecting him for them to get back to the playoffs.

      With Green Bay ranking first, King must have the Saints at No. 2, right? Wrong.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, NFL

      Redskins sign Holliday; Haynesworth trade still a possibility?

      May 17, 2010 /

      The Redskins have made it clear that they won’t sit by the phone until Albert Haynesworth eventually calls them back. In signing defensive end Vonnie Holliday on Monday, they’re sending a message that they’re preparing for the possibility that their $100 million man won’t be around once the regular season kicks off.

      Granted, Holliday is already 34 and probably wasn’t given more than a one-year contract. He’s hardly a game changer at this point in his career, but he doesn’t represent just another camp body either. Behind the 49ers’ Justin Smith and the Dolphins’ Randy Starks, Holliday was one of the most effective 3-4 defensive ends in the NFL last year. He gave the Broncos’ a solid pass-rush and was steady against the run as well. He finished the season with 33 tackles, five sacks and two forced fumbles.

      As Haynesworth mulls over whether or not to show up to OTAs, the Redskins are readying themselves in case he never shows up again. In Phillip Daniels, Andre Carter, Adam Carriker, Kedric Golston, Maake Kemoeatu, Howard Green and now Holliday, Washington has no shortage for defensive linemen. And while none of those players listed have the talent of Haynesworth, the Redskins could certainly get by with them if they had to.

      The Redskins foolishly front-loaded Haynesworth contract, so there’s not a whole lot of incentive for him to show up for voluntary workouts. He already got paid, so maybe he won’t show up until training camp. If the Redskins don’t want to wait that long, they could still try to trade him in hopes of getting something, anything, in return. Of course, it stands to reason that they won’t get fair value in a trade and therefore it might be in their best interest to wait him out in hopes that he’ll eventually show before the season starts.

      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      Tigers demote youngsters Scherzer, Sizemore

      May 17, 2010 /

      One day very soon, the Tigers hope starter Max Scherzer and infielder Scott Sizemore will be a part of their future core. But as of right now, the club feels as though they need more work before they can contribute on the big league level.

      Both players were sent to Triple-A Toledo over the weekend in hopes that they’ll straighten out their weaknesses. Scherzer, who was acquired as part of a three-team trade that sent Ian Kennedy and Edwin Jackson to the Diamondbacks in early December of last year, is a hard-throwing right-hander that needs to develop a second pitch. He’s lived and died by his fastball thus far in his career and it doesn’t take major league hitters long to abuse pitchers that don’t have a second pitch that they trust in.

      As for Sizemore, manager Jim Leyland seems to think that the young second baseman was starting to look lost at the plate.

      “It was almost like he was starting to get a little lost,” Leyland said. “He was fighting himself. You could kind of see it.

      “But I think Sizemore’s gonna be fine. We still really like him.”

      Baseball can be an extremely humbling game. When players are slumping, they feel as though they’ll never get another hit or have another good outing again. They start pressing, and once that happens their confidence crumbles and things start to unravel.

      Hopefully both of these players gain perspective in the minors and can come back up and help the Tigers soon. Talent certainly isn’t an issue – they just need time to get their heads back on straight.

      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

      Lookin at Lucky to skip Belmont Stakes

      May 17, 2010 /

      Those hoping to parlay Lookin at Lucky’s win at the Preakness into a possible victory at the Belmont Stakes will have to look elsewhere. Because Bob Baffert says the colt won’t run on June 5 in New York.

      From SI.com:

      Baffert said Lookin At Lucky will also take a pass on the Belmont and return to Southern California to freshen up. His next start may be the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth on Aug. 1.

      “I want to keep this horse around,” the Hall of Fame trainer said.

      Their absences, combined with no Triple try in play, leaves the Belmont with little drama. Baffert will be there, though, saying he plans to saddle Game On Dude, partly owned by Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre. First Dude finished second in the Preakness, and is likely a Belmont starter.

      “It’ll be the Battle of the Dudes,” Baffert said.

      It’s disappointing that neither Super Saver (the Kentucky Derby winner) nor Lookin at Lucky will run at the Belmont, but it’s understandable. The Derby this year was a grind, given that the conditions were poor and the traffic at the start was brutal. Super Saver looked beat at the Preakness and I’m sure Lookin at Lucky is gassed after winning.

      First Dude might be installed as the favorite at the Belmont in two weeks. He was a 20/1 long shot entering the Preakness on Saturday, but surprised the field to finish second.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      General Sports, horse racing

      High school coach punishes players in nasty version of King’s Cup

      May 16, 2010 /

      South Tahoe High softball coach Anneliese Neitling has apologized for instructing players to drink soda out of a teammate’s cleat. This was the punishment for the girls who struck out during their game on May 1.

      Eight varsity players who struck out against the Wooster Colts in that game at Todd Fields were required by coach Anneliese Neitling to drink soda pop out of a team member’s softball cleat at a team slumber party that night.

      The Tahoe Daily Tribune contacted Neitling on Wednesday and she refused to comment. She did not return additional phone calls before deadline Thursday.

      James Tarwater, the superintendent of Lake Tahoe Unified School District, interpreted the action as a young coach’s mistake.

      “It was meant as a joke and obviously it went too far,” said Tarwater, whose office received one parental complaint about the incident.

      Tarwater said the incident will be addressed during Neitling’s postseason coaching evaluation.

      A couple of things here:

      – I guess it depends who’s shoe it was, because Betty “Swamp Foot” Ferguson often smells of something awful.

      – Only one player did not strike out. Was she party to this whole fiasco as well — i.e. did she sit back and smirk, was it her shoe, did she try and stop it?

      – This was at a slumber party? If so, why did the girls go through with it during such an innocent event? Or was the coach in attendance, enforcing the punishment? If so, what the F?

      On a more serious note, it amazes me that school teachers/coaches sometimes think they can get away with this behavior. Other than simply reporting it verbally, high school kids are adept enough with their phones to capture any unsavory behavior as they understand the multimedia capabilities.

      News

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