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Lance Berkman willing to waive no-trade clause?

Long-time Astros first baseman Lance Berkman told the Houston Chronicle that he would be open to waiving his no-trade clause.

“As a player, if they came to me and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got a deal to go to a contender,’ I’d take it. Heck, it’s only a three- or four-month deal. It’s not like I’m signing on for 10 years with another team.”

“I would say yeah,” Berkman said. “I think it would benefit the organization, and in the end, it would be a benefit for whoever it is — whether it’s me, or Roy (Oswalt) or Carlos. I’m not saying we’re at the point where they should start pulling the plug on us, but they need to start thinking forward. If this thing keeps going like this, they’ve gotta do something.

“If you’re running a team, you don’t want to get caught in baseball purgatory — where you’re not really getting young and you’re not really (competing). Where you’re in this deal where every year you’re signing a marginal veteran and you just never get in the mix.”

Berkman is in the final year of his contract, but the Astros hold a $15 million option for 2011. He has stated that he wants to retire a Stro, but you can’t fault him for wanting to have a shot to contend elsewhere. He’s at the end of his career and while his numbers are declining, he’s still a productive player – one that would benefit from being surrounded by better talent around him.

I wonder if a team like the Rangers would be a good fit. Justin Smoak isn’t even hitting his own weight right now, while Ryan Garko isn’t hitting Calista Flockhart’s weight. I won’t even begin to speculate what kind of a package Texas could put together in a trade for Berkman, but again, it would appear to be a nice fit for both parties.


Photo from fOTOGLIF

NFL already preparing for a 2011 lockout

A report by the San Francisco Chronicle states that the NFL is already preparing for the possibility of a 2011 lockout, which includes buying a 25 percent stake in the United Football League.

These are anxious times for those looking to latch on to the NFL. It’s also an interesting time for the teams, as they look ahead to the possibility of a lock out in 2011. Fringe players might become starters if there’s a long labor dispute. The NFL went with replacement players in 1987 during the last protracted labor stalemate.

The league might already be making preparations and rumors are they are going to buy a 25 percent stake in the United Football League. The UFL, which now has five teams and plays six games in the fall, could become a feeder league along the line of NFL Europe. However, if there’s a long lockout, UFL players could possibly become NFL players overnight.

I wonder what the backlash would be from fans if the league did enter a lockout next season. Ticket prices are already ridiculous and if there were no fantasy football, NFL Sunday Ticket, or gambling (well, there will always be gambling on football but it wouldn’t be what it is now if the league used replacement players), there would be outrage across the nation. The NFL is the most popular league in America, but considering how much owners and players already make, fans aren’t going to show them any sympathy in a down economy.

It took steroids years before MLB recovered from its strike in 1994. Seeing as how football is a more popular game, I doubt it would take people very long to get over a lockout, but let’s hope we never have to find out either.


Photo from fOTOGLIF

Protecting Dogs from Parasites

Parasites Unique to Dogs

In a country like the United States, people rarely think of taking steps to prevent against parasitic infection. You get a few shots from the doctor, wash your hands frequently, and there’s not much to worry about. However, for dogs, there are entirely different concerns – walking outdoors barefoot, eating things off the sidewalk, and parasites carried by mosquitoes. You keep your dog safe, you feed him organic dogfood, you have him registered with the city, but unless you’re also providing him with Sentinel for dogs, you are leaving him exposes to deadly parasites like hookworm and heartworm.

How Parasites Attack Your Dogs

The heartworm parasite is a tiny animal that attacks some mammals. Humans are almost never affected, but dogs carry the disease, and can be infected. Heartwom is found all over the United States during the summer months. Once infected, the tiny worm lodges in the heart’s ventricles, and thrives off the animal’s blood. There are no outward signs for months or years, but by the time the animal is weakened from an infected heart, it is often too late to administer a cure. Hookworm is an extremely common parasite that can infect humans and dogs alike. But dogs, since they are exposed more to infected dirt than humans, are more likely to get it. Hookworms attach inside the host’s intestines, feed on blood and reproduce. The condition is painful, debilitating and deadly.

Using Sentinel for Dogs to Protect Against Parasites

Sentinel for Dogs is a once-a-month treatment for your dog to protect him against parasites. It can be obtained online. The treatment comes in the form of tablets that dogs find tasty, and eat along with their food. Veterinarians regularly prescribe Sentinel for Dogs as a frontline treatment against acquiring parasites, and keeping your dog healthy.

Lawrence Taylor arrested for allegedly raping 15-year-old girl

According to a report by WCBSTV.com, Hall of Fame NFL linebacker Lawrence Taylor was arrested early Thursday morning in New York on charges of raping a 16-year-old girl at a hotel.

Taylor, 51, was taken into custody by the Town of Ramapo police after being accused of raping someone in the Holiday Inn Holidome Hotel in Suffern.

Details surrounding the rape have not yet been released other than the location and that it occurred early this morning. Charges against the Hall of Fame linebacker will be filed once police complete their investigation.

Over the past 20 years, LT has been arrested on drug charges and for allegedly leaving the scene of an accident, has been on probation for tax evasion and has now been accused of rape. While it’s important not to draw conclusions from one report, it’s safe to say that Taylor hasn’t made a lot of good decisions in his life.

We’ll have to wait for more details to emerge, but this is certainly troubling news for the man that helped revolutionize the way the game of football is played.

Broncos walking a dangerous line with Dumervil

When Josh McDaniels and his new coaching staff took over in Denver last year, one of the changes that they implemented was switching from the 4-3 to the 3-4. With that change, one of the things they did was ask defensive end Elvis Dumervil if he would switch positions and stand up as an outside linebacker.

Even though most players don’t like switching positions (why would they if they got to the NFL playing the position they’re most familiar with), Dumervil did so without complaint. He then proceeded to rack up a league-high 17 sacks in a career year.

Thanks to the un-capped year, Dumervil is a restricted free agent. The Broncos assigned a first and third round tender on the 26-year-old linebacker, but he has yet to sign it because he’s seeking a long-term deal. He’s also working out on his own in Florida instead of in Denver, as he waits for the Broncos to come through with a long-term offer.

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