Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Wednesday 10/10 A.M. Quickie:
A-Rod, LCS Picks, Leinart, Durant, More!

Today's Names to Know: Scott Boras, A-Rod, Joe Torre, Matt Leinart, Michael Vick, Mark Sanchez, Reggie Bush, Kevin Garnett, Kevin Durant, Joe Paterno, More!

The Fate of A-Rod: Scott Boras all but announced yesterday that A-Rod is going to opt out (and the Yankees reiterated they won't get in a bidding war to re-sign him).

I think A-Rod ends up with the Angels, although that $30M annual salary for the next decade will be tough for even the most free-spending owner.

What next for Torre: The sympathetic media spin is that the Yankees are leaving Torre "twisting." Has anyone asked Torre if he even WANTS to com back? I suspect he doesn't.

Who should manage the Yankees next: Girardi? Piniella? One Philly columnist suggested Larry Bowa. How about Tony LaRussa?

Meanwhile, here's a must-read take about Torre from Deadspin's Will Leitch, writing on his NY Times blog about the MLB Playoffs. If you haven't read it, you don't have to be a Yankees fan (or hater) to appreciate.

LCS Picks (Updated):
Indians d. Red Sox in 7
Rockies d. D'backs in 5

NFL: Matt Leinart out for the season with a broken collarbone. Who doesn't believe in karmic boomerangs?

Arbitrator rules against Vick: Falcons can continue to try to collect $22M in bonus money from him, which an arbitrator said he owed the team. Still waiting on the intrepid reporter to find out just how much Vick's net worth is right now.

(Speaking of USC QBs, looks like Mark Sanchez will start for USC over injured incumbent/Stanford-loser John David Booty this weekend.)

Wellington Mara doesn't like the "ice the kicker" time-out: I have no problem with it. Sure, it seems like it is being abused by coaches this season, but it is within the rules and I'd qualify it as "gamesmanship."

Cowboys-Bills was the highest-rated Monday Night Football game of the year, affirming Dallas' restored place as the most popular team in the country. Having them be undefeated and that game's thrilling finish doesn't hurt either (but fans who tuned in early didn't know it was going to be a crazy ending). (h/t: MDS)

Reggie Bush Scandal, Cont'd: One of the sports marketers allegedly involved in payoffs to Reggie Bush will work with NCAA investigators. Now, most of the time, I think those investigators are pretty ineffective, but this is a gift-wrapped package placed in their hands. They can't possibly screw this up, can they?

I still anticipate that USC will have to forfeit all of Bush's games in 2004 and 2005 and the Heisman group will face pressure to take back their trophy (and award it to Vince Young – fascinatingly, I'm not sure most fans would gripe).

NBA Preseason: Haven't talked much about the NBA preseason, but today is a pretty intriguing game: KG and the Celtics vs. the T'wolves in London. Not the same as Boston's trip to Minnesota during the regular season, but still interesting. (BTW, KG's C's debut was very solid.)

Kevin Durant makes NBA debut: Scores 12 on 5-9 FG shooting with 3 turnovers and 3 rebounds. But it's important to note that he was guarded by Ron Artest, who probably took the assignment rather seriously. In that context, 12 ain't bad at all for a first game.

(More NBA Rookie Debuts: Javaris Crittenton had 18 in a Lakers loss... Yi struggled in 15 minutes for the Bucks, fouling out with only 3 points... Joakim Noah: 6 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in 23 minutes. I could see him averaging 8/6/4/2/2.)

CFB: Were you wondering why Tim Tebow made the "call me" signal with his hand after he scored that TD against LSU? It's because LSU fans got his cell phone number and were obliterating it with calls. (One blog reader actually sent Tebow's number to me, but I didn't call it.)

Was Joe Paterno involved in a bit of a road-rage incident last weekend? He wouldn't talk about it at his weekly news conference, but any other coach would be Gundied.

NHL: The Islanders started their blogger experiment, and I have been waiting for Eric McErlain's take. Here it is.

BCS Preview: Anyone catch Brad Edwards' BCS projections? No surprise at the top, but, intriguingly, South Carolina was the top-ranked 1-loss team at No. 7. Undoubtedly, I have them ranked too low (11). (Yes, I have Florida ranked too high at No. 8, even if I do think they showed more ability in defeat than they have in any victory.)

Texas Tech bans "Vick 'Em" T-shirts: They are in poor taste, but they were produced by a Tech frat guy, for gosh sakes. What else would you expect? But I'm sure Tech honchos have never sat in the stands and shrieked (or even muttered) "Kill those M-F'ers!" about the Aggies before. Nope, never. I'm not condoning the T-shirt; I'm just saying that expressions of painful death for the opposing team (or mascot) is a long-standing tradition in most sports.

Finally: Have you added your own CFB analysis over at my guest-blog at CoachOfTheYear.com? Head on over, put in your vote for LMCOY, then check out the blog (link at the top of the page) and post on one of the entries with your take on where the CFB Coach of the Year race stands right now. A bunch of you already have. If you are a college football fan, I'd love to see your opinion in that blog's comments.

-- D.S.

87 comments:

Unknown said...

Let's talk about Boston again all day in the comments.

The Mark Show said...

Interesting that you have no problem the Tech t-shirts yet you consistently criticized the Duke kids for, god forbid, having a party with strippers. Another example of your hypocrisy.

Ed Chavis said...

Mr. Mara needs to talk to some kickers... the "icing the kicker" timeout does not generally rattle most pro kickers. On the contrary, it gives them more time to compose themselves. If coaches want to use them to try to ice a kicker, disrupt the momentum of the opponent, or let his QB go potty, it's their right.

The Mark Show said...

The majority of the comments yesterday were about the Yankees and college football. What are you talking about?

pv845 said...

I can't understand why anyone would pay A-rod $30 million+ a year. Yes he is a great player, but that much can't be worth it.

You didn't call Tebow? That shows remarkable self-control. :)

Is there anything that Will Leitch writes that isn't a must-read and is it as good as his A-rod will be part owner column? I need these questions answered before I click on the link.

Indians in 6; Rockies in 6

jbiz said...

He didn't call Tebow, he probably just texts him love notes all day.

Toby said...

Where we wondering why Tim Tebow made the "call me" signal after scoring a TD against LSU?

No, we weren't. But tag teaming this with the over analysis of Noah's debut, was a great way to make me vomit twice this early in the morning.

Can we keep the topics to relevant teams and players?

CMFost said...

The reason the Yankees will not sign A-Rod if he opts out is that they lose the subsidy that the Rangers are paying to the Yankees. The only way he resigns with the Yankees is if he signs a extension to his current deal otherwise he will either be with San Fran, LA, LAA or Chi Cubs

bkelly126 said...

if USC has to forfeit 2004, does that mean Oklahoma gets the national championship by default after getting their asses handed to them? or perhaps auburn gets it, justifying their accomplishment of going undefeated in the SEC

CMFost said...

pv845 - the thing I can not understand is why you would sign A-Rod to a 10 Year contract. Is he really going to be performing at this level in his early 40's without some bondsish help.

Geoff said...

I can just picture Dan sitting there with Tebow's number punched into his cell phone, going back and forth on whether to hit connect...

pv845 said...

@ CMFost: I didn't even think about that. Boras was saying he wants a 12 year contract. Long-term contracts like that ALWAYS work out so well.

CMFost said...

interesting topic on Mike and Mike this morning. They are talk about Sal Pal's book about the most overrated and underrated NFL players all time. Some highlights on the overrated:

QB - Joe Namath
RB - Larry Csoka
WR - Lynn Swann

Anonymous said...

Sure Arod probably won't be great the lst couple of years of his contract, but at that point in his career he could be the all time hr, rbi and runs scored leader. That might be a little bit of a draw. It's a business, winning also means making money.

CMFost said...

personally I would rather save the money and spend it on pitching. Say when Santana becomes a free agent after next year.

Tunsney said...

Did you guys see some of the ladies in the stands at the LSU game? Yum. I am going to give my number to them and tell them that it is Tebow's.

Matt T said...

Someone sent me Tebow's number Saturday morning.

It was called, and it said "The mailbox for Tim Tebow is full"

futurelegendvinceyoung said...

I thought Wellington Mara passed away in 2005. It would amazing if he had an opinion on the use of timeouts at the last second to ice a kicker.

Tunsney said...

He did die two years ago. I wonder if he meant his son John. Either way...hello?

Anonymous said...

Re: Kicker Icing

I'd like to point out that for a very long time coaches have been telling their long snapper/holder/place kicker that if a ref blows a whistle for a timeout or for a penalty like a false start where there will be no play that they should continue and the kicker should let it fly because you could never put a price on a practice kick on the actual field.

This is why I don't understand this newfound annoyance people have with the pre-FG timeout calling.

Anonymous said...

Do I really have to go over why A-ROD won't leave the Yanks again? Let's shorten this. A-ROD IS NOT LEAVING!

CMFost said...

personally Guy I disagree with you. With Scott Boras as his agent he is definetly opting out and if he does he will not be a Yankee next year.

And if he is not a yankee next year I will make the early prediction that the Yankees win the world series next year

Erik Tylczak said...

How does one game a third of the way through the season show that one team is more popular than all others? Typical instant-history asininity.

Mevs said...

Dan, are you going to let us know what was going on with the 2-day comment hiatus experimentation?

Anonymous said...

RE: Icing the kicker timeout.

What I'm still waiting for is when one of these coaches calls a timeout on a game-winning kick and watches as the first kick falls short but doesn't count. THEN, after the timeout, the SECOND kick goes through. Heads will roll then and the new-found love for this strategy will quickly cease.

Unknown said...

Of course south carolina should be the highest ranked 1 loss team, its obvious, they've beaten 2 teams who were ranked 11 and 8 when they played them, and their only loss is at no.1 lsu, hmm i dunno..seems pretty clear to me

TBender said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
TBender said...

LaRussa will not go to New York. If he does, he'll make Randy Johnson look like the NY media's best friend. LaRussa had problems with the soft St. Louis media.


Also not liking the "icing the kicker": George Halas, George Marshall, and Al Davis.

(Yes, Al Davis is dead. No one has the guts to tell him.)

10/10/2007

The heroin sheik said...

Is it ok to hate a player who went to your alma mater once he is a pro? I loved joakim when he was in college but I absolutely hate the Bulls after portland lost to them in the finals. Ironically my girl hated him at UF and loves him now that he is a bull because I always would tell her how he was such a great team player.

I have no clue what A-rod will do but it would make sense that with as much money as he stands to make that he would opt to play in a state where there is no state income tax. I doubt he will sign with a team from Florida but I wouldn't be surprised if he got traded to a team there once a few years of his contract were finished.

Steve said...

Shiek, he's already played in 2 states with no income tax. Washington and Texas. I really don't think players give it much thought. If you have a contract in Florida that pays 25 million vs one in California paying 30 million, you're better off taking the California one and paying the tax. State income taxes just aren't THAT high to make it a huge barrier.

TBender said...

Sheik et al.:

that [Rodriguez] would opt to play in a state where there is no state income tax.

Texas is one of those states, but Houston won't pay (unless McLane is selling the team next year) and Tom Hicks has been there and done that.

Other states without state income tax?

pv845 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
pv845 said...

Sheik: it is always ok to hate Noah as he surpassed John Edward as the the Universe's biggest douche.

Geoff said...

Comments were disabled because of a few retards who come on the blog and post bible verses and Shakespeare.

The heroin sheik said...

Actually it makes a difference because a player has to pay the taxes where based on where the actual game was being held. I remember when A-rod was playing for the rangers that there was an article about how even though he was playing in texas he was having to pay taxes for the 20 odd games in California when he had to play the A's and the angels. A cpa friend of mine says that it can be as much as a 30% difference but I don't see how. I would think though that a player would want as many games as they could get in a state without taxes.
I know tennessee doesn't have taxes but they have no team so that doesn't help. I guess the only tax free states with a team are FL, WA, and TX

Frank said...

why indians in 7? you don't think beckett & schilling can get it done in games 1 and 2, putting the pressure on? i think the sox win games 1 & 2 and keep hitting the ball well. The indians were 2-5 against the sox this season. i know you WANT them to win, but they won't.

Allen Wedge said...

and the Yankees were 6-0 against the Indians in the season

Anonymous said...

I believe Torre is done. Actually, when Gerardi turned down the Baltimore job and came to the Yanks as an announcer with Torre on the last year of his $7M/year contract, I knew he was done.

People are saying Mattingly and Pinella are in the running and LaRusa threw his name in the hat but I think it is Joe Gerardi's if he wants it.

pv845 said...

Back to the regular season stuff regarding the Red Sox and Indians. I seem to remember the Yankees being 6-0 versus the Indians this year and how did that work out for them?

Anonymous said...

As for baseball now, I think the Red Sox are the better team than Cleveland. However Boston has won their world series and I don't want them to get greedy so I have to root for Cleveland. It was huge for the Indians to win game 4 since they go with the big guns of Sabathia and Carmona in games 1 & 2 which is the real strength of their team. Interesting if Sabathia pitches game 1 and then game 4 on 3 days rest, he can go in game 7 of a full 4 days rest due to the extra days off.

I have no feelings for the Rockies or Diamondbacks. It seems Denver fans are more into it so I give them the edge. The run that the Rockies have been on is insane. Going into the last month of the season, nobody was even discussing them in the playoff picture. What have they won now, like 17 out of 18 or close to that. Unbelievable.

Unknown said...

" I could see him averaging 8/6/4/2/2. "

I can see you don't know anything about the NBA.

Anonymous said...

Dallas plays the Patriots this weekend. Two of the least likable franchises in the NFL both undefeated and unfortunately one has to win and go 6-0.

Instead of a U-Tube presidential debate, why can't we have a Randy Moss, Terrel Owens U-Tube debate. I would open it up with, which one of you two is the greatest receiver and we wouldn't ever have to ask a second question.

CMFost said...

If you look at the Red Sox and Indians we can do a quick comparison for the first 4 games:

Game #1
Beckett - CG Shutout in ALDS
CC - Shaky in a win against the Yankees

Adv- Red Sox

Game #2
Schilling - 7 Shutout Innings
Carmona - 9 Dominant Innings

Adv - Indians by a small amount

Game #3
Matasuzaka - Shaky in Win against Angels
Westbrooks - Lost to Yankees

Adv - Red Sox slightly

Game #4
Wakefield - has not pitched in 3 weeks and looked shaky the last time he started.

Byrd - 5 Solid innings against the Yankees

Adv - Indians


So the first 4 games look fairly even I think the difference will come down to the Red Sox superior defense and superior Closer

That is why I am still going with the Red Sox in 4

Anonymous said...

cmfost-

Here we go. The reason that A-Rod won't leave NY is because he won't opt out. The reason he won't opt out is because the Yanks are going to offer him a HUGE deal to stay. The reason they will offer him this deal is because for two reasons. The first is that they waste the money from Texas if they let him opt out and then try to resign him. The second is that they just can't afford to lose their best hitter because without him they have virtually no chance at making the playoffs.

Here's what A-Rod's contract is now:
3 years left, each year the Yanks pay 18 and the Rangers pay 9.

27 million is simply not enough and everybody in baseball knows that he is worth way more than that. I proposed a while ago that the Yanks offer him a 4 year, 146 million dollar extension.

That would make A-Rod's deal 7 years, 227 million dollars. Basically the Yanks pay 200 and keep the Rangers 27 to give to him as well. If you average that out it adds up to about 32.5 million a year. Being that he's making 27 for the next three and you are tacking on four years that seems reasonable.

Buster Olney said last night that he expects the Yanks to put a 4 year, 150 million dollar extension on the table. That was so close to my prediction that I was really proud of myself.

The other possibility is that a team will sign him to a 12 year, 450 million dollar contract. As crazy as that sounds it is really plausible if he does opt out (which I think he won't). Boras is right about a bunch of things though. He says that if A-Rod plays for those 12 years that he will break almost every record. That's true. He says that having A-Rod enables a team to make a ton of money on cable network. That's also true.

The idea would be that A-Rod isn't a player, he's an investment for your franchise. Ticket sales and your cable network are bound to go through the roof so the money can come back to you. Also taking into account what the salaries might be in baseball in 12 years along with inflation, 37.5 million a year just might not be that much anymore.

Anonymous said...

Rugby World Cup

An incredible weekend of Rugby in France. The defending champs, England, narrowly beat favored Australia by 2 points to return to the quarter finals. They play archrival France who is the host country. By far the big favorites of the tournament were New Zealand who blew everyone out worse than the Patriots have this season. France came back from being down 13-0 to tie it at 13-13. In rugby a try (touchdown) is worth 5 and the conversion kick is worth 2. France scored a try and conversion to go up 20-13, then New Zealand scored in the corner but missed the kick to make it 20-18. NZ kept pounding the ball advancing down the field and France just held on with one narrow escape after the other to win.

South Africa is in the other quarter final as expected but Argentina made it somehow. I guess rugby is getting bigger and bigger in Argentina. The team is a surprise since they have never been a huge power but the team actually looks very talented and skilled.

The Mark Show said...

fju...the Indians were also 0-6 against the Yankees during the regular so that stat clearly has no relevance.

marcomarco said...

If arod signs with the cubs for, say 10 years... does that drastically increase his odds of shredding an acl?

No player in their 30's deserves a 10-12 year contract.

CMFost said...

GUY - Plain and Simple SCOTT BORAS is his agent and he will opt out and I willing to bet on the fact he will not be a Yankee next year.

CMFost said...

another reason is I think the Yankees are trying to get younger and may try and use the freed up resources to get some younger players to rebuild there core group. The Yankees do not need A-Rod for financial reasons and they surely know now they can not win a championship with him. My prediction would be that Cabrera from the Marlins will be the Yankees Thrid Basemen next season

Anonymous said...

Scott Boras is his agent is my point. He doesn't opt out just because he likes to opt out. He opts out because he knows that he can get more money. It's very clear cut here. The Yanks can give him the most money and they can only do it with an extension, no after he opts out.

Essentially flushing 27 million dollars down the drain if they let A-Rod opt out. Every team wants A-rod because he is the best player. Not only do the Yanks have the most money to give him but they also have 27 million of someone else's money to give him.

This can't be underestimated. It isn't like they keep the 27 from Texas if A-rod leaves.

Do the math:
Would you rather have A-Rod and only have to pay 18 million a year, or some other guy that is actually worth 18 million a year?

This is a no brainer.

David Kippe said...

OMG, How does Wellington Mara keep speaking from the grave?!?! Come on Dan.

Steve said...

@ CycleDan

Meanwhile Marvin Harrison could be sitting off to the side smiling knowing that he is in fact better than both of them.

David Kippe said...

It's a shame that none of you can talk good about the Indians and still are focused on the Bronx Zoo. lol

The heroin sheik said...

Have anyof you guys who are arguing over A-rod even read the article on Boras in the most recent ESPN the mag? He is quoted as saying that he made the contract knowing full well that A-rod would be hitting his prime this year so he purposely made it so that he could opt out. It was just a bonus that A-rod had a huge year. Obviously he will opt out of the contract just what remains to be seen is if he will resign with the Yankees which I doubt.

chitown italian said...

A-Rod will opt out of his contract. His agent is Boras who is a totally ass to negotiate with. Please, please, please (and I can not emphasize this enough-PLEASE) Cubs do NOT sign A-Rod. He would have to move back to short because Ramirez isn't playing anywhere else.

USC should probably forfeit the championships based on Bush's benefits (and I am a USC fan). It should go to Auburn for being undefeated.

I received the Tebow number too from a friend that attends LSU. It's kind of funny but I heard the comments left were mentioning physical harm. I can understand taunting him with messages but the physical harm things should be left alone. That is unless they were meant for Lawrence Phillips.

As an aside, it sucks that the Memphis player Bradford was shot but reports are he had $7,400 on him when he was killed. Why would a college football player be carrying that much cash?

Natsfan74 said...

A couple things to consider with A-Rod. First, for him, image is everything. If he opts out, he makes the PayRod nickname even more fitting. He left Seattle, they won 116 games. He left Texas and they improved dramatically (but not playoff type improvement). If he leaves the Yankees, and they win the WS, his legacy will be the player who took and took and took and never gave back (a championship).

The Yankees will offer him a big extension. The upside to them is they keep the $9M/ year that Texas is paying. The downside is they are bidding against themselves, so they may not know what the true market value is. Boras thinks he knows -- but if he does know for sure (through other negotiating), then he has committed a major violation and the repercussions could be huge.

If he left, the only teams with the kind of money who could sign him are the Red Sox, Angels, Cubs, Dodgers, or Mets. The Sox won't -- because they just won't. The Cubs can't because they do not have an owner and the Tribune Company isn't going to pay $300+ M without knowing who is going to take over the team. The Mets won't because they are set at SS and 3B. The Angels then become the best alternative, and they really need him. But, I don't think they offer $300 Million.

When ARod signed with Texas for $252M, that was the prevailing trend in baseball. Giambi, Jeter, ManRam, Mussina -- guys were getting $20M + per year. Since A-Rod signed, the biggest contracts have been Beltran, Soriano, and Vlad -- nothing approaching what ARod made. Salaries just are not as high as they were trending. And, teams are consistently showing that youth, teamwork, and chemistry are the keys to winning. ARod brings none of those to the table. I know people will show up/ tune in to see ARod, but they will also show up/ tune in to see a winner!

Geoff said...

Yeah, but what is his legacy if he returns to New York and keeps crapping out in the playoffs? He may as well go elsewhere because the only legacy he is leaving now is as the regular season wonder.

Anonymous said...

For the purpose of better illustrating my point here are a few salaries for next season:

Pettite - 16 million (player option)
Abreu - 16 million (club option)
Delgado - 16 million
Helton - 16.6 million
Ichiro - 17 million
Beltran - 18.5 million
Manny - 20 million
Jeter - 20 million
Giambi - 21 million

Look at those numbers. You can have A-rod for 3 more years at 18 million as long as you offer the extension now. The Yanks have to do it. If they don't they are morons.

The heroin sheik said...

A-rod made more money this year than the entire devil ray's roster. Even better if you look at it this way. you have all that money invested in big time players and you barely go 500 against the worst team in baseball (Rays). That is retarded.

I would gather that the reason that memphis player had all that dosh on him was because he was slinging something. I know when I was in college the only times I had more than a grand in my pocket was on my way to pick up a few elbows.

Beetle said...

Hey Lance, Re; Icing kicker...
I'll go on step further.
Tie game, 0:02 on the clock, the "Iceout" is used, but the kick is blocked and returned for an apparent game winning TD.
Uh-oh!!
Next play, kick is gooooooooood!!!
Now THAT, would be poetic justice.

Sox and Rox in 6.

David Kippe said...

was it just me, or was last night an incredibly boring evening until 9pm when House came on? no sports at all...

Beetle said...

Cycledan;
Terrell Owens has the hands of a seal.
He puts more balls on the ground than a leg-less men's convention.
Randy Moss in a runaway.

Anonymous said...

Sparty-

I watched preseason Wiz/Cavs. The Wiz killed them but I was OK with it because I am a Wiz fan.

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know if NBATV has started their free period that they do before every season yet?

Cause I don't have it despite the fact that I watch it like 24/7 when they have it for free.

I'm asking because tomorrow the Knicks play Maccabi Tel Aviv and I really want to see that.

Beetle said...

As a huge RedSox fan, I have a boat load of respect for the Indians.
Great team, tons of exciting players.
CC is a workhorse and Carmona scares the Christ out of me, but I see the series coming down to Joe Borowski blowing a couple of games.
Call it the Mitch Williams Law - Suspect closers will always fail in the playoffs.

Anonymous said...

Steve, I second that Marvin Harrison comment. Just a classy player who speaks with his catches. He probably only has a couple of good years left. Keyshawn from the same draft is already retired.

Yeah, I think Moss is the better receiver compared to TO. I was just making fun of the fact that they both have such big egos, they would never let up on who was better. Then again, Moss seems much quieter and more reserved this year. Then again, he has nothing to complain about.

Anonymous said...

cycledan-

I have to admit that some of the stories coming out of the Pats lockrroom that Randy Moss has turned into a leader an gives inspiration to other guys on the team including the defense is mildly disturbing. I do believe without question that he is the most athletic and possibly most talented reciever of all time but the one knock on him was always the off the field stuff.

If he fixes that do we have to start Rice comparisons? Maybe not now. But how long till we might?

Anonymous said...

I will never compare Moss to Rice. I might compare Marvin Harrison to Rice.

Moss is probably taller and even faster than Rice was and could potentially break some of his records - and I still wouldn't compare them.

I have to say, it is amazing watching Moss beat double and triple coverage this year on a consistent basis. Then after catching the ball, he flips it to the ref. I hate the Patriosts and figured it would be easy to hate Randy Moss this year. I am one frustrated sports fan lately.

David Kippe said...

real tough to get into anything preseason, so sloppy. The Pistons played the Heat the other night. The Heat were wihout Shaq, Wade, Walker, Zo and someone else. The one Piston I want to see is Amir Johnson.

Mike said...

"I know when I was in college the only times I had more than a grand in my pocket was on my way to pick up a few elbows."

Sheik, we get it...you sold drugs in college, you went to jail, your girlfriend is from Chicago, you are a chef...

Quit relating everything to your life stories..nobody cares

Anonymous said...

Don't forget that Shiek was a hooker. That is very crutial.

Beetle said...

Yeah, Moss to Rice is almost apples to oranges.
Moss is a freak.
There has never been his combination of speed, size, and perfect hands.
Hopefully injuries won't slow him down, it would be nice to see what type of numbers he could finish with.

Natsfan74 said...

The Memphis player who had all of that money won it in a casino that night. The suspects allegedly watched him cash out and went after him for the money.

If it was Oklahoma, we could make a bunch of jokes about a player having that kind of scratch. As it was, in Memphis, the kid had to get it himself.

Borowski was fine in the 2003 playoffs with the Cubs, so at least he has that type of experience. But, I don't think Dusty had much confidence in him then -- and he has gotten worse since then.

Anonymous said...

Mike, why are you hating on the Sheik. Everyone has their own thing. I annoy everyone with rugby and cycling posts. CMFOST is a big Boston sports homer. ToddTJ has his studs and duds. So the sheik mixes in his history. His point was when you have that much cash on you, you must be dealing. This is a comment board. Don't like someone, just skip it like most people are doing with this post.

Jen said...

Yeah, Mike, I happen to enjoy some of the Sheik's stories/comparisons.

GO TRIBE!

PatriotsNation said...

FYI for NHL fans!!

"A couple of kids make their highly anticipated debut tonight, as Carey Price suits up in goal for the Montreal Canadiens in Pittsburgh, while Jonathan Toews, whose broken finger is fully healed, will slide in between Tuomo Ruutu and fellow rookie Patrick Kane when the Hawks host San Jose.

Now, lots of talented players enter the league every year and a good number of them never do anything worthy of a smudged press release, let alone a front-page headline. So what’s giving people the sense these two are different?

Beyond their tremendous skills, both Toews and Price exude natural confidence. They were the two biggest reasons Canada won the World Junior Championship last winter - Price with his game-saving stops; Toews with his shootout majesty - and while projecting the career path of any youngster is tricky business, here’s hoping these two Original Six clubs have both found pillars to build winners around."

CMFost said...

Rivera wants Torre back
Mariano Rivera said the team's decision on his manager will be factored into whether Rivera returns next season. (AP, 1:40 p.m.)


He is probably not the first one that will say this.

CMFost said...

here is the full article

Rivera wants Torre back

October 10, 2007

NEW YORK --Mariano Rivera isn't happy that Joe Torre might be out as manager of the New York Yankees and said the team's decision will be factored into whether he returns.

"I don't feel good about it," Rivera said Wednesday, two days after the Yankees were eliminated from the playoffs. "I don't see why they're even thinking (about letting Torre go). I wish he's back, definitely. If you ask me what I would want, I want him back."

Rivera's contract also is expiring and he is eligible to become a free agent. He said whether Torre returns will help determine whether he remains with the Yankees.

"It might do a lot of it," he said. "I mean, I've been with Joe for so many years, and the kind of person he has been for me and for my teammates. It's been great. The thing is that I don't see why they have to put him in this position."

Rivera, who turns 38 next month, plans to speak with Torre soon. The pitcher, regarded by many as baseball's greatest closer, wanted to negotiate an extension during spring training, but the Yankees decided to delay talks until after the season. He made $10.5 million.

"I'm going to be open to hear all offers," said Rivera, who wants a multiyear contract. "The Yankees had the opportunity but didn't do nothing with it."

Asked if the Yankees would be his first choice regardless of the decision on Torre, he responded: "Right now, I can't tell you that."

David Kippe said...

I believe that if the Yanks decide not to sign Joe to another contract, that it also means they are ready to let these guys go to(posada, rivera).

Interesting note, Cashman was on Michael Kay and was asked about Joba becoming a starter, and Cash said that the plan is for him to be a starter, but hinted at a change if Mo is not back. paraphrasing here, but said something to the effect of we have see what happens with Rivera.

If the yanks want these guys all back, I think they will need to keep Torre, should be intersting to see what they do.

The heroin sheik said...

The only other reason I could figure out why a college kid would have that much dosh was because he was skimming some financial aid, but then again I guess FB players don't get cash like everyone else who gets financial aid. I wouldn't know since I went to an inexpensive state school and wasn't eligible to get financial aid. I don't know about the casinos in memphis, but in florida if you win more than a certain amount you walk with a check. Sucks to be him or should it been sucks to have been him as he is dead.

Oh and cycledan that All blacks loss was surreal. First and last time I ever bet on rugby.

Jen said...

If Torre goes, I don't think half the team will be the same next year. It will be "Derek Jeter & Friends"

Anonymous said...

sparty-

This was actually discussed on Sports Guy's last podcast. The idea that Joba is more valuable as a starter may be flat out untrue.

Yes, he was good in the minors, but so was Papelbon. Would you rather have a great closer or great starting pitcher?

The answer at this point (SPs going 6 inn. and closers pitching 3 of 5 games on good teams) might be closer.

There are 5 SPs on your team. The Yanks next year will have Pettite, Wang, Mussina, Hughes, Kennedy and that's without the possibility of a free agent pickup.

If they let Mariano go the question essentially becomes:
Do you want to go find a new set up man or a new starter?

Set up men are more plentiful and cheaper as well as more interchangeable.

David Kippe said...

I see the Yanks trying to buyout (regardless of how expensive it may be) or move Mussina, he has got to go.

marcomarco said...

speaking of poster quirks - what ever happened to the dude who liked little league baseball a 'little' bit too much?

maybe Chris Hansen got him

Anonymous said...

marcomarco-

He didn't like LLWS a little too much, he just took a trip with his friends there once a year cause it is an awesome place to see.

And yes, that was me.

JFreak said...

Uh, so...

Wellington Mara is dead.

How did he say something about the "icing the kicker" controversy?

Unknown said...

I liked that first section your wrote the first time a read it. When it was written by Jayson Stark.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs2007/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=3059883&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos1