Movin' Up

The trade deadline is on Saturday, (day after my birthday!) and moves are being made and speculation is occurring on moves to be made. The biggest name out there is Roy Oswalt. Oswalt is that top of the line pitcher, unless you already have Roy Halladay, making Oswalt second in line; who is trapped on a terrible team, the Houston Astros. He wants out badly but has so many stipulations that the deal to the Philadelphia Phillies, pending Oswalt's approval, may not happen. The Mets and Braves should be praying that it falls through.

With Oswalt, the Phils would have two shutdown pitchers for a few seasons. Combine that with the top/middle of their lineup, the Phils would clearly be the favorite to win the division. They, like the Boston Red Sox, have been depleted by injuries; mostly to their key players, Chase Utley and Dustin Pedroia to name a couple, but are still in the Wild Card and Divisional races. This trade shouldn't have been discussed though, if they were smart and kept Cliff Lee. Cliff Lee>Roy Oswalt.

The Mets seem to settle for mediocrity every season. They have starpower in David Wright, Jose Reyes, Johan Santana, and Fransisco Rodriguez; and a future in Ike Davis and Mike Pelfrey. After that though, they have average talent. Where is their fight for Oswalt? Adding him to Santana and Pelfrey (if he can pitch like he was in the beginning of the season), would have them contending, instead of settling. Besides Santana, the Mets always seem to settle for the 2nd or 3rd best free agents and trades.

The guys on ESPN Radio were discussing an article written on ESPN NY concerning the Mets signing Joe Torre in the offseason to bring championship caliber talent to the team and give it one last chance with their core of Wright and Reyes. Why not just trade for Oswalt now? Bringing him to the team would surely have them contending for at least the Wild Card.

The other big name in the trade talks is a big man, Adam Dunn. He would be a perfect fit for many American League teams, most notably the NY Yankees and Chicago White Sox. Add that bat as DH to those lineups, specifically the Yanks, and opposing pitchers would see their knees shaking. GM Brian Cashman seems reluctant to make trades before this deadline though, so if Dunn goes anywhere, it will be to the South Side. However, Dunn wants to stay in Washington. I guess he sees hope for the future. Or maybe he just really likes Obama.

The Dodgers traded for Scott Posednik which will help them greatly. The Angels tried to trade for Derrek Lee and the Astros tried trading Carlos Lee, but both Lees want to stay in their respected cities. LeBron take note.

It is sad to see the same teams every year having to trade their best players because they aren't close to competing and won't for years, so they have to gamble on prospects. The trade deadline is definitely exciting for the teams on the bubble, but for the losing teams, they just lose a little more.

Pri-Maradona

The head coach of the Argentina national team, Diego Maradona, was let go yesterday before he was given a chance to resign. Argentina had high hopes in the World Cup, especially having the best player in the world, Lionel Messi. They made it to the knock out rounds but lost to a very good Germany team. It wasn't just losing to Germany, they were disgraced 4-0; Messi did not score one goal for the entire tournament. Maradona and Messi seemed to not get along.

The Argentine Football Association offered Maradona an extension 'til 2014 with a stipulation to gut the rest of his coaching staff. He wouldn't comply, so they let him go. Despite his little coaching experience, Maradona is a national hero in Argentina for leading the country, as a player, to a World Cup victory. He also is quite the character; battled addictions, and endearing himself to the general populace. I found myself rooting for Argentina, not because of Messi, or how the team played, but because there was a large man, in a suit, with luxurious hair, yelling like a lunatic on the sideline.

Fun characters add to the drama of sports. Whether it be Maradona in soccer, or the new Cincinnati Bengal, Terrell Owens. TO joined forces yesterday with his counterpart, Chad Ochocinco. Both receivers play the game to entertain the fans. They almost seemed to compete with each other every time they scored a touchdown, one-upping with the celebrations. This summer, they have been competing against each other for better reality show ratings.

Now they'll be competing for Carson Palmer's affection. Can the team survive with two playmakers begging for the ball on every down? I do think Carson Palmer and Marvin Lewis have the ability to keep this volatile situation from combusting. They have done a pretty decent job at keeping Ochocinco from bringing down the team. And that man is certifiable. He legally changed his name to Ochocinco. That says it all right there.

Manny "being Manny" Ramirez, Ochocinco and TO, Stephon "Starbury" Marbury, to name a few, are all interesting characters to follow in the drama known as sports. All like to keep us at the edge of our seats, waiting to see what they'll do or say next to display their crazy. It's what separates them from us, makes them seem more like characters acting out roles, and less like real people.

But they are real. Real crazy. And it seems the crazier they are,in sports or Hollywood, the more successful they become. We talk about the troubles of celebrities and athletes more than the good. Plenty have their own charities, but you need to research to find them. You simply need to turn on the TV or go to CNN.com's homepage to see the crazies. We want to hear about people doing worse than us, not better. It makes us feel better about ourselves to know that even though these athletes and celebs are rich and famous, we don't need the medication or therapy they do to be sane.

Pitching Ruins Baseball

Matt Garza pitched a no hitter last night, and was one walk away from a perfect game. It was the 5th no-no and could have been the 3rd perfect game of the season. While baseball purists love seeing low ERAs, and seeing a no hitter is exhilarating, the lack of hitting, and more importantly power hitting, is driving away the fair weather fans.

Baseball needs home runs. In an average game, the most exciting aspect is a home run. It forces people to stand up, providing an emotion of elation or despair. Fans watch sports because of those emotions. A poll in Germany discovered that most would rather see Germany win this past World Cup than experience a night of sex. Sports provides that much emotion. This is why fans care so much that LeBron left his "home" in Cleveland. This is why there are riots in cities after a championship win or loss. This is why endless money pours out of fans pockets, whether it be on memorabilia, apparel, tickets, or gambling. Sports provides an emotion that is matched by little else.

Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire brought baseball back from the depths of the 1994 strike. One of baseball's darkest hours was followed a few years later by one of it's best seasons. Everyone knew about their chase for the single season home run record, held by Roger Maris. (Still held by him if you believe there needs to be asterisks with the enhancers). It was so intriguing because of the mystique surrounding the home run records.

The home run records are the most sacred. I think this is due to the fact that not everyone can hit them. Plenty of people can get lucky enough to make contact with a ball, but to hit one over a fence is a totally different story. Hand/eye contact plus quick enough wrists and the power behind the swing is not found in everybody. And thus we stand in awe at the majestic home runs. Rather, we stood in awe. Now we stand in speculation as to whether the dinger was enhanced.

The pitchers are ruining our awe with their spectacular efforts. Batting averages are down across the board, strikeouts are up, and attendance is down. I went to a game last week, and I would describe it as the longest game I have ever attended. CC Sabathia and Bruce Chen labored, taking their time between pitches, Jorge Posada visited the mound after nearly every one of Joba Chamberlain's pitches. It wasn't very exciting 'til the 8th inning, because Joba loaded the bases to make things interesting. Then in the bottom half, Yankee bats exploded.

What I will remember most about the game though, is the 2 Yankee home runs. Derek Jeter hit an inside the park home run, which is rare, and Alex Rodriguez hit his 599th. Everyone was standing in the 8th, cameras flashing, in hopes that A-Rod would follow up 599 with 600 in the same night. Instead, he hit probably the most disappointing double of his career.

So you can blame it on the lack of enhancing, a natural cycle of good pitching overtaking good hitting, or better scouting. Any way you put it, the enhancing put a sour taste in many mouths and baseball needs the next McGwire and Sosa to lift attendance, fun, and elation. Only this time, maybe baseball's saviors can be free of enhancement. And maybe they'll be pitchers rather than sluggers.

Or maybe the enhancers will find an undetectable way to enhance and we'll go through the same issues all over again.

Hall of Politics

Andre Dawson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this past weekend. Dawson put up big numbers while putting up with nagging knee injuries that began in high school. He played a bulk of his career with the Montreal Expos, which is reason enough to elect anyone into the Hall. The team was terrible and the field was essentially concrete spray painted green, which did his knees no help. While Dawson was certainly deserving to be inducted, the Hall does have its issues, and the voting process is one of them.

The voting process is a joke. Eligible members of the Baseball Writers Association of America each get 10 votes to decide who is elected. Players need 75% of the vote to go in. The problem with this strategy though is that if someone is on the fence, some writers will not vote him in due to lack of knowledge. If I am writing about the Houston Astros for my career, I may not have enough knowledge of Roberto Alomar to base my vote.

The lack of knowledge is only part of the problem. The other is the bias some of these writer's have against players. Alomar was probably the best 2nd baseman of his generation, but was not inducted this year with Dawson. Alomar had an incident in which he spit in the face of an umpire. The writers are now teaching him a lesson by making him wait. This is just one example of their bias.

No player has ever been unanimously voted in. The most recent man who probably should have been unanimous, was Rickey Henderson. Rickey was the best leadoff batter and most successful baserunner ever. There was absolutely no reason not to vote him in. No unanimous inductees. Not Willy Mayes, not Hank Aaron, not Mickey Mantle, not Babe Ruth. No one.

The last issue I have with the Hall is that, once in, Andre Dawson is on the same level as Hank Aaron. There was a writer, some years back, that suggested levels of Fame. The elite tier would be reserved for Ruth, Nolan Ryan, Aaron, the most remembered names in the game. The middle tier would be the players with exceptional careers, the no doubt Hall of Famers, Joe DiMaggio, Willie Stargell, Bob Feller. The bottom tier would be players that just barely make it in. Jim Rice would be here. Burt Blyleven would be here if he ever gets voted in.

It will be interesting to see if the performance enhanced will ever be inducted. They should be in there; it will be hard for the Hall to justify erasing an entire generation. While we ignored it at the time, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire saved baseball. They should be in there, with an asterisk on their plaque noting that they admitted, or were accused of enhancing. Currently, McGuire is on the outside looking in, watching his support slip away each year.

I think Hall of Fame voting should be similar to the Heisman, with former winners being allowed to vote. I want the system to be changed, but it isn't completely broke yet, so nothing will be done. Barry Bonds has the single season and career home run records (*). Alex Rodriguez has a chance to end his career with over 800 home runs. Bonds is accused of enhancing, and A-Rod admitted using. Keeping them out would be like keeping the all-time hit leader out.

Oh, wait.

Players Needing Support

MLB announced that testing and penalties for HGH will begin in the minor leagues. This should have happened years ago, but I expect little out of Bud Selig. Selig has been a complete failure during his tenure as commissioner, the only bright spot being the lack of any work stoppage since 1994.

I rarely agree with anything Selig does or says. I want more replay in baseball, he doesn't. I don't think the All-Star Game should determine home field advantage, he does. I think performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) have ruined his legacy as commish, he doesn't seem to think so. He deflects any criticism and truly seems to believe he is doing a great job, with the Steroid's Era being "behind us."

Performance enhancers are still front and center though, and will be for years to come. As long as science advances, players will do all they can to be better than the next guy. Baseball, and all sports, need to evaluate more closely what is out there and what can be done to stop it. PEDs will always be one step ahead, but currently it seems as though the users are Usain Bolt and enforcement is David Ortiz in the 100 meters. That's right, I'm still bitter about his base running blunder in the All-Star Game; and he has the slowest home run trot in the league.

The real losers in this testing though is the Latin players. If you look back at all of the failed drug tests, they're mostly Latin players. It is hard for me to blame them. Put me in their shoes, trying to escape poverty by making millions in baseball. Someone tells me to inject myself with a drug that'll help me get healthy quicker, stay focused longer, hit the ball farther, AND, it's legal in baseball; I'd shoot myself up with whatever is in the needle.

Teams, leagues, agents; all need to do a better job at counseling players,ensuring they are making decisions to help their career and the image of all involved. They are not doing a good job at this at all. Players are continuing to fail drug tests, and more important, continue to get arrested. If a player grew up in the wrong crowd, the team needs to ensure that player is no longer involved with those friends. Just look what friends did to Michael Vick. Arguably the most athletically talented QB ever had his career ruined. He took a blow to his wallet, his image, and his freedom, while delivering a blow to the Atlanta Falcons, who built the team around him.

Too often we hear about players breaking the law for reasons that could have been prevented. Plaxico Burress was arrested on gun charges after shooting himself in the leg. He should have been able to tell the team he felt unsafe and been provided with security. Donte Stallworth killed a man with his car while driving drunk. He should have been able to tell the team he was going out, and been provided with a designated driver.

Teams invest a ton of money into their players, but seem to invest little in ensuring they make the "right" decisions. Many players are going from having $10 in their pocket to $10 million. I don't know that I wouldn't go Buck Wild if overnight my student loans were paid, my bills were paid, and I could buy whatever I wanted. Sure I could invest the money and live modestly, or I could buy a mansion and some cars. Why invest when you can live the sweet life now?

I hold nothing against the college players taking money and gifts wherever they can get it. Nick Saban called the agents "pimps" for bribing the players with money. Really though, it is the colleges and the NCAA that are pimps for using the players for profit and not paying them. They have no interest in the college athletes gaining an education, just in them bringing revenue to the school.

I do think an easy solution to try to solve this issue would be the NFL suspending the players without pay, for double the amount received in gifts. If the player received $100,000 and they make that much in one game, he would be suspended for 2 games. The NFL doesn't need to help the NCAA though, they are just using them. NCAA football is basically NFL's minor league. Players hone their skills there 'til they are ready to go pro, usually before they graduate. The NBA's relationship with the NCAA is the same.

Basically all of the sports world just use the players to profit. Sure the players profit from the teams and leagues as well, but not nearly to the same degree. There is, was, and always will be, corruption and scandal and cheating in sports. There is too much money involved for there not to be. Something needs to be done now though to protect the players legally, financially, and in the view of the public. There are too many Michael Vick's breaking the law, too many Barry Bonds' using PEDs, too many young, talented athletes with little knowledge of what to do, how to act with the instant fame and fortune to not say there is a problem needing fixing.

But like I said before, sports thrive on drama, so I expect little to be done till the players unions really fight for change.

Rebuilding After Sweet Lou

On Tuesday, Lou Pinella announced he would retire after this season. Another Cubs season ending without a championship. This is a Cubs team that has fans actually experiencing a feeling of hope at the start of each season for nearly a decade, only to fall apart. Whether it be at the end, at the hands of Bartman, or during because of the anger issues of Milton Bradley and Carlos Zambrano, the Cubs just can't seem to make it to the promised land and clearly Sweet Lou was not the answer.

While I wanted Pinella to be Joe Torre's replacement in NY, it appears the Yanks made a good decision not to fire Torre, wait a year, then hire Joe Girardi. Pinella has been the manager of 2 very talented teams, in Seattle and Chicago, but was unable to produce rings. His fire is matched by no one, but maybe he can no longer lead players like he could in Cincinnati.

Or maybe Chicago has the same issue the Yanks had in the early aughts. Signing large contracts to big name players, or trading for those big names; Alfonso Soriano, Zambrano, Bradley, to name a few. It would take an excellent manager to squeeze the talent out of everyone and keep from disruption. I thought Sweet Lou could have been that guy, but it appears the Cubbies have to start over once again.

Part of starting over is revamping the team, trying to trade some of those large contracts, which won't be easy since most teams don't want dysfunctional players being paid a ton of money. That is on the GM though, and we'll see how many years it takes for him to gather enough talent to put up winning seasons again.

The other part is hiring the right manager. Cubs fan, Steve Wroblewski, suggested Torre, Girardi, Bob Brenly, or Ryan Sandberg as possible hires. Definitely very good managers available for the Cubs to choose from.

I'm going to knock Torre off immediately. I think LA will be his final managerial gig, by his choice. Just as I think Pinella wanted to end his career in Chicago, though preferably on different terms, a title maybe; I think Torre won't want to start over on a new team, especially a rebuilding one.

Next, I want to take Girardi off of the list. I want to, but I can't. If Yankees management were smart, they would sign an extension right now. There is no need to change managers, even if the Yanks do not repeat. Girardi did great things with Florida, and won a title with the Yanks. He would love to manage Chicago though and the Yanks are known to screw people over on occasion so Girardi can't be ruled out...yet.

Bob Brenly is a solid choice, as are Bobby Valentine and Clint Hurdle, given their managerial experience. My favorite out of that group is Valentine. He took a decent Mets team to the World Series in 2000, but hasn't managed in MLB for nearly a decade. It is pretty surprising no team has offered him a position yet.

The most interesting choice though is Sandberg. He has been working his way up the Cubs organization in managerial roles, but has zero experience coaching in The Show. This may harm his chance given the Cubs need to rebuild. Bringing him up now and not winning for a few years could tarnish his image for fans.

I think the best course of action for the Cubs would be hiring Valentine to manage and bringing Sandberg in as bench coach. This will give the Cubbies time to rebuild under an experienced manager while giving Sandberg more time to learn.

The Cubs though aren't known for making great decisions of late, so my guess is they'll bring up Sandberg right away. Let's just hope they give him enough time and talent to finally, finally, bring a World Series title to the North Side.

Denied

Sports thrive on controversy. People love drama, so long as it is not their own. How else can you explain baseball playing second fiddle to hockey, cycling, the NCAA, and basketball in the middle of July? Sports fan should be talking about the close division races, who's going to be traded, A-Rod's imminent 600th home run. Instead, we are talking about Ilya Kovalchuk, Lance, LeBron, still, and corruption in the NCAA.

Ilya Kovalchuk just signed a 17 year, $102 million deal with the NJ Devils that was overturned by the NHL. While the 17 years seemed ridiculous since he would be making coin while 44, it seems the purpose behind it for the Devils was to save cap room by adding years, which is against league rules. Who knows what will happen with him next, given he turned down a $101 million, 12 year extension with the Thrashers last season.

While outrageous,the Kovalchuk deal is not unprecedented. Magic Johnson, Steve Young, and my favorite, Bobby Bonilla all received equally ludicrous deals. Look them up if you are bored, I'm sure you will be entertained.

Lance Armstrong is making news as well. We are in the midst of the Tour de France after all. Lance has been nowhere close to wearing that yellow shirt this year. He is making headlines though for what has been happening stateside. There is currently a federal investigation underway to determine if in fact he was a doper. It seems that Floyd Landis could be the Jose Canseco of cycling, a crazy character that likes to drag others down with him.

The NCAA just keeps uncovering more and more players receiving cash money from agents. As a player, who knows they are talented enough to go pro before graduating, why care about breaking the rules? No punishment comes down on them, only the agents and the school. USC was punished, and now Florida is being investigated. There needs to be change in the systems of funneling collegiate athletes to the pros. It is not fair to the fellow students, fans of the competitions, or colleges playing by the rules, (if they exist).

LeBron will continue to make headlines for years. He is the best athlete on the court and can possibly win multiple championships. I think NBA's best interest to see the Heat not win for a couple years though. Build up the anticipation and create controversy that LeBron not only could not win in Cleveland, but at all.

So instead of talking about A-Rod's chase for 600, which is a pretty big deal, we are discussing the topics above. 600 home runs is a pretty elite list, and the man that controversy seems to follow is about to crack into the list, albeit with an asterisk attached to his name. Maybe winning a title really did shake off any detractors and instead of hating on the man, people just do not care anymore.

As of now, the most memorable event of the season is not the NL winning their first All-Star game in 13 years. It will not be A-Rod's 600th home run. It is not Roy Halladay's perfect game. It is not Dallas Braden pitching a perfect game on Mother's day, with his grandmother, who raised him after his mother died of cancer, in attendance. Though that is pretty dang heartwarming.

It is the perfect game that wasn't. Jim Joyce stealing a perfect game from Armondo Galarraga's grasp. How controversial was that? Everyone was talking about it the next day. Everyone. It just shows how people love to hear drama.

Baseball can gain those headlines back. All MLB has to do is release another name from "The List." That'll certainly bring back some controversy.

Wrong, Wrong, Wrong

"You remember some of those despotic leaders in World War II, primarily in Russia and Germany, where they used to take those pictures that they had ... taken of former generals who were no longer alive, they had shot 'em. They would airbrush the pictures, and airbrushed the generals out of the pictures. In a sense, that's what the Yankees have done with Joe Torre. They have airbrushed his legacy. I mean, there's no sign of Joe Torre at the Stadium. And, that's ridiculous. I don't understand it."

--Tim McCarver, July 17, 2010(He has since apologized for using World War II as a reference to this situation)

When will people ever learn not to compare everyday life to war or 9/11? Just like football players should not use the term "in the trenches" to compare playing a game to fighting a war. It is too cringe-worthy and sports are too trivial to compare to war or devastating events.

Dwyane Wade made the same mistake this weekend, in comparing a couple Heat's losses to the World Trade Center coming down. This was mostly taken out of context, and Wade meant nothing malicious by his statement. Just saying the words "World Trade Center," or casually mentioning 9/11 will create a media storm. It was a slip of the tongue, Wade apologized, and my issue is not with him.

It is with McCarver.

Let me preface this rant by saying I am completely biased against McCarver. I simply can't stand to listen to him and Joe Buck. I think they are the worst commentators to listen to while watching a game. This is because 99% of the time they are wrong all of the time.

During the All-Star Game, McCarver mentioned that the Yankees would need two new momuments, following the deaths of George Steinbrenner and Bob Sheppard. Both certainly deserve monuments for the years of service they provided the team. He failed to do his research though, because Bob Sheppard already has a monument in Yankee Stadium.

Regarding Joe Torre, I understand that McCarver is defending a friend. The Yankees tried to lowball him with a 1 year, $5 million contract, 2 million less than the previous year. Since turning them down, the only contact Torre has had with the club was facing them as manager of the LA Dodgers a few weeks ago.

McCarver failed to mention that, while 2 million less than the previous year, the contract offer was still 2 million more than any manager in baseball was receiving. In addition to that, Joe Torre wrote a book, "The Yankee Years." In it, he basically blamed Brian Cashman and upper management for the Yankees failures following last World Series win in 2000.

Yankees management holds grudges. It is what they do. Ask Billy Martin, (fired 5 times). Ask Dave Winfield, (was privately investigated by Steinbrenner). Ask Yogi Berra, (after being fired, was not asked back for 14 years.)

Sure, the Yankees should have had Torre back for the closing of their stadium. They were too bitter at the time. Torre will be welcomed back eventually, unless he keeps up his writing career. The Yankees will hold a grudge against another fan favorite. All will be right in the world.

Except McCarver and Buck.

Competitive Fury

"There's no way, with hindsight, I would've ever called up Larry, called up Magic and said, 'Hey, look, let's get together and play on one team,' " Jordan said after playing in a celebrity golf tournament in Nevada. "But that's ... things are different. I can't say that's a bad thing. It's an opportunity these kids have today. In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys."

In saying the above, MJ affirmed what many speculated about his view on "The Decision." MJ had a competitive fire that drove him to be the best by beating everyone else. Maybe LeBron James does not have the same fire igniting his play.

MJ took a big sports city with little basketball history and made history. LeBron has the belief that simply winning titles will elevate his status to the level of MJ. This won't be true however, since MJ never chose to play with his competitors, except to win the US some gold.

Competitiveness is something all athletes have, and it was seen twice this weekend by losing efforts. Tiger Woods was heard dropping F-bombs after missing a relatively easy putt. AJ Burnett punched a wall after giving up a home run. While both lost in their competitive fury, it is refreshing to see athletes show that they care.

LeBron's move to South Beach shows he does care about winning championships, but not earning them. I don't think he needed to win 6 rings in Cleveland to be compared to MJ. All he needed was one to become immortal in Cleveland. Throw in a couple more, and he would certainly be in those discussions.

LeBron showed his fire before, in not shaking hands with Orlando after being knocked out of the playoffs in '09, so we know it is there, but retiring to South Beach now just seems too early. All MJ cared about was winning, and it seems LeBron does as well, but MJ chose to win on his own. Winning is never guaranteed, but with three members of the "Redeem Team," assembled, anything other than multiple titles is a failure.

I suppose MJ can rest easy knowing LeBron will no longer don the 23. Maybe that was the first step in ending the comparison discussion.

In Search of a Team

Will TO ever play football again?

Yes.

Where?

Canada.

I kid. I kid. While he is a drama queen on the field, Terrell Owens is a fantastic wide receiver. With a decent QB, not Ryan Fitzpatrick or Trent Edwards, TO can put up incredible numbers. He would be a valuable asset to a playoff contender, and will be signed before the season starts.

Many people pick the easy choice of Oakland to sign him. The Raiders are the perfect team for troubled stars to fade away. There are three reasons why I don't think TO will be signed by the Raiders.

TO may be a nuisance on the field, but he has never had difficulty with the law. He is a competitor, but looks like a baby when begging for the ball. Deep down though, he just wants to win.

The Raiders are not a playoff contender, rather a rebuilder, (a constant rebuilder).

After the signing of Jason Campbell, who isn't the greatest, but still an extreme upgrade, the release of JaMarcus Russell, and a great draft, this team may be moving from Al Davis's reign of terror.

If signed by the Raiders, TO would be a troublemaker, but if signed by a contender, TO would thrive.

I was shocked that the Washington Redskins turned him down after trading for Donovan McNabb. After offering to take a pay cut, I am still considering TO to possibly sign with the Skins. Both NFC East teams he has yet to play for could use him. Both have head coaches with Super Bowl experience. Tom Coughlin even dealt with a worse troublemaker, Plaxico Burress.

TO will be signed by a playoff contender with needs in receiving, and maybe this will be the season he doesn't start crying halfway through.

Possible teams: NY Giants, Washington Redskins, Arizona Cardinals, San Fransisco 49ers, New England Patriots.

Anti-Tiger: John Sixpack

John Daly shot a 66 this morning at The British Open, tying the lowest scoring round of his career. The man is 44, fat, a smoker, and a drinker. Tiger Woods is fit enough to play other sports, and does not bring any harm to his body (unless you count the endless number of porn stars and strippers). The only thing in common between the two of them is that they aren't the best in the character department. Tiger was just a lot better at hiding that fact, while Daly kept it out in plain view.

Daly had the chance to be as good as Tiger. He can certainly drive the ball as far and early in his career he was winning left and right. While he had the ability to drive as far, he did not have the drive to win that fueled Tiger's career. Daly's was fueled by booze.

During his round today, Daly was seen smoking and drinking diet soda (wouldn't be surprised if it was spiked). The only thing you would see Tiger drink on a course would be Gatorade, and that's because his face is on the bottle.

Daly brings fun to the tour that has gotten all too serious with Tiger. Playing sports is supposed to be fun, and you can see Daly having a blast, just as we have a blast trying to decipher his outfits. If only Daly toned down the fun to stay competitive, the anti-Tiger would be winning more.

But that isn't who Daly is. He is the everyman, struggling with his own demons. He may not have wanted to be the best ever, just made a career of doing something he loves, which makes him easy to root for, but also hard to since he is no longer expected to win.

Tiger is having an excellent round today as well, at a course he has won on twice. According to Rick Reilly, Tiger needs to win this one to have a chance to pass Jack Nicklaus's record of major victories.

How fitting would it be that anti-Tiger prevented that from happening?

Bye George

I'm 95% Mr. Rodgers, only 5% Oscar the Grouch.--George Steinbrenner

This really seems to be the truth judging by the overwhelming display of love and gratitude to a man that always played the villain. Even Yankee fans cheered for 90 seconds upon hearing that he was banned from baseball in 1990. He was very critical of his employees and strained the relationships with Yankee greats, such as Billy Martin, Dave Winfield, and Yogi Berra.

After returning to baseball two years later, Steinbrenner was a changed man, no longer berating his managers, firing after only a couple losses. The Boss still had the drive to bring the Yankees championships though. This time around he was more level headed than he was in the 1970's as he worked to rebuild the relationships with Winfield and specifically Berra instead of breaking more down.

As a fan of any team, Steinbrenner was the owner you wish you had. He may have been erratic and made some bad signings. (That'll happen when 2.5 billion is spent on free agents). When he overpaid for players, he hoped that, by being a Yankee, they would play better to earn that paycheck. He turned the Yankees from a team into a business. Their business is winning, and under The Boss, business was good.

Some of the stories that characterize Steinbrenner as "Mr. Rodgers," are quite interesting. He kept former executives on Yankee payroll under the title of "scout," even though they no longer worked in any capacity for the team. He anonymously donated to hospitals to give children surgeries that they could not afford. Steinbrenner even paid for his former head football coach's medical and nursing bills when he was dying because he could not afford it himself.

The stories seem to be endless since he kept them hidden. How would he have any credibility as a "Grouch" if the media found out he was an "Elmo"?

George Steinbrenner was a man who claimed all he cared about was winning but, in truth, was more of a charitable family man who expected the best out of everybody. The Yankees lost two legendary men this week, the Voice of God, and the Boss, but they both went out as champions.

RIP George Steinbrenner (1930-2010)

Isiah Thomas, Go Away

There are rumors circulating that the NY Knicks would be interested in bringing back Isiah Thomas for the role of the open general manager position. I pray that these are just rumors and that James Dolan, the Knicks owner, would not ruin this team again and alienate the fan base further.

Isiah Thomas made terrible trades, trading away draft picks for unmotivated players, then paying them way more than their worth. Then, as coach, he did little to motivate them to play any better. If Larry Brown could not bring the team of scrubs to the playoffs, Thomas would never get his "championship legacy" in NY.

In addition to just being utterly awful at his job, Thomas also cost the organization over $10 million in a lawsuit for being found guilty of sexual harassment. He claims innocence, but the judge and jury found him guilty.

So after all of that, the Knicks would consider bringing this fool back? They apparently like how he handles players, since he played before, and has a personality that lights up a room. The guys on The Michael Kay Show on ESPN 1050 last night were all for this if it meant the Knicks would improve.

If you need someone to handle the players, just use Allen Houston. He seems like a nice enough guy, and he is a fan favorite. Why bring back Isiah, the pariah?

It would be an utter slap in the face to not only the fans, but any female working for the Knicks. Hiring him back would say that sexual harassment is fine if you're good enough at your job. And that is not OK.

AND he was not good at his job. There is a reason that he coaches Florida International. After seeing what he failed to accomplish for the Knicks, no other NBA team would hire him.

So now the Knicks consider bringing him back and ruining another decade of NY basketball. They already couldn't sign LeBron, instead they'll sign Isiah.

Awesome.

Technology with the Save!

I am going to end my LeBron adoration on this blog...for now. This is the biggest sports story of the year, so I am sure to revisit this at some point. But for now, I will be crossing over to a topic that really grinds my gears, technology in sports.

The World Cup just ended, and it was, of course, ripe with referee controversy. Phantom offsides and foul calls against the US, a goal that wasn't for England, and missed offsides calls that seem blatant to the viewer, even in real time. FIFA has defended the refs throughout the tournament, but finally decided to review goal line technology and the bad ref situation.

I, for one, am for the use of technology to the fullest degree, in each sport. Soccer actually presents the simplest implementation to improve calls made. Hockey uses it, so the technology is out there, and it would not be slowing down the "beautiful game."

In addition to the goal line technology, soccer could also use technology to determine offsides. Each player just needs a chip on their jersey, and it signals the line judge if he is offsides on the pass. Since FIFA is wary of using goal line technology though, this idea is way over their heads.

Basketball, football, and hockey seem to be using robots to their advantage. Other than replay, there is not much that can be done since most calls are judgment based, for example, what constitutes a foul.

To get the call right, I don't see why FIFA and MLB are so resistant to technology. The goal line and sensors for offsides technologies would not take away from the fluidity of the game, and I don't believe that replay in baseball would slow that down much either.

As a viewer, we see instantly whether the call was correct. I just want to see an umpire in a booth that can signal the head ump whether the call was correct. This would have saved Jim Joyce from embarrassment and given Galarraga a perfect game. This should not be for every play. Maybe the managers can have a few challenges per game. This would cut down on arguing and ensure the calls are correct.

(I do oppose to using technology in calling balls and strikes. Though they shouldn't, each umpire has a different strike zone. If you add technology to that aspect, the home plate umpire is essentially useless).

Many people want to keep the human element intact as it adds to the appeal of the sport. I disagree strongly since I want the calls to be correct, first and foremost. Many are judgment calls, so bad calls are unavoidable. For calls that are black and white though; if the football touched the ground, if the goal passed the white line, if the runner beat the throw; use technology, and make the right call.

LeBron James is a Coward

I am shocked.

All day yesterday, ESPN was reporting that LeBron James was leaning towards Miami. Chris Broussard, the man of many sources, said it would definitely be Miami. Stephen A. Smith was the first to say this, and "It's not a theory." They were both proven right.

I am still shocked.

LeBron said he wants to win, and win now. In his mind, this gives him the best opportunity to do that, teaming up with two other top 10 players. Teaming up with an already proven winner in Dwyane Wade. Teaming up with a legendary coach in Pat Riley, whether he stays in the front office or goes down to the bench.

I am shocked.

In this one move, LeBron decided to settle with being Scottie Pippen instead of striving to be Michael Jordan. MJ is regarded as the best to ever play, and LeBron was supposed to surpass him. In choosing Miami, LeBron threw in the towel. He went to a team with an already established superstar and though his star will continue to shine, because he still has the best athletic ability on the court, he lost the respect of many people in numerous cities.

New York and Chicago hate him. Chicago was a rival to LeBron, but he fueled their anger by stringing them into the fray. New York hates him for choosing to have his announcement in Connecticut, minutes from the Knicks' practice facility. Nets and Clippers' fans probably hate him just for not choosing their team.

Most of all though, he became the most hated fan in Cleveland. A town that loves their teams, even when their teams don't reciprocate the love. He surpassed Art Moddell by abandoning his home. He might as well moved the Cavaliers out of state because by leaving, he moved them out of the playoffs.

It would have been different if Wade chose to leave the Heat and play with the Bulls. Miami isn't his home, even though he is beloved there. Those fans would be more understanding to his decision to live and play closer to his family.

Doing this to NY, NJ, LA, and Chicago is heartless. He, Wade, and Bosh knew all along how this would play out. He didn't need to create this drama and break people's hearts. He didn't need to turn Cleveland around and stab them in the back. He could have said from the beginning that there was a pact made to play together.

He successfully turned away any fans he had in those markets, and I don't see how his marketing team sees the bright side to alienating five different fan bases. His "brand" took a blow tonight and I don't understand their thought process.

The Heat are definitely now a contender. But they have a young coach, and no supporting cast. When Boston signed the Big Three, they still needed the support from the rest of their team to win. The Heat aren't even close to filling out their roster. At this point they'll struggle to be the top four in the East, let alone win the trophy. Orlando, Atlanta, Boston, and Chicago have established teams. Miami can crack into that, but they'll need help.

Even as a Knicks fan, I wanted LeBron to stay in Cleveland. He meant too much to that city, and would have become immortal if he actually brought that city a championship. Though this is a different age than when he played, we like to think Jordan would not have thrown in the towel and signed with Detroit.

So LeBron is not brave for taking a challenge to sacrifice his stats to get some rings with Wade and Bosh. He is a coward for giving up on the bigger challenge to bring those rings to Cleveland.

And I am shocked.

The Sad Tale of JaMarcus Russell

As I'm sure many of you have already heard, a few days ago, JaMarcus Russell was arrested on drug charges. This happens months after the Oakland Raiders dropped him from their team. High expectations for a number one pick were never even close to being met.

It is hard to feel sympathy for Russell though. This is a man who excelled at LSU, and clearly had talent to compete in the NFL. Being characterized as lazy while in Oakland and showing up overweight to training camps, looking more like a lineman than a quarterback, Russell essentially threw away a career many of us dream of.

Character is a big issue with many athletes. The great athletes normally have upstanding character traits, with some exceptions. Look at Derek Jeter, Peyton Manning, and Dwyane Wade to name a few. They all have the drive to win, as all athletes should have. But they all give back to charity and have not had issues with the law.

Russel may have lost the drive to win once he signed that first check the Raiders gave him. He may have had the same problem that Michael Vick and countless others have had, growing up with the wrong crowd. But if someone is not going to work hard at their job, they don't deserve to keep it, no matter how gifted the person is.

If Russell has an addiction to drugs that extends back years, then I will feel sympathy towards him. This just seems like a down on his luck, unemployed man going on a bender to drown his sorrows in drugs and alcohol.

I would love to see him turn this around, get in shape, and revive his career. People love seeing someone struggle but make it out on top. I just don't see it happening. The Raiders wanted to rebuild around a talented QB, and Russell let them down. What team in their right mind would risk bringing a lazy, drug user to their team?

Russell made his millions, but blew his chance to be remembered for anything good. It is sad, and unfortunately will probably only become more depressing as time passes if he continues his drug use and run in with the law. But he can blame no one but himself.

Big Three in Miami

News broke this morning that the announcement of Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade signing with the Miami Heat was imminent. This flows perfectly in their plan to form a super team by also acquiring LeBron James. If this happens, Pat Riley would surely get back into coaching, and the Heat would be an instant Finals favorite.

Too bad Bron Bron won't be signing with the Heat. Riley may still come back to coach though, because a team with Wade, Bosh, Michael Beasley, and still a ton of cash to spend, will surely be a contender for years to come.

I just don't like the idea of a Big Three of superstars in the midst of their prime. When Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce decided to team up and sacrifice stats to obtain a ring, they were all towards the end of their best days, all without a ring. And none were superstars on the level of Bron Bron.

Bron Bron claims he only wants to win, and that is definitely one of his top three reasons in choosing a team, but so is the money and the spotlight. He will have to share that in Miami, and see his stats cut down. Miami satisfies his one desire in a team, the talent around him to win, but not the other two.

If he goes to the NY Knicks or NJ Nets, the spotlight factor would be obliged. As I said yesterday, if he wants to win, he would choose the Nets over the Knickerbockers. His buddy Jay-Z could convince him that if he wins with the Nets, and they move to Brooklyn, they would surpass the Knicks fan base in the tri-state and become the team of New York.

Comparing the Knicks and Nets though is like comparing the Yankees and Mets. One, no matter what they accomplish, will always play second fiddle.

The Bulls weren't able to sign Bosh, so unless they sign Carlos Boozer before Bron Bron's announcement, live on ESPN at 9:00 PM, Thursday, July 8th (I'll turn it on at 9:45), he won't choose to live in Jordan's shadow.

That really narrows it down to the Knicks, Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and LA Clippers. I am not considering the Clippers to have a chance. He won't play in LA, unless Kobe leaves the Lakers. And the Cavs have proven to be uncapable of building a team around him. Will he provide them with another six years to try again? What if they fail again? He's in his 30s, without a ring.

So, I am throwing out what I said yesterday since this story, like a Brett Favre story, changes everyday. I now say it is a toss up between the Knicks and Nets. The Nets have the better team to build around, but the Knicks have the better market.

I'd be happy with either choice.

LBJ to NYC?

The New York Knicks have finalized the signing of Amare Stoudemire today. While I think he will play a better power forward than David Lee, the Knicks do not have a team that will deliver a championship to LeBron James. They'll need to offer Bron Bron a maximum contract, so after that they'll have nothing to spend elsewhere.

Though many Knicks fans will despair at settling for another losing season, they'll have a better shot at landing Carmelo Anthony next year, than Bron Bron this year.

LeBron James is interested in doing what Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan did, winning multiple NBA Championships. That means he needs to start winning ASAP. He'll surely win titles, but if he wants to be spoken about with the greats, he needs to win like them.

The Knicks can not offer that for one reason - The lack of a big man.

They do have the biggest man on the court, in Eddie Curry, but unless a miracle happens, Curry will not be an all-star center this season. If you consider the previous ten champions, they all have great centers; Pau Gasol (2), Kendrick Perkins, Timmy Duncan (3), Ben Wallace, Shaquille O'Neal (3). All of them have the ability to push people around and a couple are among the best ever, (Shaq and Timmy).

If the Knicks are able to acquire a decent, tough, big man through a trade or the next draft, signing Carmelo can mean great things for their future. A starting lineup of Melo, Amare, Danilo Gallinari, and a good big man will bring them far into the playoffs for years to come.

It seems the playbook for success is having a big man post up, draw a double team, then pass out to good shooters. This does not work if the big man is not respected enough to double team. The double team is then drawn to the playmaker, rendering him, in most cases, useless.

Given what I believe a good team to be, I do not think LBJ will go to NYC. His best case scenario would be going to either the Chicago Bulls or NJ Nets. With Derrick Rose, Joakhim Noah, and decent role players, the Bulls need Bron Bron to have a shot at a title. Though I think Noah is overrated at the center position.

The Nets are the one team out there with the dominant center of the future, Brook Lopez. They have a good point guard in Devin Harris, though he played horribly in the Nets "Epic F" season. They drafted a strong PF, Derrick Favors, and a good shooter in Damion James.

An addition of Bron Bron, and maybe a solid shooter, could boost this team from worst to first.

LBJ to NJ Nets. Melo to NY Knickerbockers. D-Wade to Miami Heat, with Bosh. All of that nonsense talk of Wade and LeBron playing together or Lebron and Melo playing together is silly. They are all playmakers, who want to make legacies of their own, not together.

Then again, LeBron would be a billionaire playing in NYC (http://www.sbnation.com/2010/7/2/1549264/lebron-james-free-agent-knicks-billionaire-forbes), so who knows what he'll do.

Midterms, Part 2

So there were some positive responses from the first post, which is great. Good to hear I'm not an EPIC F. Well, as promised, here is the National League grades. Enjoy.

NL EAST

Atlanta Braves (46-33) Grade: A-
I actually picked them to make the playoffs this season, so it makes me happy that halfway through, they are in 1st place. Hayward has looked great, the pitching staff is top notch, and given this is Bobby Cox's last season, the team is playing with a ton of heart. In a tough division though, they'll have to keep their level of play high to hold off the Mets and especially the Phillies.


New York Mets (44-35) Grade: B+
While I thought the Braves would excel, I expected very little from the Amazins. Besides the addition of Jason Bay, the Mets accomplished little else this past offseason. Last season, their pitching was horrendous, only getting consistently good starts from Johan Santana. Now, their pitching is fantastic. Mike Pelfrey puts up a good argument to hold the ace spot and the dysfunction is no longer there. They can only hope that the Marlins aren't in their schedule to end the season again.

Philadelphia Phillies (41-36) Grade: B
They certainly are not playing like a team capable of repeating as NL Pennant winners, wanting to get revenge on the Yanks. Roy Halladay is, of course, a gem. But from there, the Phils are having the same issue as the Yanks, stars under performing. This is only magnified due to their current slot in 3rd place. A lot is on Cole Hamels, since the Phils went against Jimmie Rollins' wishes, and let go of Cliff Lee. A rotation of Doc, Lee, Hamels, JA Happ, Old Man River; would be hard to beat. Now though, they're looking at Pedro Martinez to possibly save them. AND, Chase Utley is injured. Good luck.

Washington Nationals (35-45) Grade: D+
The Nats, at one point, were in the thick of the race. Now, there are at their usual position, the cellar. They do have hope though, as Stephen Strasburg has been pitching like a 3 year veteran. I would of thought his arrival might have rejuvenated the team. Instead, the hitting went MIA and they continue to lose games, even when Strasburg pitches. Once the initial wave of the Strasburg phenomenon fades, the only way to keep fans in the seats is to win. And the Nats aren't very good at that.

Florida Marlins (37-41) Grade: D-
Very high expectations are now flushed down the toilet. They're moving into a new stadium next season and signed extensions to key players this past offseason (might have been the 1st time that has happened). Then, trouble started when Hanley Ramirez went off his rocker for a week, Fredi got Fired and now they're sinking. They have the talent to turn things around, but they're missing a leader to slap them into shape. Put a Derek Jeter on this team and they'd be in 1st.


NL CENTRAL

Cincinnati Reds (45-35) Grade: A
Well, this was unexpected. The Red Stockings have one of the best hitting teams in MLB. Combine that with decent, (Johnny Cueto), to mediocre, (Bronson Arroyo, Aaron Harang) pitchers, and the promise of Mike Leake and Aroldis Chapman; this team has a shot to finally, FINALLY, stop competing with the Pirates for last place. I assumed the Cardinals were going to run away with this division, so kudos to the Reds for making things interesting.

St. Louis Cardinals (43-36) Grade: B+
Given all I said about the Reds, I still think the Cards will eventually run away with this division. They are the veteran team, with veteran pitching and The Machine, Albert Pujols. This team is all around good, and with the disappointing ending to last season, they should be hungry for more. As long as Tony LaRussa stops trying to distract his team with his support of the Arizona immigration law, the Cards should squash the rest of the division.

Milwaukee Brewers (36-43) Grade: C
This team has a solid lineup, especially in the middle, with Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun, a scary one-two punch. Their problem lies in pitching. Outside of Yovani Gallardo, their pitching is downright terrible, from the starters to the closer. Trevor Hoffman may have the most saves, all-time, but it is looking like he needs to hang up the cleats. End his career with the most saves, but only second best closer of his generation.


Chicago Cubs (34-45) Grade: F
Another team with a ton of talent being killed by dysfunction and under productivity. The massive contracts of Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Zambrano are draining this team. There is only so much Sweet Lou Pinella can do, when his team is letting him down so much. His tenure with the Cubbies may be over soon, ending without a ring again. Maybe he is destined to coach good teams to failure. Here's to another hundred years without a title.

Houston Astros (31-48) Grade: F
This team is just plain awful. All around terrible. They do not have one hitter batting over .300. Lance Berkman is batting .249. Carlos Lee is batting .234. That is just not going to cut it. Their pitching isn't making things better as Roy Oswalt and Brett Meyers are decent, but I wouldn't want Oswalt in a trade if I was looking for an ace. After those two, the pitching sharply drops off. I don't know what can save this team.


Pittsburgh Pirates (28-51) Grade: F
I would hate to be a Pirates' fan. This team rebuilds every other year. Once a player starts being liked by the fans, because of above average skill, he gets traded away for younger talent. This team has a stockpile of young talent, but no veteran skill. They will remain in the bottom of this division every year without some experienced veterans to mold these young guys. And maybe the management can shell out some money to keep their stars. Maybe then their beautiful stadium would be filled with fans.

NL WEST

San Diego Padres (46-32) Grade: A+
What this team is doing on the field is mind boggling. They don't have hitting, besides Adrian Gonzalez, but their pitching is near unhittable. A team with few players even the more knowledgeable fans could name is storming through the NL West, and if it continues, through the postseason. Pitching is what wins games in the postseason, so if they can make it there, it is very possible they advance. Anyone who put money on the Padres before the season is a crazy person, but could end up crazy rich as well.

Los Angeles Dodgers (43-35) Grade: B+
After last year's playoffs, I thought the Dodgers would drop in the division due to mediocre pitching. Clayton Kershaw is turning into the ace they needed last year, and their rotation looks good, even better with Jonathon Broxton dominating the 9th (except against the Yanks). Their lineup is very good, and being in La La Land, they have Andre Ethier providing the drama for the finale of games.


Colorado Rockies (42-37) Grade: B
The Rockies seem to always have an average team that stays competitive every year. Last year they were losing, fired their manager, and then ignited. This year, they are already winning, behind some Cy Young pitching in Ubaldo Jimenez, so firing the manager seems unlikely, but they will need a spark to bring them past the Padres. A Cy Young winner won't be enough in a division with the best pitching in baseball.


San Fransisco Giants (40-38) Grade: B-
Their hitting is really letting me down. I picked them to win the division. Their pitching is fantastic; Barry Zito, Matt Cain, Jonathon Sanchez and of course Timmy Lincecum are keeping the team in games, with Brian Wilson available to close them out. The Giants with Pablo Sandoval leading the way, are not getting RBI's, (they are 14th in the NL with 298; the Reds are in 1st with 377). They are getting on base, getting hits, just not bringing them around.

Arizona Diamondbacks (31-48) Grade: F
Well, they just fired their GM and Manager tonight, so they will remain at the bottom all season. I feel that this team goes through new managers yearly. Their rotation is pitching subpar, and they have a hitter, Mark Reynolds, who breaks his own record for strike outs in a season every year. They are looking at some pretty good GM's to save this team, but a respectable team is years away at this point.