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Egg On Their Faces: Cowboys, Lions, Brett Favre
Posted by Frank Nevarez Categories: Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Editorials,
I thought all the playoff possibilities prior to Sunday would drive me nutty. Now after all the results are in, I’m still woozy. I can’t keep track of all the junky efforts we saw on the field and my coaches’ scorecard is getting marked up something fierce with all the firings that are piling up.
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The Marlins, not the Yankees, are Killing Baseball
Posted by Eno Sarris Categories: Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Florida Marlins, New York Mets, Editorials,
There’s a lot of talk going around that the New York Yankees are killing baseball. They are outspending everyone, other general managers whine. They just bought the best hitter and the two best pitchers on the market! What are we supposed to do?
Get over it. The free market is the best way to go. Football has parity, but it’s almost ridiculous how quickly teams change. There’s no team identity from year to year, and very few trades (which are exciting for the fans). Basketball has an interesting mix of continuity and parity, but figuring out a deal in basketball is more a question of math than a negotiation of teams with needs. The maximum salary slots also create a sub-class of overvalued stars that just get shipped from team to team as the league waits for their bloated contract to expire (think Al Harrington).
No, the system baseball has is, for the most part, the best way to go. Teams have a chance of winning every year - just look at the small market teams that have found postseason success over the past five years (the Tampa Bay Rays, Florida Marlins and even the Detroit Tigers have used revenue-sharing dollars to good use). Blockbuster trades happen almost every year, and the baseball trade deadline is the most exciting deadline in sports. The state of the game is strong, despite the Yankee’s spending a good $70 million a year more than the second-most extravagant team.
A salary cap would just give these billionaire baseball owners more money - and they are the richest owners in major league sports. Using a revenue-sharing system to penalize the Yankees for their huge payroll is not a terrible system - provided, of course, that the smaller market teams actually use the money for good use. And that’s where the problem lies. The Florida Marlins are the team that should be shouldering your complaints. Some of the numbers are staggering.
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Dean Browski Picks for NFL Week 17
Posted by Dean Browski Categories: Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers,
The last week of the regular season is upon us. I have grouped together those teams that must win in order to have a chance to make the playoffs and have come up with some interesting parlays and angles to play.
Season: 123-112-5
Last Week: 6-10-0
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NFL Xmas: Giants over Panthers
Posted by Frank Nevarez Categories: New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Carolina Panthers, Editorials,
Well, NFL fans, do you believe you received your just rewards? Not only did the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers provide one heck of a Week 16 contest, but they gave you a little extra by taking it to overtime! The best deliver in primetime.
The first order of business for the Giants had to be getting back to a grinding run game. Brandon Jacobs was the welcome re-addition everyone thought he’d be. But how about the career-night for the explosive Derrick Ward? However, it was the balanced attack of Carolina that made the early good impression as the Panthers maintained a lead for most of the game. WR Steve Smith always looks good when national exposure is on the line.
I didn’t notice exactly when the Giants’ vaunted defense finally kicked in. Things were seemingly going Carolina’s way as I recall RB DeAngelo Williams giving Giants’ linebacker Antonio Pierce the ‘ol stiff arm en route to a 30-yard TD run. This gave Carolina a 28-20 lead. Because this score was an answer to a previous NYG touchdown drive I figured the Panthers had risen to the occasion, were making a statement, and that the game and home field in the NFC was theirs.
Not quite.
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Dean Browski Picks for NFL Week 16
Posted by Dean Browski Categories: Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers,
With two pushes last week, I believe that further proves how good Vegas gets as the season progresses. I want you to match my record with all the other so-called experts out there and find someone doing significantly better. I also want you to then ask yourself, if I can be better than all the ones in newspapers, on television, or on the radio, then why can’t you? The answer to that is that you can, and you are.
Season: 117-102-5
Last Week: 8-6-2
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Manny Ramirez - Pros and Cons
Posted by Charles Mitri Categories: Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Editorials,
A few thoughts on whether the New York Yankees should sign Manny Ramirez.
First, the bad news… and we know it by heart. Manny being Manny. Petulant, moody, a proverbial thorn in the side of teammates, owners, and general managers. Pick your favorite verb or phrase and apply it. No question - he brings a lot of baggage with him. What to do? Grin and bear it.
Stats tell the whole story and Manny has a truckload of ‘em. A lifetime batting average of .314, 527 homers, 1212 career walks and a career slugging percentage of .593. Ten out of 15 seasons hitting .300+. Hits in the clutch, hits for average, hits for power. He is the best hitter since Tony Gwynn and Wade Boggs, the scourge of pitchers in both leagues, and a first ballot Hall of Famer. He made the Cleveland Indians a contender, helped the Boston Red Sox win two World Series and led the Los Angeles Dodgers to the playoffs on the strength of .399 hitting.
Forget all the hoopla and remarks about Manny being Manny. It has nothing to do with his talent. He won’t win any popularity contests, but Manny does his real talking where it counts - at the plate. Everything else is more grist for the mill. At age 37, Manny is now approaching the end of his career, but it doesn’t seem to be slowing him down. Just look at the numbers he posted for the Dodgers. A .399 average, 17 homers, 53 runs batted in, a .489 on base percentage. This writer’s stance on what the Yankees should do is a mere bag of shells. Do what it takes to sign him. If Manny wants two years, give it to him. If he wants an exorbitant amount of money, give it to him. Manny is no cakewalk in the clubhouse and he’ll require a ton of patience, but he is a proven winner.
NFC North Week 16 Predictions
Posted by Charles Mitri Categories: Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers,
The Detroit “how can we lose another this week?” Lions play host to Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints this Sunday. Remember the 51-29 shellacking the Saints pasted on the Green Bay Packers four weeks ago? This game will pale by comparison. Big Easy quarterback Brees will resemble a Luftwaffe pilot bombing London when he starts peppering the Lions’ swiss cheese secondary. Give whatever name fits the bill - massacre, blowout, route, blood bath. It all adds up to the same thing - another one under “L” for the Lions - this one makes 15. Saints by 14.
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The Return of Monta?
Posted by Scott Sargent Categories: Free Agency, H2H, Injuries, Pacific Division, Golden State Warriors, Rumors, Waiver Pick Ups,
Though still recovering from his moped-turned-busted ankle, Monta Ellis has been activated by the Golden State Warriors after serving his 30-game suspension for violating “team policy.” If you remember correctly, Ellis signed a six-year deal that will ultimately pay him a hefty chunk of change; one that he can now start collecting on.
The guard can now begin taking part in team activities and will likely do so when the Warriors return from their road trip. Expect Ellis to start running some time after the Christmas holiday, and perhaps earning some playing time near the beginning of January. With that said, the dual-eligible guard deserves a roster spot in nearly every league at this point. Low risk, high reward, if you will.
You Gotta Be Kidding Me Steelers, Bills, Giants!
Posted by Frank Nevarez Categories: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Carolina Panthers, Editorials,
Let’s just throw everything in the air and see what happens. That’s what seemingly happened this weekend in the NFL. Crazy endings and all sorts of things got mixed up. But this helter skelter nature has led to some interesting scenarios.
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Exercise in Futility: Building the Cleveland Bullpen
Posted by Eno Sarris Categories: Cleveland Indians, Editorials, Injuries,
The Cleveland Indians signed closer Kerry Wood to a reasonable contract: two guaranteed years at $20.5 million with an option year that only vests if he finishes 55 games in one of the two years. They protected themselves against an albatross of a contract in case his shoulder blows out again, and they got him below market rates: both things that a small market team needs to do.
Along with trading for Joe Smith, and previous holdovers Rafael Betancourt, Rafael Perez, Masa Kobayashi and Jensen Lewis, the Indians bullpen looks, on the surface, like a revamped and solid bully that could become a strength for this team.
So why the headline? Why does this seem so futile? Why does every GM count the bullpen as an area needing improvement in the offseason? Why do some bullpens that look good going into the season turn into bullpens of horror?
Because the bullpen is the single most volatile sector of any team. Why don’t we go down the list of bullpen candidates in Cleveland and detail their dark side?
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