Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Nats sight set on Teixeira

The Washington Nationals have raised their offer to Mark Teixeira to something in the $178 milion to $184 million. Along with raising the offer, their are also rumors flying around that they have upped the length of the contract to nine or ten years.

There are also indications that the Nationals might be talked into going to nine or even 10 years. A 10-year offer would fulfill agent Scott Boras' goal for Teixeira, delivered at the General Managers Meeting in Dana Point, Calififornia, in November.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Aaron Boone to Houston

The Houston Astros signed third baseman Aaron Boone to a one year deal worth $750,000. This deal, however, is still pending a physical.

The Astros were in need of a veteran infielder and quickly jumped on Boone to play that role. Third base is not the only place Boone can play though. He has played 102 games at first base, 30 games at shortstop, and 23 games at second base.

"I'm very excited about it," Boone said.

"Without Wigginton, we had to do something that would give us greater depth," general manager Ed Wade said. "We thought this combination was satisfactory."

This job will not be easy for Boone, he will have to compete with third base prospect Chris Johnson this year in Spring Training. It is more likely that Johnson will be starting at third base for the Astros Triple A squad, but the competition should be good for that spot on the Astros roster.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Paul sets consecutive game steals record

New Orleans Horents star point guard Chris Paul set an NBA record with a steal in his 106th straight regular-season game Wednesday night.

The record breaking steal came in the 2nd Quarter when the Hornets were playing the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday night with 3:43 left in the quarter as Paul stole it from Spurs point guard Tony Parker.

"It's just something that he does. He has great anticipation and the biggest thing is he's always around that ball somewhere, a lot like Alvin when he played," said Hornets coach Byron Scott, who was playing for the Los Angeles Lakers when Robertson set the previous record. "Chris is the same way. Guys think they got layups and then all of a sudden, here he comes. So, that's an amazing record."

The streak began on April 13, 2007 back when the Hornets were forced to leave their home court and play in a temporary home court after Hurricane Katrina tore apart their home city.

"He's been such a good player, offensively, and when that happens, I think most fans and people recognize that about players," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said before the game. "They look at what people score, but very few players get credit for what they do at the other end of the floor also, especially if they're good offensively. So [the streak] brings attention to what he does at the other end of the floor and I think that's great because he deserves credit for it."

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Cubs eyeing Lowe

After failing to sign San Diego Padres pitcher Jake Peavy, the Cubs have now aimed their attention towards Derek Lowe.

Turns out, Lowe might be the more suitable pitcher for the Cubs.

Peavy has $63 million over four years remaining on his contract which will probably be similar to the offer Lowe will be recieving.

Other teams that have shown interest in Lowe include the Atlanta Braves, Boston Redsox, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Phillies however may be done looking for pitching after recently signing Jamie Moyer, Chan Ho Park, and Raul Ibanez.

Monday, December 15, 2008

MNF Preview(12/15/08)CLE @ PHI

The Cleveland Browns will be taking on the Philadelphia Eagles in Cleveland's third Monday Night Game of the season. The Browns are currently 4-7 and two of their four wins have came on Monday night giving them a 2-0 Monday Night record on the season. This time, however, the Browns have handed down the reigns to third string quarterback, Ken Dorsey who will be starting due to injuries to Derek Anderson, and Brady Quinn.


At a glance:

-The Browns are 5-0 when Jamal Lewis has at least 25 carries.
-Last week Josh Cribbs took six direct snaps. Watch out for him to taking some snaps once again since the Browns are down to their third string quarterback, Ken Dorsey.
-Weather Report~65 degrees, Mostly Cloudy, 14mph SSW Wind
-Eagles Safety Brian Dawkins will play in his 181st game in an Eagles uniform, the most in franchise history.
-Eagles MUST WIN to stay in playoff contention

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Maggette Tears Hamstring

Golden State Warrior Forward Corey Maggette underwent an MRI Wednesday Night. The MRI showed a torn hamstring.

Maggette said he does not know the timetable as to how long he'll be out.

"There was a like a little strain tear in there, which was what I probably expected, being that this is like the fourth time it's been happening," Maggette said before Friday's game. "I'm just trying to make sure I take precautions. Now I think they want me not to just rest and come back and be out again.

Maggette is leading the team in scoring averaging 19.1ppg(Points Per Game) along with about six rebounds per game.

"I'm just going to try and be as patient as possible, because I'm a very impatient person," Maggette said. "I just got to humble myself."

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Heisman Trophy Preview

Heisman finalists Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow, and Colt McCoy all have put up Heisman worthy numbers. Each of them have Heisman-like attributes and have led their teams to great heights this season. It's only a wonder why this years Heisman race figures to be one of the closest in the history of the Heisman Trophy Award.

Below I have compiled a list of each Heisman Trophy Finalist and what they've done this season to deserve this award.



Sam Bradford(Oklahoma Sooners; Quarterback)
Sam Bradford has all the attributes it takes to be a successful quarterback in big time Division 1 Collegiate Football. He's got the arm, intellect, and he's definitely got the numbers.

Bradford slices up defenses with his arm to a point that they can do nothing about it and has strung together the highest scoring offense in FBS history.

This high powered Sooner offense is what has carried them throughout the season and is the main reason they have a place in the BCS(Bowl Championship Series) National Title Game.


Colt McCoy(Texas Longhorns; Quarterback)
Colt McCoy continues to prove himself over and over again on the football field while carrying the Longhorn offense.

McCoy has won a school record 31 games as a starter, more than even Vince Young. McCoy still has another year of eligibility left so could shatter that record should he return for another season with the Longhorns.

The value of McCoy to this Longhorn team is through the roof. He means as much to this Texas team than any other player at the collegiate level means to their team.

He leads the team in passing, rushing, and has the highest single-season completion percentage at 77.6%.


Tim Tebow(Florida Gators; Quarterback)
The defending Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow is going for his second consecutive Heisman Trophy. The only other player ever to win the Heisman Trophy in consecutive years was Archie Griffin who won it back to back with Ohio State.

Tebow plays the game much different than most quarterbacks do. He plays a style of game similar to that of a running back.

Having Tebow under center give the Gator offense one of the most dangerous offenses in history.

Vanden Bosch out with groin injury

Tennessee Titans star defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch won't play in their game Sunday against the Houston Texans.

Vanden Bosch has already missed three games so far this season.

Head coach Jeff Fisher stated that Vanden Bosch would a game time decision earlier this week but recently said that he would not play this week.

"He is out this week," Fisher said.

To replace Vanden Bosch in this weeks game, the Titans will probably be splitting time between Dave Ball and Jacob Ford at Vanden Bosch's defensive end spot.

Friday, December 12, 2008

"Tampa Bay tried to hurt me"-Peterson

Minnesota Vikings star tailback Adrian Peterson claimed that when they(Viking) played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back on November 16th, that the Buccaneer players were intentionally trying to hurt him.

"I was being stood up by three or four defenders, and the guy just came out of nowhere and intentionally went for my leg," Peterson said. "I felt it, and I watched it over and over again.

"He intentionally went for my leg and tried to take me out. It was by the grace of God that my foot wasn't stuck in the grass and was able to give. I looked at that play and really started thinking that, 'Hey, whether you believe it or not, guys are out there trying to take you out. So you got to be smarter and protect yourself.' "

Peterson would not name the player(s) who he thought were trying to "hurt" him, but mentioned that their numbers were in the 50's. All six linebackers have numbers in the 50's, none of them were avalible to comment.

"Some guys are really out there to hurt you," the second-year player said. "I found that out in that game.

"It was a play where I was being held up and the whistle was blown. I wasn't going anywhere and I just kept fighting for yards, and a guy that wasn't in the play just came in and dove straight for my knee and tried to take me out. It is really about being smart. I have learned a lot and took heed of that."

"Z" out with ankle sprain

Cleveland Cavaliers Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas sprained his ankle on Wednesday night in Philadelphia in the 4th Quarter of their game against the 76ers.

Ilgauskas sprained his ankle as he came down on former Cavalier ,Donyell Marshall's, ankle after contesting a shot of Marshall's.

Ilgauskas went in for an MRI on Thursday and Cavalier team doctor, Dr. Richard Parker, diagnosed Ilgauskas with a mild ankle sprain.

Ilgauskas is the Cavs third-leading scorer averaging 14.8ppg(Points Per Game) and is their leading rebounder averaging 7.6rpg(Rebounds Per Game).

The Cavs are off to a great start at 19-3 and currently have the second best record in the Eastern Conference behind the defending NBA Champion Boston Celtics who are 21-2.

The Cavs play the Philadelphia 76ers Friday night at 7:30pm and the Atlanta Hawks Saturday night at 7:00pm EST. Ilgauskas is likely to miss both of these two games.

These next couple games will be the Cavs first glance at adversity this season having to play without Ilgauskas who plays a key role for the Cavaliers.

Ibanez to Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Phillies and former Seattle Mariner outfielder, Raul Ibanez, have reportedly agreed to a deal that is believed to be worth over $30 million over a three year period.

Should Ibanez pass his physical, the deal would be made complete and he would become the Phillies new everday leftfielder.

Pat Burrell who became a free agent this offseason will probably be moving on after the signing of Ibanez who will be taking Burrell's place in leftfield.

With many other teams with Ibanez on their radar, the Phillies stepped up and signed him Thursday.

Ibanez hit .293 this past season with 23 homeruns and 110 RBI's. Ibanez is just one of five outfielders who have driven in 100+ runs in each of the past three seasons.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Anthony drops 33 in 3rd Quarter

Wednesday night Denver Nuggets star Carmello Anthony tied the NBA Record for most points in a quarter as he dropped 33 points in the 3rd Quarter in their game against Minnesota.

George Gervin also scored 33 points in a quarter back in 1978 with San Antonio.

"That was one of the greatest quarters I've ever been apart of," Anthony said. "The most important thing is we won the game tonight."

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Sabathia close to deal with New York

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher CC Sabathia became a free agent this offseason and the hype around Sabathia has been noncomparable.

The New York Yankees were one of the first teams this offseason to jump on the back of Sabathia and all their work to get him is coming closer and closer to paying off.

The Yankees have reportedly offered Sabathia a seven year deal worth $161 million which would be the richest contract ever signed by a pitcher. If it is $161 million, the annual average of Sabathia's contract would be $23 million.

Yankees General Manager(GM) Brian Cashman has shown that he is dead set on signing Sabathia and has been putting forth his best effort to do so.

"We all know what kind of ballplayer he is," Cashman said on Monday. "He's a tremendous family man and he's got a wife and three kids. He's got a life choice to make that will direct where they'll reside."

Cashman, Joe Girardi(Yankees Manager) and special advisor Reggie Jackson met with Sabathia and agent Greg Genske for nearly two hours at the Wynn hotel on Sunday.

In that meeting, Jackson took the lead in their discussion.

Genske then invited Cashman back on Monday and had Cashman answer some follow-up questions in their meeting that lasted less than an hour.

"I have no doubt that he can play in New York," Cashman said on Monday.

Sabathia is 117-73 in eight seasons in the MLB(Major League Baseball) and will provide something for the Yankees that they haven't had since they had Ron Guidry, another left hander.

Sabathia was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers on July 7 and went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA in 17 starts.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Padres present package deal to Cubs for Peavy

San Diego Padres General Manager Kevin Towers made it clear that he woud like to deal Jake Peavy to Chicago.

That's about all the Padres and their fans are chatting about.

"It comes down to, 'Does Jim have the wherewithall to make it happen?'" Towers said.

We have six starting pitchers," Piniella said. "Any time you can add a quality, quality guy, whoever it is, obviously you look at it. I said [earlier this offseason] from basically a numbers standpoint, we have five starters and [Sean] Marshall, and that's why I mentioned that [we weren't interested in Peavy]. Any time you can improve your team either pitching-wise or lineup-wise and you can do it, get it done. If we don't add any starting pitching, I'm perfectly happy with what we've got."

Peavy has been quite the topic this offseason. If he should be traded to Chicago, he'd be joining an already potent starting rotation joining Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, Ted Lilly, Rich Hill, and Jason Marquis.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Cavs keep rolling

Cleveland Cavalier superstar LeBron James sat in front of his locker for an hour before the game jokingly saying that if Zydrunas Ilgauskas was closing in on Cleveland's career rebounding record, he'd "take one from him".

James also added that if he was closing in on the Cavs career steals record he'd "let one go".

James wanted both Ilgauskas and himself to break their respective records at their home court Tuesday night and another record-tying rout made that possible.

The Cavs have one eight straight games by twelve or more points to tie the NBA record according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Charlotte was never able to threaten the Cavs as they were quickly pounced on in the first couple minutes when they fell behind 15-2 and had missed 14 of their first 16 shots.

"We take pride on trying to build big leads," James said. The Cavs have repeatedly proved that statement true. One of the reasons why they are having so much success this season.

The Cavaliers are currently 17-3 and will play their next game Tuesday night in the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland where they will be taking on the Toronto Raptors.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Greg Maddux to retire

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher, Greg Maddux, is scheduled to announce his retirement Monday, December 8 at 2:30pm EST. After his 23 year career, Maddux has finally called it quits.

Maddux is a four time Cy Young Award winner has the eighth most career wins with 355, one more than Roger Clemens.

Maddux was by no means known for his overpowering fastball, but more his control which is a lost art in the modern day game of baseball.

"I try to do two things: locate my fastball and change speeds. That's it," Maddux said at one point in his career. "I try to keep it as simple as possible. I just throw my fastball [to] both sides of the plate and change speed every now and then. There's no special food or anything like that. I just try to make quality pitches and try to be prepared each time I go out there."

Maddux, in his 23 year career has issued just 999 walks and struck out 3,371. The only other pitcher in Major League Baseball history to have 3,000 strikeouts and less than 1,000 walks.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

LeBron Blasts Barkley

Cleveland Cavaliers Guard [LeBron James] didn't make us wait for his response to Charles Barkley's comments on TNT's NBA Radio Show. Barkley's comments were as follows.

"If I was LeBron James, I would shut the hell up," the Hall of Famer said on Patrick's show. "I'm a big LeBron fan. He's a stud. You gotta give him his props. I'm getting so annoyed he's talking about what he's going to do in two years. I think it's disrespectful to the game. I think it's disrespectful to the Cavaliers."

James responded quickly and briefly before his game Friday night by saying "He's stupid. That's all I've got to say about that."

Friday, November 28, 2008

Week 13 NFL Preview

San Francisco 49ers @ Buffalo Bills(1:00pm EST):
Records---49ers[3-8]~Bills[6-5]
Last Meeting---49ers won 41-7 in Week 16 of the 2004 season
History of matchup---49ers lead the series 5-4
Weather---Mostly cloudy, snowy in afternoon[High`39~Low`32]

Baltimore Ravens @ Cincinnati Bengals(1:00pm EST):
Records---Ravens[7-4]~Bengals[1-9-1]
Last Meeting---Ravens won 17-10 in Week 1
History of Matchup---Ravens lead the series 14-11
Weather---Mix of snow and rain[High`44~Low`35]

New Orleans Saints @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers(1:00pm EST):
Records---Saints[6-5]~Buccaneers[8-3]
Last Meeting---Saints won 24-20 in Week 1
History of Matchup---Saints lead series 20-13
Weather---Thunderstorms in the afternoon[High`75~Low`60]

New York Giants @ Washington Redskins(1:o0pm EST):
Records---Giants[10-1]~Redskins[7-4]
Last Meeting---Giants won 16-7 in Week 1
History of Matchup---Redskins lead series 87-61 with 4 ties
Weather---Rainy[High`45~Low`40]

Miami Dolphins @ St. Louis Rams(Sunday-1:00pm EST):
Records---Dolphins[6-5]~Rams[2-9]
Last Meeting---Dolphins won 31-14 back in 2004
History of Matchup---Dolphins lead series 8-2
Weather---Cold and snowy[High`43~Low`30]

Indianapolis Colts @ Cleveland Browns(Sunday-1:00pm EST):
Records---Colts[7-4]~Browns[4-7]
Last Meeting---Colts won 13-6 in Week 3 of the 2005 season
History of Matchup---Browns lead series 15-13
Weather---Snowy and Rainy[High`41~Low`34]

Carolina Panthers @ Green Bay Packers(Sunday-1:00pm EST):
Records---Panthers[8-3]~Packers[5-6]
Last Meeting---Packers won 31-17 in their meeting last season
History of Matchup---Packers lead series 7-3
Weather---Cloudy and snowy[High`36~Low`21]

Atlanta Falcons @ San Diego Chargers(Sunday-4:05pm EST):
Records--Falcons[7-4]~Chargers[4-7]
Last Meeting---Falcons won 21-10 back in 2004
History of Matchup---Falcons lead series 6-1
Weather---Sunny[High`79~Low`52]

Denver Broncos @ New York Jets(Sunday-4:15pm EST):
Records---Broncos[6-5]~Jets[8-3]
Last Meeting---Broncos won 27-0 back in 2005
History of Matchup---Broncos lead 15-14 with a tie
Weather---Rain in the afternoon[High`42~Low`38]

Pittsburgh Steelers @ New England Patriots(Sunday-4:15pm EST):
Records---Steelers[8-3]~Patriots[7-4]
Last Meeting---Patriots won 34-13 in Week 14 last season
History of Matchup---Steelers lead series 13-10
Weather---Afternoon Rain[High`45~Low`38]

Kansas City Chiefs @ Oakland Raiders(Sunday-4:15pm EST):
Records---Chiefs[1-10]~Raiders[3-8]
Last Meeting---Raiders won 23-8 in Week 2
History of Matchup---Chiefs lead 50-44 with 2 ties
Weather---Sunny[High`66~Low`46]

Chicago Bears @ Minnesota Vikings(Sunday-8:15pm EST):
Records---Bears[6-5]~Vikings[6-5]
Last Meeting---Bears won 48-41 in Week 7
History of Matchup---Vikings lead 50-42 with 2 ties
Weather---Cloudy, Windy, Snowy[High`36~Low`18]


SPECIAL MONDAY NIGHT PREVIEW:
The Jacksonville Jaguars are set to battle the Houston Texans in Houston in a primetime Monday Night Matchup starting at 8:30pm EST. Both teams are coming in with 4-7 records tied for 3rd Place in the AFC South trailing the 11-1 Tennessee Titans and 7-4 Indianapolis Colts.

Texans starting quarterback Matt Schaub was injured back in Week 9 in their game against the Minnesota Vikings and was limited in practice this week. Schaub is listed as questionable for their game Monday Night against the Jaguars.

NOTE-This is the Texans first Monday Night Football game in franchise history.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Matt Holliday to Oakland

In the first blockbuster deal of this upcoming MLB(Major League Baseball) Season, the Colorado Rockies sent All Star slugger Matt Holliday to the Oakland Athletics for closer Huston Street, starting pitcher Greg Smith, and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez.

Holliday hit 25 homruns, drove in 88, and hit .321 this past MLB Season. Holliday also started in the All Star Game for the National League(NL) playing left field.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Jake Peavy on the move? To Chicago?

San Diego Padres starting pitcher, Jake Peavy, has been a hot topic this offseason throughout Major League Baseball(MLB). Peavy has compiled a list of teams that he wishes to be be traded to. One of those teams is the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs, who already have a strong starting pitching staff, aren't putting a halt to the transactions.

Adding Peavy to their pitching staff would give them arguably the best starting pitching staff in the MLB which would consist of Carlos Zambrano, Rich Harden, Jake Peavy, Ryan Dempster, and Ted Lilly. Lilly, arguably the weakest link in that "would be" rotation posted a 17-9 record and a 4.09 ERA last season.

The Cubs and Padres haven't confirmed it yet, but his deal has been reported to have been very close to being completed. Peavy who is coming off a 10-11 season with a 2.85 ERA is probably not going to be easy to get with those numbers however the 10-11 record is alot better than it sounds when adding in how little support he got from his Padre pen.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Yankees To Bite On Manny?

New York Yankees part-owner Hank Steinbrenner has reportedly announced that they have right handed slugger Manny Ramirez on their radar this offseason. Even after acquiring right fielder Xaiver Nady this past season, the Yanks aren't ready to stop the spending just yet. Ramirez hit .332 with 37 homeruns with 121 RBI's last season.

According to Steinbrenner, the Yankees are examining all options to help make the Yankee team better.

The Yankees already have a chunk of money set aside to offer to either CC Sabathia or AJ Burnett that if worse comes to worse could be sent to Ramirez.

Although the Yankees are in need of pitching, they have historically been a team devoted to having a high powered offense.

Yes having Ramirez on your team will force you to put up with his sideshow, but the Yankees feel that putting up with the sideshow will get you offensive production and will give you great amounts of protection for Alex Rodriguez in your lineup which will only lead to greater amounts of production from both Ramirez and Rodriguez.