Words of the Year!

Here is a list of some of the Front Runners that came out of the world of sports in the 2007 Year. This list and some of the Definitions are courtesy of Deadspin and UrbanDictionary.com.

Papelboner- The feeling a Red Sox fan gets when Jonny Paps aka Jonny PapSmear comes into the 9th inning to save a game.
In a sentence- Strike 3, Oh man the Papelboner is in full effect.
Now here is a little advice. It's OK to get a Papelboner when Papelbon comes into the game. It's OK to get one when he strikes out the side. But if you get one when he does that God Damn River Dance thing, then you are a Gay. Not that there is something wrong with that, but you are. And Remember, for god sake, if your Papelboner lasts for more than 4 hours, please consult your physician.

Schrutebag- a large bag of douche with sycophantic tendencies.
In a sentence- Keith Law speaks therefore he is a Schrutebag. By the way, The group on Facebook "Keith Law is my Hero" is up to 5 full members. But one member is myself just so I can take a dump on Keith's fans. All four of them!

Hibachi- Stolen slogan that Gilbert Arenas calls out when he is about to attempt another shot in hopes of making it and landing a larger contract so the Wizards can turn into a one man, 40 win empire.
In a Sentence- Gilbert would use it like this- Hibachi! Gilbert Jr. the 15th just took his first steamy dump in the toilet.
What did we learn about Gilbie in 07? That is you are a pro sports player, you can not survive on 65 million because you have to much intercourse with so many different women, and you must pay them off and send them support for your kids. By the way, Brandon Haywood came up with Hibachi. But since he never got to use it a game due to lack of shots, scores, or talent, he gave it to Gilbie Sr.

Skiled- To get totally Fucked right before the Holidays or a Birthday.
In a sentence- Hide the telephone book, Dad got Skiled at work and he may be trying to set up an appointment with Dr. Kevorkian for after the Holidays.
This word came abouts after Christmas eve this year, when the Bulls decided to wait until Christmas eve to fire Scott Skiles. He led the team to the second round of the playoffs last year, but the players quit on him. Ben Wallace was the leader of that. He is making 15.5 million but only scoring 4 points a game. So that is Scottie's fault that the Bulls totally overpaid for Wallace. On a bright note, he still has 2 more years and 30 million plus left.

I hope everyone was able to add a couple words into their personal dictionary's.

NBA BM (The After Christmas Edition)

Christmas Day Wrap Up: What did we learn yesterday? The early game taught us that Cleveland can play, and they can scrap and win just like last year. With no help, Lebron may never win 65-70 games, but come playoff time he can flip the switch. They can finish in the 3-8 seed every year and still make the finals. They dominated the Heat for 2 quarters, but also got dominated for 2. Miami looked great for half a game. Cleveland did too. Both teams need to make a move. They may be able to do that move with each other. (see below) Miami may be at best a 6 seed this year, and Clevland a 4-5.
Did we learn that the Lakers are real? Can this be true? Well Andruw Bynum is not an everyday contributor yet, but he is getting there. He is about a season and a half behind Dwight Howard. Phoenix used to be fun. Watching them gave me a semi, but now I'm not even getting a chubber. They have one guy that plays defense. If I were Nash or Stoudamire, I would set up a players only meeting and commit to playing D in practice. It needs to start now. Now may be the time to move someone, starting with Marion.
And lastly, Portland is a half game behind Denver for the Northwest Division lead. They extended the win streak to 11. What if Greg Oden was here? WHAT IF? Who knows, but Greg surely input his work ethic on this team. The Blazers are going to win their division and be guaranteed the 3rd seed.

Back to Cleveland: Larry Hughes is ready to go. Word is that he never was happy in Cleveland. He has been injured off an on. The Wizards are one team interested. They would probably send Antwan Jamison to Cleveland for him. Hughes has 3 years and 39 million left on his contract.

Damon Jones: Cleveland is not the place for Jones. He isn't playing and his spot has been pretty much fully taken over by Boobie. Jones has been talking about Miami and he wants to be there. Chances are he will be dealt. Cleveland and Miami will start to deal soon. Riley will over analyze every deal offered to him.

Stay tuned.

Christmas BM

Santa Came and went and some teams are still up in the air on whether they were naughty or nice. SO giving the ending of last season and what has happened in the last couple months, we will decide if the teams have been naughty or nice. This decision is based on what is going on around them, rumors, projected signings, and recent additions.

Yankees: Naughty! There is no doubt that the team that blew 24 million ( about 17 on 4 months of pitching and almost 7 for taxes for being over the luxury tax) on Roger Clemens 6-6 season. The Yankees just keep trying to spend and spend, but results are not coming. Will they be turned around with a new coach? I don't think so. Pitching still needs to be added, but the most important thing is the mindset of the players. They need men who want to win. The only guy besides Johan Santana on the radar is Mark Prior, hardly a team changing addition. New York will make additions, but they may be waiting to over spend.

Phillies: NICE! Pat Gillick says don't expect any additions soon. Next the phils sign inning eater Durbin and Outfield bat Geoff Jenkins. What does that do? It totally solidifies the order and allows the phils to sit a righty bat in Werth or Burrell against lefties. It keeps them safe if they suffer injuries out there and if anyone slumps. Ok, so now Gillick says they are done. Then So Taguchi signs? Yep, only the best bench hitter in baseball last year. Only a guy who has been to the big dance and back. Now the phils are looking at Akinori Otsuka, a guy who could complete their bullpen. They should also sign a pitcher close to spring training.

Tigers: Nice! Detroit should compete for the Central crown and the leagues best record. The strongest batting order with the addition of Cabrera and a solid Bench. Additions of Jacque Jones, Edgar Renteria, and of course Willis and Cabrera will make them win now. The Tigers will throw out Verlander, Willis, Bonderman, and Rogers and teams should be scared. Watch out!

Rangers: Santa says the verdict is still out. Who knows what will happen with the Rangers. Their outfield is super strong now in Josh Hamilton, Milton Bradley, and Catalanatto. Their order is young but potent, and their pitching is questionable. Will Vicente Padilla stay healthy and win? WIll Jon Leiber stay fat and lose? They may win alot of games, but pitching must be an issue right now. Kazuo Fukumori is a great reliever, but who is going to get to him?

Joe Blanton is available but only for a big price. He probably will not go anywhere, but the Mets and the Reds are chasers.

The same two teams are going after Erik Bedard and the Mariners and Blue Jays too. The price is high here too, but Seattle is offering big names. Look for this deal to go through.

Johan Santana will not pitch in the NL. He also won't pitch for the Red Sox according too Big Papi. SO where will he pitch? Well anywhere else if they are willing to sell the farm. The Yankees lead this chase.

MLB BM

I don't blow smoke. I don't yank anyone's chain. I don't shoot blanks.

I bring it, and here is the latest baseball information.

KYLE Lohse: The Mets and the Phillies both offered this big time free agent contracts. In a normal year Lohse gets a 2 years 10 million deal. But this year, He is being offered 4 year deals. He is expecting to make about 10-14 mil a year. The Phillies will almost certainly back load his deal and possibly make that 4th year a club option. But apparently these are the only 2 serious deals, but the Mets park isn't as hitter friendly as Philly. Hopefully Kyle enjoyed the ride enough last year in Philly to come back for a little less. The Mets are looking to adding a 3-5 starter, and an ace. Right now the Mets have John Maine, Oliver Perez, and Pedro locked in their starting 5. Adding Lohse to the end of that and hopefully Santana to the top of it are the best bets.

Mark Prior: From one pitcher about to be overpaid to another, Prior has been offered a contract by the Houston Astros. Ed Wade is firing away down in Houston, and who can blame him. Many experts believe that the NL is getting worse, but the contenders are making moves to get better. Wade needs pitching and needs it now. He got his closer, now he needs a couple starters. The Astros are better, but now there yet. Other teams that may be interested in Prior, The Yanks, Mets, Maxi Pads, and the Nats.

Phillies: Have offered contracts to Geoff Jenkins, Mike Cameron, Kyle Lohse, and last and most importantly, a minor league contract to Sidney Ponson. Add another wife beater to the squad. haha classic stuff!

Matsui: Word is that he will waive his no trade clause for the right team. I am guessing the right team is a competetive West coast team. San Francisco is interested, but they won't give up pitching for him. Or at least not right-handers Tim Lincecum or Matt Cain.

MLB BM

Mets: Well Met's fans, your New York Met's have a present for you! They decided that since they laid an egg for you last season and finished it off with one of the biggest collapses in the history of baseball, that they would raise your ticket prices 20%. But don't worry, because if you sell the farm for this year, you get first crack at the new Citi Field next year. Not only are they crushing your hearts, they are trying to empty your wallets too. What a team!

LA Dodgers: We talked yesterday about how much better each NL West team is getting. They got a solid coach who should make a big difference and now they added Huroki Kuroda the highly coveted pitcher from Japan. He sends his fastball at 88-95mph. Kuroda should settle in nice and be a great addition, but The Dodgers added him without ever seeing him pitch. They think he is legit and we will see how it works.

Phillies: They are looking for another outfielder. The Phils wait and see how the pitching situation will work out. They need a couple arms for the bullpen, but also need to add a starter. But in the mean time, they are in negotiations with both Mike Cameron and Geoff Jenkins. Both should be able to play both corner outfield positions and Cameron can get in Center Field. The only problem with Cameron is that he can't pass drug tests. Cameron could be a significant addition and he is excepting bids for less years in his contract now.

Brian Fuentes: The Rockies' signed free-agent reliever Luis Vizcaino and that may make setup man Brian Fuentes expendable, The Denver Post reports. The Astros, Braves and Mets, who had offered Aaron Heilman, expressed interest earlier this month. Fuentes lost his closing job to Corpis last year. The Mets look like the front runner.

Erik Bedard: The Orioles will trade Bedard but the price must be right. But Bedard looks more likely to move than Santana. The Reds and Dodgers are finalizing deals and should both get one more shot after that. The Reds look to be the front runners today.

MLB BM

Phillies Update: The Phils lowered their list of arbitration players down to 5 by signing Chris Snelling to a 1 year 450,000 deal. Now, Ryan Howard, Brad Lidge, Ryan Madsen, Jason Werth, and Eric Bruntlett. Snelling was injured last year only playing 30 games. He could be a solid outfielder bench bat that could see time if the Phillies don't add any more depth. BUT...

Geoff Jenkins: The Phillies and the Padres are in a two team race to sign Jenkins. Apparently both teams have offered similar deals but the Phillies offered an extra year. Jenkins will likely decide on what team he has a better chance to play more with. The Padres just got Jim Edmonds from the Cards, and now have Him in center with Brian Giles in right. Both teams show about the same opportunity for him to play. Pat Burrell has given up time year in year out with slumps, and also only plays about 5 games a week. Jason Werth has not been a regular for a whole season and he is scheduled to play right. Jenkins should decide this week.

Other Phillies News from the Daily News: A team source said yesterday that the Phillies could be interested in righthander Akinori Otsuka, who was not offered a contract by the Rangers before Wednesday night's deadline. Otsuka opened the 2007 season as the Rangers' closer after tallying 32 saves with a 2.11 ERA in '06. But he wound up on the disabled list in mid-July and missed the second half of the season with right forearm inflammation. Rangers officials reported that he's had good rehab reports this winter.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Scary, is one word to describe the new Arizona Diamondbacks. They are downright frightening. They acquired Dan Haren for six prospects. Six prospects that will one day make the Athletics actually have some batting too. But let's stick to this year. Arizona brought in Haren, Conner Robertson, Chris Burke, Chad Qualls, and Juan Gutierrez. They lost the six prospects and Jose Valerde who will close in Houston.
Now the Diamondbacks have Brandon Webb and Dan Haren at the top of the pitching rotation. Arizona should also get Randy Johnson back by May. They will have to figure out who will close unless they are able to acquire one. But Qualls, Brandon Lyon and Tony Pena. None are that strong, but hopefully for them, they won't need a stud closer.

Whether Eric Gagne is suspended or not, the Brewers are committed. My feelings on this Mitchell Report is that no matter what happens to you suspension or fine wise, you have a target on your back the size of Texas. Gagne will probably have some trouble this year in the NL to start. Let's see if the Brew Crew have enough patience. They should be able to walk him in.

Mark Prior: The Savior for the Chicago Cubs was let go this week and is now searching for a place to play. He may not be ready to play until May, and that may hurt his stock money wise, but his stock is already in the toilet. He wants to play and contribute, so let's see if he can. Sand Diego is a possibility, but Philly might be too. It all depends on if they can find someone to compete in April and if his price drops off enough.

Erik Bedard Next: He will probably be the next big trade. The Dodgers, Reds, Mets, and Blue Jays are all waiting to see what Baltimore wants. LA is ready to send 4 players to Baltimore for Bedard. Baltimore is officially rebuilding, and they want to move Mora too. They may include him in the deal. No courses confirm that though. The Dodgers have a great deal that would send young outfielder Matt Kemp or Andre Either and their best pitching prospect Clayton Kershaw. I see LA doing this trade to keep up with Arizona. They have too now.

The NL: Last Year the Wild Card was supposed to come out of the NL East. Phillies, Mets, or Braves all should have won it. But come to the season's end, the NL West was best bet and did pull it off. This year the Padres, D-backs, Dodgers, and Rockies could all take the Division or wildcard. This years playoffs may look alot like last year.

Heat Are Getting Better, But Lets Win the Whole Thing!

While the Baseball World tries to make bigger deals of this Mitchell Report than needed, I will talk about Basketball. I will send deal Ideas to Pat Riley and hope that he pays attention.
Let's do something. Now that you signed Luke Jackson, go and get Jeremy Richardson. PLEASE!

Smuch Parker Must go. Trade him, he could return a number 2 draft pick, or possibily just cash. But he is terrible and was a mistake. Lets admit it and cut him.

Portland may move Jarret Jack. But why wouldn't you try and move Mark Blount for him. Say Blount and a 2nd round pick for a couple Portland scrubs.
You do that, and then you send
Cook, Haslem, Jason Williams, and Dorell Wright to New Jersey for Jason Kidd. They get young talent and a 9 million dollar salary that comes off the books next year. They can then rebuild fast and move Richard Jefferson for more cap relief. I would think NJ would do it, and that would give Miami a team to make a run at a title.

PG Kidd and Quinn maybe Jack from Portland
SG Wade, Davis, Luke Jackson
SF Davis, Jackson and Sign Jeremy Richardson
PF Blount unless he is traded. Rod Benson is ready to come up from the D league. Barron could play there a little and Jeremy Richardson could too
C Shaq, Zo, Earl

This is a win now team that competes with Boston.

And Then We Look to Atlanta...

You know it could be worse... Alex Smith hates his coach and they were suppossed to be the most improved team in football, But you know it could be worse... Rex Grossman is a free agent and he think that he has a shot for a job next year, but ya know it could be worse... Andy Reid has two orally and rectally Pill-popping kids and an underachieving QB, but ya know it could be worse. Detroit's Jon Kitna guaranteed a 10 win season and a trip to the playoffs that was demolished by the last second game winning Touchdown by the Cowboys, but ya know it could be worse. Travis Henry has 9 kids with 9 baby mama's, but you know it could be worse...

You could be the Atlanta Falcons. You could have a team whose head coach was so ashamed to stick around, that he left for College Football. You could have an owner who accidently slipped a racist comment into the Micael Vick team comment. You could have a Wide Reciever who has broken out and established himself as a number one without having a number one QB and then pubically raises his shirt to display a "Free Michael Vick" T-shirt. I guess the worst of the worst, you could have lost your Franchise QB that will only be playing football if the Dwayne the Rock Johnson gets himself into Virginia Prison and starts the "Real Gridiron Gang."

Atlanta has a lot of problems, and I am willing to go out on a limb and say they are more in trouble then the Miami Dolphins are right now. The only way to right this ship is to pick up a top coaching name. Bill Cowher for the right price may be the only way to fix this team. Good Luck

Fixing the _____ (NFL Edition)

Here are some teams that need to be fixed. The NFC is still a class below the AFC. The Eagles and Saints both didn't return to what they were last year or the year before. Same with the Bears. Here are some teams that were either expected to be good or had great years last year and had huge fall outs this year. Here is my advice on how to fix them.

New Orleans Saints Aka the Aints: 10-6 06, 6-7 07/ The Saints pretty much returned the same team as last year. The difference is that Reggie Bush could not carry the rushing load when Deuce went down. Their Defense has also not been as dominant as it was in 06. Drew Brees is great, and his weapons are great. But they can not have Reggie Bush as the number one back. He is more potent as a flex option or flexed out. Deuce will probably be hurt for the rest of his career on and off. So they need to go out and get another Running back that can help. Their passing game has been hot and cold, but that will come back. No additions are needed. If the Saints can add another RB, a game changing Linebacker preferably in the Middle and some D-line help, they could be right back on track. The Linebacker could be their first draft pick.
Additions:
RB: FA Julius Jones, TJ Duckett, or Derrick Ward. All great additions and would put the O right back at the top of the NFC.
LB: If they don't get a top LB in the draft, Lance Briggs could run this Defense.


Chicago Bears: 13-3 06, 5-8 07/ The best team in the NFC in 06 came back with pretty much the same team. They added a new tight end, lost Thomas Jones and were ready to repeat. That Dominating Bears Defense went from Points Allowed totals of 202 05 255 06 and already 296 in 07. The Bears can fix their Defense by adding depth to the D-line. Its really that simple.
Now the Offense, and that is tough to fix. Their QB situation has been bad even when they were good. A trade or big free agent signing is needed to fix the QB position. First, they must let Grossman go. He just shouldn't be a headache anymore. McNabb is available in Philly, and they shouldn't sell the farm for him, but could offer a draft pick and a linebacker.
QB, McNabb via trade, Derek Anderson FA, If not then Andre Woodsen of Kentucky should be available in the first round.
RB: They must upgrade or at least add another back. Julius Jones should be available but competition will come for his services.
WR: Bernard Berrian is a FA, they might be able to replace him with Patrick Crayton. Crayton will want to start somewhere, and he is a solid upgrade.

Philadelphia Eagles: 10-6 06, 5-8 07/ The birds lost Jeff Garcia but added back Donovan McNabb a Pro Bowl QB who was thought to get them back to winning. They lost Donte Stallworth but added Kevin Curtis to replace him. They were picked by some to win the NFC or finish as a Wild Card team. Right now they are looking towards the draft already.
I posted an article on what the Eagles need to do earlier. Start with getting rid of the high priced players that are under performing. Kearse, Howard, and possibly McNabb need to go. McNabb could be able to be traded to Chicago above. They would need to add a QB is McNabb goes, Kolb is not ready to start. Again, Patrick Crayton could be a good addition on the WR position.
Their Line backing core needs help, but the safety position needs to be the first draft pick. That person will need to start year one.
Additions:
QB: A veteran guy like Derek Anderson could be a great addition.
WR: They Need depth, and one guy will make a world of a difference.
LB: At least one huge play maker.
OL: At least one or two draft picks to groom for the future.
DL: Same as above, is Howard and Kearse are gone. Cole and Thomas will start.
S: Kenny Phillips from Miami could be sitting there between 10-15 in the first round. The Eagles could be bad enough to grab him.

Paul LoDuca, Your My New Hero!!!! (NL East Update)

The AP reports that the reason why Paul LoDuca picked to sign with the Washington Nationals for 5 Million smackers is because he gets to play the Mets 18 times. Now I thought I hated the New York Mets the most, but maybe I now have a competitor. I am not sure the Nationals are a true competitor, but they believe they are and so does LoDuca. He says "the NL East is wide open." In three weeks, Lastings Milledge changed teams to the play Center or Right for the Nationals from the Mets, and the Marlins lost their best hitter and best pitcher to the AL. Wide Open? Maybe not.

The Mets are yet to make a splash in Free Agency. The Phillies added Brad Lidge, a heck of a closer. The Nats added Lastings and LoDuca. Lastings has underachieved so far, but could be ready for a break out year. Who knows? But what is the Nats Depth Chart looking like? Let's see.

C LoDuca
1B Dmitri Young... BLAH
2B Ronnie Belliard.. BLAH
SS Cristian Guzman
3B Ryan Zimmerman
LF Wily Mo Pena
CF Lastings Milledge
RF Austin Kearns

To me, this looks like a solid lineup that could make some noise if they had some pitching. IF they had some pitching. They really don't. Undrafted Jason Bergmann is their number one. With that said, I think they are looking to add depth. But With the lack of money they have, they will be waiting until pitchers are desperate. With that said, the Nats are not in the race for the NL East or the Wild Card.

Around the rest of the NL East:
The Marlins are dead. The Mets won't trade Reyes, so they have no shot at a big name pitcher. They will compete with the Phillies for the crown, but whoever wins the race in free agency and the trade market to add starting pitching depth, will win this division. What about the Braves? Well the Braves are quiet, but they did win the Division year in year out for about 15 years. SO never count them out.

Fixing the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers

Two teams with the same problem but two totally different situations. Miami is a veteran team and they need to win now. With Wade and Shaq they can win if the right pieces are surrounding them. The sixers are young, and are basically trying to get to the off season to where they will bring in some big free agents. Philly is ready to roll now that they have fired Billy King and brought in Philly native Ed Stefanski. Recently Ed has been quoted as saying he knows how Philly is, there is no patience in this city. One off season, and the sixers can be fixed. Miami Can be fixed with a couple moves.



Fixing the teams may actually be done by making some moves within the teams. Miami needs a starting PG. Philly needs to clear some cap space.



The Miami Heat: First, they must sign Luke Jackson of the NBDL. He is a shooter, and that will give them someone to camp out at the three point line.



The Big moves:

Trade 1: Miami sends a two great players to Sacramento Dorell Wright and Udonis Haslem for Francisco Garcia and Ron Artest. Garcia can flat out play and step in and start at the 3. He is a decent shooter and all around player. Artest can be the 4 in the East, plays great D and will score a bit too. Riley doesn't give Dorell a good chance to play and not in the right position. He will excel anywhere else. The loss of Haslem hurts, but not with Artest coming back.

Trade 2: Miami Sends Jason Williams To Philly for Andre Miller. Miller is an offensive genius, and will immediately have an impact.

Say bye to Smush Parker, maybe they can trade him for nothing. He should fit in ok somewhere else.
New Rotation:
C Shaq
PF Artest
SF Garcia
SG Wade
PG Miller
Subs
ZO, Jackson, Cook, Davis, Quinn

The 76ers:
Well they benefit from the trade above where they get J-Will for the rest of the year and then almost 10 million off the books in the summer. I would think they need to free up a little more space to have more money this summer. They should resign Iguodola, only if they can add a number option ahead of him.

Getting rid of Dalembert has to be a number one option. He is terrible, and they are overpaying him. Trading him for Kwame Brown who would free up another 10 million after this year. He is a free agent after this year and could ride the bench and let Jason Smith play all year.
Dalembert could benefit any West Coast team who has a scoring PF.
Willie Green and Kyle Korver should also be moved for draft picks and expiring contracts. That frees up over 40 Million.

40 Million minus 12 for AI. That leaves 28 million for draft picks and free agents.

They can then sign Brand, Baron Davis, Gilbert Arenas, or Shawn Marion.
Maybe even two of them. I would take Arenas to get people in the seats and then fill the roster.
Biedrins from GS should be available for about 5-6 million. He starts at center. They could turn around and steal Gordon from Chicago... The rest of the roster would be free agent and NBDL success stories..
PG Arenas
SG Gordon
SF Iguodola
PF Reggie Evans
C Biedrins
the rest of the rotation remaining on the team Young, Jason Smith, Rodney Carney and a couple free agent additions.
Available additions, Louis Williams, Carlos Arroyo at PG
Tony Allen, Gerald Green, Udrih, or Brent Barry to get someone who knows how to win in here for the 2 and 3 spots
Big men for low money. The only guy I would add would be Desagana Diop. Besides that they still have Evans and Smith. If the Sixers go the Brand route, it would change their whole mentality on what they do with this team. What will Ed Stefanski do? Know one knows, but its better than what Billy King would have.

MLB BM

The Winter Meetings are over, and now the movement may be slowing down a little. Well some would think, but now after the GM's were talking for a couple days, they can settle down at home and make some moves. Agents got a feel for good asking prices and clubs got a feel for what the price would be for trades. So what will happen now? Here is some news.

Barry Bonds-
Barry wants to play next year and I really believe he will. I can not believe that a club would subject themselves to the media and legal issues surrounding him. But the Oakland A's have a team mathematical equation. They have a load of pitching, that they will one day trade for younger pitching and prospects. But they do have pitching. They have a couple solid bats, and solid defense. Then they add one really big bat for the DH position. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But it depends on the DH. Last year, Mike Piazza failed. But he is terrible. Frank Thomas helped them win, and he had a great year. Jason Giambi did the same over and over. Now, Barry Bonds will be that bat. If he plays, he will be in Oakland.

Baltimore Orioles-
The Baltimore Orioles are in separate trade talks about left-hander Erik Bedard and shortstop Miguel Tejada. The Seattle Mariners have offered outfield prospect Adam Jones in a package deal for Bedard, according to a high-ranking Mariners official. In addition, the Orioles are in serious talks with the Houston Astros, who have offered shortstop Adam Everett, second baseman Chris Burke and a prospect for Tejada, according to an Astros executive. The bottom line is the Orioles are trying to start over. I think they will move both men for the right deals, and then also see what they can get for Melvin Mora. The 3rd base market is really open and both Tejada and Mora can play the position. They are most valuable right now, and moving them makes the most sense. They could however get more if a team is desperate come the trade deadline. The Phillies could be that team if they stick with their platooning idea.

Dontrelle Willis-
The Tigers scored six and decided to go for two. The AL is scared. But not so fast. Did they really want both Cabrera and Willis? Sources are saying that Willis is available. The Mets might be the most interested team. The Tigers may have been forced to take both players, and may be looking to get some prospects back after trading a bunch to Florida. The Mets had no shot at either player from the Marlins since they are in the same division.

NFL Playoff Picture and Predictions

By start I think we could really almost start the playoffs today. The end of the regular season is going to be (Yawn) pretty much a bore. But let's break them down anyway.



AFC W-L
New England 12-0 The Number One seed is a lock.
Indianapolis 10-2 Unless a big Pitt win over NE this weekend they get the bye.
Pittsburgh 9-3 Playing good football, Timlin is leading this team to big things
Jacksonville 8-4 As long as they don't ply Indy they are set.
San Diego 7-5 Win their division get a home game luckily.
Cleveland 7-5 Offense plus no Defense equals no playoffs. Not so fast!
Tennessee 7-5 A tougher schedule puts Tennessee on vacation.
Buffalo 6-6 It's nice to dream, but they are just not strong enough yet.


First Round-
Pittsburgh Vs Cleveland- The Browns have never been here before, at least not these Browns. But their Offense is tough and they could really pull off the upset. They lost to Pittsburgh by 27 at Cleveland, but only lost by 3 2 weeks ago. It will be a good game, Pittsburgh wins 35-31.

Jacksonville Vs San Diego- SD gets a home game but they don't get a favorable matchup. They better hope that Rivers learns how to hit receivers by then. Jacksonville will run right through them and will get to the QB. The Chargers lose at home and replace 7 coaches again????
Jacksonville wins 24-13

Divisional Round-
New England Vs Jacksonville- Jacksonville will give them a ride, but who are we kidding, this team was built for the playoffs. New England may or may not be perfect going into the playoffs, but they will win big at home over Jacksonville. 38- 10 and the spy train continues.

Indy Vs Pittsburgh- It is hard to say who will win. Indy is better, more experience, way better QB. Their defense is just good enough to keep them in this game and get another shot at the Pats. Dungy wins a coaches battle, 28-24.

Championship-
Indy Vs New England- I can't believe that we had to wait 20 weeks to watch what everyone knew was going to happen. New England pulled off a win on Indy's home turf earlier in the year. Indy has to go into Boston to try and repeat their championship. Most people think its impossible, but New England is so old. They will be tired and beat up. They won't last to the Super Bowl. They may not have a line backing core by then, because they are getting too old. Indy wins in a shoot out and quite possibly one of the most exciting games ever, 41-38.

NFC
Team- W-L
x- Dallas 11-1 ughhh.. they have the home path to the Super Bowl
Green Bay 10-2 Favre aka Jesus is back and must be popping pills to stay this good.
Tampa Bay 8-4 Weak division, weak team, winning QB.
Seattle 8-4 It is sad to watch them win the West.
NY Giants 8-4 They stink, and won't go anywhere, but they are in.
Minnesota 6-6 They can't win these big games yet. OUT!
Detroit 6-6 Too tough of a closing schedule. Out!
Arizona 6-6 They are so close to being real, but they still make it by winning out. 6th seed!
Carolina 5-7 QB problems killed them, they are out.
New Orleans 5-7 Reggie Bush isn't a number one
Washington 5-7 Sean Taylor's death was tough for this team to handle. They are out.
Philadelphia 5-7 Donovan could make the playoff push, but for this case they are out.
Chicago 5-7 What happened, oh yea the runners up curse. Out.


First Round-
Arizona Vs Seattle- Wow this is a terrible game. Let's hope the real Kurt Warner shows up, and saves us from watching Seattle more than one weekend. Seattle can't stop the offense of Arizona, and Arizona can stop Seattle. What does that mean? 31- 13 Arizona wins.

Tampa Bay Vs NYG- Another terrible game. The NFC should just skip the 4 teams that make it to the Wild Card games and just play from the Championship. Tampa wins, Eli throws three picks. Bucs win 13-10.

Divisional Round-
Arizona Vs Dallas- The young guns run out of steam and Dallas rolls, nuff said, 35-10.

Tampa Bay Vs Green Bay- But what about Brett Faavvreeee? Brett wants this more than anyone can understand. That may be enough. Favre is a player, but Garcia is a winner. Favre wins the battle with Ryan Grant, Greg Jennings, and Donald Driver in his corner. Green bay 24-10.

NFC Championship-
Dallas Vs Green Bay- Dallas gets this on their home turf, but Green Bay is who rolls into Dallas leaves their mark. Everyone will be rooting for Jesus (Favre) and he will be scoring and jumping around like an 8 year old when the ice cream man comes. Green Bay stomps Romo and the Boys 38-17.


Super Bowl-
Green Bay Vs Indy. Preview to come later when my predictions are right! Stay tuned.

Awards Preview

ROY: Kevin Durant gets the nod because people flat out love him. The kid can play, but how long will he last? He may take a few years to get his body in NBA shape. I know you think I am crazy, but you see what happens to the likes of Wade and Carter. They have been trying to get stronger to last the whole year, and Durant will have to also.

Coach Of the Year: Stan Van Gundy- No doubt coaching a solid group of players. But he has the mind to make this team unstoppable. It would be great to see anyone but Boston win the East, and we know that Miami is kicking themselves for letting this guy go. He showed so much character for taking his loss of position the way he did. He is a great basketball mind that is finally getting his chance to shine. Hands down he should get the coach of the year.

Defensive Player: Darko? POLO! The guy is turning into a shut down defender. He can stick a small forward, but has been seen hounding Yoa Ming and other dominating centers. It's great to see him finally playing big minutes.

6th Man: If the Heat improve Ricky Davis could steal this award. But right now Kyle Korver gets the nod. His shooting is incredible off the bench. He comes off the bench and nails a three like he started the game and he is hot. He is very consistent, and shouldn't be anywhere near the starting lineup. Kyle is a 6th man for life.

Most Improved: Right now there are many great players coming around this year. But Darko has to get this award too. His defense and front court contributions can not be overlooked.

MVP: Take the player that you think is the MVP off the team that he plays for, and what happens? Tim Duncan? The spurs make the playoffs. Any of the big three in Boston? They still make the playoffs in the East. Dwight Howard or Lewis in Orlando, same thing. The only player in the league that if you take him from the team they fold into a lottery winner would be Lebron. He is no doubt the league MVP, and you are seeing why they need him now with him experiencing a hand injury. He may hold onto this award for many years to come. Kobe, Wade, and one day Durant should keep challenging.

Most Improved Team: So far is has to be Boston, hands down. They are dominating with the big three, but how long will it last? If one part falls, what will happen? We will see, but so far the trade has been a big success.

What is Wrong with the Twins?

Minnesota finished the 2007 baseball season 4 games under .500, hardly making them a bad team. They have the best pitcher in baseball and they are going to send them to a contender in their league. The Twins have the upper hand, they hold all the cards. Is taking a little less worth getting him out of your Division or League? I would think so, because the Twins are going to play one of these teams in the playoffs or fight them for a Wild Card spot. The Twins are close to dealing away 15 wins and 37 saves. Closer Joe Nathan may be right behind Santana.

Is Minnesota Rebuilding? I am sure their fans would be interested in hearing an answer to that. Outfielder and the cornerstone of the team, Torri Hunter has already left. He led the team in batting average hit alot of home runs, drove in runs, and played the Center Field position possibly better than anyone in the game. Who is next to leave? Carlos Silva is packed and boarding the one way bus out of Minnesota.

My opinion may not matter much. If Santana leaves, Nathan leaves, Silva leaves, then the Twins may not compete for a couple years. A couple prospects would be great to pick up, but what does that do for the team? They wouldn't have one pitcher with a better than .500 record from 07. The bullpen is beat and the lineup would be anything but scary.

The Twins will be building a new ball park, and I guess they have decided to build for that day. They should send apologies to the fans for imploding the team.

The BCS Ruined Another Year.

In 20 years, we will look back on these years of the BCS and we will laugh. The system that has ruined college football did it again this year. LSU made it to the big game with Ohio State and both teams should have been eliminated with Losses in the last couple weeks. OSU gets in because they didn't play when all the teams that could have been were out there fighting for Conference championships. How convenient. Everyone says the big playoff system will fix it, and I believe they are right. How do you do it? No, the 16 team playoff system will never work. You want us to say bye the the Sugar, Fiesta, Orange, and Rose Bowl? Not going to happen, they generate too much money. So hear is what they do.

The BCS can stay for all I care. However they want to decide it. But there would be 8 teams that get into the BCS Bowls. No Home games is a good way to keep this fair. The top 8 teams in the Rankings would get BCS Bowls.
From ESPN.com Here is the top 8 in the BCS
1. Ohio State (Sugar)
2. LSU (Fiesta)
3. Oklahoma (Rose)
4. Georgia (Orange)
5. Virginia Tech (Orange)
6. USC (Rose)
7. Missouri (Fiesta)
8. Kansas (Sugar)

After these bowls are played, during the week of Christmas. They would then play a short playoff of the winners. This would generate more money, and they could rotate where the winners would play each year. This year for example, the Sugar Bowl would get the Championship which would take place in New Orleans the second weekend of January. These teams still get time off for exams and then would play a playoff over Christmas Break.

Ohio State and Kansas would be a great came, lets go with OSU winning. They would play the winner of Georgia and V-tech. Two of the Hottest teams coming into the end of the year. Georgia is hotter, so we will predict they win. Georgia Vs OSU in Miami in the Orange Bowl but this would not be another Orange Bowl. It would just take place there. Now we generate another big money game. Missouri and LSU could go either way and same with USC Oklahoma. The winners are say LSU and Oklahoma and they would play in Pasadena for a trip to NO for the championship. Oklahoma and Georgia would probably play for the championship. There wouldn't be any questions on how good the top two teams are, because they earned this. But this year there is a big question, why doesn't Hawaii get in? Well if we aren't going to vote them in by giving them the correct ranking, then they do not deserve it. Hawaii gets screwed.

I don't think you can give 6 or 8 conferences automatic bids. Sometimes the Best team in the Big East or Big Ten isn't better than the 2nd team in the SEC or Big 12. We need a rankings system that combine all the rankings and brings in schedule and record. I don't mind the BCS, but let it do it's job then the teams play to work out the rest. Who can honestly say that Mizzou is better or worse than OSU or LSU for that matter. Oklahoma is better than Mizzou but what about Kansas? What about WV?? Can they beat alot of these teams? Georgia is so hot they could beat anyone right now. Shouldn't they get the chance?

I am a fan, and all I want is more excitement. The only way for us to show CFB that we care is not to watch. TURN OFF THE BOWLS!!!!! SHOW THEM WE CARE!

All I want for Christmas

Well the some MLB Superstars are looking for new homes, and where will they end up? A-rod took a big Ol' dump in his home, but decided to clean it up and go back. Phillies offered Randy Wolf a multi year deal but he went to San Diego for a one year. Other Free agents have left and stayed, but what about the current ones. Also, what about the big trade names that are rolling around at these Pre-Christmas Meetings.

SO all _______ wants for Christmas is a ________ Year contract in ___________.

The Biggest Name: All Johan Santana wants for Christmas is a one way ticket out of Minnesota!

If he could fill those blanks in now, he would say... All I want for Christmas is a 6 year Contract in Boston. Johan is praying that the Red Sox can hold out longer than the Yankees. The Yankees are already putting a deadline on the offer they have proposed, and that time is the end of Monday... CLOCK IS TICKING!


Jon Leiber:
All Jon Leiber wants for Christmas is a contract in Major League Baseball. It looks like that is going to happen. A couple years back, Jon was brought into Philadelphia to be the ace and get the Phillies through a growing period. He came back last year, and he showed up fat, and in a monster truck. Basically saying to the Phils that he belonged on the sofa watching Nascar and the highlight of his days should be if he killed a raccoon digging threw his trash. "Hey Baby I got us some supper!"
Anyway.... Jon will sign in Houston with Ed Wade, the same guy who brought him to Philly to save the Phillies rotation.

Andruw Jones:
All Andruw Jones wants for Christmas is a contract for 5 years 90 Million dollars in the National League. Andruw doesn't want to go the AL, and I don't think many AL teams are taking. The Royals have called, but the Giants and Dodgers will pay, but I don't know how much. Andruw think the Dodgers will be competing next year and wants to be part of it. He would look good in center and it should happen.

Erik Bedard of the Orioles:

The whole team is for sale, and lets start with Bedard. His names are all around the meetings in Nashville, and I don't see him lasting too long.
Bedard should go to one of the losers to the Santana trade sweepstakes. He may not fit well in a Yankees uniform, but they are number one. Look for him to end up in Arizona who needs another arm. Anything is a bonus for Bedard who is getting out of Oriole Hell!

Other Available Orioles with high contracts include Melvin Mora ($17.2 million remaining), Aubrey Huff ($16 million), Ramon Hernandez ($15.5 million), Jay Gibbons ($11.9 million) and Jay Payton ($5 million). The Orioles are trying to start over and get rid of this underachieving team and start getting some younger guys in with the right mentality.


Three Pitchers in Free Agency that Start:
Kyle Lohse- wants 15 million dollars a year and doesn't care who gives it to him.
Carlos Silva- has had a couple decent years and wants about the same as Lohse.
So the third guy has jumped up in value just because Lohse and Silva are so greedy this Christmas, and that will get those two on the Naughty list.
Hiroki Kurada- the Japanese import could get 10-12 Million for 3 years.
While the Phillies are interested in all three, they are looking for a 3 year 25 million pitcher and the market is so terrible that they may not get one without a trade.
The Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Giants, Cleveland, Colorado, Houston and KC are all dying for one of these guys at the right price.


Mark Prior:
All Mark Prior Wants for Christmas is a 1 year deal in Chicago. But he may settle for a 1 year elsewhere. Mark wants to prove he is ok, and that he can pitch. Chances are he will get his wish, and so many teams are desperate they might do it.

Kris Benson:
Injury Plagued Kris Benson wants to be in Philadelphia and should be by weeks end. He is on the Nice list, and we all know good little boys get what they want for Christmas.

Freddy Garcia:
Back to the Naughty list. Freddy has not been offered anything from the Phils because they were worried they would have to pay them. So the Mets seem eager to give him a chance, and probably will for low money. The chance of a return is there, but the Mets will pay him more than Philly who think his arm is dead.

Do it up

Why Philly Is a Terrible Sports Town!

The morning after our Philadelphia Eagles showed up on prime time football not to lay down their guns and give the Patriots one more win on their quest to be perfect. They picked up their guns, some would say half loaded guns with Donovan McNabb out, and they fired. Shot one a miss! The Patriots move forward. But shot two, a hit! Multiple hits would follow! The Eagles didn't fire across the Pats nose, they went right up it. Some would say a loss is a loss, but we should be so proud of AJ Feeley and the boys. The Secondary get an A. AJ gets a B+. The whole Offense gets an A together. The Defense shut down all but one part of the Patriots loaded offense, and that is why they built their team the way they did. Defense you get an A too.

SO why are we so terrible? Because we wake up on this lovely November morning, and we write articles on should Donovan lose his job? Is Donovan the weakest linc? Get it? He said Linc like the Linc the field we play in? Wow, reporters are brilliant. We send our text messages into CBS Philadelphia voting that AJ Feeley should be starting at QB to vote in their ridiculous poll. We somehow find ways to be negative when this team dropped a big load of positive on us last night. And for that matter they showed the whole league that Philadelphia is not going to lay down and play dead this year. Our coach is trying to keep pills out of his sons rectums, and he still put together a game plan on how to beat the Pats. Almost a flawless one. Maybe 1 or two plays short of it. We question why did Andy call a deep pass outside to the end zone with 2 minutes plus left when the Eagles had to run the clock out while they scored. They were already in Field Goal position, why not worry about a tie game first, and win second?
Well Philadelphia, the coach wanted to win. He wanted to hand this team destined to win the big game a loss. He wanted to say to the NFL that he isn't dead. And if they rewarded A for effort in this league Andy would be the only one who would have gotten one against the Pats this year.
SO why are you Terrible? Because you breathe and maybe because you will never recognize an effort only what happens in the win loss category. You worry about what the professionals are given jobs to do, not how happy you should be that your team just stole the spotlight from the best team in the NFL. You worry about why this coach should have a job, and why this 100 million dollar QB should have one too.
Maybe if we start acting like we deserve a championship, we will get one. SO stop pointing the finger at Reid, McNabb, Kearse, Johnson, Lurie,and start pointing at yourselves, because you don't deserve to win.

See you in the playoffs, I hope you change your way of thinking by then.

Fantasy Help

Stretch Run additions:

WHo to add for that stretch run? Make that trade as that trade deadline approaches?

Lets Look:

QB: (waiver) Kellen Clemens- he is finally finding his way. The position is his and Thomas Jones is starting to give him some help. Look for him to score a little and control the ball.

QB: (trade) Jeff Garcia- he is probably someone's back up, and Garcia is trying to prove he is better than Donovan and the Eagles. They want the playoffs, and He should try to lead them. he controls the ball and is good for about 2 TD's.

RB: (waiver) Marice Morris- Alexander is cooked and Morris could be getting some important starts at the run towards the playoffs. Look for him for some crucial tough matchup fill ins.

RB: (waiver) (trade) Chester Taylor ok I know this is obvious but also Anthony Thomas of Buffalo. Both Rookie backs in front of these guys are down and both backs could start the year out.

RB: (waiver) Kolby Smith (waiver) Hey Rook, the ball is yours. HAHA KC is like what the F__K happenned? We had a former pro bowler replace our pro bowl running back, and now we got a rook? Well it is easy to run in KC and this kid should get the job done. Its all RB near the goal line in KC.

WR There are a bunch, I will list them!
Chris Henry Cin- the guy is back and already a force. If your league wasn't smart enough to add him right from suspension like I did, DO IT!
DJ Hackett Sea- the guy is already taking off back form injury. He looks solid.
Justin Gage Ten- Vince Loves Justin, Justin Loves Vince.
Santana Moss Was- HE'S BACK!
Nate Washington Pit and Sam Hurd Dal both starters ahead of them are hurt, play them!

New LOTW

Sorry about the delay ACE...
Ok, Here is a lock of the week...
Detroit over Greenbay, a cover and a win.
More coming, I just had to get this in before game time.

Time to Drop an NBA BM

Kobe? nope he isnt the lead today!

Stephon Marbury left the knicks. Peace Isiah! I am out!
Rumors about Marbury being bought out swirl around, so Stephon took his check and bailed. Funny how he makes about 30 million if he gets bought out, and he is the one who left.
golden tissue award to you SM.

Josh Smith

We all saw it coming, and now it is official. Josh Smith was rumored to be in a shouting match with Tyronne Lue to pass him the ball. Honestly, who hasn't wanted to punch Tyronne. I wish he would have. Ever since the 1999 finals when he held Iverson game in and game out.

Antoine Walker

Says he is confused. We knew this... next


Chicago has problems

They expect to be good. They think they are good. That may be the problem. Deng and Gordon want contracts. Tyrus Thomas loves Tyrus Thomas. And no one likes Noah.
Not even Noah

MLB BM

THE Music Begins... The Bidding begins...
The Rod sweepstakes begin... And honestly I really don't think anyone cares about the Rod

A-rod-

Well everyone can take their guesses, but I really don't think the Rod will be the first signing on many teams list. I think everyone will go for bargains first. Then if they can not do any better, sell the farm for the Rod. Lowell will set the tone, and I will talk about that below. The players union believes that the Commish and GM's will try to keep the price down for the Rod and that was talked about last week in Florida. We will find out soon, but look for the Dodgers to make the biggest push. The Angels have him as a second option right now and Boston is only going to move if Lowell takes off. A team with Money that could be the dark horse? The Giants, that's right, The Rod could be headed to the San Francisco Giants. The Rod goes to San Fran, men beware.

Lowell-

Boston is cutting it close to the deadline. But Mr Lowell's price will be going up as 12 o'clock strikes tonight. Boston will Coco Crisp if they sign lowell, and will not if they don't. Unless Texas will give them Hank Blalock. That is definitely an option. Lowell was offered 3 years 13 million by the sox, and I think his agent is driving him to go bigger. Another team may give him that extra year.

Lo Duca-

Two words... Bye Bye
Posada is not an option, he should sign before midnight with the yankees.

The biggest news-

11 free agents that have filed for free agency are listed on the Mitchell Reports. This could really hold back some signings if those names come out. No names yet, but this is big news!

Signings-
Todd Jones- Tigers
JC Romero- Phils

Not returning-
LoDuca
A-Rod
Rowand
Andruw Jones
Torri Hunter

Trade bait
Crisp
D-train (Detroit)
Rolen
Santana

Most Moveable names Per CNNSI.com

It seems like everyone needs a Third baseman and pitching.
Tejada could be the most interesting name because he could be moved to third. But these moves will only happen if these players are not on the Mitchell report. No one wants to bring a mini Barry Bonds controvery to their team. With suspensions and everything involved.

1. Jon Garland, White Sox starter.
2. Jose Contreras, White Sox starter. With two years and $20 million to go, the Sox will have to pay part of his contract.
3. Coco Crisp, Red Sox center fielder.
4. A.J. Burnett, Blue Jays starter.
5. Miguel Tejada, Orioles shortstop
6. Adrian Beltre, Mariners third baseman.
7. Hank Blalock, Rangers third baseman. The Dodgers and Red Sox have called.
8. Johnny Damon, Yankees outfielder
9. Crede. Superb
10. Brian Fuentes, Rockies reliever
11. Josh Barfield, 2nd baseman
12. Gerald Laird

MLB BM (Phillies, NL)

How much will the NL East change?
Mets: They will change alot. With Glavine to go and pitching to certainly be improved. Look for the Mets to make a huge change, and start with A-rod. They may also have a catcher change, with D-bag leaving. Posada may be their number one option. David Wright has said that he will move for the ROD. But first would be their best option, and Delgado is their. Oh well, they have the money, and will try.

Marlins: Also in the Rod sweepstakes, but maybe not as much as we think. Dontrelle is up to leave and same with Cabrera. Both could be headed to the AL. But the phils will make a play for both players. It will be a war for both players, but atleast one should move.

Nationals: A team that no one would think, is actually already talking to agents of free agents. The nationals want a new CF and Rowand, Hunter, and Jones have already been talked to. Also, Livan Hernandez has been spoken to about coming back. Fat chance, no one wants to play for a loser, and the nationals are losers.

Phils: Everyone thinks that they will sign Rowand or a new CF. Or they will make a move at third. The phillies don't have much to trade, and may wait for someone to fall into their laps for an upgrade. They were the 2nd best hitting team in the NL. They don't need much there. They wanted Schilling, but that door is closed. Look for them to resign Romero, and go after Ben Riveria. They will go after pitching, but who knows right now who.

Other MLB News

The Giants are ready to trade pitching for hitting. This could be big news for the phillies. They could move Burrell and pay some of his contract. A move like this would have them then making a free agent acquisition.

Other news, Coco Crisp is the most talked about name at the GM meetings, and could be the sleeper for CF.

Instant Replay has been added to baseball in a limited fasion.

Johnny Damon has been talked about being dealt, maybe to the Whitesox so they get a name, a winner and some heart.

The Rockies have decided against trading Garrett Atkins. They will move Ian Scott to 2nd.

NBA BM

I know few a far between, but here will be a good one.

Yi By his Self....

Yi may finally feel at home. Before the opening night game for the Bucks, a couple Veterans went over to Yi and told him to lead them out to the court for the opening game. Yi excited, agreed. He was the first guy out and well, the only guy. The rest of the team stayed in the locker room as Yi stood ont he court by himself. Welcome to America Jack!

Kobe

Teams in the Kobe sweepstakes are now Detroit, Washington, and Yes Chicago is still in it, even though they say they are not. Other players quietly being talked about among the same teams also including the Heat are Elton Brand, PJ Brown (free agent) and possibly Corey Maggette. Stay tuned.

Vince Carter

Yes he is way overated. Yes he gets injured when he breaks wind. But... Well no buts, Vince is a distraction and the Nets will never get better with him on the team. J-Kidd struggles through injuries by posting a triple double. Vince shoots 30 % from the field and still shoots and shoots.

RIP

The Sonics may finally move to Oklahoma City in 2009. The enveloped is stamped addressed and just needs to be licked. Someone LICK IT!

Award and Team Winners

Here we go....
The start of the NBA season is upon us and here we go with some predictions

ROY: Luis Scola. Houston is a solid team this year and Scola is going to get alot of minutes. I don't think Durant is ready to play the game physically, but he is going to get his points. Scola will contribute and help Houston win courtesy of San Antonio.

Defensive Player: KG, he is going to dominate the East, but come up short of the MVP. Boston won't be as good as some think, but here we go Kevin, Throw them shots!

6th Man: Hmmm.. Barbosa? Manu? Bonzi? I really think its Kyle Korver this year. He should average about 17 off the bench. Maybe Ricky Davis if he turns into a bench player after Wade comes back. Korver has the heart of a starter, the purest shot, and will get his minutes.

Most Improved: Lamarcus Aldridge, the guy can flat out shoot. He is ready to contribute, and will look great next year next to Oden. This is an easy pick.

Coach: I would love to say Stan Van Gundy, but I really think it will be Reilly with a team that looks to be in transition that will surprise alot.

MVP: Hand it over, because it is time. It is time for this run to start, and Lebron will win the MVP. The torch was passed and he will carry it to the finish. Second place goes to KG and third to Wade depending on his comeback time. Kobe gets lost with the trade, unless it happens this week.

Division Winners
East:
Atlantic- Raptors
Southeast-Heat
Central-Pistons

West:
Pacific-Suns
Northwest-Jazz
Southwest-Spurs

Playoff Teams
West
1-Suns
2-Spurs
3-Mavs
4-Jazz
5-Rockets
6-Denver
7-Clippers
8-Warriors

East
1-Detroit
2-Chicago
3-Miami
4-Toronto
5-Celtics
6-Magic
7-Nets
8-Cavs


East Champ: Miami Heat
West Champ: Dallas

Champions: Miami Puts it together without a target on their back....... MIAMIIIIII HEAATTTT

KOBE KOBE KOBE

The NBA is focused on Kobe Bryant.
The Bulls are the leader and may need a third to help them get Kobe. But why are the Lakers focused on trading Kobe? Did they forget that they have the "best" coach in Basketball?
Did they forget Kobe just asked for help? More than the easily injured Lamar Odom?

GET HIM HELP!
I would like to see Kobe stay, but Kobe wants to come East because he is weak, and wants to dominate the East. Kobe does not want Deng in the deal, but guess what? That is the only fair trade. I would insist on a first rounder. Insist on Tyrus Thomas and insist on Nocioni.

How does Ben Wallace and Ron Artest help the Lakers win? It helps them win the Lottery, and not improve Bynum. Keep fishing Jerry Buss, because you have nothing@!

NBA BM Time!!!!

We can now start breaking down the East. Moves should be about done for a month or so. With just roster cuts left. Yesterday the Miami Heat sent Michael Doleac, Wayne Simien, and Antoine Walker to the Wolves for Ricky Davis and Mark Blount. This move gives the Heat a weapon to help play without Wade and when Wade comes back a corner three point shooter to make this team a contender. The only team looking to make moves are the Wolves. McHale wants that team to be strictly rebuilding, and Walker and Doleac don't help that. Doleac does take about 3 million off the books at year end, so i dont see him leaving unless it is for a draft pick.

Durant Hurt:

The Sonics are struggling with whether they should rush their rookie back for opening night to show him off, or make sure he gets healthy first. Good news, the MRI shows no fractures or damage. Look for him to play.

J.R. Smith, what a guy:

Court records show that JR spilled champagne on a woman, apologized, then spit on her pushed her to the ground and tore her dress. The NBA needs more guys like this. They must be so proud to call him one of their own.

NBA Rookie of the Year BM

Riggs! My knee hurts Riggs!
But there was nothing Martin Riggs could do, Greg Oden's season is over. The favorite for rookie of the year would be looking toward next year.

SO before we give Kevin Durant the ROY, lets break the whole thing down.

My top 10.

1. Kevin Durant- Can score anywhere, play 4 positions, but will his frame hold up?
2. Juan Carlos Navarro- The dark horse, MVP of the Spanish league. Will get minutes for the Grizz
3. Luis Scola- Talented PF for the Rockets and will start. If Houston makes a move at the PF he could suffer.
4. Marco Belinelli- Should take over Mikael Pietrus starting spot. But Nelson can play many guys at this position.
5. Rodney Stuckey- Has played great in the Summer and preseason. Could contribute but at how many minutes?
6. Al Horford- Again the Hawks have so many young guys only one ball. On another team he is ROY.
7. Al Thornton- Should get some time as the year goes on. This kid can play!
8. Corey Brewer- The wolves look like the Hawks this year. Again they only have one ball.
9. YI- I don't know how it will work out for Yi, it took him too long to long to sign. I just don't think he will play valuable minutes this year.
10.- Jason Smith- the sixers have been playing him through the preseason and this Center could step in for Dalembert and maybe for a trade.

My winner will be between Marco and Juan Carlos. Juan on the Heat, would have been the clear favorite. They would have started him and moved J Will. Will he get time on the Grizz? only time will tell.

NBA BM

Huge Loss:

Bobcats 6th man Adam Morrison is done for the year. An MRI revealed that he has a torn ligament in his knee and surgery will be required. The Bobcats were looking for Adam to start contributing more this year. He averaged just over 11 pts a game last year. His minutes will be moved to Derek Anderson, Matt Carroll, and Walter Hermann. Carroll plays a similar game as Morrison, but shoots the ball better.

Justin Williams:

Sacremento Kings reserve center Justin Williams is being accused of sexual assault. but this isn't just any accusation. The woman says that she was sexually assaulted by Justin and his girlfriend. Williams and his girlfriend are saying that it was consensual. Way to get at that Monkey.

76ers:

Iguodola is the man this year. But this year may be diffrent. The 76ers are picked to finish last in their division. But they finished last year strong and added to players that could have immediate impact. How will they succeed? Here are 3 steps to the sixers making the playoffs.
1. Reggie Evans: Can he lead the league in rebounds? Yes without a doubt. But more importantly, he has had problems turning those rebounds into points. He leads the preseason in rebounds, but is 0-16 from the field. He will get to the line, and make those. But the sixers need him to score baskets.
2. The center position needs to score. Dalembert is not healthy and even when he is, he does not score. Rookie Jason Smith is playing great minutes and has probably earned time in the rotation. He is getting outside shots, rebounding, and playing solid defense.
3. They need to win some games early. If they do not, then the team could be broken up even more. Andre Miller is a big part of this team, and he will be moved if they can't win early.

LOTW

2-4 Mr. Wachowski against the 5-1 Daily BM

This week will feature a 2 game pick for both sides. Here We Go!

The Daily BM picks will feature two super underdogs. The Buffalo Bills over the Baltimore Ravens and the Jacksonville Jaguars over the team that no one is talking about but won the super bowl last year. I won't mention their name.
SO Buffalo and Jax

Mr. Wachowski takes the San Fran Dilfer led 49ers over the NY Gints. Sad, but yes, this is an upset pick. The beginning of the year brought hope to SF fans, and the Gints looked like they would not win more than 3 games. The tables have turned but we are all hoping for a huge SF win. Second and more importantly, to keep their divisions in reach, the Bears and the Birds face off. Kurt will take the Philadelphia pass happy Eagles.

All I can say is that these four games are Slam Dunks.
Do you want me to shoot it? NO!
Do you want me to pass it? NO!
Do you want me to slam? YEA!!!

And that is what we will do all year, keep serving you the slam dunks!

We Hate COMCAST Cable!

I want to thank you website www.iwantnflnetwork.com for providing answers to why Cable companies such as Comcast and Time Warner suck.

Here are some interesting facts from http://www.iwantnflnetwork.com/truth.php

The truth is simple: cable companies raise rates and stifle competition – and are now denying you access to football 24:7 on NFL Network. Football fans are being held hostage: either they pay extra to subscribe to the cable company’s “sports tier” and spend hundreds of dollars a year for additional channels they don’t want – or they’re totally blocked from receiving high-quality NFL football programming on NFL Network.
FACT:
A number of the largest cable companies – including Comcast, Time Warner and Cablevision – have either moved NFL Network to a pay-extra sports tier or refused to carry it at all.
FACT:
Cable companies like Comcast, Time Warner and Cablevision are refusing to negotiate in good faith to give their customers access to NFL Network.
FACT:
Cable rates have increased by 41% in the last few years, and cable companies still aren’t satisfied. They’re trying to cash in on the NFL’s popularity by charging football fans an additional fee to watch their favorite teams in action.
FACT:
It costs only 2 cents per subscriber a day for cable companies to offer NFL Network, yet they want to charge you up to $10 per month for the right to watch NFL Network.
FACT:
Although more than 222 million Americans watched NFL football last year, the cable companies argue that NFL Network’s audience is too small to justify a spot in the basic lineup. Yet they manage to offer less popular sports channels they own, like Versus and the Golf Channel, on basic cable.
FACT:
Cable has a double standard when it comes to sports channels. Channels they own, like Versus and the Golf Channel are included in the basic lineup. Independent channels like NFL Network get left out in the cold. This is unfair and anti-consumer. Consumer interest should decide what channels get carried – not inside deals among cable companies.
FACT:
Cable’s standard tactics stifle competition, by denying access to independent networks and by allowing cable to abuse their monopoly franchises.
FACT:
Cable subscribers that live outside their favorite teams’ home markets won’t see their teams play on NFL Network unless they pay extra fees to their cable provider. NFL Network games are broadcast free over-the-air in the team’s local market – but Dallas Cowboys fans in San Antonio and Green Bay Packers fans in Madison, for example, will miss seeing their favorite teams play.

My Conclusion: Comcast must not be making enough money. Maybe they are upset that the channels they own such as VS and the golf channel is only watched by 10 people nationwide. We pay our cable bill every month, give us what we want. With the NFL Network carrying 8 games or more towards the end of the year, it is important to everyone that we have it. You will continue to lose cutomers to Verizon, and that makes me happy. Your service sucks. Your customer service is the worst I've ever seen. It also is great that when you call to say your cable isn't working, they are like un plug the device and plug it back in. Oh so that is what your great technology has come to?

http://customerevangelists.typepad.com/blog/2005/08/a_new_terrible_.html

NBA Training Camp BM

Updates Here Updates There Updates Everywhere!

Kobe, Kobe, Kobe:

Buss wants this Kobe drama to end. Well when you want to put out a fire, everyone knows you take a piss on it, not add fuel. The best bet now is that Kobe will not be a Laker after this year. He could be traded now, he could go by February, or he could go next summer. Bottom line is he will go!
Where to? The best bet remains the East, with the Knicks and Bulls being the best bets. The Bulls can offer the most talent. With Deng or Gordon, a Young PF (Noah or Thomas), and a draft pick. Kobe would love to play in NY, but not now. Not the way they look now and with Thomas as coach. I mean Isiah might sexually harass him.
The Suns and Mavs could offer great packages, but why would they keep him in the West to light them up week in and week out?
My guess is the East and the new rumor is the Celtics. Lets see how the beginning of the season plays out and if Paul Pierce doesn't work early, then it he could be moved with Rondo and a pick for Kobe. Trading a selfish basketball player for a more selfish basketball player makes no sense. But Kobe can defend on the perimeter, and that is all that matters.

Allan Houston Comeback update:

It isn't happening. He isn't even dressing for preseason games. Please give up!

Penny Comeback:

The player formerly known as Lil Penny is back. He will probably make the Heat because of the little things. His shot will come along. Right now in his first game back, he was rebounding and moving the ball very well. He is a solid role player and the Heat will welcome that.

Injuries here and there:

Kenyon Martin: No injuries for now, well as of 550 PM today, but there are still many more hours left in the day, and remember he is on Mountain time.
Shaq: Day to day with a foot injury. Will not play for the rest of the preseason
ZO: Quad injury and will not play for the next week
Jason Kidd: Out for the preseason with an ankle injury. His back hand is still healthy and he will use it ladies!
Gasol: out 5-7 days with an ankle injury
Jerome James: Has 4 screws loose in his knee that he had inserted in 1999. The knicks are terrible, just get the guy healthy for your 2012 playoff run.
Scott Pollard: Still the ugliest man in the NBA since Tyrone Hill left, and will miss 4 games of the preseason with a vagina injury.
Nene: The player with the longest list of injuries in the NBA will be honored at half time of the Nuggest opening game with the Golden ace bandage award. Marcus Camby has finally turned the award over. But the season hasn't started yet, give him time to earn it back. Also in the running, Grant Hill and K-mart
Speedy Claxton: Missed 40 games last year and is hurt again. What is it? His other knee, and the MRI shows... Drum Roll please!? It shows... NOTHING! For the love of god play basketball

NBA BM

Courtesy of the Sports Network, here are 10 players to watch. I will then telly ou why we don't care and why we won't watch. Because I am a dick and this is what I do.

Here's a list of 10 players to keep a watchful eye on during the 2007-08 campaign.
1. AL JEFFERSON (MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES) - Ummm Minnesota is going to suck this year. No one will watch them, not even Kevin McHale.
2. PAUL PIERCE (BOSTON CELTICS)- I am going to be watching Kevin and Ray Ray take the ball from big Paul, does that count?
3. ALLEN IVERSON (DENVER NUGGETS)- WIll Carmelo let him touch the ball? AI will average less than ever this year.
4. RASHARD LEWIS (ORLANDO MAGIC) - THe biggest Free agent acquisition in B-ball this summer will also be the biggest bust. Injuries, lack of interest, and in the future and salary cap issue will be more an issue than Rachards play. Trade him now!
5. DERON WILLIAMS (UTAH JAZZ) - Great player, but his team is folding. Fisher gone! Kirilenko, well he hates the Jazz. So good luck Deron.
6. ANDREW BOGUT (MILWAUKEE BUCKS)- I am watching Yi suck this year, who cares about Bogut.
7. KEVIN DURANT (SEATTLE SUPERSONICS)- I love K.D. no arguments here.
8. JOAKIM NOAH (CHICAGO BULLS) - HAHAHAHA BUST!
9. MARVIN WILLIAMS (ATLANTA HAWKS) - Maybe next year!
10. LOUIS WILLIAMS (PHILADELPHIA 76ERS) - The boy can play, but will he ever in the NBA? He did last year, but he can't jump the hump. And Andre is so much better than him and should be the long term PG in Philly.

MLB Managers BM

Why is Joe Torre about to lose his J-O-B?
Why is Charlie Manual safe for two years?

Well Joe Torre won 4 or 6 World Series and Charlie won how many with the Phillies? Let's throw that out and talk about this year. Charlie and the phillies lost in round one of the playoffs. Wait, so did Joe Torre and the Yankees, but they won a game. The Yankees even won more games. So how does this make sense.
SIMPLE

Joe Torre has the pieces to win, Charlie didn't. You Gave Charlie a half full bag of shit and he turned it into a playoff team. Joe has potential, former, or current all-stars at every position. A solid pitching rotation, and an endless bullpen with possibly the best closer of all time.

Charlie had what? 6 starters going into the season. But one had to go to the bullpen to save that situation. They lost Freddy Garcia, Jon Leiber, Ryan Madsen, for the year. He had one pitcher survive the whole year in Jamie Moyer, the 44 year old veteran. Hamels, Gordon, Myers, Geary, and Eaton(who was terrible) all spent time on the DL. That is almost their whole pitching staff. And that is why Charlie is here. His team pulled together and won games, bottom line. He lost his two right fielders, and they still started the playoff run without them. They lost an MVP candidate at the time for a month, and they still managed an above .500 record without him.

So like I said earlier, Charlie was handed a half full bag of shit and what did he do? He lit it on fire and put it on someones door step. Joe was given a full bag, and what did he do? He called the shit poop.