Rider Moto2 Esteve RabatSaturday, July 30, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
Patriots Cut Ty Warren (UPDATED)
"The Patriots made a series of moves Friday afternoon, including officially signing wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, as well as the release of linebacker Tully Banta-Cain, cornerback Tony Carter, tight end Alge Crumpler, tackle Nick Kaczur, defensive lineman Marcus Stroud, defensive lineman Ty Warren and rookie free agent Ryan Coulson. In addition, the officially announced the signings of third-round pick Ryan Mallett and fifth-round pick Marcus Cannon (WEEI)."
Really surprised that they cut Warren. I guess that he is washed up, or at the very least hasn't rebounded from his injuries fast enough. It does make me a little concerned, as Haynesworth better work out now. I know we got by without Warren last year, but I was expecting that he could be a force this year.
***UPDATE***
There are rumors the Patriots will bring him back under a reworked deal.
Red Sox @ White Sox Preview
The old knuckleballer is on the hill again tonight, but as good as his 2-0 record seems over his last 3 starts, he hasn't been pitching all that well. he has a 6.50 ERA in that span while allowing 28 hits and receiving 23 runs of support in 18 innings. To make things even tougher on the Wake Chicago won 13 of the last 15 meetings with Boston.
Floyd is 5-0 with a 3.26 ERA in six career starts versus the Red Sox, and he's also been stellar in winning his last two outings. Yet, even with as well as he has been pitching one would have to think the he just hasn't run into an offense like the Red Sox.
Boston has been crushing the ball, and I don't think that will stop tonight. Pedroia homered Thursday to extend his hitting streak to 25 games, and is hitting .404 with nine homers during his streak (has been on base in 37 straight game). Add that to what Ellsbury/Ortiz/Gonzalez have been doing on a nightly basis and I just can't pick against the Sox.
Red Sox win 8-6
Player of the Game: Gonzalez
Game starts at 8:10pm
Around The NFL (UPDATED)
The Saints locked up Darren Sproles. Great Move, he is basically Reggie Bush without the media attention. There will be hardly any setback in the offensive production from the Saints with Sproles taking over.
Roy Williams is going to the Bears. Now they will have an underachieving QB and an underachieving WR. Also both just had some marital problems so it's a good fit.
CB Jonathan Joseph went to Houston. Huge upgrade and does this mean they are out of the Awesome-hua mania. Still a nice piece.
The Falcons released wide receiver Michael Jenkins and defensive end Jamaal Anderson. It's about time, Jenkins sucked and with my boy Julio Jones there, he is no longer needed. Jamaal Anderson is just another bust defensive player.
Looks like Matt Light is coming back to the Patriots. Nice move figuring Solder will need some grooming.
***UPDATE***
- Ray Edwards has agreed to a five-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons.
- Miami Dolphins have agreed to terms with former Carolina Panthers quarterback Matt Moore.
- Vince Young has signed with the Eagles.
- Pittsburgh Steelers have released veteran offensive tackle Flozell Adams.
Harrison Apologizes To Goodell
"The interview that I did and the comments that I made about Roger Goodell were inappropriate, at the least," Harrison said. "They were way out of line, and I was speaking out of anger and frustration at the time. Any comments that I made that offended anyone, I apologize."
Harrison had every right to be upset with Goodell, and for the most part I don't actually mind most of what he says. I thought it was wrong he ripped his teammates, but with the stuff about Goodell I didn't really care. Still, this is smart, there is no reason to have your boss any more pissed at you then he already is. Plus, his comments were pretty over the top.
There Will Be No 'Hard Knocks' This Year
HBO said Friday the uncertainty of the lockout "made it impractical for a team to commit" to the popular training camp reality show. The series is set to return next year. It is really not surprising at all, but still very dissapointing. It is really the only thing that makes NFL camps interesting to the fans. I know we will all want to see who wins what job and what not, but to go inside the actual camp and see what these guys go through is amazing. Plus you get such gems at "now let's go get a snack", "kiss the baby", "child please", and so on.
We will miss you and hopefully it will be back next year (I think it will).
Who would you have wanted to see this year if the were able to do it?
To be me there would've been 2 very interesting teams... the Patriots and the Steelers. Not because those are DP and my teams, but there is just so much going on around them. Ochocinco/Haynesworth on the Patriots, the whole Harrison thing with the Steelers. Both of those would've been amazing.
So, who would want to have?
Oh, So That's What Happened to Hideki Irabu
Hideki Irabu was found dead, an apparent suicide in a home in Rancho Palos Verdes, a wealthy Los Angeles suburb. It is being reported that he hung himself.
If you can remember Hideki Irabu was basically the Yankees Dice-K (even called the Japanese Nolan Ryan). It was a huge deal when he came over, and he ended up being the worst pitcher ever (34-35 with a 5.15 ERA). Then it took a hysterical turn as not only was he bad, but George Steinbrenner used to refer to him as a fat toad.
He was a member of two Yankees teams that won the World Series, but his only postseason action was a single relief appearance in the 1999 AL Championship Series when Boston tagged him for 13 hits.
After he fell out of the majors Irabu's life feel apart. In August 2008, he was arrested in Japan for allegedly assaulting a bartender after drinking 20 mugs of beer. Police said he became angered after his credit card was rejected. In May 2010, Irabu was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol in Gardena, another Los Angeles suburb. Police said he was stopped after his car drifted outside of traffic lanes and he nearly collided with a parked car.
So, it's pretty obvious he had some kind of drinking problem, and it finally came to an end. I wish I could say there are some good memories of him, but the only good thing I can say is it was always entertaining to watch him as a Red Sox fan.
Assistant Coach Rajon Rondo
Kentucky coach John Calipari tweeted this on Thursday night:
“John Wall (@jimmywa11), Rajon Rondo (@rajonrondo) & Eric Bledsoe (@ebled24) all plan to enroll in the fall if the lockout continues. Kaboom!”
Oh that Calipari did it again. Since I think there will be a lock out, it would be cool if all 3 of them were assistant coaches of Kentucky. Such a good recruiting ploy too. Calipari can just send a pro out on recruiting trips and get whichever high school kid he wants to fall right into his lap.
This is why John Calipari is the man. He thinks outside of the box. Great move Coach Cal.
Captain's Thoughts on Patriots' Moves
And there is a high reward. Haynesworth was an All-Pro twice, Ochocinco received that honor 4 times. These are two extremely talented players. One has numerous on the field and off the field problems. The other was stuck in Cincinnati, where they find ways to lose even when talent falls into their laps (see: allowing Palmer to retire), and is perhaps in the twilight of his career.
Albert Haynesworth is a lazy scumbag. There, I said it. He's got a bit less than Randy Moss potential, and puts in even less effort than Moss did with Oakland. Now, if he tries, he can help the Patriots. If he tries, he'll at least be a second DT, to give relief for Wilfork, and sometimes play in a 4-3. And the Pats play more 4-3 than most people realize.
If Haynesworth tries, and still has "it," then things get fun. Wilfork can shift to DE in a 3-4, where he played a significant amount of time last year, and be free to rush upfield, using his power, and surprising speed. A line of Wilfork, Haynesworth, and Warren would present some difficult conundrums for opposing offensive lines. And that would also help out the LBs.
If Haynesworth doesn't try, the Patriots lose a 5th round pick. Would you draft a defensive lineman with his upside, but with his baggage, with a 5th round pick? I would.
Then there's Ochocino, whose problems are not effort related. This is a guy with seven 1,000 yard seasons under his belt. Thought he can't do the deep thing anymore. But the Patriots are ingenious in implementing matchups to allow guys like him to get open, and get the ball. He's not Randy Moss. His longest reception last year went for 42 yards. But he can still produce.
Ochocinco gets a slightly unfair reputation because he tweets and talks. But his effort and dedication have never been in doubt. We all thought it was silly when he kicked PATs for the Bengals in a preseason game against the Pats. But he nailed the kicks, which demonstrates that he'd been practicing them. He was the Bengals' emergency kicker because he put in that little bit of extra effort, not as part of some joke or stunt.
Ochocinco might have to cool down the tweets, or at least edit them. But he already has a tremendous rapport with Belichick. I think Ochocinco will slot in nicely with the Pats, and find himself in a Deion Branch kind of role.
One thing's for certain, and that is uncertainty. Will Haynesworth try? Will Ochocinco give bland press conferences? Suddenly, training camp and preseason games have become more interesting. And that's good. These guys CAN help. I'm pretty sure Ochocinco will help. I have no idea if Haynesworth will.
All I know for certain right now is that perennial Belichick doubter/hater Ron Borges has his doubts, which is typically a good sign.
-The Commodore
4 Royals, 3 Sox
Sometimes you split series with Kansas City.
The Sox jumped out to a 2-0 lead on shitty pitcher Luke Hochever, and it seemed as if we were going to cruise to another win. Then Josh Beckett hit a little rough patch a half inning later and gave up the 4 Royals runs.
The Sox just were shut down after that. Adrian Gonzalez and Drew Sutton had multi hit games and Pedroia was able to extend his streak in the 8th with a home run, but other than that.
It happens.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Breaking News: Patriots Land Ochocinco
The New England Patriots have acquired wide receiver Chad Ochocinco after he accepted a restructured three-year contract from the Patriots, a source told ESPN.com's John Clayton.
We will have more on this tomorrow.
Around The NFL (4 UPDATES)
The New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins have agreed to terms of a trade that would send former Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush to Miami, according to FoxSports.com.
With the Saints gaining Mark Ingram and having pretty decent back ups (Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas). Miami has a few questions surrounding the RB situation Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown may not be back, so having a good receiving option can help alleviate some pressures.
The Seattle Seahawks have agreed to a five-year, $41 million contract with wide receiver Sidney Rice, a source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
A 6-4 WR never would hurt whoever is playing QB for Seattle.
***UPDATE***
We will do the same thing we did yesterday and just keep updating this post with all the moves made around the NFL...
- SF have told Nate Clements that he will released after not being able to work out a contract. Could be a nice fall back option for whoever loses out on Asomugha.
- Cardinals continue to try to rebuild that offense line scooping up fomer Packers offensive lineman Daryn Colledge for 5 years 27.5 million.
- Most people seem to think the Viking will heavily go after Braylon Edwards now that they lost Sidney Rice to the Seahawks.
- Steve Smith will no longer asked to be traded out of Carolina, which I think is a huge mistake on his part. Even with their draft and resignings by the time they are good he will be all washed up.
***UPDATE 2***
- Redskins have reached an agreement with former Cowboys DE Stephen Bowen (5 years $27.5 million $12.5 signing bonus). This could mean Cullen Jenkins could be making his way back to the Packers.
- Arizona Cardinals have asked Joey Porter to take a pay cut from his $5.75 milliion salary. If he declines, he'll be released.
***UPDATE 3***
- Kevin Kolb is about to traded to the Cardinals for Rodgers-Cromartie and a draft choice (rumored to be a 2nd round pick).
- Saints have signed IT Jermon Bushrod to a 2 year deal.
***UPDATE 4***
- Bills have signed WE Brad Smith to a 4 year $15 million deal.
- Kolb is getting a 5 year deal from the Cardinals worth $63.5 million, $21 guaranteed.
Why Not?
Why not watch the devastation caused by Netflix?
Side note: When did George get hair? I think I saw that episode, but I thoguht he lost it at the end.
Side note: When did George get hair? I think I saw that episode, but I thoguht he lost it at the end.
Red Sox Looking To Deal For Erik Bedard
"The Red Sox, reports FOXSports.com, are "all over" M's lefty Erik Bedard and will scout his first start off the disabled list Friday. Boston is not alone, however, as the rival Yankees have interest, too (ESPN)."
Bedard would really help this team right now if he can stay healthy, but that always is a question with Bedard. If the Red Sox could eventually get Buchholz back to 100% and bring in Bedard they would have one filthy rotation heading into the playoffs.
Lester
Beckett
Buchholz
Bedard
Lackey
And since you don't need a 5th starter in the playoffs I would feel fantastic about their chances of winning it all. I agree with what DP said earlier, this might be the best Red Sox team I have ever seen, and they can get this rotation right they will be unstoppable.
BMack's All-Time NBA Starting 5
ESPN has been running their most overrated/underrated players for each position, which eventually got me thinking about my all-time starting 5 in the NBA. Here would be my starting 5...
PG - Magic Johnson
SG - Michael Jordan
SF - Larry Bird
PF - Tim Duncan
C - Shaq
I think that starting 5 would be any other starting 5 you can put together. I am really interested to hear everyone else's thoughts. Could you come up with a better starting 5?
More Worry For Buchholz
Clay Buchholz will visit another specialist for his injured back and will not throw off a mound until at least after that meeting. The Red Sox are saying visiting the specialist is just precautionary and not a setback. I said in a post earlier in the week that while the Red Sox seemed to be excited he was able to throw a 30 pitch bullpen session, his comments made me nervous. He said he was still feeling pain in his back, but it was manageable. My question is how much pain would he feel when he was pitching at 100%?
Maybe it is precautionary, but this makes me very nervous. The Red Sox could be having him go see a specialist, so they can get a feel if they need to make a serious move before the trade deadline. Bottom line is that when the playoffs roll around the Red Sox are going to need more then just Lester and Beckett if they are going to win it all, and if they have to rely on the Wake, Lackey, or Miller/Aceves for the #3 spot I will be no where near as confident.
Indians Trade For Kosuke Fukudome
The Indians acquired right fielder Kosuke Fukudome and about $3.9MM from the Cubs today for minor leaguer outfielder Abner Abreu and reliever Carlton Smith. This is actually a really good fit for the Indians. They have been having to play without Shin-Soo Choo and Grady Sizemore since they are on the DL and Fukudome can slid in and pick up some of the slack.
Fukudome isn't anything special, but he is a patient hitter that can at least be a nice stopgap option for awhile. Plus the Cubs are picking up most of the tab on him, so I think it's worth the risk.
The two minors the Indians gave up are nothing that they'll miss. Abreu is only in Class A ball, and is ranked 23rd among Indians prospects. Smith is just a AAA middle reliever.
Royals @ Red Sox Preview
When we look back on this season we might sit back and say that the Red Sox have 4 of the top 10 offensive players in the AL. Ellsbury, Gonzalez, and Pedroia are all and the MVP hunt, and it is hard ignore what Ortiz has been doing.
If that wasn't enough for Red Sox to drool over Beckett takes the hill today and he could easily be in the Cy Young race. Beckett is 9-3 with an outstanding 2.07. One our biggest question marks heading into the season is now one of the Red Sox biggest assets.
Going against Beckeet is Luke Hochevar. I feel like we have been waiting for year for this kid to break out. He has the stuff to do it, but is very much an underachiever, which is shown by his pedestrian 6-8 record and 5.29 ERA. The thing that has been real disappointing about him is that most scouts thought he could be a real strikeout pitcher and year only has 66 Ks in 131 innings. To make matters worse for Royals' fans Hockevar has been lit up by the Sox in his career (1-3 7.94 ERA). Plus, the Sox seem to win every day game.
Red Sox win 11-2
Player of the Game: Beckett/Pedroia
Game starts at 1:35pm
Why Not?
I found it! The greatest thing of all time. Hey Ya just jumped into greatest song of all time list after watching this.
Plaxico Burress to Giants, Steelers?
Apparently the gun toting wide receiver has his selection of where he wants to go whittled down to 2 teams, The Steelers and the Giants.
I'm not a big fan of Plaxico and don't really want him, but if he comes to the Steelers he can't hurt. At the end of the day he's 6-5 and would be a huge target for Ben in redzone situations.
He spent 5 years in Pittsburgh before the Giants so who knows, it could work, but I don't see him getting more than 600 yards.
I'm going to ignore this, but if Plaxico came back home, I guess I would be alright with it.
12 Sox, 5 Royals
Chicks dig the longball, and that's what the Sox provided last night. Homeruns all around Ellsbury, Pedroia, and Ortiz. Ellsbury and Pedroia lead off the game with back-to-back home runs. Ellsbury is now batting .325 with 17 homers (8th this month) on the season, next Ricky Henderson I tell ya. Pedroia extended his hitting streak to 24 games with the 1st inning homer and had a 3-4 performance. But the biggest home run of the night comes off Papi's bat as he demolished a grand slam for his 20th of the year and 10th of his career. It was also his 1000th of his Red Sox career.
Lackey was Lackey, going 5.2 innings, giving up 11 hits, 4 runs (3 earned) and striking out 3. With our offense hitting the way it is we can make up for the fact John Lackey is on the team.
This is the best Red Sox team I have ever witnessed, hands down.
Breaking News: Pats Get Albert Haynesworth For a 5th, Bellichick Does It Again
The Patriots traded a 5th round pick for disgruntle DL Albert Haynesworth. Although I don't know where he fits in figuring he is now going to be in a 3-4 defense again, a defense in which Haynesworth loathes.
There could be a couple of things that the Patriots could do, 1. Change back to a 4-3 with Vince Wilfork and Albert Haynesworth in the middle. 2. Move Vince Wilfork to DE and have Haynesworth at DT and have an absurdly left side of the defensive line. 3. Or try Haynesworth out find out he's not in real good shape and stay in a 3-4 and have him be Wilforks back up.
I like the trade for the Patriots a lot because they gave up nothing for a potentially high impact player, low risk, high reward. If Haynesworth has his head on straight and comes in focused and ready to go, the impact that he could have on this team is huge. If he comes in and is a shithead and you have to cut him in a few months, all you lost was a 5th round pick.... Not a big deal.
Either way the Patriots take on another bad seed project
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Rangers/Giants In Lead For Beltran (2 UPDATES)
The New York Mets are making progress with both the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants in trade talks involving outfielder Carlos Beltran. The Indians actually offered to take on Beltran's entire salary, but Beltran refused to go there using his no-trade clause.
As I stated earlier this week I think the Rangers make a lot of sense, and I would think Beltran would want to go there since they are most likely going to be in the playoffs. That being said, Beltran has stated his desire to play in the NL, unless it is the Red Sox so it will be interesting to see if he uses his no-trade clause again here.
I would still have the Rangers as the favorites, but we will have to wait and see. No matter what Beltran will be wearing a different jersey after the trade deadline.
***UPDATE***
Or not...
Beltran is not going to the Rangers, tweets Rosenthal. The Giants are his presumed frontrunner.
It is also being said that Boris wants Beltran to go to SF, because they have the money to resign him in the offseason.
***UPDATE 2***
The Mets have agreed to send Beltran to the Giants for Zach Wheeler. The Mets are said to be sending back a lot of money. Beltran has 24 hours to agree to the trade, which isn't expected to be an issue.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
