Grizzlies Give Zach Randolph 4 Year Deal

"Hours after Zach Randolph helped the Memphis Grizzlies win their first playoff game, the franchise rewarded him with a four-year, $71 million contract extension that was agreed to Saturday night, according to league sources (ESPN)."

Back in his Trail Blazers days I really question Randolph, but he seems like he keeps out of trouble now, and has been so consistent every year that the Grizzlies had to keep him. With Gay, Randolph, and Gasol this team should be good for a long time, and if Ginobili can't play in this series he might just cause an upset. Either way I love what Memphis has done, and I think this is a great signing.

Adrian Gonzalez Set To Sign 7 Year Extension

"A source told FoxSports.com that the Red Sox "are set to sign" Adrian Gonzalez to a seven-year, $164 million contract extension, but will wait until after Opening Day in order to help save on the luxury tax. Gonzalez is slated to make $6.2 million in 2011, the final year of a five-year extension the first baseman signed in 2007 (WEEI)."

That works out to be about $23.5 million a season. That is a shit load of money, but you know what? It's going to be worth it. I have said it time and again that this guy is going to his 48 HRs this year, and he is still only 28 years old. That means when this contract ends he will be 35, which is fine, because even if he slows down this last two years he can shift to DH. I really think this guy is going to be the new "Manny Ramirez" for the Red Sox, except he will keep his mouth shut, and show up to all the games. Oh yea, and he is a good defensive player as well.

Thank you Theo.

Packers Give Mike McCarthy Extension

"According to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Super Bowl XLV winning coach will soon sign a deal worth $5 million a season to remain in Green Bay through 2015. This would make McCarthy one of the 10 highest paid coaches in the NFL (CBS Sports)."

Hard to argue with after winning the Super Bowl, but I'll admit I am not a big fan of his. I feel like he is prone to a lot of mistakes, and seems to have a serious problem with clock management. Saying that, you can't argue with it. This coach had to deal with a ton of injuries and still was able to get this team into the playoffs, and then on to the Super Bowl. The Packers have a young core with guys like Matthews, Rodgers, Raji, Jennings, Tramon Williams, ect, so he will have every opportunity to keep his success going.

Falcons Give Mike Smith Extension

"The Falcons announced on Thursday that they signed head coach Mike Smith to a three-year extension, the terms of which were not disclosed (CBS Sports)."

Very deserved, as Mike Smith is 33-17 in three years with the Falcons, and although he has never won a playoff game he has turned around a franchise that was in ruin after Vick went to jail. The Falcons are arguably the most balanced team int he NFL, and should be near the top of the NFC for years to come. You really just can't argue this move, and Falcons fans should be happy that their franchise is once again heading in the right direction.

NBA Extensions

The All-Star center Al Horford and the Hawks have reached terms on a five-year extension worth $60 million plus performance bonuses.

The Pheonix Suns have extended Jared Dudley a four-year, $17 million deal with a player option for a fifth year takes effect next season.

Mike Conley Jr was extended from the Grizzlies to a 5 year, 45 million dollar extension. ESPN

The Hawks deal was a great deal. The Hawks are in search for an identity and locking up Joe Johnson and now Al Horford is a great start. Jared Dudley is a great hustle player and the money makes sense. The Conley deal I don't get. he hasn't impressed me that much since he got drafted out of Ohio State. This year he's doing real well, but we are only 3 games in. I don't trust him, and believe he could have been good trade value for him this deadline.

Breaking News: Yankees Give Girardi 3 Year Extension

The Yankees have agreed to a 3 year $9MM deal with Joe Girardi. The deal is said to be done, and includes $450-500K in ALCS and World Series bonuses. To be honest I have no real feeling on Girardi and feel completely indifferent to this signing.

The Yankees have to be happy to get this out of the way, because I'm sure they'll have a busy offseason. They are also lucky the Cubs signed a manager before their season was over, so they didn't have to deal with any kind of bidding way for Girardi.

Bruins Give Bergeron 3 Year Extension

The Bruins and center Patrice Bergeron have agreed to a three-year contract extension worth $15 million, the team announced late Friday morning. The deal will carry an annual cap hit of $5 million, making him tied with Tim Thomas for the team's highest cap hit in the 2011-12 season.

I have to admit I didn't think the cap hit would be this high. I am a little worried that they are going to be in considerable trouble next year, and they still need to resign Chara.

Taking away the dollar amount I do like Bergeron on this team. A lot of times when a fan talks about a player intangibles they are just making excuses to make a bad player seem better then he really is, but Bergeron's impact doesn't always show up on the stat sheet. Sure he can be a 20+ goal scorer, but his real impact for the Bruins is all the other stuff he can do. He is great on the penalty kill, can play the power play, and is probably the best defensive forward we have. Not to mention he is clutch (11 points in 13 playoff games last year).

Some say he hasn't been the same since the concussion, but I think a lot of it is the different roles the Bruins have had him in. I expect to see him get back to 70 points this season, and I hope I'm right because otherwise $5 million is way too much for the 52 points they got from him last year (even with all his "intangibles").

It will also be interesting to see if he got a no trade clause in his contract, because the Bruins now have Krejci, Savard, Bergeron, and Seguin locked up for a couple years, and most people think they will deal one of them within the next year or so.

Season starts tomorrow at noon!!!!

Reds Give Baker Extension

The Reds have completed a contract extension with manager Dusty Baker. The Reds are expected to announce the deal on Monday before they head to Philadelphia to begin their first playoff series in 15 years.

I am glad they got this done, because he really deserves it. The Reds have a great fan base, and I'm glad they are relevant again. I don't think they have any shot of actually winning it this year, but at least they made it. Baker is only the second manager to lead different three National League teams to the playoffs, which is pretty impressive. The Reds should only get better over the next couple of years with guys like Leake and Chapman on the roster.

It is rumored to be a 2 year extension.

Bruins Working On Extension For Bergeron

Patrice Bergeron will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. But CSN's Joe Haggerty tweets that there are "indications" the Bruins and Bergeron will begin talking about an extension before the season begins.

Bergeron might not light up the stat sheet but he does all the little thing that get taken for granted. He is great on the penalty kill, he back checks really well, and is an overall good play maker. The Bruins will likely want to extend his deal and lower his cap hit, which as it stands now is $4.75 million, which is too much. This could be one of the ways the Bruins get under the cap before Savard and Sturm return. We don't know when Savard will return, but Sturm will likely be back by December, so the Bruins will have to make a move by then.

Patriots Finalize Brady Extension

The deal is very similar to the one we reported earlier in the week. The only change is that it is for 4 years instead of 3, which falls in line with every deal he has signed with the Patriots. Brady's four-year deal is worth $72 million, $48.5 million guaranteed, which is $1.5M less then Sam Bradford got, but that says more about the problems in the NFL then it does the Patriots.

I love this deal, because he deserved it, and we can finally stop talking about things that will never actually happen, like Brady not being a Patriot.

Red Sox Offer V-Mart 2 Year Deal

The Red Sox came out of nowhere and offered V-Mart a 2 year deal. We don't know how much it was for, but V-Mart didn't seem at all impressed...

"That's a business part of the game," he told WEEI.com regarding the offer. "They're trying to do one thing, and we'll see what happens. I don't really have to do it. They came with something, and that might just be where the negotiations start. But I don't see myself signing a two-year deal. I'm young enough (31). I work hard and I give it all. I just want to be treated fair."

He is exactly right. He is worth way more then a 2 year deal. I know there are concerns that he can only play catcher for a couple more years, but look at the free agent market there really isn't much out there.

Here is what the Sox might do. Sign V-Mart to a 4-5 year deal, pick up Ortiz option then either trade for Fielder/Gonzalez OR go after someone like Adam Dunn. I do think Beltre is gone, so Youk would move over to 3rd, Dunn/Gonzalez/Fielder at 1st, Ortiz at DH for next season then the Sox can take the next 2-3 years to find a suitable catcher.

Anyways, I just hope this isn't one of those deals where the Sox offer a contract knowing there is no shot at him signing it, just so they can say they tried, because I do have a bad feeling that V-Mart is going to leave too.

Breaking News: Patriots Close To Brady Extension

“Tremendous progress” has been made on a new contract for Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, and the deal is close to being done, according to sources close to WEEI’s “Dennis & Callahan” show. The Boston Herald is also reporting that the deal could be worth three years, $58 million (WEEI - they also have the audio up))."

I am glad this is getting done now, because I am really already sick of this talk. There was never any chance Brady was leaving here, saying that I am a little surprised if this is indeed the contract. The money seems about right, but I would've expected a longer deal. Then again, length of a deal really doesn't matter in the NFL. Now if only they would spend some money on the other side of the ball.

Patriots Closer To Brady Extension

This story has been so overblown it's retarded, but it looks like it will be put to rest soon. Earlier in the week it was noted that Tom Brady and Owner Kraft played golf together. Now comes word that their little outing must've gone well, because Kraft commented Brady's negotiations...."we're cooking".

I never took Brady actually leaving seriously. He is a Patriot for life, and I really just can't picture him in any other jersey. Anyways, the deal will most likely be bigger then that Sam Bradford just got, which means it'll over over $50 million guaranteed. I would expect Peyton Manning to get a very similar deal.

It's funny that the Tom Brady story has been so much bigger then the Manning story, but I think Aaron Schatz (football outsiders) summed it up best...

"What's the difference between Tom Brady's contract situation and Peyton Manning's contract situation? One is covered by the Boston media, and the other by the far more low-key Indianapolis media. That's pretty much it."

Patriots Closer To Brady Extension

There have been a lot of rumors recently that the Patriots and Brady were making no progress on an extension, and there had actually been some friction between the two. I don't doubt there was some, but I just never believed it would end with Tom Brady playing for someone else. Reports today suggest that I was right, and it's just a matter of time before the Patriots sign him to an extension...

"New England and Tom Brady have made enough progress in talks aimed at a long-term contract extension that some believe a deal could be completed this summer, according to sources familiar with the situation (ESPN)."

The only thing holding up this deal is that no one knows what the new CBA will be like. With all the uncertainty it is incredible hard to bang out a long term deal for a franchise player. In the end, it really won't matter. Tom Brady will retire a New England Patriots, so there is no reason to worry about that.

Steelers Give Mike Tomlin Extension

Pittsburgh has reportedly rewarded Mike Tomlin with a 3 year contract extension. Hard to argue with it, since he was the Super Bowl in his 2nd season as head coach, but he has his work cut out for him this year. With Roethlisberger suspended for the early part of the season, and some free agent losses, the Steelers are really going to be testing their depth. To make matter worse their division doesn't seem to be getting easier.

The only worry I have with this deal is that it is going to cut his acting time on "House".

Durant Gets 5 Year Extension

Kevin Durant says he has reached a deal on a five-year contract extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The deal will be worth about $86 million over the 5 years. After seeing what the Cavs are going trough with Lebron, it has had ripple affects throughout the NBA. The Nuggets have got their ass in gear to resign Carmelo, and if they can't they will deal him, so they aren't held hostage. Oklahoma City basically had the same reaction. They had the cap space, and they knew this was the best sign to sign him long term, before he starts thinking of leaving. Great move by the Thunder, as Durant looks to get better every year.

Baron Agrees Contract Extension With URI

Jim Baron and URI have agreed in principle to a one-year contract extension. The additional year to Baron's pact would extend his contract through the 2013-14 season. I have called for him to be fired for awhile now, but I really can't say that I am surprised they did this, especially when you read things like this...

"Jim Baron, his staff, and the teams he has put on the floor have won more games in the past four years than any other four-year class in URI basketball history," said Bjorn. "Jim continues to develop players and his teams continue to achieve success on the court and in the classroom."

I am torn about this. On the one hand we know URI will put a "good" team out there year in and year out, but on the other hand I just don't see Baron getting them to the next level (NCAA tournament, unless of course the expand the field). So basically I am indifferent to the idea, until near the end of next year when URI chokes and misses the NCAA Tournament again.

Breaking News: Sox Sign Beckett to 4 Year Extension

The Red Sox have signed Josh Beckett to a 4 year extension with $68MM. The press conference will be held at 3pm today at Fenway. I know DP will hate this, but I like it. It is tough to get starting pitching, and it is not like the Sox are hurting for money. Even if he is a #3 starter of this team I would rather have him then what most teams have in that spot in their rotation. I still think Beckett is going to get it going, and be a very strong pitcher, but I will admit it is Lester's time.

Beckett Deal Getting Close

I reported yesterday that the Red Sox were not willing to give Beckett a 5 year deal. Well it is official as reports have come out that Beckett has a 4 year deal on the table from the Red Sox. The deal is rumored to be 4 years $65 million.

I have said before that I think it is really smart to bring Beckett back. It is just so hard to sign guys like him through free agency and the guy has been a big game pitcher for us. Sure he is inconsistent, but with the rotation we have he doesn't have to be the "ace" anymore.

Anyways, it will be really interesting to see if he takes this deal, but I do expect a deal to be completed before Opening Day.

Mauer About To Sign 10 Year Extension

A television station in Minnesota reported that Joe Mauer has agreed to a 10-year deal with the Twins. There are some reports that say this isn't true, but seemingly everyone agrees that it is just a matter of time until the Twins do resign him.

I am fine with this, because it means he won't be a Yankees. I would like to see Mauer is a Sox uniform, but as long as he isn't on the Yankees it's all good. If Mauer signs you would think the Sox will try to resign V-Mart as quick as possible, as they are two of the best catchers in the game.

The only concern I have with this extension is the length. Mauer is a hell of a player, and he is young (26), but 10 years is a very long time for a catcher. I guess their thinking is at worst he can become a DH/1st baseman when he reaches his mid 30's. Anyways, good for the Twins (if this is true).