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Friday
03Jul

NASCAR HOF



Finally, the nominations are in for the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame class. How many people can you put in an inaugural hall of fame class? That is the debate brewing in NASCAR these days. The first class won't be until 2010 but with so many historic drivers in the last 50+ years, can they all go in first-class?

MLB had five in their first class. There was Cobb, Ruth, Wagner, Mathewson, and Walter Johnson. These five players received the required 75% of the vote to get into the hall. Lately, it seems as if only a few players each year are elected into the Hall as voters are very cautious who they let into the fraternity of brothers.

In the NBA in 1959 there was an inaugural induction class consisting of 15 players, coaches, referees, and contributors along with the First Team and the Original Celtics. Not exactly a list of the big names going in on the first ballot for the NBA, in fact the only name you might recognize is Dr. James Naismith. Every year the NBA lets in a half-dozen or so members as their Hall expands exponentially.

The NHL opened their doors in 1945 allowing 12 players to enter on first ballot along with two builders of the game. Of those 14members, it'd be hard to find one name that stood out amongst all others but at the time the NHL felt all men were worthy of the Hall.

In the Pro Football Hall of Fame it consists of more than just the NFL's short existence. The Hall of fame opened it's doors in 1963 shortly around the time of the merger. The inaugural class had 17 members some more prolific than others including Jim Thorpe, George Halas, and Red Grange, to name a few.

So that brings us back to the NASCAR inaugural class. Is there something to be said about being the first drivers in? Well looking back across the other four major sports in the United States, one would see that MLB appears to be the most strict when allowing members in and maybe NASCAR will follow suit. The nominees though are essentially the top 25 drivers of all time with the exception of possibly Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Tony Stewart?

From Dale Earnhart to Bobby Allison and Cale Yarborough or Richard Petty, the list of these top 25 drivers will all eventually get into the Hall of Fame so would it be wrong to put them all in right away?

Thursday
02Jul

Bay following in Manny's shadow

BOSTON (AP) Red Sox left fielder Jason Bay has long played America's pastime and will now be able to call himself an American.

The 30-year-old player from Canada becomes a U.S. citizen Thursday afternoon in a ceremony at Boston's historic Faneuil Hall.

Bay is from British Columbia and is the first Red Sox player to be naturalized since Dominican-born David Ortiz was sworn in last summer in Fenway Park.

Bay is batting .262 this year and finished last season with 31 homers. He came to Boston from the Pittsburgh Pirates last season as part a three-team trade that sent Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Bay was the 2004 National League Rookie of the Year with the Pirates.

----

He is trying to be just like Manny

 

 

Thursday
02Jul

NHL Talk with T

- By Tim Dwyer
It's been a long time since you've heard from me. I understand that, and I'll tell you why. I was basically holed up in a Dick Cheney type bunker after the Bruins lost to Carolina. I was upset, I was angry, but what's done is done. Congrats to Pittsburgh and all the Pittsburgh readers for their win against Detroit in what became a solid finals after starting off with two sloppy games.

So it's time to close the book on the 2008 - 2009 NHL Season. It's over, I am moving on and now it's the offseason. The draft is done and free agency has just started.
(Note: This article is something of a reactionary, stream-of-consciousness thing. I am just responding to the moves I'm seeing and hearing as they happen. This will be written throughout the whole day and not at one sitting so I apologize about thedisorganization of it.)


12 Years????? 12 years to a player who will be 43 when the contract is over? Did Chicago not remember just how the Rick DePeitro deal worked out (wait, is working out) for the Islanders? Really? Chicago signed Marian Hossa to a 12 year contract at an average of $5.2 Million a year. The money isn't that bad, but the years are terrible, I really don't see an upside, especially when next year Chicago has Restricted Free Agents (RFA) of both Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, both of whom are going to be looking at large pay increases. So the Blackhawks are looking at the 2009 - 2010 season as a 'balls to the wall' season because it will be a very different looking team going into 10/11 season.

Another big deal is the Sedin twins staying in Vancouver for a compromise from their initial asking price of 12 years/$63 Million. And just as an FYI that's what each brother wanted, thus putting the Canucks on the hook for $126 million over 12 years, yeah definitely don't see that one happening. Instead they each get 6 years at $6.1 Million a year, a good deal for both parties in my opinion. TheCanucks still have some cap room going into next season to add a few more pieces to what has the potential of being a very dangerous team.
The Islanders, knowing that their DePeitro signing was the 1st of the asininely long contracts (Hossa's has already entered that zone in my opinion) signed veteran net-minder Dwayne Roloson to a 2-year deal to either back up of the oft-injured DePeitro or to fight for a starting spot. The money is reasonable at $2.5 million a year and Roloson will provide at the very least a solid backup if not more. A move in the right direction for the Islanders along with their drafting ofTaveres at #1 in last Friday's draft. Could shape up to be a strong to very strong offseason for the Uniondale boys.
Washington has added the veteran Mike Knuble and gotten rid of Donald Brashear who signed with the Rangers. A solid move by the Caps who have added a piece that might put them over the edge and get them to the Stanley Cup finals instead of just making it to game seven. (A game seven where they were terribly outplayed and just embarrassed, no real other way to describe that game)

The signing of Jay Bouwmeester by Calgary who acquired the rights of the D-man from Florida yesterday was a strong move at 5 years at around $6.7 million a year. Calgary has basically locked up a player who has been repeatedly called one of the best 'puck-movingdefencemen' in the game today. A smart move by Daryl Suter up there in Canada.

Erik Cole resigns with Carolina for 2 years at $2.9 million a year. A smart move by both sides as Carolina likes Cole and in this market he wouldn't have gotten much more than that anywhere else.

Next was the signing of Marian Gaborik by the Rangers for 5 years at $7.5 million a year. The 27 year old had played with the Wild his entire career and has been a solid performer minus last season which was shortened by injury. This move is an interesting one by the Rangers because it has them tie upapproximately $28 million dollars in 4 players next season (Drury, Gaborik, Redden & Lundqvist) while still having a number of their players from last season unsigned as RFAs . They are either going to have to move some salary (which I don't see likely based on the moves they've made thus far and they players they have) or go with a superstar &fillin approach which can be a dangerous one.

So with Gaborik now on the Rangers the Wild realize they have no star forward who could carry their offense. Well as a result of the Blackhawks signing Hossa, this left Martin Havlat without a home. The Wild didn't waste any time picking the winger up , signing him to a 6 year $30 million dollar contract which I am a fan of. Although I didn't get to see much of Havlat's play last year during the regular season I watched a number of the Blackhawks' playoff games and was impressed with Havlat's play, notching 15 points in 16 games, although ending his playoffs suffering a dehabilitating hit.

(Note: It is currently 11pm Eastern Time on July 1 - I am going to venture from the moves made today to the free agents still available. If something does come up I will throw it in as I go - we'll see what happens - making this up on the fly)

So now onto Free Agents or players who just want out of their current situation. Yes Dany Heatley, I am talking about you.

Let's just get Heatley out of the way, from all I've read and heard, he's clearly on the way out of Ottawa, and sooner rather than later. Edmonton seems to be theperferred destination by the latest accounts as they have cap room and seem want to put up with his large cap hit. $7.5 million a year for another 5 years isn't a light thing to take on. Another interesting aspect is that Ottawa has until 11:59pm tonight (7/1) to moveHeatley or they owe him a $4 million bonus. If they move him before this (39 minutes from when I'm writing this just so you have an idea of my life) the team that takes him, Edmonton in thishypothetical situation, will owe Heatley the bonus. Quite the interesting situation involving some Canadians up there.

Another developing situation going on in Boston (only the 2nd reference of the article so I'm being as objective as possible). They have already signed one of their young RFAs, David Krejci, to a very reasonable 3 year deal, resigned their Vezina winning Goalie to a not quite as reasonable 4 year deal. Still unsigned however is their young sniper, Phil Kessel, a 36 goal scorer who found his drive and touch in the 07/08 playoffs against Montreal. The rumor in Boston has been that the Bruins are actively trying to shop Kessel as they think that the money it would take to keep him would either be too costly or would put them too close to the cap. So very interesting days lay ahead for the Bruins and what they end up doing with their young core.

Rob Scuderi out of Pittsburgh will be another curious situation as he was a playoff hero for the Penguins last year and is due a pay raise. The latest news out of Pittsburgh is that the two sides are nowhere close on a number which could send the crunch-timedefenceman elsewhere. That would be a big hit to the Pittsburgh back line as they already lost Hal Gill to the Canadians earlier in the day. (I think the Canadians overpaid something terrible for Gill but my friend who is a big Penguins fan seems to this that Gill is invaluable - who knows?)

11:58pm - Yes this is real-time now. I am interested to see what happens with Heatley. It seems that he does not want to waive his no trade clause to go to Edmonton, thus leaving Ottawa on the hook for the $4 million bonus. Not that this means that Heatley won't be moved sometime in the offseason, but not that Ottawa has paid out the bonus, it is going to take even more going to Ottawa in any trade to make them consider a move. Oh and this only goes to make Heatley even more disliked in my book, as he went and requested a trade to his GM but then won't go to a team that is willing to take him. Hey Dany, you can't have it both ways, either stay in Ottawa and play and shut up or accept a trade that you asked for. Damn primadona.

So that does it. Done with day one of the NHL free agency period. I didn't talk too much about the draft (well only the single mention of Taveres as the #1 pick) because the NHL draft, like the MLB draft, is tough to judge because so few of them will play for the NHL teams in even the next two or three years.

I will try to update as things continue to happen throughout the summer so hopefully it won't be as long again before you hear from me.

Wednesday
01Jul

New Bat Boy Uniforms

I guess I should be looking forward to wearing these uniforms in MLB...

See the link here

http://eastwindupchronicle.com/karims-big-day-at-the-park/

 

I should find out what size shorts I wear? And yes, that is Karim Garcia....

Tuesday
30Jun

Seen on Dan's Take

 

If you don't read Dan's Take, he posted an article about Rubio going back to Spain.

 

http://www.danstake.com/2009/06/rubios-selfishness-slap-in-face-to.html

 

Interesting but my rebuttle was this...

"This is no different than Eli (Manning). Who cares if Rubio goes back to wherever he came from? Since when is the NBA the best league in the world? Why do you think Stern wants a team in Europe? FIBA rules are still used in the Olympics, not NBA. I have no problem with Rubio"

I mean really the NBA isnt that great. Sure its America and I'm not against America but the NBA is a farse most of the time with rigged games and dirty refs. Rubio doesn't want to play in miserable Minnesota and neither would any of us. So let him do his thing and we will all forget about this in a week if we haven't already.

The NBA needs to see this as a wake up call. Players are going to Europe to test their market and although the money isn't as good maybe its a better league over there. Hopefully the NBA won't put a team in Europe but rather follow what they have done and change some of their rules.

I'm not saying Europe is perfect but they should start broadcasting their games on ESPN.

Monday
29Jun

NFL Draft Recap: NFC South

The NFC South has always been an interesting division. Since the division realignment began in 2002, the team that has finished last in the division has gone on to win the division the following year in 5 of 7 seasons that the NFC South has existed. How does something that inconceivable happen so often? Many factors are involved. Things such as coaching changes, free agency, and the draft all contribute to a team being great one year and being horrible the next. Parity in the NFL is what makes it so great. In a division where no team finished below .500, it seems like the race will be a lot tighter in 2009. Let’s take a look at what each team in the NFC South did in the 2009 Draft.

 

Carolina Panthers (Finished: 12-4, NFC South Division Champions)

The Panthers had an amazing regular season. The emergence of rookie running back Jonathon Stewart awakened a two-headed monster in the backfield along with DeAngelo Williams. What followed a great regular season was one of the worst playoff performances ever by a quarterback. Jake Delhomme threw 5 interceptions in the team’s loss to the eventual conference champion Arizona Cardinals. Delhomme was likely haunted by that game, but 2009 is the time for a fresh start. The team didn’t have a 1st round pick in this year’s draft, but two 2nd round picks allowed them to improve their defense.

 

In an effort to plug a legitimate pass-rusher opposite of All-Pro Julius Peppers, the Panthers traded up in the 2nd round to take defensive end Everette Brown out of Florida State. Brown was considered by many to be a top-15 pick but somehow slid all the way down to the 43rd overall pick. Brown has a quick first step and gets to the quarterback consistently. The Panthers are slowly rebuilding that once feared defensive line.

 

Sixteen picks later, the Panthers selected safety Sherrod Martin out of Troy. Martin is an athletic and versatile defender with corner-like skills. He should see the field in his rookie year. The Panthers also drafted fullback Tony Fiammetta out of Syracuse, who many believed was the best fullback available in the draft.

 

The Panthers are a solid franchise. They added a few key pieces that should contribute to an already solid foundation. The running game is there. The defense appears to be improving and now that Julius Peppers has decided to stay with the team that can only mean good things. It’s all on quarterback Jake Delhomme to erase the nightmares of the last game he played. If Delhomme keeps the interceptions to a minimum, there’s no reason to think the Panthers can’t repeat as division champions.

 

Atlanta Falcons (Finished: 11-5, Lost in the Wild Card Round)

The Falcons surprised everyone last season by making an unexpected run to the playoffs behind a rookie quarterback and a rookie head coach. The team was expected to win 5 games at best. Shrewd drafting allowed this team to be successful in 2008. What could Mike Smith and Thomas Dimitroff do for an encore?

 

On the eve of the draft, the Falcons made a huge trade to acquire future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez from the Kansas City Chiefs for a second round pick in 2010. Call it what you will, but that’s highway robbery in my opinion. Giving a weapon like Tony Gonzalez to 2nd year quarterback Matt Ryan will only mean more touchdowns for the Falcons. With their first round pick, the Falcons selected defensive tackle Peria Jerry out of Mississippi. As a likely rookie starter, he will be counted on to boost the pass rush that was heavily relied on by John Abraham. Jerry is the “3-technique” tackle that Mike Smith wanted in the middle of his defense.

 

Without having to worry about drafting a tight end, the Falcons continued to address defensive needs as the draft went on. Safety William Moore out of Missouri was the team’s second round pick. He was a highly rated prospect until injuries derailed him in his senior season. If Moore can get back to his junior year form, then he will become a Pro Bowl-caliber player in the Falcons’ defense.

 

Defensive end Lawrence Sidbury Jr. out of Richmond may be a sleeper. As a situational player he could turn out to be a valuable contributor by season’s end. He has good athleticism and is a solid pass-rusher off the edge.

 

The Falcons’ front office should be applauded for engineering such a quick turnaround to a franchise that was left for dead after the Michael Vick debacle. It started last year with the drafting of franchise quarterback Matt Ryan. The offense is in place with Michael Turner becoming a legitimate featured back. The additions to the defense through the draft should produce similar results to last season. The Falcons are a team on the rise.

 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Finished: 9-7)

After starting 9-3, the Bucs seemed destined for another division crown and playoff run. What happened in the final four games of the season signaled the end of an era in Tampa Bay. Head coach Jon Gruden was fired and most of the team’s big name veterans were released. For a team that seems to be heading into rebuilding mode, new head coach Raheem Morris took an aggressive approach to the Draft.

 

The Bucs traded away second and fifth round picks to the Browns for tight end Kellen Winslow. Winslow is a great addition, but who would throw him the ball? After releasing Jeff Garcia the team was left with Brian Griese and unproven Luke McCown. Morris decided to pursue quarterback Josh Freeman out of Kansas State. Freeman is a big, deep-ball thrower that Morris covets. Many consider Freeman to be a boom or bust prospect, but there’s no denying his talent and ability. He was worthy of taking a flier on with the number 17 pick.

 

With their 3rd round pick the Bucs selected defensive tackle Roy Miller out of Texas. Miller is a big body that can play over the center to allow the team’s small linebackers to make plays. The team took gambles with the rest of their picks. They failed to address their linebacker needs. It will be interesting to see what Morris can get out of this team. The development of Josh Freeman will be key. The team did acquire veteran Byron Leftwich, but they seem reluctant to hand over the reigns to him. Look for the Bucs to take a dip in the win column in 2009.

 

New Orleans Saints (Finished: 8-8)

The Saints have never had any problems on the offensive side of the ball. All-Pro quarterback Drew Brees was 16 yards away from breaking Dan Marino’s record for most passing yards in a single season. Even without top receiver Marques Colston for most of the season Brees was able to accomplish that feat. Reggie Bush has a lot to do with that because of his ability to pick up yards after the catch out of the backfield. The Saints didn’t have many picks in this year’s draft so it was imperative that they addressed their defensive issues. One of the reasons Brees was able to throw for so many yards was because his team was always playing from behind. There’s no doubt the defense needed a shot in the arm and that’s exactly what the Saints went after in this year’s draft.

 

With the 14th overall pick the Saints selected cornerback Malcolm Jenkins out of Ohio State. Jenkins is talented enough to play corner or safety. His size and height would allow him to be an imposing presence at either position. If he plays to his abilities, then the Saints have finally solved a long-standing issue in their secondary.

 

The Saints took two defenders from Wake Forest with their next two picks. Safety Chip Vaughn and linebacker Stanley Arnoux will spend most of the season on special teams while they learn their craft. The decision to draft punter Thomas Morstead was an interesting one, but it may help in the field position game.

There’s no doubt the Saints’ defense cost them a spot in the playoffs last season. With only 4 picks in the ’09 draft, the Saints did what they could and filled the spots they needed. Only time will tell if the defense improves enough for this team to make a serious run at the post-season.

Monday
29Jun

Do's and Don't of Fantsy Football as seen on SportsJudge

Great previw article to this year's Fantasy Football season from Juliann Haynes on Sports Judge.

http://sportsjudge.blogspot.com/2009/06/dos-and-donts-of-fantasy-football.html

 

Check it out, drafts are starting in a month or so for most leagues.

Saturday
27Jun

Fantasy NASCAR: Lenox Tools 301


Welcome home, so to speak. The NASCAR series heads to New Hampshire this weekend, a track I am more than familiar with. Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend this race but I must say, no matter what the track a NASCAR event is truly an event one must attend to enjoy. I get excited thinking about going, the people, the entertainment, and the pure smell of gasoline and rubber.

New Hampshire faces what would be a difficult task given today's economic woes. The track has sold out for 27 consecutive races and is close to selling out for #28. Where other tracks this year have failed to sellout New Hampshire is still holding strong as the only race in New England.

New Hampshire Motor Speedway is only a mile long and it is unique in which the turns are relatively flat. The track is wide enough for passing all around which makes for excitement at every turn. Ford typically dominates at this track but has only won once here in the last eight races. Here's how it should all break down come Sunday.

1- Jeff Burton: One of the most successful drivers at this track. Although he hasn't won here in nearly a decade Burton has been one of the top finishers here constantly. He has more wins, 4, than any driver here and 13 top-10 finishes. Burton sits 15th in points and can easily jump into the top 12 with a win on Sunday.
2- Kurt Busch: I'll be honest, I'm not a big Kurt Busch fan but he shows up when they race here. He won both races here in 2004 and again for last year's spring race. It doesn't matter for Busch where he is in the points, he knows this track well. Expect him to finish in the top-5.
3- Jimmie Johnson: Johnson has the 3rd best career average finish here at NHMS, 9.9. He won this race back-to-back times in 2003 and in 14 races has 9 top-10 finishes. The last time he finished outside the top-10 here was in 2006. Last year he led 96 laps in route to a 2nd place finish.
4- Martin Truex Jr.: No driver has accumulated more points here than Truex Jr. In the last four races he has finished 7,4,5,3. Truex has had a strong year overall and a top-5 finish is not out of the realm for this team.
5- Mark Martin: Martin has never had a DNF at this track in 24 races, the only driver to hold that claim. He has never won here and this hasn't been his best track but with six straight top-15 finishes and a great year thus far it would be no surprise to see Martin competing near the front all day long.

Friday
26Jun

2nd Pick


I found an interesting stat online recently that depicted the drop off between the Number 1 overall pick and Number 2 pick over the past 20 years in the draft.

No. 1: 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists
No. 2: 13.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists

That really shouldn't surprise you when you have first picks such as Shaq, Iverson, Duncan, Brand, James, Howard, and most recently Rose. Your second pick usually consists of names such as Van Horn, Bibby, Milicic, Swift, and Aldridge.

Why is it that the 2nd pick is so hard to find good talent? The best 2nd pick in the draft could be Gary Payton? Kevin Durrant? Marcus Camby? Jason Kidd? Certainly names that we remember but not names that we would rely on to win big games.

Everyone knows about the No. 2 pick in 1984 with Sam Bowie and his career averages of 10.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg, and 2.1 apg. but why do the scouts struggle so bad in picking a top player 2nd? Everyone knows that Blake Griffin will be drafted first this year so the Grizzles should then act as if they have the first pick. Seems simple enough.

Hasheem Thabeet, you are the first pick... err second pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, let's see how you live up to the hype.

And Now You Know! (And Knowing is Half the Battle)

Wednesday
24Jun

T.O NSFW

This video is funny, but not safe for work, if you hate the man T.O watch this beatdown.