Rockies sending Matt Holliday to Oakland?

ESPN is reporting that the Oakland A's and Colorado Rockies have agreed to send Matt Holliday to Oakland. What the Rockies will get in return hasn't been confirmed and the deal is in the process of being finalized.

"Talks are continuing. They're very fluid and at this point, everything's speculation," Rockies spokesman Jay Alves said, speaking on behalf of general manager Dan O'Dowd.

Some of the players being discussed in the trade for Holliday are pitchers Greg Smith, Huston Street and Brett Anderson as well as outfielders Carlos Gonzalez and Ryan Sweeney.

"I don't know how official everything is," Smith said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. "All I know is I've been called, and I'm flying to Denver probably tomorrow."

"They just called me a little while ago and told me the deal's in place," Gonzalez said, according to USA Today. "It surprised me, but that's how baseball works. You're always subject to be traded."

In the past 3 seasons, Holliday has posted much better splits at home (Coors Field) than on the road. At home, Holliday hit .361 with 62 HR and 219 RBI in 908 AB and, on the road, he hit .296 BA with 33 HR and 120 RBI in 869 AB.

Arizona rejects Jeff Withey's request to transfer

Arizona Freshman Center Jeff Withey requested to transfer from Arizona, but the Wildcats denied his request.

"My very simple reason is I firmly believe, as the letter of intent states, that he needs to stay a full academic year," Livengood said to the Arizona Daily Star. "At the end of [the year] -- as I told him last night -- I would gladly release him if he wanted."

Abdul Gaddy, Mike Moser, and Solomon Hill, all commitments for 2009 withdrew within days of Lute Olson's resignation announcement.

He can transfer without permission from the school. However, he would have to sit out this season, he would lose eligibility for a season and the new school wouldn't be able to offer him financial aid.

Larry Johnson accused of spitting drink in woman's face

Larry Johnson, already serving a one-game suspension from the Chiefs, now may find himself serving a suspension under the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy. Larry Johnson spat in the face of Ashley Stewart at a club in Kansas City on Oct. 10th. According to the article, LJ tried to buy Stewart a drink the previous week.

Johnson got close to Stewart while swinging his arms belligerently, then said, “All I wanted [to] tell you is I’m going to kill your boyfriend,” the report said.

LJ also a December court date in a case accusing him of pushing the side of a woman’s face. Considering LJ’s not-so squeaky clean past, it wouldn’t surprise me that he spat in someone’s face. But to threaten to kill someone? I doubt that part of the accusation.

Johnson has 417 rushing yards on the season through 5 games.

NBA Laying Off 80 Due to Economy

Who isn't feeling the effects of the economy? Not only are individuals and companies feeling the pinch, but sports leagues are too.

The NBA is eliminating about 80 jobs in the United States, the first major American sports league to announce layoffs because of the worldwide economic turmoil.

Commissioner David Stern told The Associated Press last month the league would cut staff in anticipation of the downturn. He said Sunday the figure would be about 9 percent of the American work force, and the league confirmed the number of jobs the next day.

It will be interesting to see if other leagues and/or individual teams follow suit.

Rod Marinelli insulted by thought of quitting

After leading the Lions to an 0-4 start, Rod Marinelli was offended when asked about the possibility of quitting.

"Just you saying that to me, I would take that as a personal insult,"Marinelli said to a reporter.

"I won't change," he said. "I believe everything I'm doing in the game of football and how it's being taught. I have 100 percent belief in it.

"I respect authority, which a lot of times that doesn't happen in this country," said Marinelli, a Vietnam veteran. "I look at authority and I take my marching orders from there."

Marinelli isn't the only reason why the Lions are off to such a bad start. Fired GM Matt Millen hasn't provided him with enough talent to win football games. However, it's unlikely that Marinelli is on the Lions sideline come this time next year.

Ford Jr would fire Millen

In 2007, Jon Kitna made a 10-win guarantee and everyone thought he was crazy. After a 6-2 start, some thought it might have happened until they fell apart in the 2nd half to finish the year 7-9.

In 2008, Kitna slightly softened his "guarantee" by saying he would be "disappointed" if Detroit didn't win 10 games. After picking up where they left off at the end of 2007, the Lions have started 0-3 and have given up 113 points in 3 games, 2nd worst only to St. Louis (116 points).

Now, Bill Ford Jr. says he would fire GM/President Matt Millen:

It didn't take long for things to get ugly in Detroit. Today's brutal public comments from vice chairman Bill Ford Jr. -- who said he would have fired president/general manager Matt Millen today if he had the authority -- opens up a can of worms no one thought would be exposed this early in the season.

Ford Jr.'s father, William Clay Ford, runs the team and has been intensely loyal to Millen through seven losing seasons. The younger Ford, however, has made several strong comments this year about his expectations for the team -- making clear he believes Millen and coach Rod Marinelli have been given everything they asked for to build a winner.

I agree with Ford Jr. And they only Kitna and the Lions win 10 games in 2008 is if the NFL intervenes and modifies the 2008 schedule so that the Lions play the Rams every week for the rest of the year.

Bulgaria loses 82-0 in womens ice hockey

Sportsmanship is alive and well. In a pre-qualifying match, the Slovakian womens ice hockey team shut out the Bulgarian team. But it wasn't a defensive struggle. The Slovaks scored 82 times on their Bulgarian opponents after leading 31-0 at the first intermission.

Bulgaria trailed 7-0 after 5 minutes, 19-0 after 10 and 31-0 at the end of the first period.

The drubbing capped a woeful showing for the Bulgarian women, who also lost 30-1 to Croatia and 41-0 to Italy in earlier games.

If it's any consolation, the article said that Thailand once lost 92-0.

Chad Johnson now Chad Javon Ocho Cinco

Chad Johnson was one of my favorite players in the NFL. He was a little out there like racing horses on a horse track for charity, but he seemed like he was just a guy that had fun with the game. I respected that.



With all of his off-season antics, Chad Johnson became one of my least favorite players. Perhaps, he was easily influenced by his uber-jerk agent, Drew Rosenhaus, but he was a different Chad Johnson. Now, he's an even different Chad Johnson:

The Cincinnati Bengals receiver has legally changed his name to Chad Javon Ocho Cinco in Broward County, Fla., a switch that became official this week.

"It's something I don't think anyone has ever done before," he told the team's Web site. "Have I ever had a reason for why I do what I do? I'm having fun."

Many don't like his antics including head coach Marvin Lewis, who has referred to Chad as "Ocho Psycho." But I love the move. Whether you (or I) like Ocho Cinco or not, one thing's for sure. He will always give us something to talk about.

Jerricho Scott: "Too good"?

Jerricho Scott, a 9-year old youth baseball player, is good. He throws a baseball 40 mph and accurately while helping lead his youth team to an 8-0 record.

But according to parents and officials in Scott's league, Scott is "too good."

Leroy and Nicole Scott, whose fast-pitching son, Jericho, 9, is at the center of the dispute, met Monday, along with another player’s parents, with prominent attorney John Williams to see whether the season could be saved. Williams said Monday he will take legal action to try to get Jericho’s team into the upcoming playoffs, where they belong after an 8-0 season. He also will sue the league over the pain and suffering of Jericho and the other young players.

League officials offered to move the team’s 13 players to other squads after they tried to dissolve the team last week because the coach, Wilfred Vidro, refused to pull Jericho off the pitcher’s mound as requested by league officials.

Jericho’s pitches are so fast and accurate that league officials and some parents feared their kids weren’t able to play freely, league attorney Peter Noble said recently. All the players on Jericho’s team declined to move and are sticking together.

I think this story is ridiculous. Jerricho Scott is good yet he is being punished for being "too good." It should be that the kids learn the lesson that you compete, give it all you have and maybe sometimes that's not enough. But instead of giving up, you continue to work hard and you will get better.

We are too PC these days. There is nothing wrong with competition and no such thing as being "too good."

The one good lesson that is being taught in this situation is what Jerricho, his teammates and his coach are doing. They are sticking together to demonstrate their solidarity. Hopefully, league officials are paying close attention to the good example that Jerricho and his teammates are setting.

Carl Pavano returns

Carl Pavano has made 3 starts since June 2005. He's earned about $11 of his 4-year, $40 million contract that he signed in 2005. Yesterday, he pitched well enough in his return as the Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-3.

"It's amazing. This is what I get paid to do, this is what I live for," Pavano said. "This is all I really want, to go out there every fifth day and do my job.

"Asked if he could help the Yankees this season, Pavano replied, "I know I can.

The Yankees definitely need the help (health) in their starting rotation. But something gives me the sense that he'll soon be back on the DL. So, who will miss a "start" first: Carla Pavano or Aaron Rodgers?

Kevin Curtis to have sports hernia surgery

Donovan McNabb finished 2007 very strongly. In the last 4 games of the season, he completed more than 65% of his passes and threw for almost 1000 yards. He also made good decisions with the football as threw 6 TDs to only 1 interception.

Finishing up so strongly last year, McNabb was one of my sleeper picks that I was targeting in my fantasy football drafts. Well, there is a wrench thrown into the plans. Kevin Curtis is going to sports hernia surgery today and will be out for significant time.

The full extent of the injury will not be clear until the surgery is performed, so no timetable was given for a possible return, but expect it to be a while, given the history of the injury. A reasonable timeframe probably would be six to eight weeks from the surgery, which Curtis told the Daily News will take place Thursday morning. The regular season starts Sept. 7. There is little chance the Eagles' leading 2007 receiver (77 catches, 1,110 yards) will be full-strength before October, at best.

Curtis becomes the third Eagles player to suffer a sports hernia in the last few years. Donovan McNabb had surgery during the 2005 season after trying to play through the injury. L.J. Smith had offseason surgery in the spring of 2007 but the injury lingered, especially after he suffered another injury to the area during training camp. Smith cautioned yesterday that Curtis should not try to come back too soon. Previously, cornerback Sheldon Brown played the 2003 season with the injury, something Brown said yesterday he would not do again.

The Eagles drafted DeSean Jackson, who will help the Eagles in the return game to a greater degree than the passing game. But their WR corps with Kevin Curtis was the weakest in the NFC East.

I still think Donovan McNabb will have a strong year in 2008. However, more of the burden will fall on his and Brian Westbrook's shoulders. And, now the Eagles need Jackson to step up and contribute more than previously required.

Brandon Marshall appeals suspension

Brandon Marshall was suspended by Roger Goodell for 3 games (can be reduced to 2) under the Personal Conduct Policy. Well, he has filed an appeal to...umm, the Commissioner:

Brandon Marshall formally appealed his three-game suspension Thursday to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, according to a league source. Goodell had found the Broncos' receiver in violation of the league's personal conduct policy. An appeal hearing has not been set, although it's expected before the season-opening week.

Appeal aside, Goodell said he would consider reducing the suspension to two games if Marshall met certain conditions.

The New Orleans Saints, the Broncos' Game 3 opponent, might be interested to learn the most significant condition is for Marshall to stay free from trouble and disturbances through Sept. 15, which is when he can be reinstated.

Makes no sense. His chance to appeal was when he met with Roger Goodell. The Commissioner isn't going to reduce or cancel the suspension now.

Filing an appeal is just going to give the impression that he doesn't understand why he's being punished under the policy possibly influencing his explanations if to the Commissioner if (when) he gets in trouble again.

Brad Ziegler's Scoreless IP Streak Ends

It's widely-argued that hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in team sports. But pitching a shutout is equally as impressive.

Brad Ziegler started his Major League Baseball career with 39 scoreless innings.

"I didn't think about the streak until I started walking back on the mound," Ziegler said. "The first thought that popped in my head was, 'I can't believe that just happened with a runner on first,' but I guess the good thing it wasn't a cheap one. A whole bunch of things fell at once and so that way there's no pressure from this point on."

Ziegler, Oakland's rookie reliever who began the season in the minors, has been one of the few highlights for Oakland in the second half, setting numerous records including the most shutout innings by any pitcher to start a career. The right-hander extended that mark to tie the major league single-season record for consecutive scoreless innings by a reliever set by Cleveland's Al Benton in 1949.

"It's almost been like a no-hitter type streak or something," A's manager Bob Geren said. "Unbelievable what he's done, but I'll get him right back out and try to start another one. He's been tremendous."

What's amazing is he's reliever pitching an inning or two here and there. When a starting pitcher is on, it's understandable that he pitches 9 scoreless, consecutive innings. But to have the stuff to go out there 30 times and not give up a run is amazing.

MLB Instant Replay - by end of August?

Bud Selig was opposed to Major League Baseball implementing instant replay. However, after several controversial calls at the beginning of the season, baseball could have instant replay by the end of the month.

Major League Baseball is working out technical issues to start instant replay for boundary calls such as home runs, hoping to institute the system later this year.

"We've got lots of time in August," Bob DuPuy, the sport's chief operating officer, said Wednesday as a two-day owners' meeting began. "There's plenty of August still to go."

I'm a big proponent of instant replay. If it's relatively easy to get a call right (either 1st attempt or after correction), why not utilize replay?

Rays set record, but how will they handle adversity?

Last month, I made a post predicting the Tampa Bay Rays would make the playoffs. But as a wildcard team, not the AL East winner.

The Tampa Bay Rays continue to play great baseball, winning 8 of their last 10. In fact, they have just set the franchise record for wins in a season with their 71st victory. There are still 45 games to be played in the season.

Although Rocco Baldelli is back, the Rays have lost players to injuries in back-t0-back days. First, it was Carl Crawford and now it's All-Star Evan Longoria.

He is hitting .278 and leads the Rays with 22 home runs, 71 RBI, 27 doubles and a .533 slugging percentage.

His 22 homers rank sixth overall in the American League, lead all major league rookies and are a Tampa Bay rookie record. Longoria also leads AL third basemen with a .971 fielding percentage.

The loss of Longoria will hurt more than that of Carl Crawford. This young, talented team has been oblivious to the pressure of being the AL East leader. It will be interesting to see how they handle the adversity of being without these two stars. And depending on the outcome, this could be a blessing in disguise getting them ready for playoff baseball.

Fans Droppin' the F Bomb on Aaron Rodgers

Although Aaron Rodgers hasn't always said the perfect thing throughout the Brett Favre vs Green Bay Packers saga, I think he has done pretty well at maintaining the right outlook and handling it with class. The "get on board or shut up" statement was ill-advised, but that is the exception to the rule.

Discussing what gets to Aaron Rodgers, he said:

"The things I can't understand, the things I really take personally, is when I'm driving up to the (parking lot) gate and punching in my punch code and somebody says ‘F.U.' to me. That kind of bothers me. Or when a little kid is yelling swear words at me. That kind of gets to me. The boos, they expect a high level of play and they miss Brett Favre. I understand that. But the ‘F.U.' and the little kids saying swear words to me, I don't understand that."

I can definitely understand why Rodgers would feel this way. What I don't understand is the level of hatred some folks have towards Aaron Rodgers. He wasn't responsible for Brett Favre leaving Green Bay.

It really came down to Packers management (Murphy, Thompson, McCarthy, etc.) vs Brett Favre. Not Brett Favre vs Aaron Rodgers. Granted, he's taking over, but because Packers management decided to move on. I guess in some ways Rodgers was right: Packer fans need to "get on board or shut up."

Ryan Torain to miss 3 months

According to the Denver Post, Broncos rookie RB Ryan Torain will miss up to 3 months. He is scheduled to have shoulder surgery Friday evening.

Many people expected big things from this 5th-round rookie RB including Mike Shanahan.

"He's one of the most gifted running backs I've been around for a long time," Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said Wednesday. "He is very similar to Terrell Davis when he came in."

"It's a big loss," Shanahan said. "I thought he had a chance to compete to be the starting running back."

If you've ever owned a Broncos RB on your fantasy football team, you know that Torain (or any Broncos RB) has a chance to start. While this hurts the Broncos overall, it helps Selvin Young's fantasy draft value.

Cool way to honor fallen soldiers

Saw this segment while watching the CBS evening news.



Although this isn't quite a "sport", this group's run of 4,129 miles across the country is a great way to honor those who have fallen in Iraq. What they are doing is running each mile in honor of a soldier and they are putting mile markers that honor the individual soldier.

Great way to honor the fallen soldiers.

Brett Favre has been reinstated

Ed Werder of ESPN has reported on Sports Center that Brett Favre has been reinstated by Roger Goodell.

Favre with agent Bus Cook will be met by Packers personnel when they land in Green Bay at 5:30 CT today. However, according to ESPN, Favre will not be at tonight's "Packers Family Night".

He could report Monday at noon, but supposedly both sides will continue to negotiate.

Although I can understand why Favre would have been tempted to accept the $20 million "marketing" offer from the Packers, he's making the right decision to not accept it. There's no doubt that his legacy has taken a hit throughout this whole process. To be fair, the Packers rep has taken a hit as well. However, for Favre to take the money and run, his legacy would take much more of a hit.

Bear at US Senior Open

Stealing the show, however, was a black bear that ambled out of the mountains in the morning and crossed the 13th fairway before checking out spectators outside the ropes.

Nobody was harmed, and neither was the bear.

“(Jack) Nicklaus isn’t here, so I guess that’s a substitute,” cracked Funk.

Although tournament officials were prepared to tranquilize the animal and stop play were it to become aggressive or spooked, after several minutes the bear crawled through a drainage pipe on the ninth hole that leads to the West Course, then went through another drainage pipe and into the wilderness, leaving unnerved galleries and golfers behind.

Click here to see a picture of the bear on the course. Everyone seemed calm and you're not supposed to run. But I think that's easier said than done.

Steven Jackson: A "No Show" in the Show-Me State

Steven Jackson, one of the five best RBs in the NFL, has held out of training camp for the past 7 days. He's entering the final year of his four-year contract and is understandably looking for a new deal.

However, the Rams have indicated they won't negotiate with Jackson until he reports to camp.

What gives?

Steven Jackson should report to camp. While he wants an extension, he has to get a contract at the end of the year. And despite rushing for 1000+ yards for a 3rd straight season in 2007, Jackson and the Rams had an off year. Granted, Jackson was injured, but he was playing at a level below that of his 2006 season. Come back, play like you're capable of and then after the season, you'll have a much bigger pay day.

But pouting now does nothing to endear you to the organization, the fans and/or other potential suitors down the line.

Houston to acquire Ron Artest?

The headline in the Sacramento Bee reads "It's a no-risk, no-brainer deal for talented Houston." I couldn't agree more. When his mind is right (of course, there is no guarantee on that), Ron Artest is one of the best players in the league. And to get his talent for Bobby Jackson, Donte Greene and next year's first-round draft pick is a steal.

The Western Conference is certainly overloaded with talent. And the Southwest is the most competititve division in the West. But with 7'5" Yao Ming, one of the league's 2 best centers along with Dwight Howard, and Mr. Mismatch himself Tracy McGrady, Artest will form one of the most talented trios in the NBA. I believe the Rockets (with Ron Artest) have as good of a chance to come out of the West and win an NBA Championship as any other team. He will finally have a legitimate chance to win it all.

And what NBA player (or professional athlete in general) doesn't seem to perform his best when a new contract is on the line? As a sports fan, that's one of the things that frustrates me. It makes me think that the player coulda, shoulda, woulda played the same way in non-contract years. From the Rockets point of view, however, they will have Artest in that contract season. So whether they negotiate a new deal or let him walk (or even trade him during the season since some team would likely pay a premium), Houston is in the driver's seat.

So with the Kings unlikely to contend in 2008-09 and Artest entering the final year on his contract, he will now be playing for what Shannon Sharpe refers to as the 2 Ms: money and memories. The Rockets just have to hope that he doesn't explode.

Last straw for Manny Ramirez?

Not to take anything away from Joba Chamberlain coming up big last night and winning the pitching duel vs Josh Beckett, but the story of the night may be what did not happen. Manny Ramírez did not play.

Why not? In such a big game to boot. As Dan Shaughnessy writes:

"...never concerned with wins or losses, Manny told Brad Mills he was unable to play and took himself out of the batting order for the (thus far) biggest game of the season."

Ramírez had an MRI yesterday and it was clean.

"Manny has punched his ticket out of town. It's over. O-VA. Adios, amigo. Good night, Irene. Turn out the lights. Last night's 1-0 loss to the Yankees (think they could have used Manny?) was the proverbial last worthless evening."

Whether or not the Red Sox can trade him (I think they'll try) is unknown, but I think this guarantees that the Red Sox do not pick up the option for Manny next year or in 2010 for $20 million per year. Manny may be care-free and careless, but my guess is he'll care when he realizes he's going to be playing for less money than he thought in 2009.

Minor league pitcher throws ball and injures fan

Julio Castillo was arrested after throwing towards the opponent's dugout. This happened during a melee between the Peoria Chiefs and the Dayton Dragons. Castillo missed (the dugout that is). But he hit a fan in the crowd who required hospitalizion (although the unidentified fan has since been released). See video (can't see where the ball ends up but you can see him throw it):



Imagine if he hit someone from close distance at 80-90-100 mph? He could have done serious damage to someone. Perhaps even killed someone if he hit him/her in the head or in the chest and their heart stopped beating.

Fan Aaron Brown said:

“I’ve never seen anything like it before,” Brown said. “You see paramedics running into the stands. Just when you think it ends, there is another group trying to fight.

“I was really surprised they continued the game.”

They should throw the book at this guy...

Childress and Jennings: Starting USA to Europe trend?

Brandon Jennings made news when he announced that he would play in Italy. He was recruited by Arizona, but didn't score well enough on the SAT to play for the Wildcats.

To me, Jennings' decision would make perfect sense even if he could lace 'em up for the 'Cats. As the top PG prospect in the country, Jennings would have declared himself eligible for the NBA Draft and skipped college altogether if there weren't an NBA rule that restricts players from making the high school to NBA jump, like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Kevin Garnett have.

But why make a kid who has no intention (when entering the school) to remain in college more than 1 year? He can drive (a car), vote, go to war, etc. But he can't drive down an NBA lane and attack the basket. Hopefully, Jennings' decision will lead others that have no intention of being a "scholar-athlete" to follow their dream and be only an "athlete".

Josh Childress, on the other hand, is going to Europe for the money. By passing on Atlanta's offer and accepting that by Olimpacos, Childress will earn $21 million after taxes in 3 years. That is roughly $2-3 million more than Atlanta offered.

So, if you're in a similar position to Childress, why not head to Europe and be a much bigger fish despite playing in a smaller pond? A player averaging 8 ppg in the States can go to Europe and be a stud player. More money, larger role - what's not to love?

Caleb Campbell can't play for Lions

One of the better stories (at the time) of the 2008 NFL Draft was Caleb Campbell. A West Point cadet and Army football player that was invited to the NFL Combine and would have been allowed to fulfill his military obligations in an unconventional manner if a team drafted Campbell and he made the squad.

The argument was the publicity generated by Campbell would allow him to better serve the country. Whether or not that was true, I don't know. But it made sense. The Army's target demographic (young men) are avid football fans.

On Day 2 of the 2008 NFL Draft, Caleb Campbell was selected by the Detroit Lions. When selected, "...the entire draft crowd erupted, jerseys from every NFL team represented."

Now, as Campbell was getting ready to start his NFL career, the military pulled the carpet out from underneath him. "The Army changed its policy on July 8, but it wasn't until July 23 that the Lions received a letter from U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jonathan P. Liba, informing them in writing that Campbell had to cease playing football in order to perform "full time traditional military duties," until at least 2010."

The same argument used to advocate Campbell playing in the NFL (publicity) is what this situation is generating. However, the publicity is overwhelmingly negative.

Williams agent "Happy", his boss Un-happy

Police arrested a passenger in a car driven by Shawne Williams of the Indiana Pacers for marijuana possession, an incident that team president Larry Bird said jeopardizes the forward’s future with the Pacers.

Williams was not arrested but was written up for a window tint and seat belt violation after the police stop about 6 p.m. Friday in Carmel, said Lt. Jeff Horner, a spokesman for police in the northern Indianapolis suburb. The car did not belong to Williams.

A passenger, 21-year-old Darrell Smith Jr. of Williams’ hometown of Memphis, Tenn., was arrested on a misdemeanor charge after police found he had a small amount of marijuana, Horner told The Indianapolis Star. Smith was not in custody Sunday and his whereabouts were not clear.

Williams’ agent, Happy Walters, said Williams had not heard from the team and hoped to talk with Bird on Monday. Walters said the incident was blown out of proportion and noted that Williams hadn’t been charged.

“He’s not going to be charged. He did nothing wrong,” Walters said Sunday.

I realize it's "Happy's" job to stand up for his client when he says he did "nothing" wrong. (Technically, he got a couple of tickets for seat belt and tinted windows.) But, more importantly, he put himself in a situation that jeopardizes what he has. I realize Williams is only 21 y.o. and I probably wasn't the most mature guy at 21. Heck, you could still say that. But why professional athletes would do something stupid to risk it all makes no sense to me...

Josh Hamilton's HR Derby Performance

Josh Hamilton was a former # 1 overall MLB draft pick by the Tampa Bay Rays. A 5-tool player with so much potential that allowed drug and alcohol abuse to nearly ruin his future. Despite being out of baseball for a couple of years, Hamilton is back for his first full MLB season this year and has instantly become one of baseball's best players as he leads the AL in RBI with 95. Carlos Quentin is second with 70 RBI.

(Last year he hit 19 HRs in 297 AB for the Cincinnati Reds.) Unlike most trades that seem to end up lopsided, Josh Hamilton's trade for Edison Volquez in off-season has turned out to be a win-win trade as Volquez leads the NL with a 2.29 ERA.

Pitching to Hamilton in the HR Derby was Clay Counsil, Hamilton's American Legion coach. Hamilton said in an interview that he has pitched so many batting practices without getting the recognition and appreciation that he deserves that he wanted Counsil to have this opportunity. When hearing how this would be Counsil's 2nd time in Yankee Stadium and what happened the first time (Don Larsen's perfect game), I instantly thought to myself this was going to be something special. And it was.

Josh Hamilton hit 28 homeruns in the first round of the Homerun Derby. Although Justin Morneau was the (gracious) winner of the 2008 State Farm Homerun Derby, Hamilton's record-setting performance in Round 1 will be what I and most fans remember. He hit more HRs in the first round than Morneau (or any other contestant) hit in the entire contest. (Technically, Morneau beat Hamilton 5-3 in the Final Round.)

And it wasn't just that Hamilton hit the single-round record of homeruns. They were all blasts. As Joe Sheehan says in his SI column:

...Then Josh Hamilton stepped in, and on the first pitch he saw hit a bomb about halfway up the right-centerfield bleachers.

Jason Grey of ESPN turned to me and said, "This could get interesting."

A few minutes later, Hamilton reached the back of those same bleachers, a place few hitters ever get. Before my jaw resumed its upright and locked position, Hamilton hit a ball off of the bank advertisement that sits on the wall above the bleachers. He then hit one that came just short of the DiamondVision board at the right edge of the bleachers. In two minutes, Hamilton had hit three of the longest home runs I've ever seen in this park.

The physical display was impressive. But, to me, his humility was even more impressive. Here's a guy who realizes and appreciates what he now has. In this case, Charles Barkley is wrong. Josh Hamilton should be a role model for anyone facing adversity and an example that opportunity and success are still possible when things seem hopeless.

Brett Favre: 2nd string?

"The Green Bay Packers' general manager and coach say they don't plan to grant Brett Favre's request for his release.

GM Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy told The Associated Press on Saturday that the star quarterback was welcome to rejoin the team but would have to be a backup."

The Packers have a better chance to win Super Bowl XLIII with Brett Favre as the starting QB. But should the Packers risk permanently stunting Aaron Rodgers growth and development by accepting Favre's "un-retirement" and making him the starter? If the Packers believe that Rodgers is the long-term answer to replace Favre, then the answer is no.

And Favre's brother Scott has expressed Brett's feelings of not being welcomed back in Sun Herald article.

"Why wouldn't he want a release?" Scott told me. "They have moved on. By not saying anything, it says a lot.

"If they wanted him back, they could have said, 'if you want to come back, we want you back.'

"Why would he want to go back, if he's not wanted? You tell me?"

The Packers don't really want Favre back and Favre doesn't really want to be back with the Packers. Favre wants to be cut, but the Packers won't cut him. And rightfully so. Imagine the Packers cutting Favre, the Vikings signing him and the Vikings beating the Packers twice and winning the division with Favre. The Packers won't let that happen. So, this will become increasingly more interesting, more hostile as we approach the start of the Green Bay Packers training camp on July 27th.

And I thought the Dallas Cowboys camp would be the most interesting...

Gatorade commercial that missed the cut

Here is one of the Gatorade commercials that didn't make it:



Great commercial. Looks real (sort-of).

Rays Nation?

The Tampa Bay Rays have won 6 straight games including a sweep of the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox and 9 of their last 10. They currently have the best record in all of baseball as the only team that has won more than 60% of its games.

They are young and talented and the front three in their starting rotation (Kazmir, Shields and Garza) are very talented. I'm sure the Mets are kicking themselves now....but, of course, they have plenty of problems. The Rays play great defense and have a ton of speed.

This a great story for all of baseball. With only $41 million salary cap and an abundance of talent in their farm system, the Rays are (and will continue to be) for real. But coming into the season, who expected this? Nobody.

I still expect the Red Sox to win the division, but the Rays will make the post-season for the first time in franchise history. And with 1-2-3 punch like they have, they will be a tough out.

Eric Weddle gets it

Most of the time, we're reading about how NFL player (or professional athlete in general) acts like there are no consequences to his actions. Heck, even ProFootballTalk.com has a counter labeled "Days Without an Arrest". From Derrick Martin busted at airport with marijuana to {insert name} busted for DUI to Brandon Jones bringing his gun to the airport, it seems like nobody gets it. It seems like there is no accountability, no common sense, no nada...

I saw this article online and although this should be the norm, it was nice to see. Eric Weddle gets it.

"You see every day guys getting suspended, things like that, but if you're focused, stuff shouldn't happen," Weddle said. "I know what I'm here for. I'm here to play football. It's my job. Support my wife and my little baby girl - that's all that matters to me."

"I couldn't be more blessed, couldn't be in a better situation," Weddle said.

The last sentence sums up how every fan of the game would feel if they had the opportunity to play the game they love for insane gobs of money. Finally, thanks to Eric Weddle, it seems like someone gets it.