The Sports Guys

Brian Burke To Toronto?

Marc-Andrew Bezbatchenko — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:44:42 +0000

Well, its been about a week since the Anaheim Ducks former General Manager Brian Burke declined a contract extension and left, and now there’s some speculation that he might be heading to Toronto. Its already been 3 months into the NHL 08-09 campaign, and the Maple Leafs are yet to be excited.

The Maple Leafs current GM, Cliff Fletcher, made some off-season moves to hopefully juice this team and city up for a much waited playoff run, but by acquiring Niklas Hagman, Mikhail Grabovski, Dominic Moore, Jeff Finger, Jonas Frogren, Mike Van Ryn, and Curtis Joseph, the team still sits in 10th place among the Eastern Conference while sitting in 4th in the Northeast Division, only in front of Ottawa, which has 15 points. Plain and simple, the Leafs have 18 points, and they need more.

So a solution now….. sign Burke.

Burke has experience as he won a Stanley cup as recently as 2006-2007. The last time the Leafs won a cup, in 1967, Brian Burke was 12….he’s 53 now.

So with that being said…why don’t you (Leafs and fans) cut that piece of garbage guy who was supposed to “reform” the organization and sign this guy. What do you have to lose? Or you could keep losing to those damn Sabres and Canadiens all the time, or have to worry about a second franchise coming to town.

In conclusion, Brian Burke coming to Toronto to help the Leafs could only bring good.

Heilman says out of the bullpen or out of NY

Philip Saponara — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:36:00 +0000

Aaron Heliman, Drafted out of the University of Notre Dame initially worked as a starting pitcher until his flop season of with the Mets as he went 5-13 with a 5.93 ERA. In 2006. Heilman hasn’t stated he wants out of New York he just wants to get out of the ‘Pen and get on the mound.

“The object is to get out of the bullpen. The most success he’s ever had as a pitcher has been as a starting pitcher. He was drafted by the Mets as a starting pitcher,” said Mark Rodgers Heilman’s agent “The object the whole time was to never get out of New York” Quote Published by ESPN.com

Although many fans are do not adore Heliman and neither they should, the reliever pitched 3-8 with a 5.21 ERA, with five blown saves, and gave up 44 earned runs, the most in his three seasons as a reliever. Heilman has been known to blow a few key games but he really trashed the mound at the end of the year when the Mets needed a reliever the most.

This now brings me to my short editorial portion. The Mets are currently weak in the ‘Pen and if they could pull of some relievers the not so promising Metropolitans could get on fire fast, specially if Chase Utley for the Phili’s is out till June it could make that division very open. Fransisco Rodriguez, Brian Fuentes,Trevor Hoffman, and Kerry Wood are the current closer’s that I believe the mets will be looking at. Although K-Rod will be wanting around 75 Million dollars somewhere entitled in his contract the Mets have a decent amount to spend and starting with Rodriguez might not be a bad option, the guy is lights out and he was a big success to the Angels 100 win regular season. Brian Fuentes on the other hand gave Colorado a great run and pitched an ERA. of 2.73, and 30 saves, this could definitely help the Mets chances stay into games that deal with runners in scoring positions and a big batter up to hit in the 8th inning or so. Trevor Hoffman and Kerry Wood pitched an ERA of 3.77 and 3.26 respectively.

Although I think Fuentes could aid the Mets a tad more the Veteran pitchers of Wood and Hoffman could both be a wearing a orange and blue jersey come training. Look for these closers to move around the league in the upcoming weeks.

Pinstripes and Yankees Colors seem to run in the Family

Philip Saponara — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:09:24 +0000

Recent news coming out of New York is saying that George Steinbrenner is taking a step back and out of baseball to pursue a career of sitting on his billion square foot home on the river watching his son Hal take over his used to be owned New York Yankees. Although Hal was just noted the owner on Thursday we all knew that either of Georgy’s sons were going to own the multi-billion dollar team. Hal and his older brother Hank were named Co-Chairman for the Bronx Bomberslast April and withGeorge gradually pulling away and not attending to his diamond in the rough that is the Yankees, he let his sons take most of the work in the past season. Although Hal is owning the Yanks on his own he will be getting aid from his older brother Hank in upcoming season’s and judging that the Yankees are closing in on a deal with Sabathia and with a pick up of Peavy or Burnett, this franchise could be a change for the better in the upcoming season.

Although this is big news Mussina’s retirement slipped under the radar this past week and not many tabloids have been making a big deal out of it. Its not that Mussina was a bad pitcher either, he was an excellent pitcher for the clutch situations and snagged his 20th win on his last game of the season in 08. If the Yankees can make a run for either the combination of C.C.+Burnett, Burnett+Peavy, or Peavy+C.C. it will make news fly out of New York faster than the Bills are loosing ground in the playoff hunt! With that being said i am not calling anything and being a Metropolitanfan it will be for me to say this, but the Yanks could be a great team this year if they pick up any of the combinations above, and with a new owner i think it will spice up the flavor in that Yankees dugout.

Be sure to catch my NY Mets article about deals with Aaron Heilman and the Issue with all the Relievers out in the free agency.

Cubs-Royals Teahan Trade Talk

Levi Wooten — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:52:31 +0000

With the MLB offseason in full swing, big trades and free agents will begin to dominate the headlines. A possible trade in the making is the Cubs looking to acquire Mark Tehan of the Royals. The Royals now have a new outfielder in Coco Crisp, whom they received from the Boston Red Sox in a recent trade. The Cubs just got done re-signing one of their starting pitchers, 17 game winner Ryan Dempster. The Cubs priority in the offseason was to re-sign Dempster , or, if that failed, to get someone like him. Now, all they need is a left handed bat. Teahan would be a great fit for Chicago’s lineup because he is a great hitter. Early reports are saying that the Cubs want to move the Japanese import Kosuke Fukudome, but seeing that he would be a tough sell, outfielder Felix Pie would be a more likely candidate. Pie, however, hit only a .223 in 260 at bats. Pie is a great defensive center fielder which would alow the Royals to shift David Dejesus to left field. If the trade does happen, the Royals would lose a great deal of their hitting. However, upgrading their defense seems to be a higher priority than upgrading their offense. All things considered, the trade would more likely hurt the Royals and make sure that the Cubs make it past the Division Series this upcoming year than the opposite.

On the Road to Success

Nike Abbett — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:10:52 +0000

The Portland Trail Blazers’ Greg Oden was the number one pick in the 2007 draft out of Ohio State. Oden got injured and missed his whole first season. Greg Oden got injured in his first NBA game against the L.A. Lakers. Greg Oden is now playing like he was expected to play. Greg Oden came back against Miami with 3 Points and 2 Rebounds. But in the next four games, look at the stats he accumulated.

Greg Oden

Against New Orleans Oden had 10 PTS and 11 REB. Against Minnesota, Oden had 13 PTS and 9REB. Against Golden State the Trail Blazers’ Center had 22 PTS, 10 REB. To cap it all off, Oden pulls his 3rd double-double in 4 games with 11 PTS and 10 REB against Chicago. Oden also blocked 4 shots in that game against Chicago.

So is Oden back to being the best we have seen him in high school and in college? Well, he is leading the team in blocks, and 3 of his last 4 games were double-doubles. Oden looks to help Portland, and looks for a spot in the playoffs. Watch out for the Blazers with their rejuvenated Greg Oden.

Zeller’s Injury Hurts UNC’s Title Hopes

Matt Rosenthal — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 03:57:59 +0000

UNC Freshman Tyler Zeller suffered a wrist injury in last night’s game against Kentucky, and it could have deep reprecussions beyond simply losing a player. Zeller was backing up Tyler Hansbrough, the former POY, and doing quite well at that. But with Hansbrough’s injury, and Marcus Ginyard’s injury, the stellar freshman class was counted on to step in and keep the Tar Heels on top while the senior leaders recovered. But Zeller’s injury puts more pressure on Hansbrough to come back sooner, and it might even cause him to come back before he is fully recovered. Hansbrough coming back too early could prove costly for the Tar Heels. Zeller was averaging 10 ppg before his injury, and his loss could prove costly for the Tar Heels, even though it doesn’t seem as though it is too costly at the moment. The injury also provides a boost for other teams in the tough ACC, knowing that the low post could prove to be a weak point for the Tar Heels for a short period of time. The Tar Heels will need to recover quickly from this injury, or they could risk briefly falling behind in the ACC. But UNC coach Roy Williams should have no problem adjusting to this loss, so don’t be surprised if they aren’t affected at all.

Pacman Jones Reinstated by the NFL

Kenny Ducey — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 03:53:29 +0000

Adam “Pacman” Jones was reinstated by NFL Commisioner Roger Goodell today after being suspended for a scuffle he had with his bodyguard in October. Pacman looks to help the struggling Cowboys get back in the playoff hunt, as the first game he will play since being suspended will be against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He will miss this week’s matchup against the 49ers, and then miss the Cowboys’ Thanksgiving Day game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Pacman will help out a struggling Dallas secondary and a team in the Cowboys hurt by injury.

Pacman couldn’t be back at a better time for the Cowboys, as they play a big matchup against the Steelers, who may be one of the teams standing in the way of a late run to the playoffs for the Cowboys. The Cowboys currently stand at 6-4, and they should finish 10-6 on the year if they win all the games they should win. The games they should win are against the 49ers, Seahawks, and Eagles. They play big teams in the Steelers, Ravens, and Giants. If they win against the Ravens, Giants or Steelers, they finish 10-6, and have a good chance of getting in the playoffs.

5 Freshmen to Watch This Year: NCAA Basketball

Andrew Gelinas — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 03:29:16 +0000

November 18- This year there are some great freshman in the NCAA. Here are just some of those freshmen that you should watch this year. Here is my all freshman team:

The Point guard of this team is UConn’s Kemba Walker. He is a great leader on the court and it showed during his high school career at Rice High School in NYC. He is also a great passer and a tough defender. However, he does need to improve his perimeter shooting but he is only a freshman.

The shooting guard is UCLA’s Jrue Holiday. He is a very smart basketball player, he is very competitive, and he makes an impact on the court. He can also play point guard. He does need to improve at his point guard play as well as his perimeter game. He looks like he will be a great player.

The small forward is USC’s Demar DeRozan. Demar comes “Straight Outta Compton”, California. He played at Compton High School. He is an athletic and explosive player who can make great plays. He also needs to improve his perimeter shooting. He is also great at jumping and rebounding.

The power forward is Louisville’s Samardo Samuels. He is from Newark, New Jersey. He’s great at the inside game, he can shoot, dunk, block, rebound, you name it, he can probably do it. He looks like a big time prodigy.

The center is 7 foot Ohio State big man B.J. Mullens. This freshman is a beast at rebounding and blocking. He does though need to improve on offensive rebounding (who doesn’t) and mid range shooting. He is from Canal Winchester High School in a town of the same name in Ohio. He should be great this year.

So there are the 5 star fresman that I believe will make a splash this season, and we will see how well they perform this year.

Team Checklists: AL East

Matt Borkowski — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 02:48:16 +0000

This offseason is a mixed bag. At first glance, it would seem like a gold mine for GM’s and their teams. There are quite a few high profile free agents available, as well as some nifty trade ideas GM’s can toy with. However, aside from the obvious acquisitions, there aren’t very many mid-level players or promising prospects a team in need could add. This, in addition to a repressed economy and rising player salaries with no chance of stopping now (if by any chance you read every obscure, online sports blog and skim through for mentions of your name, damn you, Scott Boras, damn you to hell), makes it that much more difficult for perennial losers, rebuilding teams, and those in need of quick fixes. Teams looking to pick up need to do so wisely in order to have offseason success. Sidestepping the obvious cliches, preferring to just get to the point of things, I’ll start out with the AL East.

Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox of last year were a bit disappointing. Sure, they made the postseason, but they didn’t exactly do it in style, nor did they last as long as the defending World Series champs were expected to. They can blame it on injuries, but the fact of the matter is that now that Manny is gone, we’re looking at a different team. They could definitely use either A.J. Burnett (18-10, 4.07) or Derek Lowe (14-11, 3.24). Burnett would be interesting, considering his certain strikeouts (231 K), potential innings (221.1 IP), and the fact that he’ll probably rebound from the “down year” he had last year (3.81 career ERA). However, they already have the power pitchers they need in Beckett and Matsuzaka. Lowe is probably the more attractive choice, considering he’s already spent the better part of 8 seasons with the Sox, and overall just seems like a better fit for the team.

Tampa Bay Rays

Seeing as how they’re a team coming out of a World Series with few departures, the Rays don’t really need to do much. They should just concentrate on retaining their free agents (Baldelli, Floyd, Hinske, Miller), and they’ll be set for another run at success.

New York Yankees

The Yankees are obviously set to make a splash this offseason. The only question is what in particular will they actually do, with some combination of C.C. Sabathia, Jake Peavy, A.J. Burnett, Derek Lowe, and Mark Texeira almost certain to be signed with the Yankees for 2009. So far they’ve wasted no time in obtaining Nick Swisher (08: .219 AVG, ..332 OBP, 24 HR, Career: .244 AVG, .354 OBP, .805 OPS). While some say this may not have been the best possible deal for the Yanks, with others reasoning that they were just making the most out of Betemit and Texeira is on the way, let’s look a little bit further into this. I’m of the belief that batting average is not as important as it’s made to be. Swisher is patient, has power, and has upside, which is exactly why Beane drafted him with his first available pick. This does not exactly sound like a precursor to a Texeira signing. Swisher may have risk, but the Yankees have shown they’re willing to take risks. The Yankees have a pattern of acquiring one high profile player each year since Mussina, and with the pitching needed, the confidence in Swisher, and the expensive ten year contract Texeira is looking for, it doesn’t look like it’ll be him.

Now for the pitching. We have Sabathia (17-10, 2.70), Peavy (10-11, 2.85), and Burnett and Lowe as mentioned before. Mussina is expected to formally announce his retirement soon, Pettitte’s return is uncertain, Rasner has been sold to a Japanese team, and Hughes (0-4, 6.62) and Kennedy (0-4, 8.17) were major flops, so basically the only sure spots go to Wang and Chamberlain. With that being said, they have a wealth of pitchers, so they might only really need one. The Yanks have been burned by risky pickups in the past (Carl Pavano, Kevin Brown, Randy Johnson, etc.), and they’ve seen other teams experience the same (Zito, Hampton, etc..), so they definitely need to take the least risky choice. That would be Sabathia. Burnett is a big injury risk, walks too much (over 3 BB/9 in 2008), and could possibly have another down year. Lowe wouldn’t be bad, but they need someone who can and will dominate. For the past few seasons, Peavy has been one of the top ranked starters among fantasy baseball players. He gets wins when provided with decent teams (although wins aren’t important), has good ERA, WHIP, and K. However, let’s take into consideration that not only has he pitched in the NL, he’s pitched in the NL West, which is probably the weakest division offensively. So he might not be the best pick for the AL East. Sabathia is an amazingly ideal fit for the Yankees. He has great stuff and the stats to back it up, is consistent, absolutely eats through innings with a rubber arm, and has shown the ability to pitch anywhere against anyone. He shows next to no downside and a huge ceiling.

Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays have been a team of blown expectations. Recent attempts to build up the team sufficiently have failed, so they need to rebuild a bit. It would be a good idea to shed the aged and the disappointments. They’ve got some good youngsters. Can someone tell me why aren’t they playing John MacDonald? Things aren’t all bad, however. The pitching was great, but the hitting just flat out stunk. It’s not going to stay that way. But they need to start bracing for not only the current departure of Burnett, but also top MLB starter Roy Halladay in the years to come. Now I’m not seeing Ben Sheets’s name getting mentioned enough. Sheets (13-9, 3.09) is another starter fantasy players love, and when healthy, is a great starter. Providing the Brewers fail to resign him, it might not be a bad idea for the Jays to go after him.

Baltimore Orioles

Ugh. They don’t exactly have much good about them. Markakis is pretty good, but I don’t know if you can base a team around him. He might be better suited in a cleanup role rather than the three hole. The Orioles got some decent players that turned out to do some good from the Bedard trade, but what the O’s need is pitching. Angelos has got money, so why doesn’t he use it?

Mussina says Goodbye to the Bronx Bombers and the MLB

Philip Saponara — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:31:57 +0000

Mike Mussina retires at the age of 39 years old. Although the Yankee’s management knew that this day would come it comes to be a shellshock for many fans and players that work around Mussina. Mussina who has become close with many Yankee players told the office in New York that he would be deciding whether to retire this season or the next, sources say he spoke with management about this Wednesday mid- afternoon. Mussina spent eight years with the Yankees and contributed ten years of servitude pitching as a clutch player for the Baltimore Orioles. His 270 wins rank second among all active right-handers, behind only Greg Maddux. According to sources he was only the fifth since 1900 to win 20 games in his final season. Mussina became a friend of many baseball pro’s and a mentor to others. Mussina was welcomed back but was not expected to return since the Yankees were currently in a process to sign and bring in two other free-agent starters. Mussina won his 20th game on his last start of the season, he will always be recognized as a great pitcher and an innovater of his time, he will be missed by Yankee fans and many opinionated articles are already saying the Yankees must find someone to replace the 20 win clutch pitcher.