N.L. East loses another power threat, Mets still talking Santana?

Everybody knew Andruw Jones wasn't going back to the Braves, and based on either the CF talent or the inability to compete in the division, it was also apparent he wasn't signing with any of the other four teams. So now he's joining Clueless Joe Torre and Donnie Baseball in their first year with the Los Angeles Dodgers of Los Angeles.

Jones was less talked about this offseason due to his uncharacteristic lack of production at the plate in the '07 season. He's still only 30, though, and has a pretty good shot at 500 homers if he can turn things back around. I'm confident he will, with new scenery and a great supporting cast. Pierre and Furcal at the top of the lineup with youngsters like Martin and Loney (if he gets the starting gig). This takes a lot of the pressure off of Jeff Kent and NOMAAAAAH. They still need a left handed bat in there. Luis Gonzalez was not and IS NOT the answer. As always, the West should be a crapshoot next year. Don't expect the Rockies to finish above .500 again, and the D'Backs are just as unpredictable unless they land a big name pitcher. Padres need a rebound year from Adrian Gonzalez, and the Giants...well...yeah.

I'm shocked the Jones deal was done so early, and for so much! Two years and $36.2 mil is quite the reward for a .222 batting average (lowest since '96), 26 jacks (fewest since '97) and 94 rbi's (lowest since '04). Actually, maybe it does make sense. If Andruw puts up the same numbers in '08, he'll be leading the team in two of the three categories.


Onto Mr. Santana, the Mets have reentered the bargain with five prospects on the table. If the Twins don't take the BoSox's offer, I don't see them taking the Mets' offer either. Enough said.


Apparently Barry Bonds wants to play in '08. And in more compelling news, I just bought a new pencil over at Staples.

Nobody cares. I wanted to write about him going to the Yankees and interacting with New York media, but I couldn't find a video of Randy Johnson interacting with New York Media, so instead, let's go out with a bang. Here's Randy blowing up a bird. Check out the throwback names on the bottom line.

Every Rose Has Its Thorns

Let's get one thing straight. Derrick Rose is going to make a top 5 lottery team extremely happy next summer. After seeing him live a few weeks ago, I could see that Derrick Rose had more raw talent than anyone else on the court that night, with the possible exception of his Memphis teammate Chris Douglas-Roberts. However, I could see that Derrick Rose has a lot of maturing to do if he wants to take his game to the next level.

Over the years, I have given LeBron James a hard time at times because of his unselfish play on the court. Up until the Eastern Conference Playoffs last year, LeBron reminded me of the good-hearted star high school basketball player who is playing 3-on-3 basketball during gym class. He gets no pleasure from dominating three scrubs from the chess team so his sole mission is to get the other two kids on his team involved as much as possible. The star would be reluctant to take shots because he wants to give the other kids a chance to be a star. LeBron was that guy, trying to get people like Daniel Gibson and Larry Hughes involved in the offense instead of dominating defenses that can't stop him. While this is a quality to be admired in gym class, in the NBA, sometimes you need to have a little Kobe in you.

Derrick Rose's problem is that he has a bit too much Kobe in him. Everything about his gameplay just screamed primadonna. Rose would put his head down and drive the lane against the big men of UConn. His kick-outs almost seemed as if a last resort. Coach Cal pulled Rose aside during a timeout and gave him a tongue-lashing for his play on the court. If Derrick Rose can adopt more a "team" attitude, I can see the Memphis Tigers cutting down the nets come early April.

Okay, fine.

Tigers/Marlins deal went through. Now the expos have no chance of winning the A.L. Central.

A whole lotta hype for a whooole lotta nothing.

Yankee fans can breathe again. The Johan Santana deal is taking way too long to complete, leading me to believe it isn't going to happen, so with Santana and a hopefully healthy Francisco Liriano at the top of the rotation, look for the Twins to make some noise in the central again next year.

Also, ESPN's Amy Nelson reports there might be a holdup in the Cabrera/Willis to Tigers for their entire minor league system trade. If things fall through, who is the top team in the central? Could be a three-team shootout next year between the Royals, White Sox, and Expos.


I'm not quite in the college hoops mood yet with bowl season rapidly approaching, but I've got to get this off my chest. Watch out for the Marist Lady Red Foxes (8-1) to creep into the national rankings.
The Associated Press currently has them 32nd and the ESPN/USA Today poll has them even higher at 30th. But even though they don't play at Duke or Maryland this year, they still have some formidable opponents coming up. Hartford has gotten off to a quick start this season at 6-2, and Fairfield is 6-1. The MAAC should be more competitive than last year, as St. Peter's has been looking good, too.
In a perfect world, the Lady Red Foxes will go 29-1 going into MAAC play, capitalizing on losses of teams ahead of them in the rankings and be a top 10 team come tournament time.

Let me dream, alright?

Bad Beat: A Sad Day in the Poker World

While some may take exception with poker being covered in a sports blog, Travis, Chris, and I have all spent considerable time at the poker tables. I think I speak for all three of us when I say that we were saddened to hear of the unfortunate passing of WSOP professional Chip Reese.

Chip Reese was considered by many to be one of the more underrated poker players in the game. His cash-game prowess was legendary amongst other poker pros. Chip won three WSOP Bracelets, including the $50,000 HORSE Event at the 2006 WSOP, besting a who's who of poker greatness at the final table (Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, Dewey Tomko, Andy Bloch). He was considered one of the best all-around poker players of all time. Reese died in his sleep at the age of 56.

Travis' Week 14 picks

Less analysis than Mr. Clark. He's done plenty of it and I can't upstage that, so here are my picks (first team is my pick, home team in caps).

WASHINGTON (-3) over Chicago

Carolina (+10.5) at JACKSONVILLE

Dallas (-11) at DETROIT
I love KJ, but Kitna and the Lions don't give him the ball. I predict 3 picks thrown by Kitna, maybe 5 touches for KJ, and about 45 pass attempts. Play calling that lopsided only works if you knocked up Bridget Moynahan. I'm not sure what the direct correlation is, but I'm working on a theory. I'm almost positive it has nothing to do with "skill."

BUFFALO (-7) over Miami
If Zach Thomas wasn't out for the season I would pickMiami to cover (not to win, though). Without him, Jason Taylor has to anchor the defense, but it's still just as good as only sending 10 men out there. Pun intended.

EAGLES (-3) over Giants

Oakland (+11) at PACKERS
I don't think Favre hasn't had enough 2006-esque games this season. I predict one here, Green Bay wins, but only by a touchdown.

Pittsburgh (+14.5) at NEW ENGLAND
I don't believe in "blueprints" for beating the Patriots. Mr. Bill is too smart to fall for the same defensive and offensive schemes 3 times in a row. Pitt will do their thing and make it sting. The yellow brick road stops here.

TENNESSEE (pick) over Chargers

BENGALS (-7) over Rams
Gotta give my boy Ocho Cinco some credit. And Houshmandzadeh. It only took me one day of logging a Bengals game to be able to spell that correctly on the first try every time.

Tampa Bay (pick) at HOUSTON

SEATTLE (-6.5) over Cardinals

Vikings (-7) at 49ERS

Browns (-3.5) at JETS

BRONCOS (-6.5) over Chiefs

Colts(-10) at RAVENS
off the bandwagon. Sorry Ray Lewis, don't come find me and hurt me. I'm normally a big fan.

FALCONS (+4.5) vs. Saints
Falcons won't win, but I think it will be a three-point game.

Week 14 Preview/Picks

In what will be a regular feature on this unnamed blogsite, we will go over this week's NFL Matchups and attempt to predict the games.

CHICAGO (+3) at WASHINGTON
Another NFL Network game. At least nobody will complain about missing this one. How is NFL Network advertising this one? "CAMPBELL! GROSSMAN! Come see which team will be 6-7 at the end of this one!" Something tells me that there will be less activity in sports bars then there was a week ago.
MIKE'S PICK: Chicago

CAROLINA (+10.5) at JACKSONVILLE
The battle of the 1995 expansion teams! Carolina is terrible. If you are David Carr and you can't even top Vinny Testaverde on the depth chart, could you get any lower? Jags need to win games that they aren't favored in if they want to be taken seriously next month.
MIKE'S PICK: Jacksonville

DALLAS (-11) at GOD'S TEAM
Ooo baby, do you know what that's worth? Ooo heaven is a place on Earth! In fact, it's in Michigan. You know that Buddha, Satan, and Zeus give God shit at the weekly poker game. "So, God...you're really going with the Detroit Lions? You're sure about that?"
MIKE'S PICK: Dallas

MIAMI (+7) at BUFFALO
Marshawn Lynch might come back this week. It doesn't matter though. Travis, Chris, and I could platoon at HB for Buffalo and we'll still beat the Dolphins.
MIKE'S PICK: Buffalo

GIANTS (+3) at EAGLES
The following sentence is extremely hard for me to type. Eli Manning had a great fourth quarter in their come back victory against the Bears. That being said, I don't trust him to win a playoff game yet. Or win a tough conference game on the road.
MIKE'S PICK: Eagles

OAKLAND (+11) at GB
Looks like Favre will play. Raise your hand if you're surprised by that. Wow. Nobody? It was great to see a JaMarcus Russell sighting last week. Somewhere in Cleveland, Brady Quinn is crying.
MIKE'S PICK: GB

PITTSBURGH (+14.5) at NEW ENGLAND
Oddsmakers need to stop it with these unbelievable lines for the Pats. The Steelers are a much better team than the Eagles and the Ravens. Do I think the Pats win the game? Of course I do. Do I think it will be close? No doubt in my mind.
MIKE'S PICK: Pittsburgh

SAN DIEGO (Pick) at TENNESSEE
Probably the toughest game on the schedule to pick this week. Both of these teams are so hot and cold. You don't know which team will show up. When in doubt, go with the home team.
MIKE'S PICK: Tennessee

ST. LOUIS (+7) at CINCY
Another absolutely ridiculous line. Cincinnati should never be favored by a touchdown. Especially against a scrappy St. Louis team that is better than their record shows. Especially now that Steve Jackson is back.
MIKE'S PICK: St. Louis

TAMPA BAY (Pick) at HOUSTON
Garcia should be back for the Buccs. Bad news for the Texans who have just collapsed since their great start to the season. Blame it on Andre Johnson's injury, but Houston should be a better team then they are at this point.
MIKE'S PICK: Tampa Bay

ARIZONA (+6.5) at SEATTLE
Ladies and gentlemen, your 6 seed in the NFC right now: The Arizona Cardinals. Seriously? Got to give it up for Kurt Warner. The team was left for dead when the Pretty Boy went down for the season. But I'm more interested in Seattle here. Why aren't they getting any pub as potential NFC representative in the Super Bowl? They're a good team and Hasslebeck is playing like a man on a mission.
MIKE'S PICK: Arizona

MINNESOTA (-7) at SAN FRANCISCO
One of the hottest teams in football has got to be the Minnesota Vikings. The combo of Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor has got to be up there with Fred Taylor and MJD as the best one-two punch from the running back position in football. And Tavaris is actually showing that he's not the stiff that he's shown himself to be in the past.
MIKE'S PICK: Minnesota

CLEVELAND (-3.5) at JETS
Another idiotic line. Cleveland loses one game (and might have gotten jobbed in doing so) and now they're on the same level as the Jets? A week ago, the Browns were one of the sexiest teams in football. Now they're barely getting a field goal against a 3-9 team.
MIKE'S PICK: Cleveland

KANSAS CITY (+6.5) at DENVER
What a terrible game. Who in their right mind (that isn't a Bronco or Chief fan) would watch this game? I really hate having to pick games like this. My advice is to stay away from it if you're the gambling type.
MIKE'S PICK: KC

INDIANAPOLIS (-10) at BALTIMORE
While I do give Baltimore credit for hanging in there with the Pats and playing a great game on Monday night, I don't see them playing the same way this week. Something tells me the Ravens don't have it in him. Oh yeah, their record. That's it.
MIKE'S PICK: Indianapolis

NEW ORLEANS (-4.5) at ATLANTA

If the Saints can't beat Atlanta on Monday night, they're pathetic. I'm sorry, but this is their last chance for a playoff berth.
MIKE'S PICK: New Orleans

Gimme Your Studs, Make It Real, Or Else Forget About It

First off, I would like to take issue with something that my colleague Travis wrote. Let's look at the numbers, shall we?

75 IP, 2-1, 3.12 ERA, 72 Ks, 8.64 K/9, 1.15 WHIP - ADAM WAINWRIGHT, 2006 Season
24 IP, 2-0, 0.38 ERA, 34 Ks, 12.75 K/9, .75 WHIP - JOBA, 2007 Season

Joba had a categorically better rookie year then Wainwright. Granted, it is a smaller sample size.

202 IP, 14-12, 3.70 ERA, 136 Ks, 1.40 WHIP - ADAM WAINWRIGHT, 2007 Season

Yes, Wainwright's WHIP is too high and his Ks were down. But I will speak for all Yankee fans in saying that if Joba can get us 14 wins with a sub 4 ERA, I would be ecstatic.

Don't get me wrong, I like Santana. Let's face it, I like anyone that can rock the name Johan. But let's look at what the Yankees might have had to give up to get Johan.

W/ SANTANA
SP Johan
SP Petitte
SP Wang
SP Joba
SP Mussina
C Posada
1B Duncan
2B Cano
3B A-Rod
SS Jeter
LF Matsui
CF Damon
RF Abreu
DH Giambi

NO SANTANA
SP Petitte
SP Wang
SP Hughes
SP Joba
SP Kennedy
C Posada
1B Giambi/Duncan
2B Cano
3B A-Rod
SS Jeter
LF Damon/Matsui
CF Melky
RF Abreu
DH Matsui/Giambi

Which is the better squad? Personally, I prefer the team without Johan. Melk is an above average outfielder with plenty of upside. Hughes and Kennedy showed glimpses of how good they can be. Plus, Hank won't be tempted to get rid of Joba (I've never seen the Stadium so alive then when Joba entered the game in a meaningless September game) or the man who will win batting titles (guaranteed), Mr. Robinson Cano. In Cano's three years in the bigs, he has proved to be one of the tougher outs in the league when he's on. The fact that Cano hit the cover off the ball in the second half after his abysmal first half made it clear that Cano was a special player. Like Gene Hackman in Hoosiers, I'm making a statement. This is my team.

Cabrera and Willis to Tigers!

Blockbuster deal, great news for the Mets! Now one of the biggest offensive threats against the Mets is gone to the A.L. central. And Miguel Cabrera is gone, too! This is great.

Dontrelle Willis is a career .327 (16-49) hitter against the Mets with 3 homers and 9 rbi's. For a pitcher, that ain't so bad.

The Indians are going to need to counter with a move of their own to reestablish their reputation in the central division. The Tigers already have a top-tier leadoff hitter leading a balanced offense, a great rotation, and now it's even better.

The Central is going to be the division to watch next year. I'm glad I'm not a Royals or White Sox fan.

Winter Meetings

If anyone is interested in the Winter Meetings, I'm covering it over at my strictly Yankees blog. The link is on the side of this blog. Updating upon hearing any big news, so it's definitely worth a look.

It should be noted that it seems Bedard might be going to the Dodgers. I'll have more of that later.

InSANTANity and other hot stove rumblings!

I've never smoked crack, but if I did, I wouldn't want Santana on my team.

A lot has been talked about today, but nothing has happened.
Let's start from the top.

Johan Santana
I don't really care if he goes to the BoSox, as long as he doesn't go to the Yankees.
However, I can come up with a way the Yankees would land Santana, and reasons why it would be good.
We've heard all about how Cano and Joba are off limits, but I would throw Joba in the mix. I'm not just making this up because I hate the Yankees. I can back this up.
1) He came in as a reliever this season and was lights out the last two months of the season, his trade value will never be higher. In two years the Yankees will only be able to get Brian Schneider and Ryan Church for him.
2) He's going to be a starter next season, let's brainstorm and think about some effective relievers who went to the starting rotation and bombed...hmm...ADAM WAINWRIGHT? Let's be honest, Joba will not have a sub 2.00 E.R.A. next season as a starter. Mark my word, it won't even be sub 4.00
3) The Yankees are still a "win now" franchise. Joba is not a #1 starter/cy young threat next season
4) I like Chamberlain. Plain and simple. He's too good of a guy to be playing for Satan.

I don't think the Mets can get Santana, so they need to act quick before he gets traded and the losing teams start to concentrate on the other big pitchers, Haren and Bedard...

The Mets offered Gomez, Heilman, and Humber for Bedard and the offer got shot down by the Orioles. Bedard is awesome and I would love him as my #1 starter, but I'm not giving up more than those three for him. Sorry.

Omar and Billy Beane have always had a great relationship with plenty of communication, so I think Haren is their best bet. The same deal offer should work since Haren is a righty and Beane loves him some prospects. The Mets have to act quick though, the D-Backs are hot on his trail, and the Tigers might be in the mix, too.

Speaking of the Tigers, apparently they're in talks with the Marlins for Dontrelle AND Cabrera! They're gonna have to pony up about 10 players, including Andrew Miller and Cameron Maybin, their top two prospects. To speak New York language (in terms of value, not position), that's like the Mets trading Reyes and Wright or the Yankees trading Joba and Cano.

That's it for now. When stuff starts going down I'll be back!
And I'd like to welcome Mike Clark to the team. The site URL and the blog name will be changing to adhere to our new blogging friend.

Nobody's Perfect?

Please, Tom Brady. Never do that to me again. Folks, there are ugly wins and then there's what the New England Patriots did in Baltimore on MNF last night. This pursuit of perfection is making me sick. As a Pats fan, I had a sneaking suspicion that somehow, someway, Thomas would lead his team to victory in the end. I had seen it so many times before. And while the record of the New England Patriots still reads zero losses, the past two games have been anything but perfection on the part of Tom and his band of merry men.

1) Defense wins championships
It's about time the genius Belichick reveals where the fountain of youth is. It pains me to say this about one of my favorite Pats of all time, but Tedy Bruschi isn't the player he once was. Junior Seau is not in San Diego anymore. This Patriot defense has been old and slow the past few weeks. After all, if the Hall of Fame combo of AJ Feeley and Kyle Boller have their way with you in consecutive weeks, it's time to take a look at the videotape. The legal videotape, that is. Another tactic Bill could use? Convince the Bob Kraft to allow the scoreboard to always read "4th quarter".

2) Randy Ratio
I'm considering filing a missing person report against Randy Moss for his inability to show up the past two weeks. In two of the biggest, tensest games of the season, Moss has averaged 4.5 catches for 38.5 yards. Now is the time that Randy needs to step up and be the superstar that he so clearly thinks that he is.

3) Blueprints
A lot will be said by Sean Salisbury and other prognosticators on the Worldwide Leader about how the Eagles and the Ravens came up with a blueprint as to how to beat the Patriots. While I agree that the Eagles and the Ravens had great game plans, the truth of the matter is this: they lost those games. It's as if someone who divorced Jessica Alba coming out and saying "I have the blueprint to marrying Jessica Alba!" Good for you, sport.

Santana Insanity

Either the Twins are crazy, or they are just playing a lot of games between the Mets, Yankees and the Red Sox. All teams have given them offers, better than any draft pick, and still they are undecided. The Yankees and Sox having thrown the best offers on the table, still, Twins have not decided on making anything happen.

If the reports are true, the Twins don't have any other options than the ones mentioned. Santana can stay with the Twins for all I care. If the Mets get him, they're going to give up talant they can't afford to lose. The same goes for the Yankees, since the Twins are demanding a third top tier talant. 

As for the Sox, they don't need him. He'll just bring trouble when Beckett is making 10 million dollars a year, and led them to World Series victory. Santana worth 10 to 15 million more dollars a year than Beckett, don't think so.

God's team is not the Ravens.

So Barrows and I have had a plan for a blog for quite some time now, and just hours ago I had a sudden urge to really act on it. So here it is. The topic was originally supposed to be a Mets/Yankees quarrel, as most would expect, but in my initiative rush, I decided it would be fun to tackle a few extra sports outside of my niche. Don't worry, there will be plenty of baseball talk, but for now, football!

Not 20 minutes ago, my beloved (errr..maybe I'm thinking of another 'b' word, probably 'bandwagon') Ravens fought Satan's Patriots to the very last minute. I'm guessing there was some payoff for the refs to call that many penalties in the last minute of the game. Hell, the Patriots kicked off from the RAVENS' 35-yard line!
Anyway, I'm excited to finally be a blogger. Hopefully this doesn't turn out like livejournal did (see: http://yeahtravi.livejournal.com/) --disclaimer--note the year was 2004, I was away at Virginia Tech and my life was more of a mess than it is now.

In closing, Tom Brady sucks, more than Derek Jeter...until baseball season anyway.