The Dodgers need to put the chips on the line for Johan Santana Jackpot

By now everyone realizes that Johan Santana will most likely be dealt this off-season. The Minnesota Twins are not willing to give one of the top three pitchers in baseball a half-way reasonable contract. The Twins are looking for all suitors to line up with the keys to their farm systems so they can go shopping.

The Buzz is that the Yankees and the Red Sox have both the money and the young talent to get a deal done if either team wants to pull the trigger. Yet neither of these teams absolutely need the left-hander. Instead there is one team that has the money, the talent and the need for a dominate pitcher to take them to the top. The Los Angeles Dodgers need to make this trade.

The Dodgers made a splash by landing Joe Torre as their manager. Yet since that signing the Dodgers haven’t even made a peep in the free agent market. Adding Johan will make the Dodgers as the favorites to win the NL west. It will give them a franchise pitcher that could dominate a national league lineup. The Dodgers will have to give up a lot of their young talent but this move should give them the best pitcher in baseball and keep them in the playoff hunt for years to come.

The NFL week 13: Games & Predictions

If you enjoyed dumb and dumberer this is going to be a good weekend for you.

The NY Jets are playing at Miami Sunday. The Dolphins are still winless and the Jets are 2-9. Should be a good game…Not. I’d love to see the Dolphins win at least one this season, but I have a hunch it’s just not going to happen. Outcome? Jets

Also at 1pm in case you need to look away from the train wreck, Carolina is hosting San Francisco. Carolina is 4-7, the 49ers are 3-8. The Panthers lost last week to the Saints, 6 to 31. San Francisco beat Arizona last week 37-31 coming off an 8 game losing streak. The Panthers are coming off a 5 game losing streak. It’s the bad vs the worse. Anything could happen.

And later, if you’re not banging your head against the wall, Oakland is taking on Denver and New Orleans is hosting Tampa Bay.

Finally, if you’re in the mood to witness a smackdown, Pittsburgh and Cincinnatti are playing at 8:15.The Steelers are 8-3. The Bengals are 4-7. Last time the two teams met they settled it 24-13 Pittsburgh. Something tells me this time will not be so pretty. Outcome? Steelers

The Skinny on Michael Vick

By: David Nuñez

So what’s been going on with No. 7?

So far, this is the current situation:

Michael Vick surrendered to U.S. marshals Monday and will remain in jail until his sentencing on a dogfighting charge in three weeks.

The Atlanta Falcons quarterback is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 10 on the federal dogfighting conspiracy charge, but he turned himself in because he was anticipating a prison term, according to a court document.

Vick could be sentenced to up to five years in prison. Wow, that’s 5 years he could’ve been playing football.

“From the beginning, Mr. Vick has accepted responsibility for his actions, and his self-surrender further demonstrates that acceptance,” Billy Martin, one of Vick’s lawyers, said in a statement. “Michael wants to again apologize to everyone who has been hurt in this matter, and he thanks all of the people who have offered him and his family prayers and support during this time.”

Vick is being held at Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw until his sentencing, U.S. marshals told The Associated Press. The mixed-gender facility houses about 450 inmates.

Mixed gender? Where is this again?

So what’s happened since? Let’s recap.

Vick tested positive for marijuana earlier in September, a violation of the conditions of his release as he awaits sentencing in federal court on a dogfighting charge that already jeopardizes his freedom and career.
An Indiana bank sued suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick for not repaying loans involving a car rental business. Nike suspended its lucrative contract with Michael Vick, while Reebok took the unprecedented step of stopping sales of his No. 7 jersey. And of course, the players who once lined up with Michael Vick know he’s gone — and probably never coming back.

This is a true story of a shooting star just blazing the sky and fading out before it’s time.

UNC still number 1

Watching last night’s game I had a mini panic attack in my head. Number 1 team UNC losing to unranked Davidson? Well into the second half it looked like that was exactly what might happen. Then, with about 5 minutes left and a tie game, I noticed something. UNC players were breathing hard, Davidson players looked like they were about to pass out and/or have a heart attack. Sure enough, Davidson began to miss critical, game-winning shots. They panicked in times of pressure going in for the lay up when they needed to be setting up the threes. Free throws were missed and in the end Davidson lost 72-68. It’s closer than it should be for UNC, but they showed us that they are the number one basketball team for a reason. When the other team is exhausted they are still going. They hold it together when it’s crunch time and they make those critical plays and shots. Ellington led North Carolina with 20 points. Curry led Davidson with 24 points. So how did Carolina still come out on top? Hansbrough put up 14 points, Green put up 11 and Lawson put up 8. For Davidson, they’re relying mostly on Curry to put up the points and have a weaker supporting cast.
Sunday the Tarheels take on Iona. I’m pretty confident they’ll be able to hold on to the title.

Ricky Williams: Ready to Smoke the Competition

By: David Nuñez

After being suspended for more than 18 months, Ricky Williams was reinstated by the NFL Wednesday and the winless Miami Dolphins may welcome him back. The 2002 league rushing champion was scheduled to fly to South Florida for a physical Thursday and meet with coach Cam Cameron.

The first-year Miami coach, whose team is 0-9, said he talked with Williams by phone for “five or six minutes” Wednesday, but hadn’t made a decision about activating him.

“I want to see where he is, and also let him know where we’re headed, and we’ll go from there,” Cameron said.

Cameron has been mum for months regarding whether he would want Williams back. But Steinberg said he was encouraged by a phone conversation Wednesday with Matt Thomas, Dolphins general counsel-football administration.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a bit torn as to whether or not I would want Ricky in the backfield for my team. There’s just too many questions and not enough answers.

Has he been away too long? Is he dedicated? Will he be the Ricky of old? Is it in fact a smart decision to put Williams in the backfield with Rookie QB John Beck starting his first NFL game this Sunday?

We all saw that when he wants to work, he can take over a ball game. After all he was the rushing champion of the league back in 2002 and named the Pro-Bowl MVP.

Well, in a few short days we’ll see what will go down. The Ricky Saga continues…

How much is Alex Rodriguez worth?

Alex Rodriguez, better known as A-Rod, is the youngest player to hit 500 home runs. He also is (or maybe was) the highest paid player but opted out of his $252 million 10-year contract this year after the Yankees failed to beat Cleveland.
Now that he’s a free agent, it’s unknown where he’ll go next. However, only a few teams have the resources to compete for him and the 30 million per year requested salary he comes with. Yankees’ manager Joe Torre, who also left the team this year to manage the LA Dodgers, has said his team may try to recruit A-Rod. The Yankees on the other hand, have made it clear they will not be making an offer.
He’s a good 3rd baseman and an even better hitter, but with Boston’s Mike Lowell on the market, it will be interesting to see how much A-Rod can command. Sources say he’s aiming for over 30 million per year. And he may deserve it. He’s had 10 years of 35 or more home runs per game. If he stays on track he could beat the home run record just set by Barry Bonds. There isn’t a single team that wouldn’t love for him to break it in their uniform. On the other hand, he’s 32, which, although not old by any stretch, is getting up there in baseball years. Realistically he only has 8-9 more years assuming no injuries. 13 years is a long time to play pro baseball. Some analysts have been wondering if his body will even hold up for 8 more seasons. On top of that, consider his record; 6 years with Seattle, 3 years with Texas, and 4 with the Yankees. He doesn’t seem to stay in one place and at this pace it will take him 7 years to break the record, meaning whoever buys him now may see him traded again before he breaks it. Does that mean they shouldn’t buy? Absolutely not. He’s still a dominating force and a great addition to the lineup.
What does that mean for his memorabilia? Autographed items like baseballs and photos are expected only to increase slightly in value when he moves on. But, items like a Yankees jersey or baseball bat are expected to increase in value dramatically. He has signed him last Yankees item and waved goodbye. What’s signed is signed and that’s all.
The only remaining question is: whose jersey will he be signing next?

Justin Timberlake is Bringin’ Sexy Back…. To Golf

By: David Nuñez

It’s been reported that Justin Timberlake, four-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, record producer and actor will serve as host of the PGA’s Las Vegas event in 2008, becoming the 14th celebrity to host an official tournament.

“I couldn’t be more excited,” said Timberlake, who plays to a 6-handicap, according to a Golf Digest ranking that was released earlier this year. “We will make sure to make this event unique and memorable.”

The Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, part of the tour’s Fall Series, will be played Oct. 13-19, 2008, at TPC-Summerlin. As part of his involvement, Timberlake will play in the Wednesday celebrity pro-am and host a concert during tournament week.

Personally, I think that this is great for the golf community. This will boost up ratings for the event and turn a lot of non-enthusiasts to the sport for a couple of days. This event may in fact, and I hate to use clichés, be a turning point in PGA history. It could be a catalyst to getting younger viewers to become spectators to a not-so-widely specated sport.

Not only will J.T. play host next year, but he is supposedly aiming to play in a tournament or two as a competitor.

“Justin is a very keen golfer and he’s playing to a very high standard now,” a source close to the entertainer said in April. “His aim is to make it into a pro event - just for a tournament or two. He practices every day, has a coach and takes his clubs wherever he goes.”

Imagine that. Tiger Woods on stage dancing to “Love-Stoned”. It could happen.

Grab your ice skates, we’re going for the goal

By Rachel

So you enjoy hockey, eh? Well hockey isn’t just for Canadians anymore. The season is just beginning and I for one am gearing up to start drafting my fantasy hockey team. So who are my top picks?
*Disclaimer: I am making these based on my own personal opinions. Factors include skill level, where I think they’ll be on other draft lists, and attractiveness of the player. Taking my suggestions is at your own risk*

Center
Michael Cammalleri – 11 goals and 5 assists already this season. Drafted second round by the Kings.
Sidney Crosby – In 2005 they called it the Sidney Crosby lottery and no surprise he was drafted first overall. 9 goals, 15 assists this season. The biggest debate now is whether or not he is single.

Left Wing
Ray Whitney – 9 goals, 8 assists, that’s what I like to see. He’s consistent, has a good sense of spatial awareness, and helped win his team win the Stanley Cup.
Brendan Shanahan – He’s an incredibly physical player but it definitely pays off. 600 career goals to date. His season started off a little slow but I think he’s going to be incredible.

Right Wing
Justin Williams – With 13 assists and 5 goals Williams is holding his own. He commands a high salary but is well worth it.
Bill Guerin – Devil turned Islander this guy has some serious talent. 5 goals and 6 assists so far this season but you can bet those numbers are going to skyrocket soon.

Defense
Jay Bouwmeester – He’s tough, known for his aggressive style, was drafted 3rd overall by the Panthers, and now rich since the Panthers just realized they need to pay their star player a star salary of 4.35 million over 2 years.
James Wisniewski – Possibly the only person on this list born in America, he was named captain of the Whalers in 2003 and blew everyone away that year to be named defenseman of the year in 2004. Expect great things from this guy.

Goalie
Cam Ward – In 2005 this guy became the second rookie goalkeeper to win the Stanley Cup. He has been recognized for his outstanding skill as a goalkeeper, but to quote one of his many fan sites “the girls just go crazy for him”. I’d have to agree.
Henrik Lundqvist –Not Canadian but Swedish which makes him pretty unique. Also unique is that he is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers today. He’ll probably be a popular pick in the draft. Be prepared to fight for him.

An Asterisk on Patriot’s Season?

By: David Nuñez

Don Shula, former head coach of the Miami Dolphins (including the ‘72 Perfect Season team) had some interesting comments about the possibility of the New England Patriots going undefeated this season.

“The Spygate thing has diminished what they’ve accomplished,” Shula said in an interview with the New York Daily News. “You would hate to have that attached to your accomplishments. They’ve got it.”

So that everybody understands how serious the NFL took this act of cheating, Bill Belichick was fined $500,000 and the Patriots were fined $250,000 and lost a first-round draft pick for videotaping the New York Jets‘ opposing sideline during the teams’ season-opening game.

“That tells you the seriousness or significance of what they found,” Shula said, according to the Daily News. “I guess you got the same thing as putting an asterisk by Barry Bonds’ home run record.

“I guess it will be noted that the Patriots were fined and a No. 1 draft choice was taken away during that year of accomplishment. The sad thing is Tom Brady looks so good, it doesn’t look like he needs any help.”

I gotta say, he’s gotta point. It is definitely a shame that such a thing took place, because they are playing so well.

A few starters like Ellis Hobbs, Jarvis Green, Mike Vrabel, and Tedy Bruschi have all commented publicly on Shula’s words.

“If someone questions your integrity, if someone questions who you are, if someone questions the organization you’ve been a part of ever since you walked into the league, would it upset you?” Bruschi asked, according to the Boston Herald. “So yes, it does upset me. I can’t control how people feel about it. I can’t control what comes out of their mouths. I only control what I do out there and what we do as a defense and what we do as a team. We keep winning and playing hard. If they want to keep saying those things, maybe we just need to play a little bit harder.”

They can play as hard as they want. They could go on to set numerous reacords this season. They may even go unbeaten. But nobody will ever forget why they were stripped of a 1st round pick the following season.

The Sinking of the Bay

As the East Coast, actually it’s just Boston, blows away the competition in every sport, let’s pause for a minute and check out the other coast where the San Francisco/Bay Area teams are suffering.

Let’s start with football. The Raiders are 2-6 and one of those wins was against the Miami Dolphins who are playing high school football this year. The Raider’s quarterback, Daunte Culpepper, who ironically used to play for the Dolphins, is completing a sad 56% of his passes for a total of 4 touchdown passes all season. Jerry Porter and Ronald Curry are the only guys who seem to be making an offensive effort on that team. LaMont Jordan has been a lot of hype for not a lot of results so far. I can’t remember the last time the Raiders were actually good, I think it was in the 90s.

The 49ers are the same story. They are tied with the Raiders as an embarrassment to the city. Names like Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, and Steve Young used to mean something. Today the team is ranked 31st, 32nd, 32nd, and 26th for points, yards, passing yards, and rushing yards respectively. How many teams are there in the league? O right, 32. The 49ers are arguably the worst team in football right now.

Moving on to baseball. The A’s may be a major league team, but lately they’ve playing like they belong in the minors. They haven’t been able to recruit new quality talent and despite a payroll of 80 million, which is about average, they’re getting a below average return losing 83 games and winning 79. Unless they start cutting out deadweight, because they have plenty, and shell out the money for some big name quality hitters, there’s no way the A’s can compete in the 08 season.

Let’s recap last season for the Giants. There was the Barry Bonds steroids thing, there was the Barry Bonds steroids thing, and then there was the Barry Bonds steroids thing. Now that he’s leaving they’ll have to rely on a bunch of players who can’t hit that no one has ever heard of. Should be an equally bad season for them as well.

Let’s try to find a high note on basketball. Wait, Oakland has a basketball team? Yes, even though no one knows they exist, the Golden State Warriors are attempting to represent the Bay. So far they are 0-3. It’s a young team which might be contributing to the problem and with Stephen Jackson out the Warriors have been looking shaky at best. The biggest problem is the defense who might physically be at the game but mentally show up in short unpredictable spurts. Opponents are averaging 123 points per game against them. Not that the offense is much better. Their players are taking the threes and missing them way to often.

Well, it’s not looking good for the Bay this year. Then again, even Boston went through a slump in the early/mid 90s. Maybe the Bay is just waiting its turn. Watch out 2030, the Bay is making a comeback.