Salary Cap

Ok, I have had along break from blogging due to the fact that work is busy and well, lets just say life is hectic.  I have gotten a lot of comments about Steve Downie’s sucker punch on Blake last week.  With Bob Clarke defending it this is my take as a fan from Philadelphia.

It wasn’t a fight. The linesmen had them seperated. Any fight was over at that point. Ask any NHL strongman (or Don Cherry) – there’s an Enforcer’s Code. The moment the linesmen come in – fight’s over. Period. It’s about respecting each other.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not blaming Downie 100%. It was obvious that his emotions were still boiling over. Part of the blame lies with the linesman who was restraining him. Downie should not have been able to punch Blake – but the official failed to prevent this. Downie, however, chose to punch Blake when he was fully restrained by the other linesman. That’s foul play & disrespectful – it goes against the Enforcer’s Code.

Bobby Clark (of all people) should understand that I’m rather disappointed in him.  However, with that being said…

This is where a Philly fan is torn…I loved it, but I think hockey players need more respect for each other on the ice…nothing is better than a clean check…Scott Stevens shoulder…thing of beauty…A cross check or cheap shot, not so much…so torn…Salary cap is waiting to responses on what goes over the line..

Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends. I was looking over the nonsense that happened down there at the ole Opry House this past week. Let’s go over the big news before we go into speculation of what might happen in the next few weeks.

The Florida Marlins decided that making 50 million dollars without selling one ticket is good business. I have a hard time faulting them for that, however, I highly doubt more than 3000 people show up to a game this year. With the trading of Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to the Detroit Tigers, the fish have decided that no payroll is too low. I have not see a trade this bad in years. We are talking a #2 pitcher and a clean up hitter under the ages of 26 for 6 ok prospects. Are you kidding me? I am just glad the Fish are in the same division as the Phillies.

The other big doings(if you call it that) is that the Dodgers took Andruw Jones for about 16 million a year. Um, good one, LA. You just got 130 stikeouts, .320 obp, and about 20 homeruns for the middle of your lineup. Jones was great…4 years ago. Hey, listen, I have nothing against Jones, but 16 million a year. What a country.

That was about it for the winter meetings. Might as well call them the winter nothing really gets done. SO here are the moves that should have and actually will be done in the next month.

Johan Santana will be traded to the Boston Red Sox. I have gone back and forth on this one, but this really makes sense for the new evil empire to stick it to the Yankees.

Dan Haren will be traded to the Arizona Diamond Backs. It just makes sense and Arizona has the people Oakland cherishes.

Eric Bedard gets traded to the Reds. I know, Cincinnati is a dark horse, but really, why would I go to a Reds game unless they make a spalsh with a great trade. I cry watching Adam Dunn Strikeout every other at bat. It was fine when he hit homeruns, now it is just sad to watch.

Joe Blanton will be traded, but not until everyone else is gone. I really dont have a feel for this one, but it will take the farm. My bet is the Yankees. However, either the Giants or the Dodgers could still do this deal at the end.

I am surprised Kyle Loshe has not been grabbed yet. I can see the Mets picking this guy up after losing out on all the trades this winter. Of course, they will over pay since Boras is the agent, but this is what you get when you have nothing of value to trade. The Phillies will not get Aaron Rowand back(I hear Dodgers or Giants, depending on that Japanese guy). So, the Phillies are basically set with what they got. Looks like a lot of 9-8 games again this year. Still, I predict the Phillies finish first in the East.

Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers are set to determine which team will have homefield advantage for the playoffs.  While salary cap here hopes the stadium explodes, let’s break it down to determine which team will win.  Quarterbacks.  I give the edge here to Brett Favre over Tony Romo.  But not as much as people would think.  The only advantage comes from experience in big games.  Tony seems to be over his first big national choke from last year, so it will be fun to see how he does on the line again. 

Running backs.  Easiest call with the Cowboys clearly the winner in this department.  Marion Barber and Julius Jones by themselves are better than Ryan Grant.

Wide receivers.  I refuse to talk about this since I hate Terrell Owens and can not be objective when I see his name.  The Philadelphia Fan in me hopes he gets “Michael Irvin ed” sometime in the next weeks.  If you dont know what that means, look up how MI ended his career.

Defense.  Yes, I know I skipped over the Offensive lines, but no one really talks about those guys anyway.  Green Bays defense is a monster.  This is the only reason that Green Bay has a chance at winning.  But….

Overall, I have to say salary caps pick has to be the the Dallas Cowboys.  If you happen to be a Cowboy fan, you might want to treat yourself and go see this team before the salary cap destroys it(and free agency).  Dallas Cowboys Playoff Game Packages

Seriously, Boras is either the dumbest or shrewest MLB Agent ever.  He has taken a major risk in having Arod opt out of his three year mega 252 million dollar contract.  Of course, we all know this.  It has been Arod, all the time, non-stop, even during Boston’s sweep world series, publicity tour courtesy of Arod, himself. 

So, What team wins(if you call this whopper of a contract a win) the Arod sweepsatkes?  Lets take a closer look at the contenders and their payroll through these salary cap eyes…

1.  New York Mets.  This team needs pitching.  Period.  End of discussion.  They need to either trade for it, buy it, or magically produce some in the next 4 months.  While everyone likes to throw poor Tommy under the bus(and he did shit the bed that last game, no doubt), tell me another reliable pitcher to get you 10-14 wins next year?  Then, the Mets have this little problem called second and catcher.  Might want to fill these first.  I say with no problems that this is a no.

2.  New York Yankees.  Hard to say, but this is the best option for Arod.  Perfect fit other than that small nasty PR war in the papers.  Yankees have so many holes, but letting Arod leave is a bad move for them.  I just cannot believe of letting the best hitter in the game to walk away from the Evil Empire.  Even for that kind of money

3.  San Fransisco Giants.  They need a draw now that the freak show has been shown the door.  Barry Bonds was great right up to the point people stopped coming to see a last place team.  Do they really want to go throught ten more years of freak show?  It is San Fran, which is synonymous for freak show, so I have trouble ruling them out completely.

4.  Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels.  Both teams could use Arod.  The draw of Hollywood, the glitter, the power might help sway Arod to these clubs.  I mean, hell, David Beckham is there, so it isnt a big stretch to think the best Baseball player shouldnt be there as well, right?  Now the salary cap issues are different for both teams.  The Angels already draw well while the Dodgers do not.  However, a long contract makes more sense for American league team versus National League team(see Bonds playing outfield).  I am also not completely sold on the idea that Arod increases gate sales, either. 

5.  Boston Red Sox.  Why?!  Because it would be another in your face to the Yankees.  No other reason.

Winner is……The Angels.  Once the owners get over the sticker shock, I see Arod coming up small for the Angels for the next decade in the postseason.

Salary cap has been taking some heat the past few weeks from his idiot coworker we will call SCRF.  His real name is outfield.  He made these predictions about the baseball playoffs after his Mets choked.  So, with bitterness in his heart, he made some daring moves and had the Rockies and Red Sox in the World Series.  Of course, he went too far and had to say the Rockies would win.  Well, anyway, I told him he had a better chance of being a porn star than the Rockies winning.  So, in your face, you POS.  Your predictions were just like your Mets, great in the beginning and then just horrible.  Enjoy your offseason and only 4 more months before pitchers and catchers report.

So, I have been a huge hockey fan since I was a wee little boy.  Now that I am older(not taller), I have watched my Flyers teams evolve from Brian Propp and Tim Kerr to last year’s team of pure garbage and Simon Gagne.  What Paul Holmgren has done(does anyone else remember him as a Flyer, God I am old) as GM is nothing short of a miracle.  Taking a team that won only 10 games on home ice last year to this year’s team tha is undefeated at home.  Daniel Briere, Jeff Carter and Mike Richards have given the Flyers the depth down the center I thought they would have once they signed Danny boy.  Another move, which you have to give to Coach Stevens, is moving Richards onto the first line power play unit at the point.  But, as with all Philly teams, there is a warning.  The next eight games are on the road, so we will see how good this team really is.  If the Flyers get 8-10 points out of this trip, I will feel like this is a playoff year.  Here is to hope and me watching.

Also, I found these cool flip flops.

In 1925 Pottsville was universally regarded as the best football team in the world. The talented, ground-breaking and honorable players on the Maroons not only helped legitimize the fledgling NFL, they also inspired the kind of transcendent civic pride that would later turn pro football into our national pastime. — this was filed by ESPN …

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Many a fan has gotten a little teary-eyed as the sports seasons draw to a close. For the most loyal of fans, the last kick of the soccer ball into the goal is like a kick to the gut. The last hockey puck sailing through the icy air is like a blast of the chilling realization that it will be months before the fighting starts once again.

Luckily, the end of one season doesn’t have to mean the end of your livescore experience. With flashscore.com’s comprehensive list of multi-sports scores for your immediate access, you can easily transition from one livescore to another. From soccer, hockey, and tennis to American football, basketball and baseball, there is enough scoring here to keep everyone satisfied.

Flashscore.com is the most user-friendly livescore site on the web. Not only are there enough sports to keep you active all year long, but the site boasts personalization and interactive features developed to give you the closest experience possible without actually being at the game. To help you in tracking the livescores of so many different games, you can opt for flashscore.com’s sound feature, which will immediately alert you about each update, or there is the additional bonus of a red card alarm feature and a constantly updated account of the most recent odds.

For a live score experience that will transport you from your favorite soccer game directly to the next game of your choice, you will not find a better or more comprehensive resource.

The Public Gym blog site is poking fun at a guy named Keith, apparently a close friend to the owner of the site, to make him lower his cholesterol. As if fat people didn’t get enough ridicule being seen in public, now we have websites dedicated to making fun of them too! There’s also a topic on how a chunky Britney Spears can lose weight.

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Well, welcome back to the show.  Summer has been too nice to be worried about blogging, but I am pretty excited about History being made by Jimmy Rollins this year.  In the summer of records, we have seen Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Tom Glavine, and Tiger Woods winning his 13th Major. But, Jimmy Rollins has the chance to do something so special only one player(Willie Mays) has done.  Twenty doubles, triples, homeruns, and stolen bases for the year.  Jimmy Rollins started this year by saying Philadelphia was the team to beat.  Well, all salary cap issues aside, he has certainly placed his money where his mouth is by having a truly special season.  He is 5 triples away from this feat.  At his current pace, he will hit only 18 triples for the year.  Is anyone going to doubt that this guy will reach it, though?  Jimmy knows what he has to do to be considered a great player for the ages, and anytime you can be mentioned in the same sentence as the The Say Hey Kid, thats saying something.