After spending the last two seasons behind bars, Michael Vick has signed a two-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The deal gives Vick and one year deal, with an option for a second year, according to his agent. The terms include, $1.65 million for the first year, with a $5.2 million team option on the second year.
Out of the all the team's Philly had to be one of the least expected teams for him to land on. After McNabb lead the Eagles to an incredible playoff run last season, it's expected he is not in any jeopardy of losing his job. Vick has even stated he's not aiming to be a starting quarterback right now.
So where does that leave him?
Well, Vick was signed for multiple reasons. For one Vick, as the athlete can still be utilized in a few ways. One of the biggest ways he can be used is in the wild-cat formation. Lining up McNabb and Westbrook along side him in the backfield, will cause many problems for opposing defenses. McNabb himself is an athlete, and would be perfectly capable of running down a Vick pass, or if he does not want to pass, Vick can just take the ball and run it, or just simply be used as a decoy.
Secondly, Vick serves as plan B. Well all know how injury prone McNabb is. After seeing Kolb's performance last season, it's very likely the Eagles were just looking for some more insurance incase of another McNabb injury...
Lastly, the city of Philadelphia can handle the controversy. It's obvious that PETA will want to protest, but after booing Santa Claus, do you really think the city of brotherly love is going to want to hear any of it. PETA will be lucky to make it out alive if they try and let Philly know how they feel about Vick.
All in all, it's a good deal on both sides. Pending Godell's official reinstatement for Vick, he could have an immediate impact this season. The Eagles are paying him next to nothing this year, and have the option to give him a bigger contract next year if they decided to bring him back. For Vick, just getting onto an NFL team is a good deal for him, maybe he has learned his lesson. He should be thankful just to have a second chance.
Eli Manning is nearly a 100 million dollar man, after agreeing to a new six year, 97.5 million dollar contract extension with the New York Giants on Wednesday making him among the highest paid players in the NFL.
Manning is guaranteed 35 million dollars under the new deal, and will remain with the Giants through the 2015 season. He will be racking in $15.285 million annually making him the 3rd highest player per year, only behind Carson Palmer ($16.116 million annually) and Julius Peppers ($16.683 million annually).
First off I would like to state I am a Giants fan, and a big Eli Manning fan. This summer I am working at Giants training camp and get to be up close with Eli daily. Now back to the contract, Manning is a franchise quarterback, a gamer and a good teammate, but he should not be one of the highest players in the game.
Yes he won a Superbowl and hes broken many Giants franchise records. However, he only has a 76.1 passer rating for his career and already 74 interceptions, just 24 less than his 98 TD's. In comparison to his brother Peyton (making $14 million annually) who in a longer career, has a td:int ratio of 333-165 and a 94.7 quarterback rating.
When looking at Eli's career he has always had the potential, and even at the level he is at now deserves to be in the top 10 quarterbacks in this league. However, when thinking of Eli Manning, one thing that is always questioned is his ability to be a leader. He has a very mellow personality, and does not seem to be very outspoken.
Though, one thing no one will ever forget is the run he lead the Giants on in 2007, especially the very last drive of Superbowl 42. This is where the leadership we were all looking for finally shined. The difference is during that run he had Plaxico Burress.
Without Plaxico last year, Eli completely faltered along with the New York Giants. Without Plaxico the Giants went 2-4 (10-1 to that point), including two loses, one in the playoffs, against the Eagles. Manning completed just one touchdown pass to a wide receiver in that entire span of time.
This year will be the true test for the much richer Manning. He must prove hes worth the contract, so many think he is not. He will have to put the team on his shoulders with no top notch receivers. It's his time to prove to all of his,he is worth his contract.
All in all, Eli Manning was over payed yes, but the truth is if you had to pick a quarterback to start your franchise with, Eli would be one of the first picks. He has the talent to be at the level his contract puts him at, it's just a matter of if he can live up to his potential.
The MLB trade deadline has come and gone, and many deals have been put together. I will go through and evaluate all the major deals that have happened in the last week or so.
Athletics trade OF Matt Holliday to Cardinals for minor leaguers, 3B Brett Wallace, OF Shane Patterson and RHP Clayton Mortensen
You have to love this trade for the Cards. Since coming to the Cardinals a week ago Holliday is batting nearly .400. Batting behind Puljols is every hitters dream, Holliday should fit into his new role perfectly. The 3-4-5 of Ludwick, Puljols and Holliday is by far the best in baseball. St.Louis has quite the team right now, they may be able to make a run. As for the A's its a deal that needed to be done, they got four quality prospects for a player that visibly did not want to be an Athletic, Billy Beane once again worked his magic here.
Indians trade 1B Ryan Garko to Giants for minor league LHP Scott Barnes
Great deal for the Giants, they needed a bat to complement Sandoval and Molina, Garko brings that bat to the middle of the Giants lineup.
Pirates trade RHP Ian Snell and SS Jack Wilson to Mariners for IF Ronny Cedeno and minor leaguers C/1B Jeff Clement, RHP Ben Pribanic, RHP Brett Lorin and RHP Nathan Adcock
Well.... this is the start to a new era for the Pittsburgh Pirates. After already giving up McLouth and Morgan then Pirates continued the fire sale by getting rid of Snell and Wilson... This team has brought in 21 prospects in total at the end of the deadline, it will be at least five years before we still this team can be competitive. I do give them credit for going all out, nothing is worse then only selling certain parts, the Pirates have not made the playoffs in 16 years, they might as well try and start over. Wilson's frustrations are finally over.
Indians trade LHP Cliff Lee and OF Ben Francisco to Phillies for minor league RHP Jason Knapp, RHP Carlos Carrasco, SS Jason Donald and C Lou Marson One of this year's best deals so far. After hearing for the past month about the Phillies getting Roy Halladay they went out and got another Cy Young winner (at a much lower price). The Phillies not only got Francisco in return also, but they held onto both Kyle Drabeck and J.A. Happ, both of which Toronto was asking for in the Halladay deal. It almost seems as if the Phillies did a smokescreen sending out rumors they were going after Halladay, which made the Indians lower the price on Lee. This makes the Philles a legit World Series contender this year.
Pirates trade 2B Freddy Sanchez to Giants for minor league RHP Tim Alderson Another Pirate deal, this one most likely the hardest for fans to swallow. Sanchez was the franchise player, fans loved him, he was the all-star. They get a prospect in Alderson who may be one of the best pitching prospects in the game right now. It just seems hard for me to understand why you would deal an all-star player, beloved by the fans, straight up for an unproven prospect.
Orioles trade LHP George Sherrill to Dodgers for minor league 3B Josh Bell and RHP Steve Johnson
Boy are the Dodgers good. This trade makes them that much better, the 8th-9th punch of Sherrill and Broxton is exactly what the Dodgers were looking for. The Dodgers, who currently have the best record in the bigs, were looking World Series bound even before this deal, this solidifies it that much more.
Mariners trade LHP Jarrod Washburn to Tigers for LHP Luke French and minor league LHP Mauricio Robles
This was a huge deal for the Tigers. Washburn was the missing piece to the Tiger rotation. Now with veterans Verlander, Washburn, Jackson, making up the front end of the rotation and the prospects Porcello and Galarraga bringing up the back end, you cant ask for a much better rotation. All 3 front end pitchers are all-stars followed by a guy in Porcello who may be rookie of the year in the AL and Galarraga who is arguably one of the best number 5's in the league.
Athletics trade SS Orlando Cabrera to the Twins for minor league SS Tyler Ladendorf
The Twins are very much in the AL Central race, and this is the exact deal they needed. Cabrera has been on fire in the month of July, batting .354 since June 14th, the Twins have struggled all year between Punto and Harris at short. Cabrera brings much needed middle infield help, to a team that could very well make a run.
Pirates trade LHP John Grabow and LHP Tom Gorzelanny to Cubs for RHP Kevin Hart, RHP Jose Ascanio and minor league IF Josh Harrison
More unloading for the Pirates.... I thought both Gorezlanny and Grabow were young and had a lot of potential, but the Pirates went for the quantity here.
Indians trade C/1B Victor Martinez to Red Sox for RHP Justin Masterson, minor league LHP Nick Hagadone and a player to be named later.
This to me seems like the biggest deal of them all, the slumping Red Sox were in need of some help. Martinez is a veteran with a big bat, he is also rumored to be one of the best teammates you could ask for according to his Indian teammates. Not only will Martinez bring his big bat to the middle of the Sox lineup, but he will give both Ortiz and Varitek days off at DH and Catcher. Masterson was a big name to give up and the Indians came away with some good prospects, but the Red Sox came away with a game changing player. VMart seemed pretty emotional leaving the only team he has ever been with, but that will all change once he gets a taste of bean town. It had to be hard for the Indians to get rid of the face of their franchise (especially the day before his bobble head night), it's not a good time to be an Indian fan right now. Red Sox trade 1B Adam LaRoche to Braves for 1B Casey Kotchman
This trade does not make a whole lot of sense. LaRoche and Kotchman both seem like the same player, at the same level. After getting VMart the Red Sox I guess just tried to get the best possible player they could for LaRoche. Maybe they thought Kotchman would handle coming off the bench better? For the Braves, this trade makes sense, they are looking for power and Kotchman's 6 homers were not cutting it. Home sweet home for LaRoche, who had a long stint as a Brave before signing with the Pirates, I wonder how he is feeling getting traded twice in one week?
Blue Jays trade 3B Scott Rolen to Reds for 3B Edwin Encarnacion, RHP Josh Roenicke and minor league RHP Zach Stewart
Good for the Reds! Just a little word of advice, you don't have to sell if your not a winning team. The Reds, whole still have an outside chance at making a playoff run, bring in a veteran player with playoff experience, who can mentor the young guys and bring on a leadership role around the dugout. Rolen's .320 average and 43 rbi's this season is not too shabby either. For the Blue Jays, Encarnacion is a kid with a lot of talent, that he is wasting away, he should be a good project for them. The only thing that goes against the Reds in this trade is having to pay Rolen his 11 million dollar contract.
Reds trade UT Jerry Hairston Jr. to Yankees for minor league C Chase Weems. Great small deal for the Yanks. Hairston can play any position but pitcher, catcher and first base. He will be a great UTL player, and for a team that spent half a billion dollars this off-season, this is a great money saving move for them. The Yanks gave up almost nothing for him, he is the kind of player that helps win championships, he will be utilized in many ways. Nationals trade LHP Joe Beimel to Rockies for minor league RHP Ryan Mattheus and RHP Robinson Fabian
Great deal for the Rockies. Beimel was one of the best left handed relievers in free agency this off-season, how he landed on the Nats in February I don't know. The Rockies are in the middle of a tight wildcard race in the National League and Beimel is the kind of player they needed to help build a strong bullpen.
Nationals trade 1B Nick Johnson to Marlins for minor league RHP Aaron Thompson I commend the Marlins for not giving up West or Miller. They held onto their big prospects while at the same time bringing in a guy like Johnson, who has a .408 OBP this season, and is another player who can get on base for Hanley. He does not have a ton of power (6 homers this year), but he should get a ton of base hits and help produce runs. This was a great move for the Marlins.
Padres trade RHP Jake Peavy to the White Sox for LHP Clayton Richard, LHP Aaron Poreda and minor league RHP Dexter Carter and RHP Adam Russell Well this one was a shocker. Peavy is heading to the White Sox for the second time this year, but this time he has accepted the deal. Most likely Peavy agreed to move now because of the situation, the Padres are selling, and no where close to a championship, as oppose to back in May when the trade was first proposed when the Padres had a better record the White Sox did. This is a huge move for the White Sox, who were in need of a big time pitcher. Peavy should be back in August, and may help them make a run at the playoffs this year, if not he will be a franchise player for years to come. On the other side, it's a rough time to be a Padre fan, they did not get the type of value here that Peavy was worth.
This is all the major deals, I would just like to talk about one more deal that fell apart at the last second.
Via Twitter, Jon Heyman of SI.com, reported that the Padres almost dealt Heath Bell and Adrian Gonzalez to the Dodgers for James Loney, Russell Martin, Blake DeWitt, James McDonald and Ivan Dejesus.
WOW!! This would of been quite the blockbuster. You have to wonder what was going through the Dodgers mind on this one, if they were truly thinking about doing it. First off they already have a closer and setup man, why would they need Heath Bell? Next they were going to give away two of the better young players in the game for one player at a little higher of a level in Adrian Gonzalez. James Loney and Russell Martin alone are worth more than Gonzo and Bell are in my opinion. Beyond that just to make this deal even more lopsided to the Padres, Dewitt and McDonald are two of the better prospects in the Dodgers system, DeWitt is already MLB ready, starting much of last season for the team. I would hope that the Dodgers are the reason this deal did not go through, because the Padres would of got a huge steal.
Since he announced his retirement for the second time, Brett Favre has been much of the talk of the NFL Off-Season. Now, after telling the Vikings he will not be making a comeback, we can finally put the Favre talks to rest (for now).
The soon to be 40, Favre alerted the Vikings on Tuesday that he would remained retired. His main reason was not because of his motivation to play, that was there, it was the fact that he did not think his body could make it through an entire grueling season.
Now that in itself seems like Favre is setting himself up to not completely call it quits. We all know he is known for changing his mind. All Favre said is he cant make it a full 16 games, what would be interesting is if the Vikings are looking at 4-4 or 3-5 after 8 games and are in need of quarterback, well he get the "itch" again?
For now, Favre is making the right decision in the eyes of many including myself. His legacy in Green Bay, is something that no other player in a Packer uniform may ever compare with. He was loved in Green Bay, and by most he still is, and will continue to be.
If he had went to the Vikings, for the sheer reasons in many peoples mind of getting back at the Packers, he might as well have kissed his entire Packer fan base goodbye. For those who lived in a box last year, Favre decided to come back after announcing his first retirement, only to find out the Packers had moved on and given his job to Aaron Rodgers, and had no intentions of giving him back.
Favre now can take a vacation, and enjoy what it's like to not have a sore shoulder. He has truly been an incredible quarterback and while he wont be on the field this season, his legacy and longest consecutive game record will carry on.
David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez joined Alex Rodriquez on the list of 104 players that tested positive on a random drug test in 2003.
The so-called anonymous test that involved a sample of just over 1000 players, was suppose to be confidential with no names attached or recorded. Well, it was not anonymous and names were recorded, as shown by the reports of Manny, A-Rod and Big Papi.
Now first off I would like to state that I am completely against any type of performance enhancing drug, you can see more of my opinion on that in my blog a few weeks ago on Manny.
What I want to talk about in this blog, is this "list" that is starting to leak out to the public. I have multiple problems with this list, and it's really starting to frustrate me, especially after the reports we have just heard today.
First off, whoever decided to leak these names must have a vendetta against Alex Rodriquez, to leak his name out solely was just wrong. Now, Ortiz will have to deal with the media and angry fans, but nothing like what A-Rod had to deal with. It's almost old news at this point, fans are going to say "Ortiz got caught? Oh well A-Rod did it, everyone must of." Ortiz is going to get off much easier then A-Rod did and i think that's just wrong. You have to look at it from a marketing stand-point, who is going to get more media attention and boost ratings higher, A-Rod on steroids or Ortiz? I will take A-Rod in that argument.
Staying on the topic of names being released, why cant they just release all of them! I don't understand why few names are being leaked out. Are they trying to make it more suspenseful? I know some players are more popular than others, but I don't care if the guy never made it out of Single A, everyone needs to be responsible for what they were caught doing, not just the A-Rod's and Big Papi's of the league.
The thing that bothers me the most about this entire situation, is why were the names ever recorded in the first place? According to SI.com, the 2003 drug test, was an experiment to see how many players were under the influence of performance enhancers. The idea of the test was that if more than 5 % of the sample tested positive, MLB would install a new policy, with punishments for P.E.D. users. So did MLB lie to players when they told them no names would be released? Why is no one talking about the fact that the players were basically tricked into thinking they had nothing to worry, so MLB could see what players were taking performance enhancers. Of course no player is going to make a comment on that, because they all know what they did was wrong and they have no defense, but let me do the defending for them in this blog, what Major League Baseball did was wrong.
Once this list comes out the other problem I see is players not being on the list, who took P.E.D.'s in 2003. The random testing was exactly that, IT WAS RANDOM!!!. Only 1000 players were tested, well under the total amount in the league.
Overall, shame on Ortiz, shame on A-Rod, Shame on Manny, they deserve everything that comes to them, but mostly shame on Major League Baseball for letting this list be recorded in the first place.
1. Will we see another surge from the Tampa Bay Rays?
I don't think so. Though the Rays have been hot as of late, the struggles of Scott Kazmir, B.J. Upton and an unreliable bullpen, seem like to much to overcome this season. On top of that the Yankees are a much better team this year, and although Boston is slumping I still think they have an edge over Tampa. The Rays will be most likely the best 3rd place team in baseball.
2. Will Roy Halladay remain a Blue Jay?
Every indication right now is pointing to him either staying with Toronto or going to Philly. Though the Blue Jays would be smart to deal him, they are just asking for way to much. They want 4 top prospects in return for a guy, who while still on top of his game is ageing and up for a new contract in 2010. I think he will stay put, unless the asking price goes down.
3. Does Matt Holliday make St.Louis the team to beat in the NL Central?
I believe so yes. If Chris Carpenter can stay heathly and at ace status, and the rest of the starters and bullpen remain consistant like they have, I could see the Cardinals even winning the entire National League. The 3-4-5 of Ludwick, Puljols and Holliday is hands down the best in baseball. Nothing is better then having Albert Puljols batting in front of you, expect great things from Holliday the rest of the season.
4.Will the Mets turn it around this season?
No.... Between injuries, lack of motivation and lack of leadership, this Mets team will be lucky to place any better then 4th in the division. Playoffs are a long way away from the team with the second highest payroll in baseball. Being a Mets fan, before this season is over I will blog exactly how the Mets can regain championship form.
5. Are the Rockies the real deal?
I believe so. If you look at my blog from earlier this season when the Rockies originally began to surge, they have done exactly what I said they needed to. The top end of the rotation in Cook, Marquis and De La Rosa have been great and who would be expecting the numbers we have seen out of Brad Hawpe and Todd Helton? Everything is working for the Rockies right now and they may just sneak their way back into the playoffs. Hats off to Jim Tracy with what he has done for this team.
6.What team is destined to make a run?
It has to be the Cubs... They have simply too much talent to struggle as much as they did the first half of the season. You don't go from 8 All-Stars and being one game away from the World Series, to a sub .500 team with one all-star in Todd Lilly, who only went because one player has to go from every team. With names like Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Zambrano, Aramis Ramirez, Rich Harden, Derek Lee, Milton Bradley and more, the Cubs have the talent to be one of the best teams in the national league. Don't be surprised to see them to go on some big streaks to end the season.
7.Who is this years long-shot to win the World Series?
After picking up Matt Holiday I really think St.Louis is the long-shot. If Chris Carpenter can stay healthy he is one of the best aces in this league. He has been pitching great this year with a sub 3 era and looks to be back in old form. Ryan Franklin has also been almost unhittable at the closer role and even earned himself an all-star spot this season. Yes the bottom of the lineup is a bit weak, but the power in middle of this lineup makes up for it. I also like their rotation from front to back, though no one is really that over-powering, everyone in the rotation is capable of winning games.
8. Texas, San Francisco, both or neither?
Ill take Texas. This is my biggest upset... The injuries Boston are currently facing and the struggles of players like David Ortiz and J.D. Drew worry me with the Red Sox. While Beckett and Lester have put together great seasons, Wakefield just went down, who knows what is going to happen with Dice-K and the Penny/Smoltz combination is up in the air every start. I could be totally off on this one and Boston may just be in a slump, but what I have seen from them lately make me feel like a big dropoff is coming. As for Texas, they have put together names like Scott Feldman and Kevin Millwood, to come up with a very admirable rotation. We all know how well this team hits and I think they could steal the last playoff spot away from the Sox. As for San Francisco, Pablo Sandoval has been terrific but I still think they are very weak as a hitting team. They have one of the best pitching rotations in the bigs, but I think their lack of hitting will put them just short of the playoffs.
9. Who are your early playoff predictions?
NL West- LA Dodgers
NL Central- St. Louis
NL East- Phillies
Wildcard- Colorado (it will be very close with San Francisco)
AL West- LA Angels
AL Central- Detroit
AL East- Yankees
Wildcard- Rangers
10. Who is your early picks for the World Series?
It has to be the Dodgers and Yankees with the Dodgers winning in 6. The Dodgers line-up has been unreal this year and they currently are sitting at 26 games over .500. Expect Manny and crew to lead the team to the promise land as long as all goes right. Something seems different about the Yanks this year... Every year I always say the Yankees are all about business, and while baseball is a game of numbers, team chemistry is also huge, something the Yankees have been lacking. If you have watch them play at all this season something looks different, they look like they are having fun, they are flowing well as a team and you may finally see them get back to the world-series this year.
When Americans hear the word football, we automatically think of cracking open a beer on Sundays and enjoying the hard hitting sport we all know and love. However, if you say the word football anywhere else in the country, they will pronounce it futbol, and think of the finesse game we call soccer. David Beckham's goal was to change this, something he is far from doing.
When Beckham arrived to America and put the L.A. Galaxy jersey on, it brought new blood to a sport that couldn't buy itself fans. 2 and 1/2 years later, the Galaxy have yet to make the playoffs since his arrival, and Beckham is already looking to get out of America.
Not only has Beckham done nothing to help the sport that so desperately needed him, hes tarnished his image, with the few soccer fans he brought into the game. Looking for a way out, Beckham looks to be heading to AC Milan, within the next two years.
This is something that on top of many other things did not get the best reaction from his MVP teammate Landon Donavon. He slammed him in the book "The Beckham Experiment", calling him a bad teammate and captain. Stating he did nothing to motivate the team and did not really seem to care about anyone on it.
He may have helped with ticket sales, or maybe even sold more jerseys then any other American soccer player, but when you look at the pecking order of sports, soccer is still close to the bottom, and it will remain there until America can win a World Cup (which is not happening anytime soon). Beckham has brought entertainment to the sport, but most people watching aren't looking for a good soccer game, they are watching for Beckham's next move.
Recently, after his first game of the season, coincidentally in a practice match against AC Milan, Beckham got into it with an angry fan, after getting booed by his home crowd. Beckham called out the fan telling him to "come on down here" along with a few other words, so the drunk fan did and security broke it up, but not before the damage was done, with the home-crowd watching Beckham foolishly call out a fan. Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-c720nNtgI
This shouldn't surprise anyone, knowing what we knew about Beckham he has always been a pre-madonna. Marrying an ex-spice girl and hanging with Tom Cruise, are not the criteria you look for in a professional athlete.
Even though the Beckham experiment is not over, the idea of him changing the image of American soccer has so far been a complete and udder failure. Beckham might as well leave for AC Milan now (he would if it was not for his contractual agreement), his attempt at helping American soccer's image has done nothing but turn American soccer into a circus.
