The Pitching Market

Last weekend Dan Haren was traded from the A's to the Diamondbacks in exchange for some excellent prospects. The Diamondbacks really improved their team, by trading some of their top prospects in exchange for an ace. Now that one of the available pitchers were traded this season it is possible that Johan Santana, Erik Bedard, and Joe Blanton could be traded soon. I believe that Santana and Blanton will be traded before the season. Santana will carry a hefty price, but it's definatley worth trading some prospects (some who might even pan out), to get the best pitcher in the league. I expect him to end up on either the Red Sox, Yankees, or Mets in that order. The wild card could be the Dodgers. They have a very good farm system, and if they wanted Santana they should have no problem getting him. Similarly, I expect Blanton to be traded any time now. The A's said once Haren goes Blanton goes. Look for them to trade him to an NL team. While Bedard might be available, he probably carries a bigger price than Sanatana. Johan is only signed through this year, but Bedard has multiple years left on his contract. While Bedard is a great pitcher, I wouldn't go after him because he's only had two "ace" years and he has never pitched over 200 innings in a season. It should be a very interesting couple of weeks, as we see who ends up where.

The Steroids Saga: What About Football??

The Baseball landscape changed forever after the Mitchell Report was released which exposed the names of several high profile stars. It was certainly a dark day in the sport, but it was something that probably had to be done to turn the corner and move forward. We can talk about false accusations or a lack of evidence, or throwing people under the bus, but it was for the greater good of the game. As many people like to say, the first step in solving your problem is admitting that you have one. The amazing, infallible National Football League has not done so, even though there is a much greater incentive to take steroids and HGH in football than in baseball. It's a slam dunk that taking steroids will improve your play in football, but it may not have the same affect in Baseball. But to think that the NFL is squeaky clean is laughable. Marwan Maalouf is an NFL analyst that I normally respect, but he seemed offended when I asked him about steroids in football:
"They test steroids and everything else more regularly in the NFL man."
They may test steroids regularly, but I don't know where he gets the 'everything else' from. The league does not test well enough for HGH, which means that players can freely take the stuff to strengthen themselves to get stronger or heal from injuries. Don't tell me that linemen looking for an edge won't take HGH, especially when contracts aren't guaranteed. And in a 16 game season, you'd be foolish not to think that players take HGH to heal faster, especially later in the season. Popular New England Patriots Safety Rodney Harrison tested positive for HGH, and it's probably safe to say that it's a much bigger problem in football than in baseball. If baseball players did HGH to heal faster, I'm sure that NFL'ers do the same thing.
"The HGH crap, save it for a doctor." Maalouf said.
George Mitchell's report blamed the owners, team executives, and the media for overlooking how big of a problem steroids was. If football's media members are like Maalouf, it seems like the NFL is going down the same road that baseball went on, casting a blind eye to the problem.
Everyone notices the media scrutiny that players like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Miguel Tejada are getting for being in this report, but not many people cared when star Chargers player Shawne Merriman tested positive for steroids.
"I remember a lot of outcries when Merriman got busted, especially from his peers and the pro bowl stuff last year."
Merriman played in the Pro Bowl last year even though he tested positive for 'roids. But an article last year by San Diego Union-Tribune columnist Tim Sullivan said that many of the Chargers' players and staff members openly joked about the suspension, not really taking it seriously at all:
"In the culture of the locker room, cruelty and comedy are sometimes synonymous. Yet the issue of steroids barely raises an eyebrow anymore, much less a laugh, and seems almost as passé as Hester Prynne's scarlet letter. It is more often the subject of lame jokes than value judgments in the NFL. It is treated almost as an inconvenience instead of an infraction...Depending on your level of cynicism, it says either that the NFL drug policy is an effective deterrent for young players who might be susceptible to temptation or that NFL cheating is too easy and too prevalent to be effectively policed. "
Too easy? Too prevelant? That sounded like baseball before they got dragged in front of Congress and were basically forces to get serious about the steroid problem. And the ironic thing is that the NFL was cited as the model for steroids testing at the time, and now the league has fallen behind baseball in my mind in terms of testing. But the NFL is really good at sweeping things under the rug, as Sullivan stated a year ago:
"The NFL is America's Teflon league, an enterprise of such surpassing popularity and skillful packaging that its dirty laundry seems more like lint. For all of their scandals this season...There is no backlash. There are no consequences."
So does this mean that the steroids situation is just as problematic in the NFL as it is in Major League Baseball? Maybe the NFL is just better at downplaying a problem better than baseball. Highly respected ESPN baseball analyst Jerry Crasnick was nice enough to shed some light on this situation, and it seems that his opinion is quite strong:
"Sprung, Don't get me started. I think it's ridiculous that the NFL gets such a pass. In fact, the presence of so many 350-pound behemoths dying young is way more of a health threat than steroids in baseball. It's not a health issue -- It's a matter of managing PR, and the NFL is much better than baseball at that."
So all these things that have been said here in this piece has led me to believe that the performance enhancing in football is just as bad as it is in baseball if not worse, it's just that the giant power that the NFL is just does a better job of sweeping it under the rug. So why is football getting such a free pass, like Crasnick said. It will come a time where steroids becomes a major issue in football, but it's rediculous that the steroids saga does not involve football as well. Hopefully this changes soon.

The N.B.A. Today

A few things on the docket today. I'll discuss last night's games along with some talk about ESPN going all-access inside the Charlotte Bobcats today before their televised game against Orlando.

-The Heat are now 2-7 at home this season after their 104-91 loss to the Gilbert Arenas-less Wizards. Miami coach Pat Riley is very disappointed in his team as he should be. It's already been a while since Dwayne Wade returned from injury and they're still 6-16 and in last place in the Southeast. Meanwhile Washington sits at 12-10 despite being without their best player and on a 3 game winning streak. A lot of that can be attributed to Wizards coach Eddie Jordan, along with the improved play of Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler, and DeShawn Stevenson who had 26 against the Heat last night. And why isn't Riley taking any heat (no pun intended) for Miami's struggles. Meanwhile, Stan Van Gundy (the guy Riley forced out because he wanted to coach) leads the 16-7 Orlando Magic that is up there among the elite teams in the eastern conference. Put Pat Riley on the hot seat.
-What does the Lakers 102-97 win over San Antonio mean? The Spurs were without both Tim Duncan and Tony Parker last night but still held a21 point lead going into the 4th quarter. It shows that San Antonio's bench can step up when their big dogs are hurt, but what's possibly a bigger story is that they were outplayed by the Lakers bench. Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, Ronny Turiaf, Trevor Ariza and Vladimir Radmanovic shot 14-26 last night in there win, and Kobe Bryant said that he was (gasp) happy! The Lakers are playing some good basketball right now, but we'll have to wait until later in the season to see whether they're at "Spurs" level.
-ESPN all day today is going inside the Charlotte Bobcats as they prepare for tonight's ESPN broadcasted game against Orlando. They went inside the meetings, the shootarounds, and some people will be mic'd up during the contest.
"Great for fans to see behind the scenes stuff." Said ESPN analyst David Thorpe. Especially for those younger fans, they'll get to see what goes on and what their favorite stars do to prepare for the games. Hopefully this will be a good distraction from all the steroids talk in baseball. The Bobcats are struggling a bit right now in their quest for a playoff spot, but I was able to ask star forward Gerald Wallace on what he thought his team had to do to reach the postseason:
"We have to stay consistent. That's the main thing. We have to pay attention to detail and focus every game. "
Charlotte definitely has some young talent, but first year coach Sam Vincent will have to be patient with his team in order to attain their goals.
-The Lakers will be playing in the 2nd game of the ESPN twinbill tonight at Golden State. The Warriors are at 12-10 despite playing little to no defense during games. It's hard to win games when you give up 107 points per contest, but Golden State has been pulling it off. It'll be interesting to see how they fare against Los Angeles especially with the momentum that the Lakers have right now.

That's your NBA Today.

Super Bowl Losers: Coincidence or Trend?

Last night in Washington, the Bears fell 24-16 to the Redskins to fall to 5-8; for all intensive purposes eliminating them from the NFC Wild Card race. That will mark the sixth time in seven years that the losers of the Super Bowl will miss the playoffs the following season, and the Seahawks should have been the champions in my mind against Pittsburgh, but that's another article for another time. When something like this goes on for several years, it makes me wonder what's actually behind something that's been going on for so long. It's been going on for too long to be a coincidence; there has to be some reasons behind it. I posed the question to Matt Williamson of Scouts' INC, and he said that a combination of many factors answers this big question:
"Could be many reasons: Usually their roster gets picked apart somewhat and they only have late draft picks to restock. Players can also get the feeling that they have reached their goal and don't realize that getting back is as tough as it really is. Lastly, winning is tough in this league- it's that simple. I think the competitiveness of this league is sometimes overlooked a bit. Brutal to stay on top."
Williamson makes many good points. The Super Bowl loser usually loses many parts the following season. This year's Bears team doesn't have starting RB Thomas Jones who was traded to the Jets, and Tank Johnson who was a large part of their run stuffing defense last season who now plays for Dallas after various offseason problems forced Chicago to cut him. Many Bears rookies played big roles when they won the NFC, but the young players this year haven't made the kind of impact that they were probably looking for. I don't know if I agree with the sentiment of complacency among the players who made it so far only to lose on the biggest stage. I believe that would be a sort of motivational factor for the SB losers. Once you taste success, and once you've gotten so far, you want to get back to capture the ultimate prize. But Williamson then says that players may not realize how difficult it is to get back to the postseason. With highly competitive balance in free agency and the draft coupled with the wild parity that goes on during the season, it's so hard to win year in and year out without a down season along the way. There are 31 other teams who want that prize just as badly as you do, if not an even bigger desire to thrive. You have to have such a well rounded organization from the top all the way down. From the ownership willing to keep the team together, for GM's and directors of player personnel to deal with the constant roster turnover, down to the coaching staff to not only teach the system to the players, but to adapt with the latest schemes and to adjust their styles along with the times. Not to mention the players who actually have to succeed on the field. It's certainly interesting that six out of the last seven Super Bowl losers missed the postseason the following year, but with all the factors laid out, maybe it shouldn't be so surprising. Coincidence or trend? It's a combination of so many factors that maybe we shouldn't be so shocked when it happens. The climb to the top of the mountain is as hard as it gets.

SprungOnSports College Hoops Top 25

Top 25
1) UNC- Wins over Ohio State and Kentucky? Hellooo top ranking.
2) Kansas- Win over USC has them leapfrogging Memphis.
3) Duke- Demolished Wisconsin and beat Davidson.
4) Texas- Beat UCLA, movin on up Jeffersons style.
5) Memphis- Way to show Austin Peay who's boss!
6) Georgetwon- Nice win over ODU.
7) Washington State- Beat Baylor, teams behind them did better.
8) UCLA- Falls down to 8th, beat GW though.
9) Michigan State- Destroyed NC State.
10) Indiana- Big wins over GT and SIU move them up.
11) Louisville- Keeps up their good play with a win over Miami.
12) Tennessee- Beat up on crappy teams to keep up their rank.
13) Texas A&M- Good win over Bama, bad loss to Arizona.
14) Butler- Moves up with a win over Ohio State.
15) Oregon- Nice win over K-State.
16) Marquette- Beat UWM but still slides down a couple.
17) Gonzaga- Wins over St Joe's and UConn move them up.
18) Clemson- Good wins over Purdue and South Carolina.
19) Pitt- Beat BU and Toledo, but move down because of the Zags.
20) Arkansas- Wins over Mizzou and Oral Roberts keeps them at 20.
21) Xavier- Beat Oakland and Belmont, which is pretty good.
22) Vanderbilt- Beat GT and South Alabama to move into this week's rankings.
23) Stanford- Mauled Colorado to move up.
24) BYU- 5-1 and debuts this week.
25) Villanova- Pounded Penn to enter this week.

Winter Meetings Day I

Winter Meetings!!!!!! What a great week to be a baseball fan. Today may very well be decision day for the Twins regarding Johan Santana, and who knows what else could go down from the Grand Opryland Hotel in Nashville. Let's hope there are as many deals as there are rooms in the sprawling building.

8:45am EST
-Ken Rosenthal says that the heat is now on Mets GM Omar Minaya. Rosenthal also reports that a trade of Miguel Tejada will likely hinge on what happens with Miguel Cabrera, but that the Astros, Cardinals, and Giants would be interested regardless. The Brewers are still the frontrunners for Scott Rolen. Many are saying that the Orioles would definitely trade Brian Roberts if Baltimore owner Peter Angelos allowed it. The Mets and Astros were interested until they got second basemen of their own, but the Cubs are still intrigued. Mike Piazza interests the Padres if Michael Barrett leaves for Tampa, Florida, or the Orioles, who would have interest if they deal Ramon Hernandez. Jim Bowden offered Chad Cordero to the Brewers for Rickie Weeks, and was flatly rejected on the spot. Atlanta no longer has interest in Coco Crisp, the Mets and Yankees are both interested in Octavio Dotel, and Craig Brazell has signed a contract with Seibu of the Japanese League.
-Jim Molony of MLB.com gives his report from Nashville: Florida may hold on to Miguel Cabrera until July. Jon Lieber could go to the Astros, and Jason Jennings could go to Colorado, San Diego, or Washington.
-Colorado could swing a trade for Chris Burke and has interest in Mark Loretta, according to Thomas Harding of MLB.com.
-Now that Jake Peavy will be signed to an extension, Arizona could do the same with Brandon Webb. (Arizona Republic)
-The Cubs could trade Matt Murton, and the Padres have interest in Mark Prior. (Chicago Sun-Times)

College Hoops- Freshman Fantasy

- Back from my brief stint on the bench, I'm back, and it feels good. College Basketball, possibly the best basketball being played right now, is a wonderful thing. Freshman seem to be taking over the game. Some of them are phenoms. Players that come around once in a lifetime. We thought last years' class was good with Oden, Durant, Hawes, Budinger and the rest of the gang. Well I'm about to take you on a tour of the best freshman class,(in my opinion), in a long time. - I'd like to start in Manhattan, Kansas, in a school called Kansas State University. Michael Beasley is leading the nation in scoring with 27.2 a game while averaging 15.5 rebounds a game. In their last game scouts said he played poorly, i didn't know that 13 and 10 was poor. The guy has big man skills, slashing skills, shooting skills, leadership ability and is playing alongside Bill Walker, another solid frosh, on a team playing sleeper. Oh hes good, and watch out because he's coming to a city near you, if your team is as bad as mine, the Knicks. - Not to far below Mr. Beasley is the second leading scorer in the Nation, from Indiana, Eric Gordon. Averaging 27 points, 3.5 boards and 3.5 assists, he already the go-to-guy for a top 25 ranked ball team. Had his "worst" night lately as well, finishing with 20 points, 3 boards and 2 assists. He is the next NBA star guard. Kind of reminds me of a young Paul Pierce, just better. - Derrick Rose, who is playing PG for the Memphis Tigers, is proving early that he can be a pass-first point guard with tremendous scoring ability. Averaging 16.6 points, 5 boards and 4 assists, he is jumping out as the captain of a top 5 team. Memphis relies on this high-flyer from Chicago to lead them to the holy Final Four. - USC will put their fate in the hands of super-frosh OJ Mayo. This kid is super athletic and has a knack for scoring. 21 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists are this kids stats. He showed us that he can take a game into his own hands against Kansas when he scored the teams first 5 points and had 5 steals to start the game. He is a defensive maven and what we call a true all-around ball player. - Possibly the most over looked freshman is Kevin Love. Because he is playing for a stronger team, he doesn't need to take over games. That doesn't stop him from being the player of the game in all of the games of the CBE Invitational. Averaging 19.5 and 10 a game, he is the true meaning of a post player. His amazing rebounding ability and outlet passing ability have pro-scouts craving his teamwork style of play. He also has guard like handles which makes him even more dangerous.

- Donte Green of Syracuse is playing out of his mind. Alongside Johnny Flynn, The Orange have found their rhythm and are playing pretty well. He is scoring 20 points a game while also averaging 8.8 rebounds. He had huge games against both Washington and Ohio State and looks to continue a great year.

- Jerryd Bayless who is averaging 18 points, 4.5 boards and 5.5 assists a game for Arizona, is proving that there was a reason for Chase Budinger to stay another year. While Coach Lute Olson is gone, Budinger and Bayless are playing very well together and developing a chemistry that should take them deep into the dance.

That's all for now, if you want to read more about this years Freshman class, check out the College Basketball section of rivals.com.

Adam Ehrenreich