2012 Transplant Games of America

By: Chad Robbins

In light of the recent tragedy in Aurora, Colorado, we are reminded of the frailty of life and how quickly the world can be turned upside down in a matter of seconds.  This weekend, there is a glimmer of hope in humanity with the launch of the 2012 Transplant Games of America.  Held in Grand Rapids, Michigan, any recipient of a solid organ transplant or bone marrow donation is eligible to compete during the festival against other recipients, and best of all, the donors themselves. 

Lifesaving transplants and donations have altered the lives of countless men, women, and children.  These games give them a chance to share, network, and compete with each other all in the name of the healing process.  There is no real sense of a “us versus them” mentality.  Everyone shares in similar journeys of survival and countless hours praying that a miracle could change their luck.  Remarkably, they may even get a chance to meet their actual miracle donor in a challenging game of badminton or bowling. 

There are truly only a small number of sporting events where competition and teamwork are the true factors of success.  These athletes share a common bond, one that most will never be able to comprehend.  Instead of holding out of NFL training camp under “contract negotiations” for up to $30,000 each day, competitors battle through a plethora of events including a 5k run, basketball, swimming, racquetball, and a variety of other team and individual contests.  It is very easy to look at professional athletes as heroes and role models, but these games show the world who our real humanitarians are and celebrate the gift of life.    

For more information, visit: http://www.transplantgamesofamerica.org/

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Is Golf Coverage BORING?

Trying to get more people involved with golf has been a constant goal of mine ever since I got what is called the “golf bug”.  I have been pretty successful getting at least a handful of my friends involved by taking them to lessons or just hanging out on the range to get them started out playing. However, one constant problem I’m running into is that a lot of people consider golf boring because of what they see on television. I can see their points; watching a golf tournament on television for four consecutive days for countless hours doesn’t seem to grab your attention like a football or hockey game. No fights to watch, no screaming fans, and no half time show is what I’ve been hearing and critics tell me that what they see on television is what they basically think of the sport, boring. The question is how does the golf community tackle the problem that golf coverage is in all respects boring?

The PGA of America is trying to increase the number of golfers with the launch of Golf 2.0 but if you think about what’s going on in other sports most people turn on the television and tune into the games because they want to see the sports stars of today or future legends of tomorrow. That is what creates fans that turn around and play the sport, buy equipment, and increase ticket sales. “Tebowing”, thanks to Tim Tebow, has transcended across countless boundaries, and Sidney Crosby “The Next One” has brought countless fans to their respective sports. Is there someone in the golf world who’s taking that same level of star power to inspire new golfers? Tiger Woods used to be golf’s star. Everyone watched him grow up and break countless records but with his public demise golf has yet to bounce back and is looking for someone to fill that void if Tiger cannot be the one to do so himself. So who will be next to take the spotlight and inspire new fans into the game? Will it be Rickie Fowler or Bubba Watson? No one really knows at this point but golf definitely needs someone soon.

Another issue with television coverage is the length of the tournaments. The world we live in today is fast paced and all about right now. Golf tournament coverage lasts for hours a day and each tournament stretches over four consecutive days. The time it takes to watch the whole tournament is undoubtedly consuming and a turn off for most viewers. Changing the way the television coverage is done is not likely, but recommending to new fans of the sport to tune in on Sundays to watch the final day of the tournament usually brings on more excitement to see who takes home the trophy as well as the purse.

Finally, comparing golf to stadium sports such as football is a little unrealistic because football players play in front of tens of thousands of typically loud fans every time they step onto the field. I can’t help but think back to a moment at the 2012 U.S. Open where this moment happened with Jim Furyk. 

“Sir, in the yellow
shirt,” Furyk said, “Please put that away. Thank You.”  The golf audience was left wondering if the spectator was holding a cell phone or camera, but to have Furyk publically criticize a spectator over a cell phone or camera? You wouldn’t see that happen at a football game. No cameras, no cell phones, no home painted signs allowed in the galley at golf tournaments. Instead, you find volunteers holding the “Quiet Please” signs while spectators are forced to so much as breath loudly while watching the tournament doesn’t seem to be the most appealing time to new fans.  This is a stark difference to other sports where screaming is a part of the fan experience. Just a suggestion but ticket sales might just go up if the rules were relaxed a bit or even if “Designated Cell Phone Areas Only” were cut from the rules list.

Now, I know golf has been pretty much the same since its existence, but let’s face the facts, it might just be time for a face lift to start captivating new audiences. Finding golf’s next big star, or at least getting the old one back on track to break another record, would definitely help, and relaxing on spectators who go to the tournaments all might just help the sport out! I’m not expecting any miracles to happen anytime soon, but I know I will not stop trying to get more people on the course to get them to catch the “golf bug”!

Thanks for reading,

Tia Preece

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Rick Nash: A New Start In The Big Apple

By: Jeff Lingard

The drama between Rick Nash and the Columbus Blue Jackets finally ended on Monday with Nash, along with Steven Delisle and a 2013 third round pick being traded to the Rangers for Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, Tim Erixon and a 2013 first round pick. Columbus retains their third round pick if the Rangers reach the 2012-2013 finals. Assuming the season starts on time, let’s have a look at the short-term and long-term implications of this deal:

For the Rangers:

The Rangers add a big winger who can score at least 30 goals a season and isn’t a liability defensively. Nash is a physical presence who should fit into the Rangers “heavy hockey” style. Nash is also durable, playing at least 75 games in each of the past six seasons. Nash is probably going to be paired with Brad Richards, who is a much better centre than he has been used to playing with. Nash has been a standout international player when he plays with higher caliber players so he should fit into New York well. The possible downside with Nash is that he has not been an elite goal scorer in the past three years (30, 32 and 33 goals) and he has a contract that has a cap hit of $7.8 million per year until 2017-18. The Rangers have more than enough cap room to absorb this cap hit for the next two years. He will have to return to elite goal scoring production in the next three or four years because his contract could make it difficult for the Rangers to retain their young defensive core.

The Rangers can replace Dubinsky and Anisimov with Nash and a full year of Chris Kreider. Dubinsky wasn’t performing up to expectations or his contract and Anisimov is a useful player but not a pivotal one. The Rangers could afford to trade Erixon because they already have a strong, young defensive core in Staal, Girardi, McDonagh and Del Zotto. The first round pick in 2013 should be between the 25^th  and 30^th spot and likely would not result in a player that makes a difference and would be two to three years away from the NHL so trading the pick is a good idea in the Rangers case.

Unless Nash falls on his face and seriously underperforms this deal should be a win for the Rangers, especially in the short term.  If Nash becomes a 25 goal scorer and his contract makes it hard for the Rangers to keep some of their defencemen or young forwards in three or four years (especially if the cap decreases) then this deal would be considered a loss. I think given what they gave up, this trade was a risk that the Rangers had to take.

For the Blue Jackets:

Scott Howson put his team between a rock and a hard place with bad trades, draft picks and free agent signings. Somehow, ownership allowed him to be in charge with trading the Blue Jackets first and only franchise player. The Jackets received a number of useful players and a lottery pick with the Rangers 1^st round pick but this was closer to a single compared to a home run when evaluating this trade. How Howson was unable to get one of Kreider, McDonagh or Del Zotto in this trade is beyond me.

Dubinsky and Anisimov will both probably play on the top two lines this year. Dubinsky has a cap hit of $4.2 million for each of the next three years which is high for a player with two 20 goal seasons in a four year career. He scored 10 goals in 77 games in 2011-12 and needs to increase his production to be considered a successful pickup by the Jackets. Anisimov is a useful, two-way forward who can score 15 goals a year. He’s not a game changing player but he is only 24 and may have some more offensive upside with more ice time. He also may be a valuable trade chip for a higher round draft pick at the trade deadline.

The real prize of this deal for the Jackets is Erixon. He isn’t going to be a goal scorer or provide a large amount of offence but he is projected to be an above average defensive defenceman and will fill out what will be a good top 4 of Ryan Murray, Jack Johnson and James Wisniewski in the future. Erixon is going to be a solid NHL player but probably won’t be a star. The first round pick gives the Jackets system more depth and should provide a second or third line forward or a 3^rd or 4^th defenceman in 3 or 4 years.

The Jackets do get a little bit of cap relief by getting out of the long term commitment that was Nash’s contract. They also needed to make a trade before training camp so the Nash drama wouldn’t cause too much of a distraction. The Jackets need a lot to go right to challenge for a playoff spot in the next couple of years. If I was a Blue Jackets fan, the fact that the return for Nash lacks a player that projects to be a star would leave me disappointed with this trade.

You can follow me on Twitter @jefflingard. Thanks for reading.

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Penn State: Where Do They Go From Here?

By: David Folz

Much has been talked about with the Penn State situation after NCAA President Mark Emmert and his counsel handed down the list of penalties against the University’s football team on Monday.  The penalties included a four-year postseason ban and a reduction of scholarships, with a 60 million dollar fine.  The main question for a lot of sports outlets has been: where does Penn State go from here?

The penalties were announced Monday, which gives the Nittany Lions some hope for this year.  The main reason for that is because we are about six weeks from the start of the football season.  Many schools are already done organizing their roster and Penn State is no different.  Therefore, it would be extremely difficult for someone like Matt McGloin to transfer and learn an offense in six weeks to be ready, so many players will no doubt stay for this year. 

After this year will be a different story.  Recruiting is going to hurt a bunch because most athletes that become students at a university play for the hopes of making a bowl game, if not playing for a national championship.  This group has already had two big players de-commit from their program and many more will probably follow suit.  The reason this is so big is because four years is an entire collegiate athlete’s career so he has a lot to process when something like this happens.  He knows he cannot play a bowl game at Penn State and can’t even go for a national or conference championship so it’s really just 12 games a year for him.  In addition to that, the school will have the scholarship reduction so it will be just as hard to go after players, meaning they have to be close to perfect in recruiting for five years, and unless you are playing for something, it’s just not going to happen.

Beyond football, what does this mean for the campus?  Well, Penn State has been rich in its academic history so in the whole aspect, there will be students that still enroll there so it will not be a problem.  The issue is whether Beaver Stadium will sell out.  Since we are close to the year, the thought is the stadium will sell out for this year, even if the Nittany Lions struggle.  The campus has a football fan base that is as loyal to its team as Texas, Notre Dame and USC, so there will be no problems getting the students to go.  It’s the fan base outside the campus that could be the issue.  Fans aren’t going to support a losing club though in this case it could be different because the fans want to oversee the work Bill O’Brien and his cast will work with year after year. 

As for the state of Pennsylvania, it can finally take solace in this punishment because it does not mean the end of football at the campus but it means a big rebuilding project.  This scandal has torn up the state, which is very loyal to this program and it has led to many things not only in State College but also in the state government with slashing funding.  The 60 million dollar fine is not in any aspect large for the third most profitable school in the nation, only behind Texas and Notre Dame.  It will not help, however, when the state wants to cut funding to the school due to the scandal that erupted last year.  They will be all right, the donors are immense and the funding will still be there. But don’t be surprised if they don’t make a profit off the school and the football this year, or possibly next, with the fines handed out and possible revenue shortcomings if football struggles. 

The aftermath of the sanctions also should focus on Coach O’Brien.  He knew it was a tough task to start but this makes it much more difficult to sell his vision.  In essence, who he keeps this year is already a victory, but there will be the next three years where the struggle continues.  He signed a five-year deal to become the head coach, but it would seem fitting to be awarded another five years to oversee that the football program gets back going and performs the best it can under circumstances.  The ending of the Paterno era also was heavily scrutinized, so O’Brien will have to make sure he brings in high character individuals who do well in society and in the classroom.  Penn State will soon realize that mediocrity will strike and it’s not due to O’Brien; it just comes with the territory of having these penalties hurt that bad on a program.  O’Brien should be credited with taking a job that in all reality did not have many suitors, and since he has worked with the New England Patriots he does have the pedigree to be successful.  He is cut out for a rebuilding project and Penn State will likely give him one.

Much has been made of this and finally it can be put to bed.  Penn State will struggle for a while but they have the standing to be a good collegiate program again, but not to the level that they were in the 70’s and 80’s.  The reasons for that are the penalties, but also the competition has improved in their coaching and recruiting that one bad year will not set back a college program.  Fans will stay loyal and that is a good thing. If O’Brien can somehow get some good recruits over the next four years, the rebuilding project will not be as steep.

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Are the Miami Hurricanes The Next Meal For NCAA?

By: Dan Hauser

Miami is up next for the NCAA

On the wake of Penn State receiving “unprecedented” sanctions from the NCAA, and with reports coming out that if they had not accepted the penalties given they were looking at a 4 year “death penalty”, one has to question what is in store for the University of Miami. With the NCAA putting Penn State in the rear view mirror they now turn their focus back to the Hurricanes and back to the scandal involving Nevin Shapiro. If things haven’t been bad enough for Miami this off season a new report has surfaced that there was an equipment manager on the team that was an associate of Shapiro and performed unofficial recruiting tactics. On top of that, the report also states that Coach Al Golden hired him AFTER the initial Shapiro reports surfaced last year.

                 Players, coaches, parents, and even Al Golden have all vehemently denied these new reports and stand by the fact that the program has been and will continue to be run cleanly. However, with the recent departure of Storm Johnson and the dismissal of Ray-Ray Armstrong you would have to think that these would send up red flags as to the validity of the report.

                These are not easy times for fans of the school and program, and with football season one month away it is definitely putting Canes fans on edge. If in fact these latest reports are true you have to wonder if the punishment that Penn State received will seem minimal in comparison to what the University of Miami gets. Loss of scholarships, bowl bans, or even worse the dreaded “death penalty”, all we can do is wait for the NCAA to make their final ruling.

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Could Zack Greinke Shine In Hollywood?

Last week, reports started swirling around the interwebs that the Angels had entered the race for Zack Greinke. It would be an ideal fit for the Angels as Dan Haren has been hurt, and Ervin Santana has been nothing short of inconsistent. Just to tease Angels fans, here is their possible rotation if they acquire Greinke:

1. Jered Weaver
2. Zack Greinke
3. CJ Wilson
4. Dan Haren - Assuming he is healthy, and back to pre 2012 form.
5. Take your pick of Jerome Williams, Ervin Santana, and Garrett Richards (Assuming none are included in the hypothetical Greinke deal).

Now, the odds are the Angels won't acquire Grienke, but a fan can dream, right?

Greinke has never played in a large market, spending all 9 of his big league seasons pitching in the likes of Kansas City and Milwaukee. He isn't flashy, nor does he put up those gaudy win totals that win the casual baseball fan over. What he does do is strike people out. Would his perception change pitching in a larger market like the Orange County/Los Angeles market the Angels play in? Could he finally be recognized along the lines of the best in baseball? 

Well, he certainly deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Verlander, Kershaw, and others. Over the past 2 seasons, no pitcher in baseball has a higher strikeout rate than Zack Grienke. That doesn't even include his masterful 2009 campaign in which he struck out 240 batters. Since 2005, no pitcher has posted a higher single season WAR total than Zack Greinke did in 2009. It's a fair assumption to say he could lead a playoff caliber rotation, and he did just that last year in Milwaukee.
So, what would a possible deal for Greinke look like?

Greinke's price is slightly diminished because of the new CBA, which now does not allow mid-season trade acquisitions to be eligible for draft pick compensation. Even with the new rules, Greinke should still command at least 2 B or higher level prospects, preferably major league ready. I also assume the Angels would have contact with Greinke's agent regarding his signability before going through with a deal. It would probably be a 3 or 4 for 1 deal, with the last pieces being B- or C grade prospects.

I'd imagine a Greinke deal with the Angels would center around a combination of the following:

• Garrett Richards
• Jordan Walden
• Jean Segura
• CJ Cron
• Peter Bourjos
• Hank Conger
• Ariel Pena
• Kaleb Cowart
• Luis Jiminez

The odds are the Angels hold on to Cowart, as there is no real reason to trade their potential third baseman of the future. Management has also said they are reluctant to deal Bourjos. Because Cron is likely to be relegated to a 1st base or a designated hitter role, he could be expendable considering the Angels excess amount of players fitting that profile (Pujols, Morales, Trumbo). Walden is interesting here, but I don't think the Brewers would want a reliever to be the main part of a deal centering around a player of Greinke's caliber. Ariel Pena could also be expendable, but he would probably be the 3rd or 4th player in the deal, rather than a centerpiece.

The Brewers have a glaring hole at shortstop and a long-term need a for third baseman after Aramis Ramirez leaves. Segura and Jiminez play short and third respectively, which could make them more attractive to the Brewers. Both are also near major league ready. So, I would assume Segura would have to be included in this deal, and Jiminez would probably work nicely as the 3rd or 4th piece. To fill Greinke's rotation spot the Brewers could potentially want Garrett Richards included in the deal. So here is what a potential package for Grienke may look like:

• Jean Segura
• Garrett Richards
• Luis Jiminez
• A lower level pitching prospect such as Ariel Pena

Is that too much for the Angels to give up? Well, if they have a shot at re-signing him, then it probably isn't. Segura is blocked at the big league level by Howie Kendrick and Erick Aybar. The Angels would have enough pitching depth if they got Greinke that missing Richards wouldn't be that big of a deal. Although he is probably the player the Angels are most reluctant to give up on given his youth, potential, and 3.53 ERA in 8 games this season. Jiminez is not the 3rd baseman of the future for the Angels, and a young pitching prospect like Pena is going to be a just roll of the dice.

So that would be Segura, Richards, Jiminez, and Ariel Pena for half a season of Zack Greinke essentially. For comparison's sake, let's look at the package Seattle received from the Rangers in the Cliff Lee trade at the 2012 trade deadline. Lee was an elite level pitcher at the time of his trade, just as Greinke is now. In exchange for Lee, Seattle received Justin Smoak, Blake Beavan, Josh Lueke, and Matt Lawson. According to grades by John Sickels, here is a side by side comparison of how each player was valued at the time of the trade (or hypothetical trade):

Note: Lawson was not given a grade, so we'll assign him a C

1. Jean Segura Grade: B                             Justin Smoak Grade: A-
2. Garrett Richards Grade: B                    Blake Beavan Grade: C+
3. Luis Jiminez Grade: C+                        Josh Lueke Grade: C+
4. Ariel Pena Grade: B-                             Matt Lawson Grade: C

So overall you could say the Angels have a similar if not better overall package of players to offer. It actually seems to fall in line with the type of packages teams are getting for ace caliber pitchers before they reach the free agent market. But with Greinke not having  compensation picks attached if he is traded, the Angels, or any other team for that matter, would likely be inclined to give less. So, maybe the Brewers wouldn't get that 4th player in return? It's hard to guess right now, as this is the first year that this situation has come upon us.

Disclaimer: This was written before Aybar went down with an injury. That may effect a potential Greinke deal, since Segura could be deemed not tradeable by the Angels brass as he will be Aybar's fill in until he can return from his injury. 


So how would Greinke fair as an Angel?

Critics will say that Greinke's 3.57 ERA isn't elite, but ERA can be deceiving. FIP, or Fielding Independent Pitching, is a metric that takes out uncontrollable variables such as pitcher's support from his defense, to give us a value of what a pitcher's true ERA should look like. FIP tells us that Greinke is actually pitching at a level much better than what his ERA shows. His FIP is an outstanding 2.56, which is more than a full run lower than his ERA. That ranks 4th in all of baseball, behind only Gio Gonzalez, Stephen Strasburg, and Chris Sale. Greinke also ranks 2nd in baseball behind Strasburg in xFIP, a version of FIP that averages out home run rates. xFIP also tells us what a pitcher's ERA is expected to look like in the near future. By those indicators, it's safe to assume Greinke is pitching at an elite level right now, and he should continue to.

You can follow Justin Millar on twitter at @justinmillar1, or email him atJustinmillar1@gmail.com. Comment below to join the discussion.

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The Overkill of Penn State Sanctions

By: Curt Popejoy

We all knew it was coming.  We weren't sure how big the hammer would be, but we all
knew the NCAA was going to swing a big one.  And a big one it was.


This week the NCAA gave the Penn State football program everything it could short of
the true "death penalty" in college football.  These sanctions are in response to the
scandal involving Jerry Sandusky and the cover up of events by specific staff at Penn
State for more than a decade.


Here's A quick rundown of the sanctions.


-$60 million fine
-4 year ban from postseason play
-Vacating all victories from 1998 to 2011
-Loss of a number of scholarships over the next 4 years (10 this year and 20 per year in subsequent years)


What this penalty means is that the Penn State football program is going to lack the
resources to field a competitive team for the foreseeable future. At least a decade. 
4 years without a bowl game and such a limitation of scholarships means new head
coach Bill O'Brien is going to be working from a bare cupboard. NCAA President Mark
Emmert was direct and forceful and matter of fact in handing this down and made it
very clear that he considers this case unique and the punishment had to fit.  He said it needed to be more than punitive.  It had to be so severe as to force the University to seemingly change their entire culture.  But I don't for one second believe that the members of this university outside of those involved in this cover up would have condoned this. 


But did it fit?  I have no alliances to Penn State.  Not even really a fan of the
team.  But this penalty seems beyond misguided.  Unless I am missing something this
entire scandal centered around 6 or 8 total Penn state staffers.  And from 1998 to
2011 hundreds of student athletes practiced together, played together, won and lost
together and lived their dream as Nittany Lions with no knowledge of what this
handful of men were involved in. Thousands of other Penn State students went through
the program and lived and died for Penn State with no knowledge of what was
happening.  And for that you strip them of everything that was good about their
college experience?  This is grossly misguided, arrogant and an affront to my
sensibilities.


Those people had no part in this.  There's no good comparison to this in the real
World.  It's absurd, and does nothing to "punish" those who did this.  One is dead,
one is in prison forever and the others lives are ruined. Would they kill off the
math department for a decade if this had happened with them?


As much of an outrage the scholarship cuts are, and trust me they are, it's nothing
compared to the vacating of the wins.  I understand that everyone is upset and they
are applying so much emotion to this, but so am I.


And what of the current players?  I know they have been given clearance to transfer
this year without penalty, but we are less than 40 days to the first games.  A
transfer this season would be very difficult and not at all fair to these players. 
Again you are punishing those who had nothing to do with any of this.  At the very
least these players should be allowed to transfer this year, but if they feel like
it's too short of notice to do so properly, they should be allowed to play this
season at Penn State and then transfer next year without penalty as well.


How exactly does crippling a program for the next decade teach a lesson to those
involved in this?  Of course that is rhetorical, because it doesn't.  This is little
more than a lynch mob, and serves nothing to bring any justice to anyone hurt by
this.


You want to punish the university?  Fine them.  Put them on the strictest of
probation for the next ten years. Force the University to assist the families of the
victims in every way including legal.   But it is unconscionable to punish the 99
percent who had nothing to do with this whole thing while those few that did will
never be touched by it.


The NCAA got this wrong, just like they get so much wrong.  They tried to send a
message to know one who is listening.  It does do my heart good to hear so many media  professionals on big networks who are speaking out about how excessive these
penalties are.  Not to mention the fact that Paterno's name is mentioned 10 times as
many as any of the other guilty parties involved.  If I didn't know better, I'd think  he's the one sitting in prison for the rest of his life for molesting children.


For everyone who’s cheering for this, keep in mind, something like this could happen at your school and this should prompt the NCAA to act more quickly and severely on criminal actions within an athletic program even if it does not pose a competitive advantage, even if in my opinion it is beyond their purview to do so. I hope you will be cheering then.

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A New Sheriff In Town: Washington Nationals

By: Emily Gruver

Well, it looks like there are new kings on the National League East throne.

 

That is the Washington Nationals.

 

After the Philadelphia Phillies won five straight National League East pennants, it looks like the Washington Nationals are going to end that impressive streak at the end of this season.

 

The Nationals are the new beasts of the east.

 

As the Phillies are slowly aging and getting worse, the Nationals have young talent, so much potential, and a very bright future ahead of them. The Phillies have fallen to last place in the division, 14 games out and are continuing to only score a few runs a game and are still losing games consistently.

 

Lets start off with the superb pitching.

 

The Washington Nationals have tremendous pitching this year. Stephen Strasburg is throwing the heat with his beaming fastball, Gio Gonzalez has 12 wins, and they're first in ERA at 3.24. Not only that, but they are first in quality starts with 63, first in WHIP at 1.21, and first in BAA at .234. Strasburg and Gonzalez have been the two starting pitchers who have truly stepped up for the team and both are very young as well. Stephen is 10-4 with a 2.85 ERA and has 140 strike-outs. Gonzalez is pitching excellent as well. Gio is 12-5 with an ERA of 3.32 and 129 strike-outs.

Now lets move on to the great offense.

 

The Washington Nationals offense has been inconsistent at times but is still very good. Although they are ranked in double digits in runs scored, batting average, and on base percentage, they are still winning ball games and that's what counts. Young star, Bryce Harper has been doing a great job for them, especially since he's a rookie. His stats aren't incredible and aren't as good as Mike Trouts but he is still contributing both offensively and defensively. Many players for the Nationals have stepped up this year, including players like Ian Desmond.

 

Even though the Nationals look to be in control and are playing very well, they will still have to improve even more and keep winning games because the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets are right on their tail.

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NBA Off Season: Winners and Losers

By: Trisity Miller

After an eventful shortened season and even better playoffs, teams have been preparing themselves for the next season through the draft and free agency. A few teams have thrown themselves in the conversation of "title contender", some teams have stayed put in hopes that things could swing their way, while some have decreased in overall talent setting their organizations up for a trip to the lottery. Now that the off season is close to over, I will break down the winners of the off season and vice versa.

WINNERS:

1) Boston Celtics: Subtract Ray Allen from Boston and add Jason Terry, Jeff Green, Chris Wilcox, Courtney Lee, Fab Melo, Jared Sullinger, Brandon Bass, and a healthy Avery Bradley and what do you have? Now a legitimate threat to the Miami Heat for a team that lacked quality depth last season when Bradley went out with a shoulder injury, they've upgraded every position outside of point guard. The team's success will rely heavily on whether KG, Pierce, and Bradley can stay healthy when it matters the most. Clearly a top 5 team, it's going to take a 100% healthy Miami Heat to throttle this team.

2) Los Angeles Lakers: Wilt Chamberlain. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Vlade Divac. Kobe Bryant. Byron Scott. Pau Gasol. What do these players all have in common? The Lakers acquired them all in a trade for less than they’re worth. Let's add Steve Nash to the list. The Lakers traded 2 first round and 2 second round picks for Nash. It sounds good, but Jordan Farmar may have been the best draft pick LAL has made since Bynum. Add Nash to an offense that has needed a point guard since Magic left and a lineup that consists of Kobe-Gasol-World Peace-Bynum and this is the best starting lineup in the league. Now factor in Antwan Jamison, who averaged 17/6 last season, and Jordan Hill who was a nice solid pickup for LA last season and you now have a title contender and a legitimate threat to OKC's throne atop of the West. If Kobe wants to get 6 rings the time is now and this will be the best chance he has as he's toward the end of his career.

3) Brooklyn Nets: Deron Williams-Anthony Morrow-Travis Outlaw-Kris Humphries-Brook Lopez. This was Brooklyn's starting line-up when they acquired Deron Williams. The overall plan was to unite Deron + Dwight Howard. Now, two years later, you can argue that the Nets have had the BEST offseason. You re-sign Deron Williams, Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries and Brook Lopez, add Joe Johnson and Reggie Evans via trade, draft Tyshawn Taylor and pick up CJ Watson in free agency and Brooklyn has positioned themselves for the playoffs for the next 3 to 5 years. Are they better than the Heat? Not yet, but a 2nd through 5th seeds seems do-able for the team. Offense will be there game, but don't be shocked if this team sneaks into the second round. Here's to the best team in New York.

4) Big Men: When Kwame Brown inks a $6 million deal over the next two years. He's just one of the MANY big men that have inked huge deals this off-season. Big men are known for getting overpaid, simply because their height can't be taught, and after the lockout you would think that owners would be light on the money after complaining about the spending, but they've done the COMPLETE OPPOSITE. Here are some of the contracts agreed this summer: Kevin Garnett/$36 million, Omer Asik/$25 million, Javale McGee/$44 million, Tim Duncan/$36 million, Brook Lopez/$61 million, Roy Hibbert/$58 million, Ian Mahinmi/$16 million, Ryan Anderson/$34 million, Ersan Ilyasova/$45 million, and Marcus Camby/$13 million. For a league that is converting to a "small game", owners still value the center position, and if you're 7-feet or taller, then an owner is ready to give you millions.

LOSERS:

1) Dwight Howard: I've yet to speak on this entire Dwight situation since it has arisen and yet here I am. Dwight is the best big man. He's the best big man defender in the league. Wherever he goes equals championship contention. Yet, he's put himself in a situation where he can't get what he wants. He wants to be a Net. He gets his coach and general manager fired. He signs agreement to stay in Orlando another year. He wants out. He wants to sign long-term with the Lakers. He doesn't want to sign long-term with the Lakers. This is where we are now and, quite frankly, Dwight has escorted himself from our hearts. It's time for Dwight to man-up and come public with his requests. He's holding back a franchise and killing his fan base. Hopefully by the time the season begins he's with another uniform. Where? I'm sure no one cares as long as the drama is over.

2) Chicago Bulls: While being relatively quiet, the Bulls are having one of the worst off seasons a team can have. While the Bulls have been a great team the last two years most of their success has stemmed from their bench play. Referred to as "the Bench Mob", they terrorized teams on defense and, if given the opportunity, could win games with their play. The likes of Omer Asik (offer from HOU), CJ Watson (BKN), Ronnie Brewer, Kyle Korver (ATL) and John Lucas III are all gone due to Chicago attempting to avoid the luxury tax (maybe the lockout did work). Things are going downhill fast and unless they do something fast, they'll likely slip to a fourth or fifth seed under MIA, BOS, IND, and BKN. This would be a perfect time to throw in the fact that Rose won't be starting the season due to his ACL injury.

3) James Dolan: The Knicks management may be holding the Knicks back more than the players on their roster and it all starts with this man here. He let Jeremy Lin walk for free. He let Jeremy Lin walk because he felt "betrayed" by the second year point guard. He let his marquee point guard walk for non-basketball reasons and made it seem as though paying for Lin's heightened 3rd year, $14.5 million to be exact, was the problem. He made it seem as if paying the luxury tax was the problem though he gave Novak and Camby a combined $27 million. This is the same owner that is paying Amare, Tyson and Carmelo a combined amount of $70 million in 3 years. When an owner puts his emotions over his team you know things aren't looking up for the organization. Would the Knicks have won a championship with Lin? Doubt it, but to let that player walk without compensation is just downright ugly. Knicks fan have to deal with this for how long?

4) Toronto Raptors: It may seem slightly unfair to put the Raptors on the losers list, but any team that gives out $20 million to Landry Fields has loser written all over it. What was supposed to be a part of the chance to lure in hometown star Steve Nash backfired in the Raptors’ face financially. Fields, who lost his starting job late last season for the Knicks, is at best a good rebounding guard. Had the Raptors been able to back out of this deal without screwing up trust with potential free agents in the future I am sure they would have, but now they're stuck with the $20 million man whose career averages just happen to be 9.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game

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Busy Monday: Tigers Cash in Chips, Ichiro Leaves Seattle, and Braves get Dempster

Monday was a busy one for MLB fans, reporters, and front office types. 3 deals of note were completed between the PSU Sanctions and last night's Monday Night Baseball on ESPN. All 3 deals had one thing in common: A struggling team sent a solid veteran to a team in the midst of the playoff hunt in return for prospects or young big leaguers.

Atlanta Braves acquire Ryan Dempster

Coming into July, it was a well-known fact that Ryan Dempster would likely be dealt. The question was to who?

On Monday, those questions were answered, as the Braves have reportedly won the sweepstakes for the veteran right hander. In exchange, the Cubs will receive one of the Braves top pitching prospects in Randall Delgado.

Delgado has spent a majority of the 2012 season as a member of the Braves starting rotation. He has a career 3.98 ERA in 24 starts at the big league level. Delgado has a strong curveball as well as change-up and reaches the mid 90's in fastball velocity. His main concern is he doesn't command his fastball very well, and that has tapered his ceiling, which is now that of a number 3 starter.

Chicago arguably gets a solid haul for half a month of Dempster, and Atlanta gets the strong innings eating starter they need. I like this deal for both parties

Tigers strengthen rotation for playoff push

The Tigers have launched themselves from irrelevancy to the top of the Al Central in less than a month, and now they get even better. On Monday, the Tigers and Marlins made a swap that benefits each team.

The Tigers will receive RHP Anibal Sanchez, 2B Omar Infante and the Marlins 2013 Comp A round draft pick from the Miami Marlins, in exchange for top prospect Jacob Turner, C Rob Brantly, LHP Brian Flynn, and the Tigers 2013 Comp B round draft pick.

Anibal Sanchez adds to a Tigers rotation that now features the likes of Justin Verlander, Doug Fister, Rick Porcello, Max Sherzer, and Sanchez. A solid rotation to say the least. Infante will likely replace the incompetent Ramon Santiago at 2nd for Detroit.

The Marlins receive Jacob Turner as the main piece in this deal. Turner is widely considered a top 30 prospect with number 2 starter upside. Turner has made 3 starts this season for the Tigers, and has fared quite well aside from a 7 run blow up on July 17th against the Angels. The Marlins will also get catching prospect Rob Brantly and LHP Brian Flynn, each of whom are solid prospects. Brantly has the upside of an average big league backstop, while Flynn will likely end up in the bullpen. For the Marlins, this deal largely hinges on the development of Turner.

The swap of the draft picks is quite interesting as it is the first of its kind. The Marlins will receive Detroit's competitive balance lottery selection in Comp round B, which is after the 2nd round. The pick currently sits at 73rd overall, but could be lower depending on free agent compensation picks. The Tigers get the Marlins pick in Comp round A, which is directly after the 1st round and free agent supplementary round. The pick is currently 37th overall, but like Detroit, it could end up being lower

Initially, I believe this deal benefits the Tigers more than it does the Marlins. The Marlins receive some solid prospects, but that's just what they are, prospects. The Tigers actually get 2 solid big leaguers that could potentially push them into a playoff spot. The Tigers definitely win in the short-term, but Miami could end up winning this deal come a few years from now.

Ichiro no longer a Mariner

In what might have been the most shocking news of the day, the Seattle Mariners traded long time fan favorite and future Hall of Famer, Ichiro Suzuki, to the Yankees.

Seattle received pitching prospects DJ Mitchell and Danny Farquhar from the Yankees. Both have the upside of a 12th or 13th man on a pitching staff, so the Mariners did not receive much in return.

What they did get, was to avoid the scrutiny they would've faced this offseason on their decision of whether to resign Ichiro or let the veteran star leave town. Ichiro had 10 straight 200 hit/ .300 BA seasons before failing to reach those marks in each of the past 2 years. Age and loss of speed has been a large factor for his regression. Ichiro's BABIP this season is .279, a far cry from his career .348 mark. Ichiro is unable to run out infield hits like he used to which has been a big reason why his BABIP has fallen. He is essentially a singles hitter, with slightly above average defense, who can steal some bases, now.

One rival executive I spoke with called this a "great move" for both parties. The same exec said an "aging [star] with fan appeal, can be the death of a GM."

Overall, I like this deal for both sides. Seattle avoids the PR nightmare as I mentioned earlier, and New York gets an aging, but still decent everyday outfielder to offset the injuries to Nick Swisher and Brett Gardner.

You can follow Justin Millar on twitter at @justinmillar1, or email him atJustinmillar1@gmail.com. Comment below to join the discussion.

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FANTASY BASEBALL: Week #17 Waiver Wire Pickups

Written by Fantasy Furnace

For those of you fighting for position in your leagues, you still have seven weeks left in the Fantasy Baseball regular season with which to do so. It is important to insure that you make all the moves and/or trades you can in order to assure yourself a playoff spot in your leagues, otherwise you would have wasted an entire season fruitlessly maintaining your team (s). Here are this week’s waiver wire pickups, all widely available, for you to consider:

Marco Estrada-SP,RP-Brewers- Now a permanent part of the Brewers depth chart, Estrada has started nine games so far this season and like most things in fantasy, there is good news and bad. The good news is that the righty can help you in two of the remaining four Pitching categories (we’re taking away the saves category as he isn’t a closer); strike outs and WHIP. In his 9 games Estrada had 59 K’s and only 7 BBs while posting a barely visible 1.04 WHIP. The bad news is that the Brewers have given the former Washington National almost no run support which would account for his 0-4 record. In those four loses his team scored 1 run, 3 runs, 1 run, and 3 runs and it’s hard to post victories while your team is averaging 2 runs a game in your loses. Take a flier on Estrada and if you’re in need of K’s, grab him as he’s owned in just 10% of leagues.

Jared Burton/Glen Perkins-RP-Twins- What did manager Ron Gardenhire do when his ace closer Matt Capps was shut down with rotator cuff strain? Yep! He went to Jared! Well, not exclusively…The closing duties are shared between Burton and Glen Perkins. Together they have saved 7 of 8 games while Burton, since the possibility of save opportunities arose, is 1-0 with three saves 0.00 ERA with a 1.12 WHIP and 7 K’s in 10.2 innings pitched. Perkins has done equally as well garnering 5 saves and 1 BS over the same period. they are both widely available as both of these closers are owned only in about 15% of leagues. If you’re desperate for saves and are in deeper leagues, run to the waiver wire and pick one up! (Note: Perkins has gotten more save opps.)

With long time closer Matt Capps potentially shut down for the season (he might need Tommy John surgery), Jared Burton & Glen Perkins will handle the closing chores in Minnesota. (Pioneer Press file photo: Scott Takushi)

Brennan Boesch-OF-Tigers- The underachieving Detroit Tigers have at least one player that has been on somewhat of a tear in the month of July. Boesch, the 3rd round pick of the Tigers in the 2006 draft, in just his third season in the majors, in 14 games this month has collected...

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FANTASY FOOTBALL: 6 Sleepers to consider drafting…

Written by Fantasy Furnace

 If you were to look at the six sleepers we picked before last season, you would have to say it wasn’t all bad considering that four of them ended up injured. Not surprisingly, two were running backs! Here are the picks from last year; (This might determine whether or not you still want to see who our selections are for this season…)

Dustin Keller- TE-Jets- He finished the year with 65 receptions-815 yards-5 TDs. The receptions and yards were the most in Keller’s 4 pro seasons. Remember this was a season where QB Mark Sanchez regressed significantly.

Domenik Hixon-WR-Giants- One of the ones who got injured and only got to play in 2 games. That probably opened the door for some extra opportunities for stud Victor Cruz.

Julio Jones-WR-Falcons- Even with missing 3 games due to injury, the rookie had 54 receptions-959 yards-8 TDs. Not too shabby.

Brent Celek-TE-Eagles- He had a good year; not one that would qualify as sleeper material but you wouldn’t have gotten hurt by Celek’s 62 receptions-811 yards-5 TDs. Remember too that he played hurt for most of the year. We’re predicting an even better season for him this year.

Mark Ingram-RB-Saints- Another pick who lost significant time (missed 6 games) to injury. He still collected 5 TDs on just under 500 yards rushing, but what we liked was that the rookie only had one fumble on 122 carries!

Felix Jones-RB-Cowboys- This was the biggest disappointment for us. We thought with Marion Barber’s departure that the more ‘Bulked Up’ Jones would have a breakout year. He ended up with just under 800 all purpose yards and just 2 TDs. He too fell victim to injury which made him miss 4 games. Still far from a sleeper type season.

So, if you’re still reading this, then I guess you have some confidence in our choices for the 2012-2013 season. We hope these six players (which are in no particular order), will fare better for you:

Jared Cook-TE-Titans- Now entering his fourth season in the NFL, Cook has improved in every one of them. The big 25 year old; 6′ 5″ 250 lbs, had 49 receptions, 759 yards and 3 TDs. The coaching staff has voiced their desire to build their passing offense and should get some much needed help now that WR Kenny Britt has returned. (Hopefully the DUI he was hit with last week will be his last…) We think Cook can build off of the two 100-yard games...

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Penn State: How Would You Grade These Sanctions?

By: David Folz

NCAA Mark Emmert lowered the hammer on Penn State today, banning them from post-season play for four years.  Calling the situation callous and unconscionable, Emmert leveled these penalties in a quick and decisive manner.  Additional penalties include a five year probationary period, ten scholarship reductions each of the four years on the post-season ban, vacated wins from 1998-2011, and a 60-million dollar fine for the program, as well as the NCAA reserving the right to go after individual coaches.  Conference penalties mean not making bowl revenues from other schools, paying their revenues for other teams and not competing in the conference championship game for four years.

For the student-athlete the post-season ban is an entire college career.  If kids cannot play for a national championship or even a bowl game at a school that is banned, they will not go there.  They would rather play for a rebuilding team, or even a team just coming up to Division One to play for winning seasons and possible bowl games than be a part of a banning.  The current students are free-willed to transfer where they please, with no consequences.  The current recruits will be de-committing and going elsewhere, so they will not be severely punished in many ways.

The real consequence is Bill O’Brien and his staff for now.  Look the players can go if they wish to, they have that free transfer to leave.  Bill O’Brien knows he cannot do much to change a players’ minds because they want to win meaningfully and win bowl games and national championships.  If they want they can at USC, Notre Dame, or Ohio State without a question.  For O’Brien, he could leave by breaching his contract and not a single person would blame him for doing so.  He does want to finish it out though, and he deserves a lot of credit because he may have known it would be a difficult task, but now he just found out how difficult it will be.  

The lighter side on this is now Penn State can build their program from the ground up the right way.  After so much corrosion on this program from five people to bring down an entire program, they can bring it up the right way.  Under these penalties, they have no shot to do it other than that.  Probation may seem a light word, but here you cannot screw up because if you do, your program is literally done.

This scandal has grown over so much more than the sport of football.  This is about so many victims due to Jerry Sandusky’s predatory nature and an administration’s lack of caring and instead putting football ahead of young people, who are eventually going to lead the nation into a new era.  They chose to sweep this under the rug instead of stopping Sandusky and in the end they will have their day in court.  For Penn State, they will move forward but the effects on this are very damaging.  The atmosphere has finally changed and it is time for the classroom to come before anything football at Penn State.

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