sportsblogger

   Ok, first here is the latest on Brett Favre, the Packers have, according to a report, offered Favre $20 million over the next 10 years to stay retired. Favre has continued to work out and intends to play football this year and the Packers are reportedly ready to shop Favre to teams in the NFC North Division which means the Vikings and Bears can make a move for Favre. This really seems like a desperate last minute move for Green Bay.

   Now to the MLB Trade deadline. The first big trade of the day so far is the Cincinnati Reds trading OF Ken Griffey Jr. to the Chicago White Sox for P Nick Masset and 2B Danny Richar. Griffey is a member of the 600 Home Run club but is no longer the explosive, big play outfielder. He has a great chance, finally, to participate in the playoffs and play for an experienced Manager in Ozzie Guillen.

   The top market for teams is Relief Pitching as many teams are still at this hour trying to strike deals to help their pitching staff. It is beginning to seem as though no major block-buster trade will happen. Jason Bay is still available but trade talks have fallen apart with the Rays, Red Sox, and Blue Jays, but still expect him to move. Raul Ibanez has also been rumored to move from the Mariners and should be moved to help boost morale in Seattle for future prospects.

   For the last big player that can possibly be traded, Manny Ramirez, it is going to be hard to convince potential suiters that Ramirez is devoted to playing baseball and will not quit on his team. The 2 teams that are still players in the Manny sweepstakes are the Dodgers and realistically the Red Sox. The Dodgers have a lot of prospects to offer the Red Sox but are very likely to stay with what they have and not trade. The Red Sox will likely keep Ramirez and let him walk away when his contract expires at the end of this season.

   That is it for now, there is less than 20 minutes left before the trade deadline and keep an ear open for any news that your team has moved. Tomorrow sportsblogger will review all trades made today and reveal its winners and losers of the trade deadline.

J.M.Saucedo

   Maybe sportsblogger was a little too overconfident in stating that the Los Angeles Angels were the best team in Major League Baseball. That was entirely based on record and not so much on the Angels roster. Wait a minute, they did what on tuesday? The News here was dominated by the 5.4 magnitude Earthquake that struck in the early afternoon. The earthquake was talked about so much, you’d think that Los Angeles was cracked in half and now a floating island.

   So many people were glued to the news that they missed a big move by the Angels. To be fair, even if the earthquake didn’t hit or was not the biggest topic of the day, the move still would have been over-looked. As was said on this site last week, the Angels get no attention on any of the major sports networks. If it were the Yankees, Mets or Red Sox, we would all have to hear about how this makes the team great or how they pulled in another superstar.

   Well if you haven’t heard yet, or your favorite sports channel chose to talk about Manny Ramirez or Brett Favre, the Los Angeles Angels traded for 1B Mark Teixeira of the Atlanta Braves. The Angels only gave up Casey Kotchman and a minor league pitcher to acquire Teixeira. This season, Teixeira has hit 20 homer runs, 78 RBI’s, and has a .283 batting average. He will be batting in a line-up that boasts Vladimir Guerrero, Torri Hunter, and Garret Anderson.

   If that is not enough, the Angels again dominated the Boston Red Sox last night, John Lackey was 2 outs away from pitching a No-Hitter in Boston. The defending Champion Red Sox have looked over-matched in their games against the Angels, and now they have added a Gold-Glove, Power-hitting 1B who will only add to the best team in Baseball.

   The Angels have one game left against the defending champs and will show off their new addition tonight. After that they head off to the Bronx for a series against the Yankees. What kind of trade deadline would it be if the Yankees did not make a deal? Well this will not be the year, as the Yankees just traded for C Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez to fill the spot of Jorge Posada who opted for season ending surgery in the passed week.

   So remember when you are sitting at home this weekend that the Angels are indeed the best team in baseball despite what coverage other teams get.

J.M.Saucedo

   As sportsblogger is centered in Los Angeles, Ontario to be exact, I was preparing a story on the disgraced ex-NBA Referee Tim Donaghy who received his prison sentencing today. It was about 11:40 a.m. Pacific time as my keyboard began rattling under my fingers. Instead of running to protection of a doorway or ducking under a desk, I remained seated. It has been about 14 years since the Northridge earthquake and this 5.4 magnitude quake seems to have shaken everyone here, but all thats on my mind is making the NBA pay for trying to cover up Donaghy.

   We all have heard the verdict, 15 months in a prison that most likely rivals some 5 star resorts, the kind that Martha Stewart stayed in. This is a shame, wait a minute one more aftershock, ok to continue, this is a shame that this man who has compromised the code of trust that die-hard fans held for the referee’s. All Commissioner David Stern has done is thrown this case aside. Roger Goodell was called to a Congressional Hearing on “Spygate” and all that involved was a video camera and a team trying to de-cypher defensive signals.

   I know “Spygate” was bad, but Donaghy involves a Referee, the men who are supposed to be incorruptable. He bet on NBA games, not a NCAA Basketball Tournament with friends, he has compromised the outcome of professional basketball games. Yet, David Stern has skated by this problem, no one is asking the questions that should be answered. Not to bash Stern completely, he has hired a private party to investigate this problem and the report is due out any day now.

   Where is the witch-hunt the media put out for “Spygate”, when every day someone claimed they had the smoking gun to bring down Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. The truth is that everyone has the smoking gun to bring down Stern, the NBA, and Referees and everyone is too busy worrying about, one more aftershock, Brett Favre. This proves that the media has its concerns and is out-dated.

   The NBA should knock at everyones door and apologize for this Referee that has damaged the trust of the Fans. The total of Aftershocks that has hit since the start of this story is 27, lets not forget that hopefully todays sentencing was just a foreshock for a major earthquake that will shake Stern and the NBA into giving fans the answers about the game that we deserve. I hope everyone in Southern California is safe.

J.M.Saucedo

   Is your favorite Baseball Team a buyer or seller in this season? Will your team add a big name player in hopes to make a strong run for the Playoffs or maybe a Championship? If your team is located in Florida, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Boston, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, St.Louis or Arizona please continue to read, all others best of luck next year.

   Some teams have added to their rosters and will not be making any more moves: Yankees, Cubs, Brewers have all made significant moves this season. The Brewers have had the largest benefit from mid-season trades this year in adding CC Sabathia. The Brewers are surging and are just one game behind the Cubs for first place in the Central Division when they begin their series against each other today.

   Teams that could make a trade but most likely will not: Rays, Angels, White Sox, Red Sox (maybe), Marlins, Twins, Phillies, Mets, and Cardinals. The Rays, Angels and White Sox are all leading their Divisions and are unlikely to trade. The Marlins, Twins, and Cardinals are historically not big trade deadline teams if alive in the Division. If the Mets make a move then the Phillies will respond and vice versa. The Red Sox are a good team and were not expectated to make a move, but a possible trade of Manny Ramirez have heated up because of disruptions the slugger causes.

   The Dodgers and Diamondbacks are locked into a tight race for the NL West and could fall into the category of Big Buyers or window shoppers. There have been minor moves buy each team but both have a large farm system of young prospects to land a huge player. They are both in need of a big-bat that can score some runs. Arizona is rumored to be very interested in Atlanta Braves 1B Mark Teixeira but the Braves have not stated they are shopping the Slugger. The Dodgers can be a big time buyer if GM Ned Colletti does not get gun-shy, and even make a run at Manny Ramirez.

   The Trade Deadline is July 31st and if there is anything we have learned from history, it is that MLB trade deadline deals can become huge acquisitions that vault a team from pretenders to contenders. It will most likely be a firestorm after the first move is made and expect big things including at least one shocking move.

J.M.Saucedo

   Today marked the running of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. Jimmie Johnson started from the pole position today at the Brickyard. The race was not its usual self due to the tire wear and cautions were issued through-out the race for the tire problem. It was a mess and a huge disappoint for those who attended and viewed this debacle of a race.

   It was a tough race for the Crew Chiefs who had to work in a strategy that included the faulty tires as well as the NASCAR inforced cautions every 10 laps. The problem seemed to hold most of the drivers back from hitting their full-throttle. After the Dust settled, and the tires, the race became more interesting as a battle for first place broke out between Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson began. It appeared that Edwards’ car was the faster of the two.

   His run was often cut short due to the NASCAR cautions and never was able to catch Johnson. With 7 laps left, after a caution because of a blown engine not a tire, the race was re-started and Johnson held off Edwards to win the Brickyard 400. This marked Johnsons second straight victory at the Brickyard.

   For the second straight day the Philadelphia Phillies rallied to beat the Atlanta Braves as they did last night. The Phillies also hit 5 Homeruns in the game. The Mets should be upset that the Braves have re-ignited the Phillies dangerous Bats.

   Also for the second straight day, the dreaded Yankees vs Red Sox game will be on National Television on ESPN. Enough is enough! Baseball fans everywhere have to take a stand and let it be known that there is other teams in Major League Baseball. Fox had the game yesterday and the first game of the series was also on ESPN! The new slogan for ESPN is “ESPN: Your network for Yankees and Red Sox coverage 24 hours a day!”

   If I have to sit through one more Manny Ramirez trade talk update or listen to the ESPN baseball analysts gush about this terrible rivalry I might swear off ESPN forever. Please do not watch and force ESPN to air something else, I will even settle for the World Series of Poker.

J.M.Saucedo

   Tonight marks the second time Elite XC will bring its MMA fighters to CBS. After the last venture into the bright lights of network television brought mixed revues from major MMA fans to new viewers.

   The reviews from most fans of MMA was that the time taken between fights was too long, Fighters entrance and Introductions were a little exaggerated. The fighters were not the greatest in the world, or had high expectations, to show off to new comers who do not know of the Fedors or Silvas. The events brightest spot was a fight between Robbie Lawler fought Scott Smith but that fight ended when Smith was accidently poked in the eye and could not continue.

   The much hyped Kimbo Slice did not live up to expectations and struggled against his opponent. This event headlining one of Elite XC’s top stars and Champions in Lawler, as he is defending his belt. This event should run a lot smoother and fast as Elite XC will work out some of the wrinkles of the last event. There is a huge question mark of the marketability of this card that does not have a big draw like Kimbo.

   Lawler will draw interest from the casual to major MMA fans, but the people Elite XC and CBS are hoping to attract are new fans. With the great fight that Smith and Lawler put on last time, there is great hope that this one will be as entertaining as the first.

   On the boxing front Miguel Cotto will fight Antonio Margarito tonight in Las Vegas. One thing to watch for is if Cotto wins he is to be the top contender to fight boxing great Oscar De La Hoya in his last professional fight. Just to draw some interest to boxing, since the sport is struggling. Still Cotto vs Margarito is drawing huge interest. 

   Todays highlights are too big to give one story. Whether it is Brett Favre’s willingness to report to camp, the Minor League Pitcher who threw a ball into the opposing teams dugout, or Tony Stewarts new car, there was no way these stories would not be covered here today.

   First off, the Melee in the Minors yesterday between the Cincinnati Reds affiliate Dayton Dragons and Chicago Cubs affiliate Peoria Chiefs. It started as an agrument between the two managers of both teams about three batters were hit by pitches. The pitcher that hit 2 of the 3 batters was Julio Castillo of the Chiefs.

   Castillo is the player, for many who watched the video, that took the first step in starting the the brawl when he deliberately threw a baseball towards the other team. Where the ball hit was off target, it seems that is a problem for Castillo to hit his target having hit 2 players of the opposing team. Castillo hit a fan in the stands and that fan was taken to a local hospital.

   After the ball was thrown, Castillo was immediately tackled to the ground by a member of the Dragons and as the cliche goes “all hell broke loose”. After the dust from the brawl settled, 15 players and both of the teams Managers were ejected by the Umpires. The ejections were protested by both teams and were allowed to complete the game in which the Dayton Dragons won 6-5.

   Castillo was arrested and charged with felonious assault and is being held on $50,000 bond.

    In other odd news, the Green Bay Packers were informed that QB Brett Favre will attend the teams training camp when it begins on Saturday. This is the next move in the continuing dual between the Packer Great and the organization. Favre has yet to file for re-instatement to the league but all reports have him sending his letter to the Commissioner as late as Friday evening.

   So in this game of chess, Favre has made his move, the question that remains will Green Bay step back or forward?

   Tony Stewart has revealed his new NASCAR Sprint Cup car that he owns. What was not shocking is that he will use the number 14, a tribute to his hero A.J. Foyt who used the number in his INDYcar career. The shocking move was his jump from one Depot, the Home Depot, to another, Office Depot. Old Spice will join Office Depot as co-sponsors of Stewarts new car no.14, now all that is left is for Stewart to hire a new team-mate, as a suggestion from sportsblogger he should hire Ryan Newman.

   As a update from yesterdays ‘NBA Exodus’ story, Sasha Vujacic of the Los Angeles Lakers and Restricted Free-Agent, has informed the team that if they do not offer him a “fair” deal that he will opt for a return to European Basketball.

   That is it for a busy friday, and please do us all a favor and do not watch the Yankees vs Red Sox series at all this weekend. This rivalry has no meaning left thanks to ESPN’s glorification of these 2 teams as the only franchises’ to matter in Major League Baseball.

J.M.Saucedo

   The United States stole International Soccer Superstar David Beckham close to 2 years ago. Now Europe is striking back with one of our nations top sport, Basketball. For some of the European Countries around the Mediterranean, Basketball has become the second favorite sport. Instead of just developing talent and watching it shipped off to NBA, European teams are now holding on to their talent and adding some of the United States top talent.

   This new exodus, if you would like to call it that, started a little over a week ago when top High School Basketball prospect Brandon Jennings skipped the possibility of playing the mandatory one year of College Basketball and signed a deal with a European team. This was a very bold move, and a very profitable one for Jennings, he will have the chance to earn money and play professionally with Europes best players.

   Jennings will actually make more money since the Euro is worth more then our sinking dollar, but with all economics apart, he has opened another option for the door that the NBA closed on prep stars in the U.S. for another option instead of attending College for one year. The question now is how does the NBA keep its players here in the country that invented the sport?

   When being given the opportunity to continue a career as an Atlanta Hawk or playing for Olympiakos of Greece, Hawks G/F Josh Childress chose Greece. Some are not familiar with Childress’ name will be now that he has gone to play basketball in Europe. If Jennings started a trend for High School Stars who do not want to play one season of College Ball, then Childress started a trend for good players who do not want to play for terribly mis-managed organization.

   True, playing in the NBA means that you are among the top Players in the world and are playing against the top talent. However think of some of the top talent in the NBA and some are not homegrown talent. This gives players an option to further their game as well as players in Europe to understand the International game more and will expand the game of basketball. Childress has given a lot of credibility to European Basketball as a real option for any player in the NBA.

   European Basketball has given us Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol and even Kobe Bryant as a young kid had a small stint in Euro-Hoops. So now it seems that it is our turn to give back, lets hope that the NBA can earn some kind of Euro/NBA league and really have a complete “World Champion”.

J.M.Saucedo

   Not many people care for the WNBA or follow the struggling league on a day-to-day basis. Most watch ESPN or FSN to check the scores and highlights around the world of sports and just so happen to come across one or two highlights of the WNBA. The league’s draft this year was headlined by one of the best Womens College basketball player ever, Candace Parker.

   Last night we all came to a strange realization about the league, it too can be so competitive that its athletes can come to punches. The Los Angeles Sparks and Detroit Shock proved that teams in the WNBA are in fact becoming more competitive and rivalries are starting to build. There is no justification for that kind of violence that does not normally allow punches or aggression of that type.

   What is sad is to see the WNBA getting this attention for all the wrong reasons. The fight is not what this blog is about, rather the intensity that surrounded the brawl to hit full circle. With 4.6 seconds left in the game is when this whole fight began and it brought back reminders to us all of the brawl in the NBA in Detroit in 2004. The Pistons, Indiana Pacers and the Fans in Detroit had one of the biggest brawls in North American Sports history.

   One of the worse sites last night had to be after Shock Assistant Coach Rick Mahorn after bumping into the Lisa Leslie of the Sparks and knocking her down, another Sparks player, DeLisha Milton-Jones appeared to be punching Mahorn. Mahorn, a former Detroit Piston, has been involved in a few altercations in his career but seemed to knock over Leslie accidently while trying to stop the brawl.

   During this incident, the fans inside of the Palace of Auburn Hills remained seated and did not get involved, it seems that most of the damage was done when Mahorn knocked Leslie to the ground. For sheer curiosity alone, the ratings for the next game between the Shock and Sparks will indeed receive a spike in ratings. The next time the 2 teams will meet can only be in the WNBA Finals or some time next season.

   Another injury, and this was to a player not the leagues image, was to Detroits Cheryl Ford, She appeared to twist her knee when the melee broke out and had to be carted off the court in a wheel chair. Although bad for the public image of being a clean-cut organization, this brawl will draw interest in the intensity of the players in the WNBA and help draw more casual fans. Lets hope the leagues next big story will not be one of such negativity.

J.M.Saucedo 

   Do you know who the best team in Major League Baseball is? They have the best record and are in one of the largest television markets in the United States, have you guessed yet? Well the answer is the Los Angeles Angels. They are holding the best record and are the first team to 60 wins this season at 60-39. Still most have passed over the team when mentioning the leagues top teams.

   The Angels walked right through the defending Champion Boston Red Sox this weekend by outscoring the Champs 20-7 during their 3 game series. Still shocked? Most are unaware that the Angels are the best in the league, even people in Los Angeles. The Angels have a team batting average of .259 and its pitching staff has a combined era of 3.79. Whether it is by pitching or hitting, the Angels are a solid team with a consistent roster of players.

   Los Angeles is a city known for Championships, whether it is the Lakers, Dodgers, USC, or UCLA, but the Angels do not seem to be making foward strides in their quest to be significant in this major market. In the past 10 years they have added the city name Los Angeles, a World Series Championship, and a trip to the playoffs almost every year. The Angels struggle to gather headlines against the cross-town rival Dodgers.

   The Dodgers, although in a tie for first place, are a game under .500 and have not lived up to expectations in the past 5 seasons. They still dominate headlines in Los Angeles and for the most part, have not been consistent. Recently they have made a surge, but are still struggling to become as consistent as the Angels.

   Perhaps it is the addition of Los Angeles to Angels’ official name that has hurt them. They seemed to be gaining popularity until they ditched the Anaheim Angels and became the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. There was residents who did feel betrayed by the name change, maybe the people of Anaheim really did kick their once beloved Angels to the curb. There has to be an answer to why the best team in Baseball has minimal coverage.

   They have top players like Vladimir Guerrero, Torii Hunter, John Lackey, and Francisco Rodriguez; the star power is there. They have a nice state-of-art stadium that is really fan friendly, so that can not be it. It is really the power of history that the Dodgers hold over the Angels. The Dodgers have always won and brought memories that have lasted all of the 50 years they have been in Los Angeles.

   The Angels have just grown into a team that expects to win within the past 10 years. True, they are winning and deserve all of the credit and attention, but they will always have to fight 50 years of Dodger history here in Los Angeles. Winning the World Series has helped them break out of their shell and has gathered a strong following in the City of Angels. Give the fans some more consitent years and prove you are commited to winning and the fans will come. Use the former Los Angeles Raiders example, they are still Los Angeles’ team and they have been gone for 10 years. Los Angeles is a city of Champions and will except the Angels as long as they keep gunning for Championships, like they have done in the last 10 years.