sportsblogger

   Well, it is not every week that “Shocking/Not So Shocking” makes two appearences, then I awoke today to a flood of Sports news. Most of the news surrounds the NFL and its open Free-Agency period, but I also have a some Shocking MMA news and a MLB story.

   Without further interuption, here is our Special Edition of Shocking/Not So Shocking.

Shocking: DL Albert Haynesworth will leave the Tennessee Titans and become the defensive centerpiece of the Washington Redskins.

A Second Shocking: Haynesworth signed a deal with a surprising price tag of 7-years and $100 million. Haynesworth will be the first ever non-quarterback to ever have a $100 million contract. Talk about spending big and even bigger expectations.

Not So Shocking: We have not seen the last of Randy Couture in the UFC as he will make his return to the Octagon this summer.

Shocking: Couture will continue to fight in the UFC’s now revamped Heavyweight Division, and his opponent at UFC 101 will be Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Both fighters are coming off a loss in which both were UFC Heavyweight Champions.

Not So Shocking: The Cleveland Browns are trying to restructure their team and eliminate all of the problem players under new Head Coach Eric Mangini.

Shocking: Cleveland has started the rebuilding by trading away often out-spoken and often injured TE Kellen Winslow to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for some draft picks.

Shocking: Manny Ramirez has rejected the Los Angeles Dodgers’ latest, and fourth, contract offer this offseason after it was the same as the last offer money wise, $45 million.

Not So Shocking: It is always hard to tell which side or if both sides are playing hardball when it comes to these situations or who actually is winning. My guess is that the Dodgers are winning in the 9th round but are getting tired and maybe ready to throw in the towel.

Shocking: LeBron James went without an assist for an entire game for the first time in his career, as a result the Cavaliers were blown out of their game against the Tracy McGrady-less Houston Rockets.

A Second Shocking: As if things couldn’t get worse, C Ben Wallace will miss 4-6 weeks after breaking his leg in the game. With the Boston Celtics adding Players to their struggling bench, it seems like the Cavaliers will need every player to play their best game for the rest of the season, most importantly LeBron.

J.M.Saucedo

   For plenty of Sportsblogger fans, thanks Abe and Dave, Shocking/Not So Shocking Thursday is the best day for readers to tune-in to our site. Like every Thursday, we explore some of the top stories in the Sports World and expose what is “Shocking” and “Not So Shocking” about them.

Shocking: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking to devote themselves to a new youth movement when they released 5 veterans. Among the released players are LB Derrick Brooks, Wide Receivers Ike Hilliard and Joey Galloway, RB Warrick Dunn and LB Cato June.

Not So Shocking: Who said the recession would not hurt the NFL? Plenty of teams have cut the highest paid players in attempts to lower salary for next season.

Shocking: Los Angeles still holds their collective breaths as we are all still on Manny Ramirez watch as news has reached us that the Dodgers have offered Manny a “New” contract.

Not So Shocking: The offer is similar or should I say exactly the same in terms of money as the first two-year offer the Dodgers already made, 2-years $45 million. At least the Dodgers could include another $2 million or something.

Shocking: Staying in Los Angeles, The Clippers, Yeah I was surprised that they still are located in Los Angeles too, won a big game for the first time in this regular season.

A Second Shocking: What is shocking is the Clippers second victory of the season, ok maybe not second, was against the Boston Celtics! Sure Boston didn’t have Kevin Garnett, but the Clippers are a Division 2 college team at best.

Shocking: The UFC has made an important signing in their Middleweight Division as they have signed former Dream and K-1 Fighter Yoshihiro Akiyama in hopes to extend their Promotion in Japan and other Asian MMA countries.

Not So Shocking: Expect the UFC to continue their domination, not only in the United States, but also Global in the up-coming two years. If all goes as planned, The UFC will become the top Platform for any and every top fighter in MMA.

Shocking: Tiger Woods mad his return to Golf yesterday at the WGC Accenture Match Play tournament in Arizona after an eight month period in which he rehabed his knee.

Not So Shocking: Tiger was Tiger, he won his first match like we all expected he would. Welcome back Tiger, oh and sorry to the rest of the golfers but Woods is back.

J.M.Saucedo

   Every major sports league has had it’s share of rival organizations; the NFL had the AFL, NBA and ABA, and my personal favorite the NFL and XFL. In Mixed Martial Arts  there have been a few organizations that have tried to be the ABA to the UFC’s NBA.

   Everyone constantly points out that the now defunct EliteXC was the biggest challenge to the UFC which was clearly not close. The fact is, as UFC President Dana White pointed out, EliteXC was never on the UFC’s map and therefore the rivalry never existed.

   The one organization that was a great rival for the UFC for quite some time was infact the PRIDE Figthing Championships in Japan. The PRIDE roster bolstered some of the best talent in the world, much of the fighters are now in the UFC.

   PRIDE was the UFC’s competitor, but it also was the best thing that ever happened to the UFC because it forced the UFC to put on better fight cards. In the end, it was the UFC that won the rivalry and the UFC bought the PRIDE FC and most of the fighters contracts.

   The newest rival for the UFC is not very happy about being called the rival organization, that is of course the Strikeforce Promotion. Strikeforce bought the remains of EliteXC and also some of the fighter contracts from the Promotions roster.

   Strikeforce is now the number 2 Promotion in the United States, easily better then Affliction, but will they be successful competitor for the UFC? Only time will tell, but the one thing Strikeforce will not say is they are going to tear down the UFC, they just want to put on great MMA shows.

J.M.Saucedo

   When you grow up and are under 6-feet of height, it is almost certain that a career in any of the three major sports leagues in the United States is unlikely. In the NFL, you may have a shot at making it onto a roster but that certainly does not mean you have a good chance at being a star.

   MLB can also be a home for the under six foot athlete, but is also a rare occasion. In the NBA, it is almost never that a player under six-feet can play in a league built on giants who can play basketball like a point guard dispite being over 7 feet tall.

   When thinking of shorter NBA stars, the names Muggsy Bogues and Spud Webb are probably two of the most well known players. Allen Iverson is always generously listed as being 6 feet tall, but is easily under that and probably stands a very tall 5-10.

   This leads us to the 2009 Slam Dunk Champion, Nate “Krypto-Nate” Robinson of the New York Knicks, who stands proudly at 5 feet and 9 inches. He is a testament to the shorter athletes being successful in a tall mans world, and he is in the same league as the tallest athletes in the world.

   “Krypto-Nate” has been a man on fire of late, in four of his last six games, Robinson has scored 30 points or more including last nights 41 point game. Men that are under six feet are not supposed to be scorers in the NBA, maybe PG’s but not shooters.

   It is almost certain that growing up plenty of people told Robinson that he would be “Too Short” to play in the NBA, but he is proving the doubters wrong. Robinson was also a Cornerback on Washington University’s Football team; it goes to show you that height isn’t everything.

J.M.Saucedo

   There were a lot of good buys for athletes this past weekend, but like any stock market, there were also a lot of bad buys as well. The weekend was highlighted by all of the stars that were in town here in Los Angeles for the Academy Awards.

   As Sportsblogger was not asked to cover or even invited to the world famous award show, we will likely be the best place for pure Sports coverage. As always we review a top story and present the facts to prove if their stock is up or down, followed by a review of last weeks “Sports Market”.

Potential NFL Rookies- After taking a first glance at the entries for this years NFL Draft, I was feeling like this would be a down year for talent in the Draft. After watching the NFL Scouting Combine and getting a look at the talent available my mind was changed.

Potential NFL Rookies are up, and the next NFL season is also up.

UFC Lightweights- Watching Diego Sanchez make his debut at UFC 95 against top lightweight contender Joe Stevenson in a unanimous decision victory for Sanchez. With the win, Sanchez becomes an immediate threat to any potential contenders and even Lightweight Champions B.J.Penn.

With that, the UFC Lightweight Division is up.

Phoenix Suns- After winning three staright games, the Suns looked like they were back on track to their old running ways. But a disappointing performance against the Boston Celtics minus Kevin Garnett, this team is still not the great Suns of old.

The Phoenix Suns are down and likely out.

Marvin Harrison- Spending 13 years with one team is always impressive and even more impressive when it is in the come-and-go NFL. Harrison has been quietly one of the best WR’s of his time, but has requested to be released from the Indianapolis Colts after 13 seasons.

Harrison is down for now, but he will be up once his decides to end his Hall of Fame career.

Last week: Kobe is still up while Shaq is now down; Jaguars are still down after releasing Fred Taylor; Matt Kenseth is up after winning Sundays race here in California, but NASCAR is still down; and finally David Ortiz is now down after also being linked to a banned trainer who is banned for giving clients steroids.

J.M.Saucedo

   It is not everyday that golf is a topic that we all can get excited about, but it is not everyday that the greatest golfer of our time returns to the game. Tiger Woods will in fact return to the game of golf for the first time since his injured knee forced him to have surgery last June.

   Tiger and the game of golf could not have returned any sooner as we are all anxiously waiting for the chance to see Tiger and his repaired knee. My last memory of watching Tiger playing golf, and I say it as if he has been gone for years, was when he limped to victory in the U.S. Open.

   That last win marked Tiger’s 14th Major Championship and 65th win on the PGA Tour which had to be to most dramatic and entertaining of Woods’ career. For plenty of fans of golf, and those who are not as interested, Woods represents a Michael Jordan sort of dominance of the sport.

   It is not that he is the greatest in terms of wins or Major Championships, though he has a great shot at getting there, Tiger represents an intimidation factor that he uses against his opponents. If it is a Sunday Morning and Tiger is wearing his traditional “Red Shirt” you better watch out.

   Everyone knows how badly the PGA needs Tiger and lets face it, Padraig Harrington isn’t exactly a household name, but Tiger is Tiger. It is his character that we all crave to see, that fire, that sense of him hunting down who ever is currently in the lead.

   So on February 25th, Tiger Woods will return after his knee surgery and the birth of his first son, and second child, Charlie. The world of golf has waited eight months for the return of Tiger, and I personally can not wait for that day in Arizona, Mark your calendars.

J.M.Saucedo

   The NBA Trade Deadline has passed, with several teams making moves and now the question is did your team make the right one? Some of the deals that were made are not as big as you think but there are some names out there who can make a big difference.

   So here we are, the unofficial start of the second half of the NBA season and teams have now made trades to improve their rosters for the Playoff push. Now we begin the Shocking/Not So Shocking NBA Trade Deadline Edition with our typical Shocking/Not So Shocking rules.

Shocking: The NBA is accustomed to having huge trade deadline block-buster deal, this year was a bit of a let down as there was no major Superstars traded today.

A Second Shocking: With Shaquille O’Neal, Amare Stoudemire, and Vince Carter all on the trading block, not one major Superstar was even close to be traded.

Not So Shocking: When PG Jameer Nelson needed season-ending surgery, it was an easy guess that the Orlando Magic would try and trade for a Point Guard.  

Shocking: The Magic acquired PG Rafer Alston in a three team trade with Memphis, and the Rockets that helps with the loss of Nelson.

Not So Shocking: The Cleveland Cavaliers are still trying to improve their team and be a larger contender in the NBA and Eastern Conference.

Shocking: The Cavaliers were reportedly in talks to acquire Shaquille O’Neal from the Phoenix Suns when the deal fell through. Can you imagine Shaq and LeBron James on the same team!

Shocking: The trade that would send New Orleans Hornets C Tyson Chandler to the Oklahoma City Thunder was rescinded after Chandler could not pass his physical with the Thunders Doctors.

A Second Shocking: How does that work out for both teams who have to send players back to their original teams and play the rest of the season.

J.M.Saucedo

   The best part of the NFL Offseason, I know it is hard to believe that there is a best part, is not having to hear any Dallas Cowboys news. Further more, the best part about not hearing Cowboys news is hearing about either Terrell Owens or Tony Romo.

   Romo has been saying for quite some time now that he is going to be the leader of the Cowboys and that his team can and will win the Super Bowl this season. I have every inclination that Romo needs to re-evaluate the Cowboys roster and realize the team will implode before the Playoffs begin.

   The fact is, the Cowboys are not a team, but a collection of individuals who happen to play in Dallas and get paid to do so. But that is just the beginning, now rumors have been flying that Dallas is set to release Owens and move forward as a team.

   Like that would ever happen; Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones keeps insisting that Owens will not be released by the team and I must say I believe him. I may dislike Owens’ antics, but you have to respect his ability on the field and also that attitude that attracts fans to his games.

   Owens, like Jones, can sell the hype that he brings and will say everything to get you a story, hence the story I am currently writing. But please, the season was over earlier this month, the two teams that played in the Super Bowl were not the Cowboys, lets all move forward.

   If Jones says Owens is staying, the leave him alone and allow the team to implode on its own, there is nothing you can do to avoid it. I hope the media stops reporting the on-going “T.O. should be released” story, Jerry Jones loves T.O. and there is nothing we can do about it, T.O. will remain in Dallas.

J.M.Saucedo

   With Alex Rodriguez coming clean about his steroid use from 2001-2003 and saying he was curious about using the banned substance, the question is who believes him? What can we believe about a man who has cheated in his profession to get an unfair advantage?

   Sure, the blame also falls on Major League Baseball for not being strict against the use of steroids, but with steroids record of hurting more than helping, why did A-Rod use? If he is truthful about what only using from ‘01-’03, the years before that he was already great starting in 1996.

   As much as I would personally like to believe him, he cheated us and anyone who has paid to see him play baseball when he was with the Texas Rangers. Rodriguez said he has not used since 2003, he did have a great year in 2007 but is that now tainted as well?

   A-Rod can make a statement by performing in the 9 years remaining on his 10 year contract and winning a few more MVP’s and Championship. If he is able to do that, and cleanly do it, he could salvage his image and remain one of the best baseball players ever.

   If he were to continue at his career batting average of .306 for the rest of his 9 years in MLB, he can easily be remembered as the on of the best. If you scrap the 156 homeruns that he hit in Texas while on steroids, leaving him currently with 397 homeruns, he can still hit a legit 500 homeruns in his career.

   These are all marks that are still within’ the reach of Alex Rodriguez and although he has tarnished his reputation, he still has the chance to repair it. My guess is, Rodriguez will successfully repair his image and still retire as one of the greatest 3B/SS to ever play the game of Baseball.

J.M.Saucedo

   There are always athletes or sports Franchises that have a lot invested in the opinion of the fans. With Sports Market Mondays here on Sportsblogger, we take the top stories of the week so far and place a tag on it declaring it either the stock being up or down and a short review of the previous weeks Market.

Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant- What a game these two players had Sunday night during the NBA Allstar Game in which both players shared the game MVP. The two players looked like the Shaq and Kobe of old and leave the NBA swirling by leading the West to a dominating victory.

Shaq and Kobe’s stock is up.

Jacksonville Jaguars- The team is set to release veteran RB Fred Taylor who has been the face of the franchise for 11 years. Taylor even said he was willing to re-structure his contract to receive less money to remain with the only NFL team he has played for.

Jaguars denied Taylor, and for that their stock is down.

Matt Kenseth- NASCAR’s version of the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500, was won by Kenseth but the race itself was shortened due to rain. What is disappointing is Kenseth only led one lap of the race and was basically handed the Daytona 500 which was clearly not close to being over.

Kenseth is the winner, NASCAR is the loser, stock is down.

David Ortiz- Speaking out against steroids for MLB players is not a very easy thing to do, Ortiz did so and expressed his idea to ban anyone caught using steroids for a year. This is what we all want to hear, the players in MLB standing up for the integrity of their League.

The stock is up for Ortiz speaking out.

   Last week A-Rod was up, now he is down; Lakers were up and are still up; Clancy Pendergast was down and he still out of a job and still down; NASCAR was down and after yesterday they are still down and losing stock fast; and finally the UFC Heavyweights were up and are still moving up.

J.M.Saucedo