Who Plays the Game?

Today coach Herm Edwards, formerly of the New York Jets, reached an agreement in principle to become the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, receiving a substantial raise and leaving a team that he's under contract to in a lurch.

Of course, all I have to say is "Good for the Jets!" Herm Edwards has underachieved grossly in the last few years, although this year with crippling injuries to about eighteen Jets quarterbacks he had an excuse. More importantly I say "Good for the Jets!" because they get a 4th round draft pick out of letting Herm go to Kansas City.

Last time I checked players still play football in the NFL, and while a 4th round draft pick may not sound like a great deal I challenge you to just look around at the 4th round draft picks from 2005 who contributed as rookies. The list includes Kyle Orton, Marion Barber, Brandon Jacobs, and Darren Sproles. There are good players to be had in round four of the NFL draft.

The Chiefs will say that they have all the players they need, and that the team needed to bring in a head coach who could mold their talented but porous defense into something useful. I'm sorry, but that team has had a string of great defensive coordinators. It's time for them to admit that they don't have the talent they need. They would have been far better off using that 4th rounder on a DB or a DT instead of using it on an underachieving, but stand-up, coach.

Go Chiefs. As a Broncos fan I applaud another imbecile move by you folks!

Schizophrenia or just memory loss?

Alex has only been hit with 98 pitches in his twelve big league seasons.
Manny has been with only 77 pitches in one more year than A-Rod.

This leads me to conclude that schizophrenia is running rampant through our sport.

"I want to be traded," Manny says! We know he said it, because he's been saying it for months, nay, years, now. A few days ago though this quote showed up on ESPN Deportes:

"There will be no trade. I'm staying in Boston, where I'm familiar with the system and where I have a lot of friends, especially David Ortiz."

Today though Manny's agent says he has no recollection of this conversation, or even this reporter. Here I was bemoaning the state of "journalism" in the English language and apparently it's no better than the fictitious journalism in other languages! You see though, I refuse to believe that the reporter made this up, and if Manny doesn't remember saying it then there are only two possible explanations.

Memory loss or Schizophrenia?

A-Rod made a "statement" a while back that he would be playing for the Dominican during the World Baseball Classic. Following a public outcry he backed off and said that he wouldn't be playing at all.

Then the New York Times reports that A-Rod tells them he's playing for the United States. Just follow the logic for a moment, because now I'm telling you that the NY Times told me that A-Rod told them he'd play for the red, white, and blue.

Now Alex blames the Player's Association for leaking this "news" too soon, when it was never what he wanted to talk to them about to begin with. He's going to stand behind his announcement to skip the tournament, cutting yet another marquee name out of a competition that is quickly becoming a joke.

So, which is this? Is A-Rod suffering memory loss or he is a little schizo too? Regardless of the answer it seems that either baseball players don't communicate that well or the current "journalism" public doesn't listen very well. Regardless, all this news means that A-Rod will only be a Yankee in 2006, Manny won't be playing for those pansies in Boston, (at least this week), and the WBC will be nothing more than a glorified exihibition tournament, and by the time it reaches the finals it won't include a single team that the mainland US gives a rat's ass about.

Thank God the finals are taking place a mere 30 minute drive from my house, because I can't possibly miss it with all the big name players who won't be there!

How good is Andy Marte?

Baseball America is doing their annual rundown of the Top 10 prospects in each organization, and Andy Marte is so good that he is the number one prospect in two organizations!

Don't believe me? Check it out here!

These reports come out every few days, and started with the NL East, so the Braves report was one of the first ones up, long before the crucial baseball winter meetings, which are annually one of my favorite times of year.

What I don't understand is why he's not still the number one prospect in the Braves organization? At some point this year Cuban defector Yunel Escobar will be ready to play short in The Show, and while he won't be Renteria in the field he will certainly hit for more power and a better average than Renteria will. This leaves the Braves with a disgruntled Cuban or with the problem of trying to deal Renteria again.

What a disaster. I will never understand trading away a power-hitting third baseman who has 10 years of good baseball ahead of him for a one year fix at shortstop. The Red Sox made the bad Renteria signing, let them suffer for it.

Come on Braves!

By the way, if you can't read all the Baseball America subscriber exclusive contract it's time to either quit calling yourself a baseball fan or pony up the money for a year subscription. You can't be a baseball fan in this country without Baseball America.

This is a sports blog.

When I left college I started off in the journalism world with a sports-writing job covering the Rockies, and at that time got to join the BBWAA, and have been a member ever since.

Since that time though I've left the journalism world and gone to work for myself as a contractor doing freelance writing and editing. One of the things I want to do in 2006 is get back into sports journalism, and this blog is going to serve as a practice run, somewhere to write for myself and whoever happens to read it.

This blog will only cover my thoughts on the various sports stories going on around me. I maintain a blog at Myspace for everything else, but here the topic will be sports and only sports.

About my sports choices. In most sports I follow a team or two very closely, and then the rest of the league a little bit. Let's take a quick look at what teams I'm a fan of.

Baseball -
Yankees: Ever since my first visit to New York and a tour of the stadium. How can you not be a fan of that much history and tradition?
Brewers: I grew up in the era of Molitor and Yount, and those old boyhood loyalties die hard.
Padres: I follow them, and hope for the playoffs, because I live here.

Pro Football -
Broncos: I lived in Denver during the Elway era, and still follow the "predominantly orange" uniform of the Broncos.
Giants: I'm a big Eli fan, I love the way he told the Chargers off. :)

College Football -
The MWC: I watch any team from the Mountain West. Colorado State, Air Force, Wyoming (which is the hockey sweater I'm wearing in the picture and where I went to school.) I still love the old conference.

Hockey -
Avs: I grew up a North Stars fan, but lived in Colorado when the Avs moved there. Still a big fan, watching every game on NHL Center Ice from here in hockey purgatory...Southern California.

I also love lacrosse, both indoor and outdoor, but most people won't know who the Mammoth, the Outlaws, or the Riptide are. Stick around in this blog long enough and you will. From foreign lands I follow the Italian Serie A, cheering on Lazio for the most part, as well as the English Premier League's Manchester United.

I love sports, and this blog will be about them. Primarily I intend to focus on baseball and hockey, my two favorites. I hope you enjoy!