Archive for March, 2010

On April 11th the Boston Red Sox will visit Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium to take on the ever-flailing Royals, and Jason Varitek will turn 38.   Whether Varitek will catch that day remains to be seen. In 2010, Varitek will mainly make spot starts while sharing the job with the more offensively capable, 31-year-old Victor Martinez.   Varitek is getting old and has been getting old for quite a while. Perhaps this finally approaching ...

Pittsburgh Steelers in Race Against Time to Reload Defense

Posted: 30th March 2010 by Todd Fleming in NFL
I was somewhat surprised when looking at the Sporting News Draft Guide for 2010 to see every Steelers defensive position except for the two safety spots listed as need areas. Considering how great the defense was in 2008, this was somewhat shocking. While the defense struggled to hold leads in 2009, it still put together a very sound statistical season. However, it is hard to argue with the magazine’s assessment. If anything, ...

Oakland Raiders: A Formula To Getting Back on the Winning Track

Posted: 30th March 2010 by Mihir Bhagat in NFL
The once-successful Raiders franchise has been on a dismal downturn for the past seven seasons, accumulating a record of 29-83 (.259). For a while now, they have been considered a laughing stock in the NFL, and have been gradually losing their fan base. You can’t really blame them though; there hasn’t been much to cheer about in Oakland recently. The organization continues to make poor decisions, both, on the field ...
Brian Burke would never be accused of sitting around. Following recent speculation the Burke and the Maple Leafs were courting Norwegian free agent Mats Zuccarello Aasen, 23-year-old college free agent Brayden Irwin today signed a two-year entry-level deal with the club. The 6'5" Toronto native will finish the season with the Leafs then report to training camp in the fall. Irwin, a former teammate of current Toronto Maple Leaf Viktor Stalberg, just ...

NFL Draft: Sam Bradford Officially a St. Louis Ram

Posted: 29th March 2010 by Allen Kenney in NFL
Pro football bigwigs such as Mike Holmgren and Pete Carroll descended on Norman, Okla., Monday to take in the long-awaited pro day of Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford. Hope all the big-name gawkers enjoyed watching Bradford, because they're certainly not going to be coaching him any time soon. Sign it, seal it, deliver it: Bradford is heading to St. Louis as the Rams' first overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft. By all ...
For any baseball fan, there is no better time of year. The sun has finally broke through, spring training is in its final days, and it's time to play ball.  This Sunday will mark the beginning of the 2010 season as the Yankees and Red Sox start off their season at Fenway Park. This matchup should be a great prelude to what will be another great season of baseball. However for one team, ...

Buffalo Bills Should Trade for Baltimore Ravens OT Jared Gaither

Posted: 29th March 2010 by Robert Quinn in NFL
Upon the beginning of this year's free agency period, Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle, Jared Gaither was regarded as one of the best tackles in the class. However, when the NFL Players Union and owners failed to agree to a collective bargaining agreement, Gaither was suddenly a restricted free agent, and was tendered at a first round level, meaning that any team that wanted to sign Gaither, would have ...
For the amount of grief Phoenix Suns general manager Steve Kerr got during the first years of his tenure, mostly for the Shaquille O'Neal experiment (which Kerr maintains was not a trade he was favorable of) and also the failed hiring of Terry Porter as head coach, it may seem unlikely and weird in a way that he is basically on due for a contract extension this offseason . ...

Boston Red Sox Top 10 Prospects: No. 7 Michael Bowden

Posted: 29th March 2010 by Jeffrey Brown in MLB
Drafted: First Round, supplemental, 2005 (Aurora, IL) Height: 6′3″ Weight: 215 lbs Born: September 9, 1986 The 23-year-old righty put together another strong season in Triple-A last year, going 4-6, 3.13, in 126 IP…but he struggled in a brief promotion with the big league club (1-1, 9.56). In an interview, Portland Sea Dogs pitching coach Mike Cather told me that he has never met anyone who works harder than Bowden…so if hard work counts ...

Injury Update: Junichi Tazawa Seeks Consultation on Elbow

Posted: 29th March 2010 by Jeffrey Brown in MLB
Red Sox minor league pitcher Junichi Tazawa visited Birmingham, AL, to consult with orthopedist James Andrews this afternoon. As of the posting of this article, neither the player nor the team had received the results of the exam—or at least not that they have made public. The right-hander started experiencing discomfort in his right elbow late last season. During the course of spring training there were times when he has felt ...