Joe Soriano
O.J. Lewis3/16 Sports Review: ESPN is in Hot Water
This morning, I was on my laptop checking the news in sports. My eyes caught a headline that said Report: Phils float around Howard-Pujols deal. Let me make myself clear here, Pujols is going nowhere. Every team in baseball knows this, and would never make an offer. Howard and Pujols are not angry, but they have the right to be. ESPN owes an apology because Phillies' GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has vigorously denied these claims. Amaro does not lie about speculation. The rumor gained more speed thanks to some blockbuster-trade-hungry- fans.
As I am now writing this post, I saw a breaking news headline that made me smile. Tiger Woods is back. He is back after a four-month break to compete in the Masters. Ah, he finally made the right decision and I can finally pretend to be interested in golf again.
Let me make my stance on Alex Ovechkin known. I despise him. He is a jerk. Ovechkin assaulted a lady at the Olympics, and he has repeatedly made some cheap hits. He made a dirty and jarring hit on Blackhawks' defensman Brian Campbell. Campbell broke his clavicle and will be out for the entire season. This is what Ovechkin had to say:“There’s nothing I can do right now. He just fell and this happens."
Wow, what a classless person. There was not even a pang of remorse in that statement. Not only were Ovechkin's actions wrong, but the NHL's were too. A two game suspension is nothing for a cheap hit that broke somebody's clavicle. The NHL basically give no punishments for misconduct, and they wonder why nobody likes their poorly run league. The Russian Concussion will never be an all time great because of his conduct.
The Seattle Seahawks never cease to amaze. They cut captain and star safety Deon Grant. Deon had a good year with 78 tackles and 3 picks. They did a good job in resigning pass rusher Darryl Tapp to a one year deal from his RFA tender. The DE had 49 tackles last year. Deon Grant was supposed to make four million this year, which is a fair price. Many teams just seem to want to only pay out cheap. The interesting thing is, Grant had better numbers than Tapp, but it is hard to not get released at the age of 31.
Linebacker Larry Foote wanted to get back to winning ways. Last year, he requested a release from the Pittsburgh Steelers because he wanted to start after he learned that rookie linebacker Lawrence Timmons would start over him. He went to the Lions, but now he is back with the Steelers on a three year deal. The deal is worth 9.3 million overall, and he will give them some good veteran depth. Foote will also greatly improve team chemistry. Many people think that the 30 year old is having a huge decline in his skills. He is not as prolific as he once was, but he was still great last year posting up 99 tackles.
The Arizona Cardinals were talking to Larry Foote before he was signed. They hoped that Foote would fill in the team's void at linebacker. Foote wanted to start with the Cardinals more than he wanted to play with the Steelers, but both sides could not work out terms. The Cards were forced to get sign their backup plan, Paris Lenon, to a three year deal. I would take Foote over Lenon any day. Hey, at least he forced 3 fumbles last year.
An interesting sidenote, it was reported that Brett Favre was trying to recruit running back LaDainian Tomlinson, now with the Jets, to the Minnesota Vikings. This is a sign that Favre may not retire. LT mainly picked the Jets over the Vikings because he knew he would get more playing time behind Shonn Greene than behind Adrian Peterson. Favre used to play for the Jets himself. Last year, Favre had the second highest QB rating; had the third highest completion percentage in the league;and threw for the second most touchdowns.
In basketball, Kobe Bryant scored 29 as the Lakers survived the Warriors 124-122. The Lake Show overcame Stephen Curry's amazing 29 points with 9 assists and five rebounds thanks to 26 points and a rebound total of nine from Pau Gasol. Gasol and Bryant are amazing playing together. Carmelo Anthony dropped in a whopping 45 points with 10 rebounds against the Houston Rockets, however Aaron Brooks' heroics led the Rockets to an upset victory. Brooks had 31 points and 9 assists while his teammate Luis Scola scored 23 points with 11 rebounds. 125-123 was the scoreline thanks to Aaron's swished jumper with 2.9 left.
The Celtics proved some balance as they routed the Detroit Pistons. Toney Douglas proved me right in the draft when I said he would become a very good player. He keeps on streaking as he scored 20 points with 7 assists for the Knicks in their victory against the Sixers.
Today's man of the day was tough. Guys like Albert Pujols, Toney Douglas, Aaron Brooks, Ryan Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, Pau Gasol, and Tiger Woods made their cases. I will pick Anthony because he is a prolific scorer, and a point total of 45 from one player is a rare thing to see.
As I am now writing this post, I saw a breaking news headline that made me smile. Tiger Woods is back. He is back after a four-month break to compete in the Masters. Ah, he finally made the right decision and I can finally pretend to be interested in golf again.
Let me make my stance on Alex Ovechkin known. I despise him. He is a jerk. Ovechkin assaulted a lady at the Olympics, and he has repeatedly made some cheap hits. He made a dirty and jarring hit on Blackhawks' defensman Brian Campbell. Campbell broke his clavicle and will be out for the entire season. This is what Ovechkin had to say:“There’s nothing I can do right now. He just fell and this happens."
Wow, what a classless person. There was not even a pang of remorse in that statement. Not only were Ovechkin's actions wrong, but the NHL's were too. A two game suspension is nothing for a cheap hit that broke somebody's clavicle. The NHL basically give no punishments for misconduct, and they wonder why nobody likes their poorly run league. The Russian Concussion will never be an all time great because of his conduct.
The Seattle Seahawks never cease to amaze. They cut captain and star safety Deon Grant. Deon had a good year with 78 tackles and 3 picks. They did a good job in resigning pass rusher Darryl Tapp to a one year deal from his RFA tender. The DE had 49 tackles last year. Deon Grant was supposed to make four million this year, which is a fair price. Many teams just seem to want to only pay out cheap. The interesting thing is, Grant had better numbers than Tapp, but it is hard to not get released at the age of 31.
Linebacker Larry Foote wanted to get back to winning ways. Last year, he requested a release from the Pittsburgh Steelers because he wanted to start after he learned that rookie linebacker Lawrence Timmons would start over him. He went to the Lions, but now he is back with the Steelers on a three year deal. The deal is worth 9.3 million overall, and he will give them some good veteran depth. Foote will also greatly improve team chemistry. Many people think that the 30 year old is having a huge decline in his skills. He is not as prolific as he once was, but he was still great last year posting up 99 tackles.
The Arizona Cardinals were talking to Larry Foote before he was signed. They hoped that Foote would fill in the team's void at linebacker. Foote wanted to start with the Cardinals more than he wanted to play with the Steelers, but both sides could not work out terms. The Cards were forced to get sign their backup plan, Paris Lenon, to a three year deal. I would take Foote over Lenon any day. Hey, at least he forced 3 fumbles last year.
An interesting sidenote, it was reported that Brett Favre was trying to recruit running back LaDainian Tomlinson, now with the Jets, to the Minnesota Vikings. This is a sign that Favre may not retire. LT mainly picked the Jets over the Vikings because he knew he would get more playing time behind Shonn Greene than behind Adrian Peterson. Favre used to play for the Jets himself. Last year, Favre had the second highest QB rating; had the third highest completion percentage in the league;and threw for the second most touchdowns.
In basketball, Kobe Bryant scored 29 as the Lakers survived the Warriors 124-122. The Lake Show overcame Stephen Curry's amazing 29 points with 9 assists and five rebounds thanks to 26 points and a rebound total of nine from Pau Gasol. Gasol and Bryant are amazing playing together. Carmelo Anthony dropped in a whopping 45 points with 10 rebounds against the Houston Rockets, however Aaron Brooks' heroics led the Rockets to an upset victory. Brooks had 31 points and 9 assists while his teammate Luis Scola scored 23 points with 11 rebounds. 125-123 was the scoreline thanks to Aaron's swished jumper with 2.9 left.
The Celtics proved some balance as they routed the Detroit Pistons. Toney Douglas proved me right in the draft when I said he would become a very good player. He keeps on streaking as he scored 20 points with 7 assists for the Knicks in their victory against the Sixers.
Today's man of the day was tough. Guys like Albert Pujols, Toney Douglas, Aaron Brooks, Ryan Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, Pau Gasol, and Tiger Woods made their cases. I will pick Anthony because he is a prolific scorer, and a point total of 45 from one player is a rare thing to see.
45 Points
