Spencer-
This was a great move by Oakland, and both teams won in my mind. For the Cubs they get another top young prospect to use in their rebuilding project and get
rid of a star pitcher that was probably going to walk for more money at the years end anyway. Only thing working against them was that it gives them now three top shortstop prospects and obviously only one can play the position. Wouldn't be surprised to see Starlin Castro on one of the teams in New York next season. For the A's though this deal was a statement about the expectations for this team. They want to win a championship and they will do what it takes to do it, NOW. Obviously Addison Russell is a terrific talent and one that fit their mold for stock piling young talent and bringing in the right pieces around them. Acquiring Samardzija and Hammel though gives them two more pitchers to add to the mix with Sonny Gray and Scott Kazmir. It was the first time we saw the Athletics be an aggressor in a trade and I absolutely loved it. This trade favors them in the long run for the rest of the season. It gives them now four starters who can dominate game in and game out. Justin Verlander brought up the point that he saw this as the A's trying to put together a rotation that can run with his own in Detroit and that is an interesting theory. We've seen Oakland fall to Detroit in the playoffs the last couple years and they saw this as a way to get over the hump. I think it gives them the last punch they need to chase a championship so the Tigers and the rest of the league better make necessary moves to compete with them. Ty-
This trade made sense for both teams. The A's get more pitching to help a season that looks very promising at the moment. The Cubs are not very good and it was smart of them to deal Samardzija for something rather than lose him for nothing later. The Cubs got some intriguing prospects that they can hope develope. The A's already have great pitching and are 2nd in the league in ERA but the A's could definitely use another good starting pitcher. The person who has to be the happiest is Jeff Samardzija who goes from a team that seemed to always lack run support to a team that leads the league in runs. The A's might be a team known for moneyball but this deal could be a crucial one that we look back at if the A's win the world seried.
2. With rumors circulating about free agent Carmelo Anthony narrowing his decision down to the Los Angeles Lakers and a return to the New York Knicks where will Anthony actually end up and are his two final choices a surprise?
Ty-
My mind is telling me that he ends up back in New York. But I think he is having a hard time deciding for a reason.
The Lakers make very little sense to me. Regardless of what a Lakers fan might say the Lakers are in a rebuilding situation and their pitch seems to be based on a lot of "what if" scenarios. Both the Knicks and the Lakers are in the same spot in terms of their roster and rebuilding. So why wouldn't Melo just stay in New York and get another year and almost 30 millon more dollars. That makes the most sense to me if money is what Carmelo covets. The Bulls are still in the mix because they can offer a team already complete and ready to contend for a championship team. So it comes down to whether Carmelo wants to get paid or if he wants to win because Chicago is the closest thing to a sure thing. As for whether I am surprised these are the teams? No. The Lakers will always have at least an outside chance with free agents because the city is so appealing to live in. The Knicks make sense because he already lives there and a lot goes into having to move a family to a new city. At the end of the day though I sill feel Melo should pick the Bulls but it seems like he is going to go back to the Knicks. It is kind of crazy if Melo opted out of his contract to re-up because it would have benefit him more financially if he just signed his extension for a year and re-signed next year.
Spencer-
He's going to end up back in New York for whatever reason. My guess is the money is more important to him than being on a team that is a championship contender now. Obviously if it was the opposite we'd be hearing about him looking into making it work in Chicago or Houston but if the Knicks and Lakers are really his favorites the money has to be his biggest factor. New York can obviously offer the max, he most likely believes in Phil Jackson's ability to build a roster around him and he's been in New York the last three seasons and so it's familiar to him.
3. The 2014 MLB All-Star Teams are set, is there anyone who got snubbed this year and which team do you think will win the All-Star game and home field advantage in the World Series?
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Ty-
I can't really think of any snubs on the all-star teams but there are always going to be guys who could have made the team. A guy like Ian Kinsler has an argument to be on the team after posting batting splits of .306/.342/.486 and 60 runs scored. there is several guys like that but I don't think that there is anybody on the All -star team that you can take off to replace him. The only exception might be Derek Jeter but he has to be on the team because it is his last year and it is only right that he attends after everything that he has done for baseball.
Ty-
It is kind of crazy that Josh Gordon is in more trouble. It was intriguing to me before that Gordon was reportedly going to be suspended but the league had not officially announced anything for some reason. Now he has a DUI to basically seal his fate. He has demonstrates in his young career that he incapable of staying out of trouble. He couldn't do it in college and continues to get in trouble in the NFL. Even if you believe Marijuana should be legal, it doesn't excuse a DUI which is pretty heinous now a days. It sucks because he could be one of the best wide receivers in the league but there is only so many chances that teams are going to give him before he get's the Ochocinco treatment. I think the Browns will still keep him but he would be on very thin ice. Even then I wouldn't be surprised if they did release him.
Spencer-
5. What we learned:
Spencer- At age 32 Roger Federer can still play with the new top talents in tennis
fan of his today, despite his aging and coming up short in grand slams over the last few years. After he dominated his way through the Wimbledon Tournament all the way to the finals, it was evident he isn't ready to concede his greatness just yet. Federer won every match on the way to the final in straight sets except his quarterfinal match with his countryman Stan Wawrinka where he won in four sets. Then he made it to the final where he met up with the young, new star Novak Djokovic. It was the ultimate pairing between the older, wiser veteran whose been there before and the younger, fresher talent who aspires to be as great as the other.
The final match itself was one of the best matches I had ever seen. Now I don't watch a ton of tennis but I have seen some great matches over the years and I pair this one right up there with the Federer and Nadal Wimbledon final in 2010. This years match had it all. Momentum swings for both players. Terrific aces that made the opposing competitor look over matched. Multiple breaks for each player. An amazing rally to save the match by Federer in the fourth set, when facing a match point. It was dramatic and exciting from start to finish. Every time you though Federer was down and out, growing too tired to keep up with the younger Djokovic, he hung in their kept his cool and battled back. For those who didn't watch, Federer trailed Djokovic two sets to one, and 5-2 in the fourth set and had just been broken twice. He had to break Djokovic back several times, hold his serve and fend off a match point to force a decisive fifth set, and he did. It was awesome. I think the way Djokovic worded it after the match is that Federer had "nerves of steal," a terrific way to describe how he's continued to give himself a chance against tough, youthful competition despite his age. Federer just doesn't get rattled. He's playing in enough matches to know that when his back is against the wall anything is still possible. He's played in the big time situations that he can keep his composure and somehow keep himself in the game even if he isn't the player he once was. It's astounding really. He uses his wit, not to mention a killer serve, to keep himself at the top of the tennis world. I mentioned the serve because it was dominant the entire tournament long. In the final he racked up 29 aces at times making Djokovic look silly, although it wasn't enough in the end, when Federer is serving like that he can honestly compete with anyone at the professional level.
In the end it was a great win for Novak Djokovic who had to get himself together after dropping a fourth set that he probably should of won, and beat Wimbledon's best player. He did, and props to him. Even though there was concern about Djokovic's knees entering the fifth set, he held his ground and out dueled Federer in the end, but what I saw from Federer and his resiliency, is a guy who is by no means ready to hang it up. He's only getting older yes, but as long as he is making Grand Slam finals and giving himself a shot there is no reason he should be retiring. He isn't the same athlete he used to be, but he still has enough in the tank to make a run at some majors before it is all said and done. I for one hope to see him win another one or two before he retires and hands the reigns completely to guys like Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Ty- NBA Free Agency is Moving Slow But Could Overhaul NBA Landscape
It is getting a little monotonous waiting for LeBron and Carmelo to decide where they are going in free agency but we should enjoy this time to speculate what the NBA could be.
Right now there is a scenario where so many things in the NBA landscape can change and shape who wins the championships in the next couple of years.
If LeBron returns to the Cavs, Carmelo joins the Bulls and Bosh joins the Rockets than it it adds 3 teams to the contender table.
It would also benefit Bosh to return to Houston too because in Miami he had to play Center and bang around with bigger guys. Bosh had to focus on playing center and the Heat were routinely out-rebounded because of this.
In Houston Bosh would be able to play his natural position and still have the free reign to still launch 3's as a semi-stretch four. It also helps that the Rockets love shooting 3 pointers anyway. This move could take stress off Bosh's body and possibly extend his career.
LeBron joining the Cavs have their benefits because it could be a great PR move even for a guy with the stature of Lebron. Also the Cavs have young pieces that could help LeBron win and would be markedly better with James on the roster.
Let's face it Bron Bron could join any team and make them instant contenders, especially in the east. Even if the Joined the Hornet's it would make a supporting cast of Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson look a lot better than it does. So a young Cavs team would be able to grow with James as well.
The Cavs roster is alot better than it was 4 years ago when he left. That 09-10 team had a bunch of older players past their prime. The Cavs now have up and coming young players and feature something that LeBron never had, an elite point guard. If LeBron could make Moe Williams better, imagine how much better he could make Kyrie Irving.But the most interesting thing that could happen would be Melo going to the Bulls. Which would be even more appealing in this scenario because the Heat would be gone and Melo would only have to compete with the new Cavs, the Pacers and maybe the Wizards. The Bulls would probably move into a favorite to win it all.
These are all crazy what if scenarios but that's why free agency is great, we get to dive into all the crazy scenarios we can think of.
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