Tuesday, August 31, 2010

USA Mens Soccer....SMH

It hurt so much to share this that I waited a day before starting this. Bob Bradley received a 4 year extension to be the coach of the USA Mens team. Just last week it was reported that the US Soccer Federation was in talks with Jurgen Klinsman, when I had read that I was ELATED!!! Now...just sad!! In 4 more years at the next World Cup, Mr. Bradley will lead a somewhat talented team to another embarrassing loss. I understand that those are strong words after the job he did this past year, I do think that he's a decent coach. I just don't think he has any idea how to put a team together. There were so many weapons left at home last year when the US went to the World Cup, I just can't watch that again knowing that they are not bringing the full arsenal. Youth needs to be injected into that line up, and their is a lot of US youth playing in different leagues around the world getting very valuable experience. It's time to look past their age and at their skill, they need to be on the field!! I do hope Mr. Bradley has an epiphany and does exactly what I am recommending so that the US will be loaded. If not the USA fans should expect the same kind of inconsistent level of play as in past years. Do you think Bob Bradley did/does a good job?? Would you have preferred Jurgne Klinsman, or was Bradley the right choice? Will the US ever be true contenders under the watch of Bob Bradley??

Team USA's Big Scare...

So yesterday the US hung on to beat Brazil 70-68. I was relieved they won, but I sat there and watched the whole game and came away thinking that US is hurting themselves. Coach K, needs to remember that he's not at Duke and that starting 5 can and SHOULD be tinkered with. The US starting 5 is not a reflection of the best players on the team, leaving Durant and Rose out there with limited fire power is not fair. I love the defensive intensity that Andre Iguadola brings to this team, I'd love it more if he'd bring it from off the bench!! Iggy doesn't look comfortable out there with the starting 5 offensively, I mean he's been in the league for more than a few years now and he doesn't even look for his shot out there. It's almost like playing 4 on 5 on offense, KD needs help!! Rose is responsible for running the show and he picks and chooses his spots, I also think he kind of holds back because he is often paired with Billups and he defers to him. I think Billlups should come off the bench as well, he should be the leader of that 2nd unit. When the US started to make their run, they had Rose, Gordon, Gay, Durant, and Love out on the floor. I understand that Love is a little small, but knowing HOW to rebound goes a long way. Love is also capable of strecthing the defense with his perimiter shooting. Gordon would be the desingated long range gunner with this unit, and putting Gay out there with Durant gives KD another guy out there who isn't AFRAID to shoot the ball. The pairing of Gay and Durant would also give teams fits, one of those guys is going to have someone far smaller on them and their added length would negate the height of Love. I don't want to see any more close games when there shouldn't be the need for it. I understand Coach K and his whole sacrifice and share message, but that is going to bite us in the end if he doesn't put more players who WANT to shoot on the floor to give KD and Rose some options!!! Do you think Coach K is putting the best players out on the floor?? Should he change his rotations? Or was Brazil just that good and the US should be happy with their result??

Friday, August 27, 2010

Fallen Phenom...

Dear Stephen Strasburg, thankyou for making this baseball season worth watching. As a Yankees fan I generally ignore the sport due to the length of the regular season, I ususally don't start getting into baseball til the pennant races. You are the sole reason that I have been reading baseball articles and looking into up and coming prospects to see if they will fare as great as you did this season. You singlehandedly revived a franchise every day that you were scheduled to start, not too many players can do that in any sport let alone in their ROOKIE season. After hearing of your current state, injuries and the name of the surgery that I shall not name I would like to be the FIRST person to say that you WILL be back to your normal self. To me and before everybody attacks this...I repeat TO ME, Tommy John surgery is the baseball equivalent of microfracture surgery in the NBA. I think you Mr. Strasburg will be Tommy John's Amare Stoudamire. Alot of players in the NBA have had microfracture surgery and mostly all of them have returned but not with all of the explosiveness they left with. Mr. Stoudamire like you, had this happen at an unusually young age and bounced back better than anyone has expected. So much so that he was allowed to walk away from his team to a new one because his former team pretty much said his knee is bound to fail. Amare like you Mr. Strasburg, is a specimen. One of those few guys that come along with so many physical gifts to help them dominate. I have already seen writers saying that you are going to have to change this and that because your velocity WILL not be there when you recover from that surgery, I am sure you will ignore what EVERYONE has to say and come back even BETTER than you were before your injury. I truly hope that the Nationals don't do what the Suns did and watch you walk away and blame this injury as the reason why!! You WILL be the one EXCEPTION Mr. Strasburg, and I can't wait til you get back on that mound!! I wish you a very healthy and speedy recovery!! Do you think Starsburg will ever be the same?? Will he be a shell of his former self?? Have you already written him off and waiting for Bryce Harper??(Natinals Fans)

Sunday, August 22, 2010

AL East Race...Scorching!!

The Rays and the Yankees are in one heck of a race and it's not even the home stretch yet!! They are only separated by A game, just one!! The closest division race in all of baseball second to the AL East is the NL East where the Braves lead the Phillies by 2.5 games. Their road records are nearly identical with the Yanks at 35-25 and the Rays at 37-24, the Rays need to step up their play at home. They are 39-24 at home and the Yanks are 42-22, even the home record is only a slight difference!! These two teams are fighting tooth and nail for this division, the closest team to either of them is the Red Sox and they are 6.5 back. The Ray's Matt Garza beat the Oakland A's Dallas Braden today in Oakland for the Rays win today. Garza got his career high 13th win against the A's after dropping his last 3 starts. The Rays as I mentioned earlier are VERY hard to beat on the road, they are doing everything possible to keep pace with the Yankees. Now, for the Yankees they have had bad news as A-Rod was sent to the DL recently. That would be good news for everyone else except the Yankees are undefeated this season when Mr. Rodriguez is not present!! Seattle came into town on Friday and shut down the Yanks 6-0, the Yankees returned the favor on Saturday by beating the Mariners 9-5. Today however, the Yankees went for blood...they pounded the Mariners 10-0!!! CC Sabathia got his 17th win of the year and Robbie Cano continued swinging his hot bat and finished the game with 6 RBI's!! Cano has been bumped up to Mr. Rodriguez's spot and has made sure his absence wasn't felt, Cano hit his 4th career grand slam today!! Of these 2 teams, who do you think is going to win the division and who do you think will be the wild card?? Is this soley a race between these 2 teams or will the Red Sox rally to make this race even more interesting as the post season approaches?? What team out of this division has the best chance to win the World Series???

Team USA's Weekend..

So Team USA had a big weekend....the question is how did they do?? They rallied to beat Lithuania and held on to beat Spain, Greece is up next so I'm anxious to watch that game as well. The US looks like they are building chemistry with one another although I don't think we've seen Coach K use his "Tournament" starting 5, I think he's pulling a page out of the European Coaches Book and keeping some of his secrets close to the vest. I think there is an extremely dangerous combination of players on this roster that would make one hell of a starting 5, I just don't think we are going to see it until it's time. I see that KD is the leader, Iggy is the stopper, Rudy is the 2nd scorer, and D.Rose is THE point guard. Chauncey and Lamar in the leadership role is what most see, I on the other hand see a trio of leaders. That would be KD, Rose, and Gay!! If you want a good measure of how the team is doing, check their stats. Rondo whom I love to death is NOT a FIBA point guard, Rose is the most FIBA made point guard on the roster. The other player I love and I mean love is Iggy aka Andre Iguadala, he has been one of the most consistent players so far and his defense especially in the passing lanes is HUGE!! I think the team will be alright, but the line ups and roles need to be determined before tournament play so everybody is aware of what they SHOULD bring to the table. What do you think of the USA Team?? Do you think they can win the World Championships, or that they should have brought more experienced players?? Do you think their 1 point victory over Spain is just a prelude to a world class collapse in this tournament??

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Trade Ya Derek Lee for.....

So the NL East leading Atlanta Braves lost Chipper Jones for the season one week and get Derek Lee the next week. Do you want to know what it cost?? Three Pitching prospects, yup that it!! Get this, it's the best part none of them are in Triple A!!! I am the biggest advocate for trading players past their primes for younger guys, only I hate when it's done wrong!! The Cubs got hosed, bamboozled, hustled, whatever you want to call it the Braves got over on them!! All that talent on the Braves roster that is Big League ready and all you got was a couple of guys in Single and Double A??? I'm not a Braves or Cubs fan, what they do has no impact on my team since I am a fan of an AL East team. I just hate when I see obvious 1 sided trades, I'm not even going to put down the 3 pitchers names because I don't think it will ever be relevant, emphasis on EVER!!! I would like to congratulate the Braves from loosing Troy Glaus to having a healthy Derek Lee for essentially nothing!! What do you think of his trade, did the Cubs come out on top by getting the 3 young pitchers?? Are the Braves building for a World Series Run???

Dear Brett Favre...

Dear Brett Favre, I hate your stinking guts....You are more than a grown man, you are old enough to be a"seasoned" head coach, every time I try to accept you for the talent you are THIS happens!! Mr. Favre I don't like to wish bad on anyone, but you are just asking for it this year. I have begrudgingly took your premature bouts with retirement rather quietly, this time however.....I WILL NOT!! If you were anyone else in this league, you would be ripped by the media, instead you are celebrated. That is the part that bothers me more than anything and any Brett Favre fans reading this, you might want to stop the rest of this post might make you queasy. Mr. Favre has won A Super Bowl, not several just 1. Trent Dilfer won 1 as well, why is he not as celebrated as Mr. Favre?? For all the love Mr. Favre gets, his career passer rating is only 86.6, you would think it would be flirting with 100 or something but as it is, it's only a 86.6. Surely someone this talented would have an other world like completion percentage right...of course not Mr. Favre's is a 62 for his career and that counting last year where he had his best statistical year! Mr. Favre has 497 Touchdowns and 317 Interceptions. Peyton Manning has 366 Touchdowns compared to only 181 Interceptions, Manning's career passer rating is 95.2!! Drew Brees has a career passer rating of 91.9, I am not saying that Brett Favre is a bad NFL player. Favre is going to go down as one of the greats, I'm just saying he's far from being the GREATEST!! I'm just saying that he shouldn't be applauded for his CHILDLIKE behavior. If we as a nation can rip down LeBron James with no issue who at 25, why does Favre get love for doing the same thing 3 TIMES and no one say one disparaging thing??? I dont get it, will someone please explain this to me??'

I'm listening..

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Why Redskins Fans should be Optomistic...

The Washington Redskins at this time of the year are usually taking a mediocre Preseason performance to heart and automatically guranteeing success for their team in the upcoming season. For the past decade or so, it's only been worth it 2 or 3 times. Well Skins' Fans...It might be time to accept that your team is going to REALLY be a contender in the NFC East!! I'm not talking about the B.S type of contender in a division, but a real like finishing at least in the running for 2nd type contender in a division. What I saw for the first time in years on Friday night was a Redskins team with..are you ready for this....DIRECTION!! They finally have the type of LEADER they need, there is a lot of talent here on this roster and there usually is always above average talent on the Skins' roster. Only this time they have someone who has a CLEAR cut direction as to where they are going and what the identity of this team is going to be. Trust me Skins' fans, as a 49er fan I truly understand what it's like to watch your team operate without a leader!! When we got Coach Singletary there were 3 things I knew, he wasn't going to take anybody's ish,his team was going to be disciplined, and that their was finally a direction. That is what you all now have in Shanahan, your team will do a few things no matter what the case. 1: They are going to RUN the football and run it well, 2: They are going to be disciplined, and 3: They have a direction and will not allow anybody to get them off track!! I still believe the Giants will win the division, but I don't see why the Skins can't finish 2nd if not fight for 1st!! Dallas...as long as Garrett is calling their plays will beat themselves until he is fired!! Philly has always had Red Zone issues offensively and I don't care who they have personel wise as long as Reid is their coach they will NOT run the ball!! Do you think the Redskins have a chance this year? Who IS the best team in the NFC East??

Scottie Pippen's HOF Induction shows us a glimpse of LeBron's Future

1st off let me say that I apologize to whoever I may offend before I continue. Congratulations to Scottie Pippen for getting his much awaited moment, prior to this past weekend he was the guy in MJ's shadow. If you are truly a basketball fan you would not truly believe that Scottie was "just" a role player. Let's remember..MJ won nothing without Scottie and vice versa. Duing Scottie's era, he was a match up NIGTMARE!! At 6'7, 6'8 he was basically the Bull's starting point guard except that he ran it from the small forward spot. Does that remind you of anybody today, someone who is physically superior and could do EVERYTHING on a basketball court. Pippen could take over a game just as much as MJ could, just maybe not on the same level consistency wise or Pippen was just molded to be what he was....one of the greatest "team players" in the NBA. Pip was able to impact the game in the same way MJ was and that was what made the Bulls so hard to beat, Pippen was just as devestatingly effective as MJ just in a different manner. I think people truly underappreciate how talented Pip was, now let's tie this to LeBron's Future. They are 2 of a kind, only LeBron got to play by himself first and gain all the meaningless accolades that Pip recieved after MJ retired. By meaningless I mean that the accolades didn't result in rings. LeBron just joined forces with D Wade and Bosh. Bosh is far more talented than Horace Grant was, and I'm not saying Wade is MJ, but I am saying he's taking MJ's role as ALPHA DOG on this team. LeBron is going to do everything in between, he is equally effective as Wade in crucial moments maybe not cut from the same "closer" cloth...neither was Pip. Like Pip, Bron is unguardable and able to impact the game far more in a secondary role than as the soloist. Let me know what you think, this is contraversial and I want to know what you ALL think!!

That 5 Player Trade doesn't mean Chris Paul's Staying

Let's summarize this: the Pacers get their much needed point guard in Nick Collison(James Posey was part of the deal as well), Troy Murhpy goes to the Nets to play the 4 until Derrick Favors is ready, Trevor Ariza is now a Hornet and Courtney Lee lands in Houston. So now the Hornets got rid of the only player on their roster who could step up and fill in for Paul if he left. Even with the addition of Ariza the Hornets now "boast" a line up that includes young Marcus Thorton, David West, Emaka Okafor and Paul. I don't know abou you, but that hardly sounds like groundbreaking changes. To me it sounds like Paul has just move the other foot over the threshold of the door and into Free Agency in 2 years. Do you think they(the Hornets) did enough to keep Chris Paul happy?? Who do you think made the best of this deal??

USA's First Time Under the Bright Lights

The "New Look" USA team took on France today as part of the events of the World Basketball Festival held in New York that was largely put together by Nike. The USA started very slow, but I think the question as to who the 2nd Fiddle is to Kevin Durant has been answered. Rudy Gay showed why the Grizz gave him that lucrative extension this off season. He was scoring at will and was extremely efficient while doing so, Durant than woke up and joined the party. Those 2 players are going to make it very difficult for the rest of the world, there aren't too many guys their size who can do what they do. Coach K had a line up today that included Chandler,Odom,Gay,Durant, and Derrick Rose!! That is an extremely long,athletic, and versatile group of players. Stephen Curry showed why he IS going to be on this team by passing the ball and shooting the lights out. Eric Gordon made a case for himself by continuing to shoot as well, I am a little worried about Russell Westbrook because of his lack of a perimiter jumper. You can't take 2 of those guys, Rondo and Westbrook. I like where this team is going, and I hope Rudy Gay continues to show the world why he is on the verge of being a household name!! Derrick Rose IS the best point guard on the roster and he BARELY turns the ball over. Do you like the new "Team USA?" Or do you think they will fail because of their lack of size or starpower??

Apology to Readers...

I would like to apologize for my absence this past week, there have been many,many,many, MANY things that have happend all across the Sports World and I have missed all of them. So now that things have returned to a sense of normalcy in my life I shall get back on the grind and get these sports topics posted and ready for discussion. Once again, my DEEPEST apologies. I mean how do I miss the begining of NFL Preseason??? It's not acceptable.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

5 Issues I wish would go away FOR-E-VER!!

1. Brett Favre
-I OFFICIALLY no longer care if you play and when you decide to do so, Please stop holding all the rest of the football fans that can see through you and your "special" needs for attention. To the media, please LEAVE him alone...who knows...if you left him alone he might of retired 2-3 years ago!!!

2. LeBron James and the city of Cleveland\ State of Ohio
- Just because someone was born somewhere doesn't mean they have to LIKE it!!
-Home grown does not mean Home OWNED!!!!
-GET OVER IT, he's gone...F-O-R-EVER!!!
-and NO it's not possible for the Cavs to win a title before the HEAT, please stop listening to your crazy owner

3. Mike Shanahan, Albert Haynesworth, and the Washington Redskins Organization
-Now that he's passed, was it really worth it??
-Did it make him a better person? Did he walk away from this with some new found sense of pride or respect?? NO!!!
-To Mr. Snyder, please tell the next player who's house you show up to at 12:01 am for next year's free agent class the WHOLE story, hopefully you learned that maybe leaving out little things like coaching changes might actually AFFECT a player's decision??
-STOP giving maxed out contracts where there is no longer an actual INCENTIVE to play!! Giving people all their guaranteed money upfront...probably not a good idea...just think about it...

4. Tiger Woods and the questions about his personal life/ when are you going to win again?
-Understand these words carefully members of the media....NO COMMENT...he is not going to answer your questions about is personal life EVER!!!..Let it go!!!
-Woods is so far ahead of everyone else he could lose for another year and a half before someone gets close enough to care
-If he never one AGAIN, he still finishes as what the 2nd best golfer....EVER....?? What a terrible accomplishment...

5. NCAA vs Players vs Agents
-Just PAY the kids!!
-You(the NCAA) already make soooo much money off of these kids(exploitation), it really wouldn't hurt to give them a stipend of some sort
-When a team wins a title, the school gets paid and the kids get pictures, rings, and a great big pat on the back??? While the Coaches and schools get PAID!!!
-Please stop allowing agents on campuses and then telling the players to stay away from them!! Obviously you don't care that deeply about the kids if you allow the "parasites" on campus!!
-How did Tim Floyd and Pete Carrol escape the OJ Mayo and Reggie Bush violations unscathed...am I the only one who noticed that both coaches weren't held responsible at all???
-College Football just come out and admit you are all too GREEDY to have a playoff system, please stop making up very bad excuses as to why you like the BCS Format!!

If you feel there was something that deserved to be on this list that I left out please feel free to let me know. If you are offended by the issues I have chose(Brett Favre Fans), also let me know!!

Friday, August 6, 2010

Preseason Polls....

USA Today Coaches' Poll
RK TEAM RECORD PTS PVS
1 Alabama (55) 0-0 1469 1
2 Ohio State (4) 0-0 1392 5
3 Florida 0-0 1245 3
4 Texas 0-0 1240 2
5 Boise State 0-0 1215 4
6 Virginia Tech 0-0 1052 10
7 TCU 0-0 1051 6
8 Oklahoma 0-0 1035 NR
9 Nebraska 0-0 1001 14
10 Iowa 0-0 952 7
11 Oregon 0-0 940 11
12 Wisconsin 0-0 778 16
13 Miami (FL) 0-0 728 19
14 Penn State 0-0 508 8
15 Pittsburgh 0-0 492 15
16 LSU 0-0 476 17
17 Georgia Tech 0-0 455 13
18 North Carolina 0-0 445 NR
19 Arkansas 0-0 438 NR
20 Florida State 0-0 374 NR
21 Georgia 0-0 312 NR
22 Oregon State 0-0 263 NR
23 Auburn 0-0 260 NR
24 Utah 0-0 169 18
24 West Virginia 0-0 169 22



Do you agree with the top 10 teams?? Are there any teams in here that you feel don't belong? Any teams who were omitted thus blatantly disrespected??

Revis Island and Alcotraz..

I was reading an article about the Jet's training camp and came across a part about Antonio Cromartie, most of the talk this training camp is all about Darrelle Revis and his absence. Well all I want to talk about is Cromartie, he had asked fans to come up with a nickname via twitter and the result is "Alcotraz!" So now they have two places that no one wishes to go, and there's no coming back. A while back I had said that of all the Jet's offseason moves that this was the biggest!! I don't think anyone has ever had 2 corners of this quality at the same time and around the same age!! I believe Revis is 24 or 25 and Cromartie is 26, if they give them the deals they deserve the Jets will end up with 2 of the top 10 corners in the league in my opinion. I personally think they have 2 of the top 5 corners in the league, but most people seem to forget who Cromartie was. There is nothing wrong with him, it was a combination of scheme and injuries. Cromartie played through a hip injury the past couple of seasons, for defensive backs the hips are the most important piece of the puzzle. If you have tight hips it doesn't allow you to open and turn, having a hip injury obviously hampers you from doing so. Cromartie is a freak athlete, at 6'2 and blessed with elite speed he is a defensive coordinator's dream. The Chargers changed coordinators 2 years ago which resulted to them playing zone, back in 2007 when Cromartie jumped onto the scene with 10 interceptions they were blitzing and playing a lot of man to man. Now he is back in the kind of situation he thrives in, all Rex Ryan likes to do is blitz. Ryan now has 2 corners he can trust to shut down opposing teams wide outs, most teams only have one #1 WR and the Jets have two # 1 corners...you do the math. There is only one place you can go and that's the middle of the field, no matter what happens with Revis the Jets still end up with a top of the line corner!! Now if Revis gets his deal done and gets back on the field, you tell me which place you'd want to visit...Alcotraz...or Revis Island?? Who is going to have more interceptions..Revis or Cromartie?? Is this the best corner tandem in the league?? Will they both get long term deals??

Monday, August 2, 2010

Revis Holdout??

So the Jets are already penciled in to represent the AFC in this year's Super Bowl in Dallas...by most people at least. One of the reasons, if not THE reason is the outstanding defense and their All-Galaxy Corner in Darrelle Revis. Revis Island as he is now known, is arguably THE best man to man corner in the National Football League. Of those in consideration, his new teamate Antonio Cromartie is at least in that discussion as well. I do not believe the Jets are overly concerned, I do not think there is any chance that they won't pay the man. I just think they are content to let it go on a little longer before giving in, they have a lot of players contracts up next year. So they need to come up with an order that they would like to do this in. Of all these players, Revis is not 1st on the list contrary to everyone's belief. I believe the Jets are going to negotiate an extension with Nick Mangold before they dump the rest of the money on Revis Island. D'Brickashaw Ferguson was the first of all of these players to recieve their extentions, that is the reason I am confident that the Revis deal will get done in time. I think the Jets want to give him the money, but wait until it "appears" that they were backed into a corner!! If they wait until Mangold is taken care of, then that is what will happen or at least what it will look like. If the Jets truly cared about money, and were truly "frugal" than they would have never acquired all of these players. They know exactly what they are doing, and the other thing in the Jets favor is that Revis's contract like Chris Johnson's was a real bargain. Nobody knew what they were getting and definitely not this early, this is just a case of a player "overachieving," at least in the sense that they were not expected to play at the level they have already reached!!
When do you think the Jets are going to pay Revis? Or do you think they are going to play hard ball and this dispute will last into the season?? Would you have even let it go this far, or payed him as soon as he made it known he felt he deserved to be paid like the best corner in the game?

The Public Excecution of Albert Haynesworth..

I'm sure EVERYONE has heard if not seen reports about Mr. Haynesworth and the Washington Redskins. I am not a fan of Mr. Haynesworth, so as I prepare to defend this player please keep this in mind. I would like to also state that I have no loyalty to the Redskins or any other NFC East team, so this is not from a biased perspective either. Haynesworth signed a massive contract last year, this was prior to a coaching change and scheme change as well. I am part of the school of thought that believes you can not truly judge a player if you do not set them up to SUCCEED. He earned that pay day by anchoring a defense in Tennessee, a "4-3" defense in Tennessee. Last year in Washington, the Redskins played a 4-3 defense and Haynesworth didn't dominate but he did help that defense finish in the 10 in the league. So in my mind he at least earned his pay, Tennesee on the other hand struggled after loosing the anchor of their defense!! The "conditioning" test that Mr. Shanahan has laid out for Mr. Haynesworth to pass is not realistic, I believe he is being petty and egotistical in his efforts to publicly humiliate and vilify Mr. Haynesworth. I understand that Haynesworth could have been a little more receptive to the scheme change and that he should have participated in at least a couple of the team's offseason training program. At the same time, the Redskins should have been up front and honest last year when they signed Haynesworth and let him know that they were thinking about a coaching change before the ink dried. I do not believe Haynesworth would have been here if he knew the whole defensive scheme was set to change!! Either way I blame both parties for what this situation has turned in to, now the Redskins are putting their best defensive line player at risk(injury) over an ego battle. At the end of the day, this team is not going to perform well on defense with out him in there. Bottom line, they NEED him to be an effecitive 3-4 defense. As a 49ers fan I can ASSURE you that your defense will struggle without a stout defensive line while playing the 3-4 defense!! Do you think this situation is being handled correctly, or should they come to some sort of comprimise?? Should they start the season with Haynesworth on the bench, or should they try to trade him? Is this worth starting the season with out it's most pivotal piece on defense??

Trade Deadline Results...

Well the Trade Deadline just passed in MLB, so let's find out who did what and how it impacts the pennant races!!
-Oswalt to the Phillies, obviously we know that and it's ramifications
- Ryan Ludwick goes from the Cardinals to the Padres
-Jake Westbrook goes from the Indians to the Cardinals
-Dodgers acquired Ted Lily and Ryan Theriot
-Pirates acquire Chris Snyder from the Diamondbacks
-Yankees acquire Lance Berkman from Houston for 2 minor leaguers
-Giants acquired Javier Lopez from the Pirates
-Red Sox give up a couple players for Jarrod Saltalamacchia
-Braves acquire Rich Ankiel and Kyle Farmsworth
-Tampa Bay acquires Chad Qualls
-Yankees land Kerry Wood from the Indians
-Ramon Ramirez from Boston to the Giants
-Pirates flip Octavio Dodel for James McDonald and Andrew Lambo

Of these moves which do you rate the highest?? The move that you rate the highest, does that now make set team a favorite in it's pennant race??