What I Hate About the MLB Trade Deadline

     I do not like the MLB trade deadline. No, I hate the MLB trade deadline. I love the fact that it is a brief period of rapid fire transactions around the league, but all too often it is the time of the year where the rich get even richer and the small market teams are beaten to the punch. Take the New York Yankees for example. More often then not, in both free agency and around the trade deadline, they use their immense resources and prestigious brand to draw players to them, and they are almost always successful. The Yankees' resources have practically  bought themselves championships, like when they offered Alex Rodriguez a contract that only the late George Steinbrenner would allow his team to write. Later on in his career, Rodriguez was given a contract larger than THE ENTIRE FLORIDA MARLINS' SALARY AS A TEAM! That is why the MLB needs a salary cap  like the NFL's my friends.
    
     The Yankees are not the only teams like this, however. The Boston Red Sox are nearly the same, as they have won many a star player sweepstakes, i.e. when they offered outfielder Carl Crawford a contract valued at $160,000,000, outbidding any other team by a huge margin. Over the course of his eight year, deal he will make wha would take the average American with a salary around the national average 3,200 years.  The raw capital they, along with the Yankees and even the Phillies, have has also allowed them to hire a higher number of high-quality scouts, which allowed them to develop consistent farm system that they ravage to trade for even more talented players. They cycle continues.

     However, the Yankees and their fans are like spoiled children, and when they don't get what they want, they whine, and whine, and whine. For example, when pitcher Cliff Lee signed with the Phillies for less money, the whole legion of fans attacked Lee, and one radio host claimed he could have donated some of his money if he had a higher contract, and therefore was killing children in Africa. See what I mean?

     The Phillies themselves however, are no better. They made headlines this year by signing the aformentioned Lee, and from it creating one of, if not the best, starting rotation of all time. They used their own bountiful resources to outbid and beat any small market team to the punch. Not only did they do that with Lee, they did it with Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt. This trade deadline was not different, and they dealt for left fielder Hunter Pence. The rich get richer.

     Dusty Baker, the manager for the Reds was quoted that he himself disliked the trade deadline because, "Around this time of year, the rich can only get richer." The MLB needs a hard salary cap....bad. I would love the trade deadline if the small market teams actually had a chance.

End of An Era

     After over a decade of playing in the National Football League, legendary wideout Randy Moss has retired. The thirty four year old wideout has retired after thirteen seasons in the league, for the options he was given were not necessarily, he believed, in his best interest as a player. After being drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 1998, he began a prolific career that ranks only behind Jerry Rice in touchdowns, yards, and 100 yard games. However after playing with the Oakland Raiders for two seasons, Moss joined the New England Patriots and his record setting 23 touchdowns were instrumental to the Pats huge success in 2007. His productivity stayed constant, but this season was a catastrophe, for he was traded from the Patriots to the Vikings for a pick, he was then cut and signed with the Tennesse Titans. He finished with under 40 catches and less than 500 receiving yards. After supposedly vigorous workouts and two-a-days during the lockout, Moss decided to retire, though it is believed he will not stay that way for very long. If he does return, expect the high bidders to be teams in dire need of receiving help, like the Bengals, or Bears. Moss was truly a brilliant player, and it is only a matter of time before he has his place in Canton.

Picture taken by : Damian Strohmeyer, Bob Rosato/SI
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The Tribe Grows Stronger

     The Ubaldo Jimenez sweepstakes has drawn to a close, however the winner wasn't the New York Yankees (Thank God!), the Boston Red Sox, or even the Cincinnati Reds, it was the dark horse candidate, the Cleveland Indians. After being the National League's starter for the annual All-Star Game last year, Jimenez struggled early on, making many a team wonder why the Colorado Rockies would  be willing to deal who they thought was a top of the rotation starter. His loss of velocity prompted the Yankees to ask for him to complete a physical, a request the Rockies denied, and as a result the Yankees bowed out. The asking price for Jimenez was supposedly the baseball equivalent of the moon, which in the case of the Cincinnati Reds, was Devin Mesoraco, who is one of the best, if not the best, catching prospect in the majors, flame thrower Aroldis Chapman or slugger Yonder Alonso, and Homer Bailey and Travis Wood. These players all have the potential to be the best at their positions, and Reds GM Walt Jocketty knew better than to sell the farm, literally. The Red Sox just didn't have the prospects, and later ended up getting Rich Harden as a consolation prize.

     Coming from a Cincinnati native, it's hard for me to say this, but I wish the Indians organization well. I hope this deal works out for both sides and the prospects traded reach their potential. I know must be hard for Jimenez to leave the organization he has developed in for the last ELEVEN years, and his last action in a Rockies uniform was embracing his teammates.

Unlocked

There's going to be a football seaon everybody! With the new collective bargaining agreement, or CBA, in place, teams are scrambling to make critical additions to their roster before training camp starts. As expected, many big names were shuffled around the NFL, either through trading, like the Saints' trading of talented but injury prone running back Reggie Bush to the Miami Dolphins, or through free agency, where players can pick which team they sign a contract with any of the teams who offered him one. This frenzy has millions of Americans throwing their fantasy football guides out the window because players have switched teams and that almost always means a change in production. Here are some of the most important signings/trades/rumors circling around the league....

The Washington Redsins have traded former Pro Bowl quaterback Donovan McNabb to the Minnestoa Vikings for a fifth round pick and an undisclosed pick contingent in his performance. This is definitely an upgrade from Joe Webb, and wideout Percy Harvin should see a jump in stats, as should Adrian Peterson.

Former Vikings Sidney Rice and Tavaris Jackson have signed with the Seattle Seahawks. The former 2009 Pro Bowler rice averaged less than 600 yards a seaon when Jackson was the starting quaterback. Knock him down some spots on your draft board.

Kevin Kolb, once the heir apparent to McNabb, will be traded to the Arizona Cardinals by Friday in exchanged for big play corner Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. This is a huge boost for Larry Fitzgerald and the talented Kolb, as well as the Eagles' defense.

However, if rumors are true the New York Jets'defense will be even stronger. Rumor has it that shut down corner Nmamdi Asomugha could sign with the Jets and create the best corner duo of all time with Darelle Revis.

Don't count out the Dolphins and Titans though. Miami already has the makings of a good offense with Brandon Marshall and now Reggie Bush, but with quarterback Kyle Orton joining the team, there could be some fireworks! The Titans are also playing their hand well. They signed former All Pro quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to be their starter, and to mentor first round pick Jake Locker. This worked for Carson Palmer in his heyday,and this greatly increases the potential of every player in the Titans' offense, as well as next year when Locker could be handed the reigns.

This truly has been a wild few days.

America's REAL Team

      When you think of America's team, you most likely think of the Dallas Cowboys. However, I recently found out about the Wounded Warriors Amputee Softball Team, whose ranks consist of veterans who sacraficed a limb for his country in Iraq or Afghanistan ater playing either highschool or college baseball. I cannot express the immeasurable gratitude that I and   all of our country have for those who fight for our freedom, and these men are the epitome of resilience and strength. They also insist they play only able bodied teams, such as local fire departments and recently the FBI, who they beat 35-10. You may not fully understand the fight and sheer athleticism these young men possess until a baserunner with a prosthetic leg dives headfirst to avoid a tag or a one armed fielder drops his glove and hurls the ball to his cutoff man. Their service has not gone without notice, as Louisville Slugger has donated over $20,000 in equipment, and they have been invited to play at Nationals Stadium later this year. These men are true heroes. The Wounded Warriors Amputee Softball Team is truly America's real team.

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