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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NFL News

     Because of the (hopefully) soon ending NFL lockout, I have decided to lump all of the news from the league I found worth mentioning in individual paragraphs inside of a post.

      First, let me mention the aging entertainer we call Chad Ochocinco. His last name, which was supposed to reference his uniform number eighty-five,  is literally translated as eight-five, for if he were to use actual Spanish, his name would be Chad Ochenta y Cinco. The six time Pro Bowl selection's headline-grabbing stunts range from growing a gold mohawk to trying his hand with professional soccer and bull riding.  Being from Cincinnati, I have experienced all of this first hand, and most of the country either knows about his app or his prolific tweeting, for which he was voted number one on the "Most Influential Athlete In Social Media" list. Bengals owner Paul Brown recently suggested he try snake wrangling, though Chad decided he wants to wrestle an alligator. His stunts rarely impact his performance on the field as he has led the AFC in receiving yards four times.

     Now for a few sentences on another boisterous receiver who can back up his trash talk and "Popcorning" (shown at left) on the field. Terrell Owens, or T.O., is one of the best  receivers in the history of the NFL, but his illustrious career could very well be over after he recently underwent ACL surgery. He shot down rumors of retirement, but after this kind of procedure he might have lost another step. He is thirty-seven years old so he has to be retiring soon, but don't count him out his year.

    I hope this lockout ends soon, not just for the millions of men and women who participate the highly addicting pastime of fantasy football, but for the NFL players themselves. Two players have dominated headlines recently for the crimes they have committed, and they are the talented but troubled receiver Kenny Britt, who surrendered to police on two warrants, and Perrish Cox of the Denver Broncos. Cox is currently on trial for  sexual assault.

      Lets hope this lockout ends soon.

     

The Minnesota Timberwolves' Power to Destroy the Draft Boards.

   The Minnesota Timberwolves have the potential to change the entire NBA draft. Recently, they have talked to both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns about the injury prone Andrew Bynum and future Hall of Famer point guard Steve Nash respectively. The previously untouchable stars are both being dangled in an effort to receive Minnesota's number two pick in the draft, who is most likely to be Arizona's Derrick Williams for any team selecting at the spot. Minnesota is able to deal this pick because they already have former number two pick and forward Michael Beasly on their roster.
    
     However, there are  obvious flaws for both trades. If the Suns trade Nash and pick Williams, who has the range and skills of a small forward but the size and power of a power forward, the Timberwolves have an interesting problem. That particular problem happens to be...if they do get Nash in the deal, what happens to the newly signed Ricky Rubio, who is also a point guard? And then  Jon Flynn?

     For the Lakers, who were mentioned in my previous post, if they trade Bynum and get the pick, who would they choose? It seems strange to me that they would pick Williams because they already have Ron Artest and Pau Gasol as their starting forwards. So I think they could choose center Enes Kanter, who could have been the top pick in the draft if he was not ruled ineligible by the NCAA for playing professionaly in his native Turkey. That also means that the Lakers might not be able to trade for Dwight Howard if they deal Bynum and pick Kanter, unless they trade his draft rights to the Magic.

     That leaves Williams falling to to the Utah Jazz, who could select Kentucky point guard Brandon Knight. That leaves the Jazz with a problem as well, because they need a point guard after trading Deron Williams to the Nets, but they also need a playmaker like Williams. If they do go with Knight, that leaves the Cleveland Cavaliers to pick their man. They wanted both the first and second pick of the draft to pair Kyrie Irving with Williams, which may still happen. But if Williams falls to them, the Cavs have found their star pair for the next six years.

     The Timberwolves have a lot of power in this year's draft. But the question is, how will they use it?