From the "Who Could've Seen This Coming?" Department: Anna Benson has filed for divorce from her husband, Kris, a starting pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles.
The 25 Baltimore Orioles that emerge from camp this weekend will be disappointed to know that their attempts to get Kris Benson chicks on the road won't result in them rounding the bases with Anna (pictured below).
With the way that Miguel Tejada has struggled this spring, and being in a division with powerhouses like Boston and the Yankees, as well as the spend-happy Toronto Blue Jays, the 2006 season is already getting off to a disappointing start.
Anna had the potential to be trump Scott Erickson's former girlfriend, Lisa Ortiz, as the spouse/girlfriend of a Baltimore Oriole who is the most bat-shit insane. 'Twas not to be, however.
Every scribe that goes down to Florida or Arizona during Spring Training always culminates their experience with a season preview column where they strap on their "Carnac" hat and boldly go where just about every other baseball writer is going.
I shall do the same.
Mac predicts the following will be true in 2006:
(team, W-L; *-indicates Wild Card team)
AL East
New York Yankees (98-64)
Boston Red Sox (92-70)*
Toronto Blue Jays (88-74)
Baltimore Orioles (75-87)
Tampa Bay Devil Rays (72-90)
AL Central
Cleveland Indians (95-67)
Chicago White Sox (90-72)
Minnesota Twins (78-84)
Detroit Tigers (73-89)
Kansas City Royals (55-107)
AL West
LA Angels (97-65)
Oakland A's (91-71)
Texas Rangers (75-87)
Seattle Mariners (71-91)
NL East
Atlanta Braves (89-73)
Philadelphia Phillies (87-75)*
New York Mets (84-78)
Washington Nationals (76-86)
Florida Marlins (61-101)
NL Central
St. Louis Cardinals (96-66)
Milwaukee Brewers (85-77)
Houston Astros (82-80)
Chicago Cubs (78-84)
Cincinnati Reds (77-85)
Pittsburgh Pirates (70-92)
NL West
San Francisco Giants (87-75)
Los Angeles Dodgers (83-79)
San Diego Padres (79-83)
Colorado Rockies (75-87)
Arizona Diamondbacks (71-91)
Divisional Playoff Series
American League: LA Angels over Boston; Cleveland over New York
National League: St. Louis over Philadelphia; Atlanta over San Francisco
Championship Playoff Series
American League: LA Angels over Cleveland
National League: St. Louis over Atlanta
World Series
LA Angels over St. Louis in six games.
Award Winners
American League MVP: Vladimir Guerrero, LAA
National League MVP: Albert Pujols, St. Louis
American League CY Young: CC Sabathia, Cleveland
National League CY Young: Chris Carpenter, St. Louis
American League Rookie of the Year: SP Justin Verlander, Detroit
National League Rookie of the Year: 3B Ryan Zimmerman, Washington
American League Manager of the Year: Eric Wedge, Cleveland
National League Manager of the Year: Ned Yost, Milwaukee
Some Minor Predictions:
Jimmy Rollins will go 0-3 in an Opening Day loss to the Cardinals, ending his run at Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak. (Yes, I'm aware it wouldn't "break" the record, and Joe D's single-season hitting streak mark will remain intact regardless of what Rollins does. Thanks)
Jon Papelbon will be the closer in Boston by June 1st. Keith Foulke's knee (and head) won't hold up for a full season. Craig Hansen needs a full season in Pawtucket, with sporadic call-ups to Boston, so he can assume that role in 2007.
Thanks to the "Extra Innings" package for DirecTV, I will watch every single start by Felix Hernandez for the Mariners this year, regardless of the game's start time.
(I'm mildly intrigued by the Mariners this year. I stand by my last place finish prediction, but I think that with Adrian Beltre, Ichiro and Richie Sexson, they might be fun to watch. I'm looking forward to seeing how Kenji Jojihma assimilates to playing in the States, as well. Thing about this team is this: After King Felix, they have nothing in terms of pitching talent. Jamie Moyer, Gil Meche, Joel Pineiro and Jarrod Washburn have been terrible this spring.)
Barry Bonds will sail by Babe Ruth's 714-HR mark, but will fall at least 20 HRs shy of Hank Aaron's 755. Major League Baseball's nonsense investigation into steroids (which Buster Olney correctly characterizes in today's blog entry) will prompt Bonds to announce that he's retiring at the end of the season. The last time we'll see Barry Bonds in action will be after his team is eliminated by the Atlanta Braves in the playoffs.
(Speaking of Bonds, I highly recommend "Game of Shadows". I'm sure you've heard or read all that's been written about the book, but it's worth reading on your own and drawing your own conclusions. While you're at Amazon ordering that book, pre-order Maddox's "Alphabet of Manliness", as well.)
Over/Under On Manny Ramirez Trade Requests: 2.5 (I'm taking the over)
First Manager Fired: Clint Hurdle, Colorado
Manager Who Should Be Fired First, But Isn't: Dusty Baker, Chicago Cubs
Number Of Players Suspended For Steroid Use: 12 (up from 10 a year ago)
If the name Bill Leavy sounds familiar, you probably watched Super Bowl XL. He was the referee of that one.
Well, tonight another Seattle-based team ran into another team of zebras who officiated a game so horribly, I nearly fouled out. The Huskies from Washington ran smack dab into the juggernaut known as the UCONN Huskies, and the boys in stripes made damn sure they didn't upset Mt. Calhoun tonight.
Oh sure, they gave him a technical foul in the 1st half after he tossed the ball to the wrong referee in protest of the call, but fear not, Jim. The same referee who T'd him up spent the rest of the game atoning for his egregious error.
UCONN shot 47 free throws to UW's 23, and Washington's best player, Brandon Roy, was called for 3 fouls (one of which a ticky-tack double technical) in less than 1 minute early in the second half. All by the guy who angered Calhoun. Perfect timing, too, as UW had an 8-point lead at the time. The trifecta called on Roy had him on the bench for 7 minutes, and in that time, UCONN managed to come back and tie the game.
The last straw in this one was clearly the non-call of goaltending that would've given the Huskies a 1-point lead in overtime. Instead, UCONN was able to take the ball down court and build up a 3-point lead, from which Washington could never recover.
Throughout the game, a UW player would drive the lane, get mauled, and nothing was called. When freshman point guard Justin Dentmon had the audacity to play defense on UCONN theif Marcus Williams, it was Dentmon who was called for a foul, his 5th, when Williams, who was completely out of control, fell to the court after stepping on Dentmon's foot.
FOUR starters for UW fouled out. A 2-1 free throw margin in favor of UCONN, a blatant goaltend not called, a fictitious back court all adds up to a 6-point overtime "win" for UCONN.
Right now, saying I hate UCONN, and the gifts that teams like them and Duke get, would be an enormous understatement. They're on borrowed time, and I'll be cheering on George Mason from the couch on Sunday.
In response to the Minnesota Vikings crafting an offer sheet to All-Pro guard Steve Hutchinson that Seattle couldn't possibly match, the Seattle Seahawks made an attempt to shed some light on the ridiculousness of clauses like that by extending one of their own to Vikings restricted free agent WR, Nate Burleson.
The contract is for 7 years and $49M, with a $5.25M signing bonus. Now, Burleson is not worth nearly that much money, but the years and total value of the contract is exactly what Minnesota offered Steve Hutchinson. Obviously, that was a direct shot at them.
Even more so, Seattle included two "poison pills" into the offer sheet. The first one guarantees the full value of the contract if Burleson plays a certain number of games in the state of Minnesota.
The second guarantees the entire contract if Burleson's annual per year average exceeds the highest paid RB on the team.
Both clauses would guarantee the deal if Minnesota were to match it.
Now, I had originally hoped that Seattle would take the high road in all of this. Now that they've actually pulled the trigger, I applaud the front office for a.) being creative, while b.) fighting back.
There are some that viewed Seattle's attempt to re-structure Walter Jones contract as an underhanded way of "screwing" the Vikings and Steve Hutchinson. These same websites gave the Minnesota Vikings, Hutchinson and Tom Condon a free pass for constructing an offer sheet that was different in two NFL cities.
I imagine that some NFL pundits are going to view the Seahawks offer as being petty, even though they viewed the Vikings offer to Hutchinson as "creative". Who cares? The bottom line is that these clauses are foolish to begin with, and Seattle is just merely pointing this out. Sometimes it takes something ridiculous to happen for people to realize that there's a problem.
What's not absurd is the Seattle Seahawks re-signing of FB Mack Strong to a 3-year deal, $3.1M deal. This will likely be Strong's last NFL contract, and it's good that Mack will retire a Seahawk. Some NFL teams care about that sort of thing, and some don't.
The news is good this morning out of Seattle, as popular FS Ken Hamlin has been cleared to resume his football career, according to Lawrence Temple, Hamlin's Houston-based agent.
This helps soften the blow of Marquand Manuel's departure via free agency. Manuel replaced Hamlin in the starting lineup, where his veteran leadership helped the Seahawks secondary adjust to the absence of their vocal leader.
Hamlin's return has been the subject of much speculation since he first appeared on the sidelines during the 49ers game on December 11th, and the rumors consistently stated that Hamlin was expected to make a full recovery, and be back on the field in 2006.
The statement released yesterday to the Seattle Post Intelligencer confirms this.
Still, there is a hole in the secondary left by Marquand Manuel, an intelligent and versatile defensive back, and the Seahawks hosted free agent FS Lance Schulters yesterday. Schulters is a steady, veteran safety, who earned Pro Bowl honors with Tennessee in 1999.
Seattle has improved it's 16th-ranked defense by adding LB Julian Peterson, who is expected to sign the 7-year/$54M contract he agreed to sometime this week.
Yesterday, the Seahawks re-signed valuable reserves DE Joe Tafoya and LB Kevin Bentley. Tafoya provided depth at the DE position, often spelling Grant Wistrom or Bryce Fisher, though his real value is on special teams. Bentley is a versatile linebacker, capable of filling in at all three positions. He also saw some time as a nickel linebacker, and played an important role in the coverage of WR Steve Smith in the NFC Championship game.
It's been a busy few days in the NFL, and I've been horribly distracted by what's been going on in Seattle regarding Steve Hutchinson.
Hopefully, this will be my last word on the Hutchinson subject, but if you want to hear what the $49M had to say on the subject, you can find that nugget of information here.
Steve Kelley of the Seattle Times breaks down the series of events that sent Hutchinson packing. Here's a hint: He's siding with the Seahawks in this one.
I'm officially worn out by the subject, and I'm thankful that it's over with. Seattle did their best to operate fairly, and paid the price for it. Thankfully, this allows them to turn this situation into a positive, and they beefed up the defense with the addition of Julian Peterson.
Seattle has also re-signed LB Kevin Bentley, who filled in admirably at the SLB position and played well on special teams. He's a good depth guy, as his versatility allows him to back-up all the LB spots.
Thoughts on Other Big Name Free Agents
Terrell Owens signing in Dallas certainly grabbed all the headlines, and despite his rap dissing the Eagles, I think that he'll behave himself in Big D. For one season, anyways, I expect Owens to be a model citizen and earn that $10M he's being paid. Beyond that, however, is anyone's guess.
The New England Patriots have decided that Adam Vinateiri isn't worth signing to a long-term contract. This could be the biggest mistake of the Belichek/Pioli era, as Vinateiri is one of the most clutch kickers in the history of the NFL, and it could be argued that his ice-water veins and accurate leg propelled the Patriots into the dynasty that they've become.
All Vinateiri wanted was some guaranteed money, something the Patriots were unwilling to give. And with ample cap room available, there was no reason for that. How do you replace a guy like Vinateiri, a 10-year veteran whose clutch kicks made him a hero in the eyes of normally fickle New Englanders?
With Mike Vanderjagt? Did you see his last kick? New England has also contacted former Bears K Paul Edinger, as well. These guys are not Adam Vinateiri. Not even close, in fact. It's possible that the arrogance of Bill Belichek and Scott Pioli could trick them into believing that they can get by with an inferior kicker. And after winning 3 Super Bowls by a margin of no more than a field goal, you have to question whether or not they've made the right choice.
Time will tell.
John Abraham got his wish, and he's an Atlanta Falcon. The Seahawks had a strong interest in Abraham, and had agreed to send their 1st round pick in 2006 (#31) to the Jets in exchange for the Pro Bowl DE. However, Abraham lives in South Carolina and would prefer to play for Atlanta, with whom he reached an agreement with on a long-term contract. Only problem was, the Jets held his rights and weren't inclined to accept the trade package Atlanta was offering.
Seattle never had a chance to acquire Abraham. The city, despite all it's charm and unrivaled beauty, always loses out in free agency thanks to the geography. The nearest NFL city is 800 miles away, and there really is a sense of seclusion when you're in Seattle. While I'd love to live there, most NFL players from the southeast simply do not.
While Abraham's talent is off the charts, I had my reservations about whether or not Abraham would be a good fit in Seattle. Call me crazy, but any guy who refuses to play in an NFL playoff game because he doesn't want to risk injury when he's set to become an unrestricted free agent, simply isn't worth the high price tag.
And that's exactly what Abraham did in 2003 for the Jets, who could've advanced to the AFC Championship game with Abraham on the field. He wasn't, and thanks to Herm Edwards clock management skills and Doug Briens wimpy right leg, the Jets lost to the Steelers at Heinz Field.
Adam Schefter is reporting that the Seahawks have signed former 49ers LB Julian Peterson to a 7-year, $54M mega-contract that includes $18.5M in guaranteed money.
At first glance, the dollar value has my knees buckling like John Kruk stepping up the plate to face Randy Johnson. But I trust the Seahawks front office, and having $23M in cap room after Hutchinson decided to play shuffleboard on the Love Boat, the Seahawks have the room to splurge a bit this year. Hell, if Antwan Randle-El and Brandon Lloyd can get $10M bonuses, and David Givens can get $8M, why can't Julian Peterson, a freakish and productive athlete, get $10M for himself?
Whatever your reaction is to the years and money, Seattle now has the type of front seven that opposing offenses will fear, and that's an element the Seahawks have been missing for a long time.
Meet your newest Seahawk, LB Julian Peterson
Today, "Special Master" pulled on his star-encrusted robe and his cone-shaped hat with moons on them, and interpreted the offer sheet signed by Steve Hutchinson in a manner that can only politely be described as "defying logic".
Mike Sando has the explanation he received from NFLPA attorney Richard Berthelson.
Basically, because the offer sheet stated that Hutchinson had to be the highest paid offensive lineman at the time he signed the offer sheet, the Seahawks would be guaranteeing the full value of the contract ($49 million dollars).
This, folks, will open a Pandora's box.
Nevermind that the common interpretation was that in order to match an offer sheet, only the principal terms needed to be satisfied. The principal rules were clearly defined as being the length of contract, salaries and guaranteed money (bonuses included within the full dollar value of the contract).
What's aided this nonsense ruling was the case of Chad Morton, who signed an offer sheet from the Washington Redskins with voidable years. The New York Jets matched the offer sheet, after getting a ruling from the NFL that the voidable years were not a principal term. The issue appeared before an arbiter, and Washington, Chad Morton and the NFLPA prevailed. It should be noted that the arbiter was a Washington Redskin season-ticket holder.
Well, the league failed to protect itself from this, and unless Seattle really wants to handcuff themselves financially, Steve Hutchinson is going to be a Minnesota Viking.
What this could potentially lead to are more "poison pills" in offer sheets. Currently, Seattle has an interest in a restricted free agent WR from the Minnesota Vikings named Nate Burleson. Burleson is from Seattle (attended O'Dea High School) and it's his "fantasy" to play for his hometown Seahawks.
So what is preventing the Seattle Seahawks from offering Burleson a modest contract, but add a clause that states that Burleson is to receive a $1M bonus for every reception he achieves in home games played in a dome. Last season, Burleson had a down year, only managing 18 receptions at home. Still, under that offer sheet, Minnesota would have to pay him $18M in bonus money, which would be applied to the 2007 cap. Under such a circumstance, the Vikings wouldn't be inclined to match the offer and would accept the 3rd round compensation.
Some Internet sites are going to tell you that this is what Seattle gets for only placing the "Transition" tag on Hutchinson, or in the case of www.profootballtalk.com, for attempting to "screw" Hutchinson over by re-structuring Walter Jones' contract before going in front of an arbiter.
Those people have no idea what they're talking about.
Over the years, Seattle has been burned by placing the "Franchise" tag on players. First, there was Joey Galloway, who sat out half of the 1999 season before finally playing before forfeiting a year of NFL service. Then there was the 3-year standoff with Walter Jones, which finally ended when Seattle signed him to a long-term contract. Last year, it was Shaun Alexander.
By using the "Transition" tag, Seattle was extending an olive branch to Hutchinson by operating and negotiating in "good faith" with their All-Pro offensive lineman. According to John Clayton, Seattle offered Hutchinson a long-term contract worth $5.8M per year, which is definitely fair, market value for an interior offensive lineman.
That wasn't enough for Hutchinson, and in response to Seattle's overly fair treatment of him, he had his agent negotiate a contract with the Minnesota Vikings that Seattle couldn't possibly match without jeopardizing the long-term financial health of the team. An offer sheet that Hutchinson happily signed.
But it was Seattle and Walter Jones that were doing the "screwing". Yeah, riiiight.
What this means now is that Seattle has to move on without Hutchinson, something they're well equipped to do. Seattle used their 1st round draft pick last year on C Chris Spencer, who can play guard. Seattle also has Floyd "Pork Chop" Womack, who was re-signed a year ago to start at RT, before injuring his triceps in training camp, allowing Locklear to entrench himself at that spot. Womack has played guard extensively in Seattle, and one of the top offenses in the NFL wouldn't miss a beat.
With the now $26M in free cap room, Seattle can make a serious run at improving the defensive side of the football. Seattle already has a trade in place with the New York Jets for All-Pro DE John Abraham, and now has ample funds to appease Abraham's high-priced contract demands. Seattle has also been targeting LB Julian Peterson, who is a freak of an athlete, capable of playing DE, LB and even safety.
We may never know why Steve Hutchinson chose Team Love Boat over a team smack dab in the middle of it's Super Bowl window of opportunity, but one thing is abundantly clear: It's going to be a must-see event when the Vikings visit Qwest Field in 2006. In fact, it just might be a game worth flying cross-country for.
So often we run across people with tunnel vision. They're only concerned with the short-term, and never pay attention to how one decision affects another, and the next one, and so on and so forth.
Not Seahawks President Tim Ruskell. The guy sees the whole chess board.
In anticipation of the Seahawks losing the arbitration case, the Seahawks and Walter Jones agreed to extend the contract the All-Pro LT signed last off-season. Adding another year (and converting $2M of salary into bonus money, netting a cap savings of $1.6M) to the deal makes the "per year average" of Jones' contract lower than the offer sheet Hutchinson signed with Minnesota, thus negating the "poison pill" clause entirely.
Brilliant move by Ruskell, and while some may argue that Jones "screws" Hutchinson out of some money, the fact of the matter is Hutchinson never would've received that money in Minnesota, anyways.
Red Sox Deal Bronson Arroyo
I am very excited to have Bronson Arroyo out of Boston. But I'm even more excited to have Wily Mo Pena in Boston. I could tell you why I like the deal, but there's no way I could say it as well as The Commissioner, Peter Gammons. To expound on what he's saying, the Red Sox added a right-handed power hitter that can learn under fellow Dominicans David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. Pena can also play 1B, RF, CF and LF, and that versatility is as valuable as whatever Arroyo was going to do on the mound.
More on both the Hutchinson and Arroyo/Pena deals later.
Today, the Seahawks re-signed DT Rocky Bernard to a 3-year deal, reportedly worth $13M. After the 2005 season Bernard produced (8.5 sacks), it was expected that it would take $5-6M per year over 5+ years to get a deal done. Locking him up for the prime of his career at a per year average of $4.3M per season is a pretty good move by Tim Ruskell. We'll know more details of this contract later.
Seattle also re-signed WR Peter "P-Dub" Warrick to a 1-year deal worth $1M. Warrick was signed last August after Cincinnati released him, and he filled in occasionally at WR and returned some punts. It was Warrick's first year back after a pretty bad knee injury, one that normally takes 2 years to come back from. A solid 2006 season could set Warrick up for a more secure contract down the road.
Hutchinson Update
There's really nothing much to update, but there's plenty of room to speculate. So that's what I'm going to do right now.
Before the Bernard and Warrick signings, the Seahawks had about $16M in cap room, and that includes the $6.3M tied up by Hutchinson's transition tag. After today's signings, I'd probably estimate that the Seahawks have about $11-12M to play with. If they decide not to match the stupid offer Minnesota made to Hutchinson, Seattle would be approximately $17M under the salary cap.
Right now, the team is meeting with Jets DE John Abraham, the Jets "franchise" player, and could conceivably work out a trade with the Jets if they can agree to a contract with Abraham. It's expected to take $17-18M in guaranteed money to make that happen.
Seattle is also scheduled to meet with former 49ers LB Julian Peterson in the next few days.
Using basic arithmetic: If the Seahawks choose not to match the contract offered to Steve Hutchinson by the Minnesota Vikings, they would have the cap room this year to sign both Abraham and Julian Peterson. They could likely bring in CB Will Allen, as well.
All for not re-signing a left guard? I'm on board with that, if that's the way they choose to go. Here's a look at what our starting lineups would look like:
Offense
QB - Matt Hasselbeck
RB - Shaun Alexander
FB - Mack Strong (they will re-sign him)
WR - Darrell Jackson
WR - Bobby Engram
TE - Jerramy Stevens
LT - Walter Jones
LG - Floyd Womack/Chris Spencer/Robbie Tobeck
C - Robbie Tobeck/Chris Spencer
RG - Chris Gray/Floyd Womack/Chris Spencer
RT - Sean Locklear
Womack was expected to start at RT last year, but got hurt and couldn't supplant Sean Locklear once healthy. Womack has seen considerable time at the guard position, and is earning a starter's salary. Chris Spencer was drafted to play center, but spent some time at the guard position, and it could be argued that a year playing next to Robbie Tobeck would benefit the youngster for when Tobeck's body can no longer keep up. Chris Gray keeps clinging to a starting job, but Spencer and Womack are stronger, more athletic and need to be out on the field. Gray would provide depth inside, should Womack need to move to tackle at some point.
Defense
RDE - Grant Wistrom
DT - Marcus Tubbs
DT - Rocky Bernard
LDE - John Abraham
SLB - LeRoy Hill
MLB - Lofa Tatupu
WLB - Julian Peterson
CB - Will Allen
CB - Marcus Trufant
FS - Ken Hamlin
SS - Michael Boulware
Under this, the team's leader in sacks in 2005 (Bryce Fisher) wouldn't even start. How crazy is that?
So as disappointed I was in the prospect of Steve Hutchinson not being in Seattle anymore, if it means we can improve our already solid defense, I'm on board with not matching that contract.
If you're like me, and millions of other people throughout the country, you diverted a few moments away from your normal office duties to fill out some brackets. Maybe you're in an office pool, hoping to finally take home the grand prize after the ditzy receptionist won it all last year after taking Carolina because her best friend's husband once drove by Chapel Hill, NC.
Like me, you have no chance of winning the pool you're in. But you did it anyways, and in a few days, you're going to be screaming at the TV when some freshman from Murray State hits a running 3 at the buzzer, successfully ruining your bracket from the start. You'll mutter to yourself "Ok, I had UNC losing the title game to Duke, so I still might have a chance", and you'll be kidding yourself.
As of right now, though, everyone's bracket has potential. And that's what's so great about it. For a day or two, you have a chance, and that feels pretty good. That's why I'll be taking half days on Thursday and Friday, so I can actually feel that rush one gets from picking an upset, and seeing it happen live on TV.
So without waxing too poetically about the NCAA Tournament, here is my take on each of the regions. I'm basing this on my #1 bracket, which is the one I feel most strongly about. I'm not the type that buys into the "Sheet of Integrity" nonsense. I'm in it, to win it. Sometimes that takes filling out more than one bracket.
Atlanta
First round winners: Duke, George Washington, Syracuse, LSU, West Virginia, Iowa, Cal, and Texas
To the Sweet 16: Duke, Syracuse, Iowa, and Texas
To the Elite 8: Duke, Texas
Region winner: Duke
Atlana region notes: Iowa could sneak past Texas, but I don't see Syracuse or LSU beating Duke. Syracuse has been playing well, but they're not as deep as Duke, and LSU is still very, very young. They're a year away from serious title contention.
Oakland
First round winners: Memphis, Bucknell, Pitt, Kansas, Indiana, Gonzaga, Marquette, and UCLA
To the Sweet 16: Memphis, Kansas, Gonzaga, UCLA
To the Elite 8: Memphis, UCLA
Region winner: UCLA
Oakland region notes: Nobody on the east coast realizes how good UCLA is. They absolutely fly towards the basket, and will easily trounce Belmont, Marquette/Xavier and even Gonzaga. Kansas, the #4-seed, could give Memphis a hard time in the Sweet 16. Gonzaga will be a popular pick because of Adam Morrison, but the team does not play defense and struggled in the WCC tournament. Indiana has been playing well since the head coach announced he was resigning at the end of the season. For some reason, that doesn't make me want to jump on their bandwagon.
Washington, DC
First round winners: UCONN, UAB, Washington, Illinois, George Mason, UNC, Seton Hall, and Tennessee.
To the Sweet 16: UCONN, Washington, UNC, Seton Hall
To the Elite 8: UCONN, UNC
Region winner: UCONN
Washington, DC sleeper(s): George Mason is worth taking, since UNC can easily beat Michigan State. Picking them is a good way to get cheap points in your pool. Tennessee should not be a #2-seed and #15-Winthrop could beat them. That game is worth watching, because UT's head coach has a comical problem with perspiration. My big sleeper in this region is Washington, who are led by Brandon Roy. They're the only team in this bracket capable of beating UCONN, as unlikely that is to actually happen.
Minneapolis
First round winners: Villanova, Arizona, Nevada, BC, Oklahoma, Florida, Georgetown, and Ohio State
To the Sweet 16: Villanova, BC, Florida, Ohio State
To the Elite 8: BC, Florida
Region winner: Florida
Minneapolis region notes: BC has the talent to go very far in this tournament, but watch out for Pacific, who have knocked out two Big East teams from the tournament the last two years. BC isn't in the Big East anymore (ACC), but it's an intriguing matchup nonetheless. Georgetown is another school that could go far, but I don't see how they get past Florida. I have Villanova in the championship game in one bracket, and that BC-'Nova matchup next weekend is going to be a good one.
Mac's Final Four: UCONN, Florida, Duke, UCLA
Mac's National Champ: UCONN over Duke
At 12:01am on Saturday morning, the NFL's free agency period officially kicked off. And thanks to the extension of the league's Collective Bargaining Agreement, the teams with ample salary cap room made a huge splash.
Despite adamantly denying that they'd pursue a high-priced RB, the Arizona Cardinals threw $30M over 4 years at Edgerrin James, who happily flashed his gold teef grin and signed his name on the dotted line (or put an "X" down, thanks his University of Miami education). Naturally, the Cardinals addressed their woeful offensive line by inking OG Milford Brown, who comes to the desert by way of Houston, who allowed the most sacks in the NFL the last few seasons.
Another big-time RB, Jamal Lewis, re-signed with Baltimore for a 3-year deal, which essentially is a glorified 1-year contract. Baltimore had hoped to retain Chester Taylor, who backed up Lewis a year ago, but he signed with Minnesota. The team signed Jamal Lewis despite already having locked up free agent RB Mike Anderson (Denver) earlier in the weekend.
Minnesota made a huge splash by signing Seahawks OG Steve Hutchinson to a monster offer sheet, which Seattle has 7 days to match. Minnesota has apparently front-loaded this deal so much, and are willing to grossly overpay an interior lineman, in a hopes to get Hutchinson's services. I'll have more on this one later, but it's worth noting that the Vikings re-signed WR Koren Robinson, but placed enough clauses in the contract to protect themselves if K-Rob reverts to being a turd. Minnesota once again spent some money on defense, grabbing LB Ben Leber from the Chargers in a modest signing. They added Ryan Longwell (K, Green Bay), as well.
Cleveland made the biggest opening day splash, as they signed two key free agents from the NFC South to improve their offensive line. C/G LeCharles Bentley (New Orleans) and OT Kevin Shaffer (Atlanta) add instant credibility to the Browns, as does the signing of WR, and Cleveland native, Joe Jurevicius (Seattle). The Browns also added a quality punter (Dave Zastudil) and a monstrous DT Ted Washington (Oakland).
Philadelphia had a verbal agreement in place with LeCharles Bentley, and were reportedly not happy to see him back out at the last minute to sign with Cleveland. Offensively, the Eagles did add TE Matt Schobel (Cincinnati), who gives the Eagles two very good pass-catching TEs.
Today, Philadelphia used some of that money to sign prized DE Darren Howard to a multi-year contract, who when teamed with Jevon Kearse, gives the Eagles a pass-rushing duo comparable to the Strahan/Umenyiora combo the Giants have.
Speaking of the Giants, the team added CB Sam Madison to the secondary, essentially replacing Will Allen, who had fallen out of favor in and around the Meadowlands. The team did lose out in its effort to retain DT Kendrick Clancy, who couldn't resist the money Arizona was offering him. I guess some guys don't mind losing 10 games a season in front of 30,000 people.
The Rams improved their defense by handing $33M over 6 years to LB Will Witherspoon (Carolina), and immediately announced that he'd be moving to the MLB spot. Some bad news for the Rams was the departure of SS Adam Archuleta, who at times, was the best defender the team had over the years. He's had some health issues recently, but that didn't stop Daniel Snyder and the Washington Redskins from tossing some money his way.
The Redskins, despite not being a team thought to have much cap room, made some major splashes this weekend. In addition to Archuleta, the team added 2 high-priced WRs. Brandon Lloyd was had in a trade with San Francisco, where the Redskins gave up a 3rd round pick this year, and a 4th round pick next year, and the team has reportedly signed him to a 6-year deal worth nearly $30M. The same financial package (give or take a few bucks) landed the Redskins Antwan Randle-El (Pittsburgh). Washington now has 3 young, dangerous WRs. Whether or not they realize that there's only 1 football is yet to be seen.
Carolina retained RB DeShaun Foster, and improved their trenches a bit with the signings of C Justin Hartwig (Tennessee) and DT Maake Kemoeatu (Baltimore), who is a 6-5, 350-lb beast in the middle of the defensive line. Carolina's defense did take a slight hit with the departure of LB Will Witherspoon (St. Louis) and S Marlon McCree (San Diego).
SEAHAWKS STRATEGY
Seattle entered the weekend with about $17M in cap room to play with, and not many glaring needs. If Hutchinson leaves for Minnesota, Seattle's cap room will swell to nearly $24M, since the current cap number includes the money set aside for Hutchinson under the transition tag.
Seattle has already lost WR Joe Jurevicius and SS Marquand Manuel, the latter signing a 5-year / $10M deal with the Green Bay Packers. Manuel had a good season filling in for the injured Ken Hamlin, but Seattle didn't view him as a starting safety in the long run. He's a great role player, is excellent in the locker room, but you don't give that type of contract to a reserve.
Jurevicius' departure hurts a bit more, as he bailed the Seahawks out last season when the team lost both Darrell Jackson and Bobby Engram to injuries. Jurevicius responded with a career year, including 10 touchdown receptions. His selflessness, toughness and leadership helped the Seahawks avoid the dropped passes that plagued the team in 2004. With him gone, the opportunity is there for third-year WR DJ Hackett to elevate his status.
The Hutchinson Contract
We really don't know the full details of the contract Minnesota offered Hutchinson. Aside from the contract length (7 years) and total value of the contract ($49M), we don't know some key elements that make deciding whether or not to match the offer worthwhile to the Seahawks.
One rumor has the 1st year cap hit at approximately $8.5M, which is excessive for an offensive lineman, let alone a guard. Seattle already has $6.3M committed to Hutchinson, so in a year where there's not a lot of great players worth spending money on, an additional $2.2M of cap room might be worth it.
Another, more widely reported, rumor has the 1st year cap hit at somewhere between $13-14M, which is just absurd. Minnesota has the most available cap room of any team in the NFL, so that they went after Hutchinson wasn't good news for the Seahawks front office.
There's also a rumor floating around that Minnesota included a clause that stated that if Steve Hutchinson isn't the highest paid lineman on the team, his entire contract is guaranteed. This deal would make Hutchinson the highest paid lineman on Minnesota, but in Seattle, it would fall slighly short of what Seattle is currently paying the league's best offensive lineman, Walter Jones. Minnesota would do something like this to make it impossible for Seattle to match, as guaranteeing $49M is committing cap suicide, as well as has the potential to alienate the player's teammates.
It's worth noting that Hutchinson's agent is Tom Condon, who has the reputation as being the sort of guy who doesn't give a rat's ass about the best interest of his client, so long as he gets his name in the paper for getting record deals.
So what does Seattle do? I'm not really sure at this point. Too much is unknown regarding the contract. I will say that I agree with Hugh Millen, who has repeatedly mentioned how relatively insignificant the left guard position is to the Seahawks offense. Seattle has some depth along the offensive line, so it's not essential to the team's long-term success to overpay for Hutchinson.
At the same time, Seattle doesn't have many holes, has ample salary cap room, and can afford to overpay in year 1 of this contract.
It took them long enough, but the league's 32 owners have agreed to a labor deal, and have assured the world's most financially sound sports league will have labor peace through 2012.
In the short-term, each team will receive an additional $10M (or so) of salary cap room for 2006. Get ready for some monster contracts this off-season.
The game of baseball lost a great one today as Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett passed away on Monday after suffering a massive stroke on Sunday morning.
A sad day for baseball, indeed.
Puckett was just 44 years old.
My favorite memory of Puckett, and there are many to choose from, was his game-winning HR off Charlie Liebrandt in the 11th inning of game 6 in the 1991 World Series. I still remember Jack Buck's call of "We'll see you tomorrow night" as the ball cleared the fence.
We'll miss you, Kirby.
That's the word from Chris Mortensen on Mike & Mike in the Morning on ESPN Radio this morning. The NFL and the NFLPA have an agreement in principle, and all that's left to do is ratify the damn thing.
Before we think this is a slam dunk, the latest proposal addresses the revenue sharing issue by limiting the "cash over cap" issue that a team can carry in a given year.
The best example of this is in Washington, who seemingly never have any salary cap room, but always seem to land expensive free agents, who sign long-term contracts with high amounts of guaranteed money and low base salaries. Only the high revenue teams are capable of spending like this, and the latest CBA proposal seeks to put a limit on it.
So where's the beef? The high revenue teams would get to keep their precious locally-generated revenue, and there would be a level playing field for all 32 franchises. It's a "win, win" situation, especially after the union conceded some ground on the percentage of defined gross revenue that the players will receive.
Yet, some owners aren't on board with this, and Mort identified one of them as Robert Kraft, whose team has never behaved in such a fiscal irresponsible manner. In fact, New England is about to (stoopidly) bid farewell to a Hall of Fame kicker, Adam Vinateiri, because they want him to sign a contract that doesn't include a nickel of guaranteed money.
How soon Bob Kraft forgets, eh? It was only 12 years ago when the Patriots were a low revenue team, playing in a decrepid stadium and unable to attract marquee free agents. So much so, they nearly moved to St. Louis.
The CBA between the NFL and the NFLPA has helped bridge the gap between the "haves" and "have nots", and Bob Kraft knows it, and being an NFL owner has added to what was already a great fortune. That he is even thinking about being a thorn in the side of this deal is reprehensible. Then again, this is the same guy who got drunk and gave his Super Bowl ring to Vladimir Putin.
The NFL and NFLPA couldn't come to an agreement, even though it was in both of their interests to do so. Both sides had ample opportunity to make one, but still, talks stalled. On the other side of the country, it wasn't expected that the Shaun Alexander and the Seattle Seahawks would ever be able to come to an agreement on a contract extension. But they have. Seattle and the league MVP have reportedly come to an agreement on an 8-year, $62M contract extension with $15M in bonus money. Now, depending on how this contract is structured, it could be a very good, or a very bad, decision by Tim Ruskell (Seattle's Team President). The front office has done a tremendous job of having a healthy salary cap situation, and I can't see why they'd structure a deal that threatens it's overall health, especially for a RB that's 29-years old. We shall see when the contract details are released, and until then, I'm reserving my judgment on this deal. I will say that I've always thought that a deal was in the best interests for both sides, and that Alexander deserves to be well paid for his record-breaking production the last few years.
In other NFL News
When I started writing this entry, talks had broken off and free agency was less than an hour away. Once again, that has changed. The NFL and NFLPA have delayed the start of the 2006 calendar year, pushing the date back to 12:01am on Thursday.
I don't expect (and neither should you) anything to come out of this. If neither side has been willing to make the appropriate concessions thus far, why should we think anything will change over the next 3 days?
Then again, the more they swing and miss, the more they realize that both sides are killing themselves financially by not making a deal.
Paul Tagliabue pulled a Peyton Manning late yesterday afternoon, delaying the start of the 2006 season by 72 hours in the hopes that a new CBA can be agreed to.
Early reports are that this just may work. A deal will get done, the salary cap will balloon up to $104M, representing a $9.5M increase in 2006.
But I'm not optomistic that a deal will get done, because I can't possibly believe that much has changed since the owners decided to break off talks yesterday morning.
I'm tired of reading about this subject, tired of talking about this subject, and even more tired of writing about this subject. Today would have been the start of free agency, and instead of analyzing contracts and the directions teams are heading in, we're talking about how billionaires can't come to an agreement on how to disperse the billions of dollars in annual revenue.
It's nauseating, at best, and until a deal gets done, I'm tuning out.
World Baseball Classic
Much to his chagrin, the world apparently doesn't revolve around George Steinbrenner. Proof of this was last night's launch of the World Baseball Classic in the Tokyo Dome in Japan.
I actually like the idea of the WBC, but I'm not thrilled with the timing of it. I would've preferred to see something like this in the fall, after the World Series. With the WBC wrapping up just 2 weeks before Opening Day, I'm concerned that some MLB teams are going to have a key player on the disabled list before the season actually begins, and if the WBC was scheduled in the late fall, there'd be time to rehabilitate those injuries before Spring Training.
That said, I'm actually getting a little excited about the World Baseball Classic. Sure, a lot of stars have backed out, but there's enough talent in these games to make it worth watching. The smart money is on Venezuela to win the whole thing behind a talented, and deep, pitching staff led by Johan Santana, Freddy Garcia and Carlos Zambrano.
March Madness
While I'll never be labeled a big fan of basketball, every year I fall victim to full-blown March Madness. I watch as much of conference tournaments as I possibly can, since I'm foolish enough to believe it makes a difference when filling out my NCAA Tournament bracket.Once again, I'll be getting the March Madness package on DirecTV, which means I"ll likely need to take some half days in the middle of March to fully enjoy this package. When the time comes, I'll be posting my bracket(s) on here.
The small and "mid-major" conference tournaments kick off this weekend, and I think most people are curious to see how badly Gonzaga beats their opponents on Monday night. For the first time since Gonzaga joined the WCC, they'll be hosting the conference's tournament, which doesn't make the rest of the conference too happy. Gonzaga is in Spokane, WA, and most of the schools are in southern California. Tickets were quickly gobbled up by Gonzaga students, and aside from Duke at Cameron Indoor Arena, no team enjoys a home-court advantage like Gonzaga. Should be interesting, and if not, you can always count on Adam Morrison to do something worth watching.
Tomorrow night, an ACC matchup really overshadows all the conference tournament action. The aformentioned Duke hosts in-state rival UNC at 9pm on ESPN2. This game never disappoints, and even though Dick Vitale's voice often causes me to envy the deaf, I'll be watching it. How does Duke respond to the loss to Florida State the other night? UNC can hang with Duke, so it should be a good one.
A few minutes after posting the entry below, I saw this up at ESPN.com. Whoops! Get ready for a never-before-seen flooding of the free agent market, as teams cut veteran players earning big money in a frantic attempt to get themselves under the $96M salary cap before 10pm EST tonight. It's going to be a buyer's market this year, and if your team is under the cap (Green Bay, Cleveland, Arizona, Minnesota), they'll have a good chance to get very good, very quickly. As far as Seattle is concerned, they're already well under the cap, and will be major players on the free agent scene. Look for quick, long-term contracts out of Shaun Alexander and Steve Hutchinson, keeping that offense fully intact. While I've written on several occasions that the extension of the CBA would be horrible for the NFL, it would actually benefit the Seahawks in the short-term, who are seemingly one of the few franchises who planned ahead for this sort of thing. Just goes to show you what having good management in place can do for a franchise.
Bloody Thursday is a reference to the maritime strike of 1934 in San Francisco, CA, which is appropriate since the main topic of the day is labor strife.
It's been a week since I've posted anything, and with the today shaping up to be a very interesting day sports-wise, no time like the present.
The NFL's Labor Situation
Mark my words: A deal will get done today. There's simply too much at stake right now for a deal not to happen.
As we mentioned last week, the main sticking points are revenue sharing among the owners, and what percentage of that revenue will be used in calculating the annual salary cap.
Salary Cap
The players get a percentage of the league's revenues, and right now, the owners are offering 56.2%. The players want 60.3%. What may appear to be a slight difference is actually $320M per year over the course of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Since the league has announced that the 2006 salary cap will be $96M per team, you can figure that if a CBA is agreed to, and at the percentage requested by the players, the new salary cap will grow to about $106M per team. Go ask Sam Adams, Sam Madison, Brentson Buckner and the host of other veteran players who were released yesterday in anticipation of $96M cap if they'd be unemployed today if the CBA was already agreed to.
Revenue Sharing
There are reports that the league's 32 owners are divided into 3 segments.
1. The uber-rich owners, who own high-profile teams that generate millions of dollars locally and are emphatically opposed to sharing that revenue.
2. The super-rich owners, who own mid or big market teams that don't generate an obscene amount of money locally. They're not overly hurt, or helped, by expanded revenue sharing, so they'll go along with it.
3. The very rich owners, who own low market franchises. They don't generate much local revenue, and they feel that sharing of locally generated revenue will help bridge the gap between the haves (group 1) and the have-nots (them).
I link up more with the first group, because the last time I checked, capitalism is sort of what America prides itself in. If the New England Patriots (a group 1 team) can generate millions upon millions of dollars locally, there shouldn't be anything stopping teams like Green Bay, Pittsburgh or Jacksonville from emulating that business model, and being as successful. These teams already get a fat check from the league revenue, so why should they get a taste of what the Cowboys, Redskins (who are the biggest loser under this plan), Eagles and Patriots create on their own?
I'll tell you why. Because the NFL isn't structured with capitalism in mind. It's purely a socialist system. The league divides its broadcast money equally, even though it's shown that certain teams produce higher rating than others. The league shares licensing revenue, even every year, Darren Rovell over at the Worldwide Leader does his Mr. Blackwell impersonation by letting us know whose jerseys are flying off Pro Image shelves (if they're still around).
The NFL has shared its revenue for a long time now, and adding more revenue to the pot won't spoil what's been brewing for decades. These owners need to do this, for the good of the league. They need to think long and hard about why a guy like the late Wellington Mara, who was the conscience of the NFL, would say in regards to these billionaires who are threatening to tear down what he spent his life building.
And if they did so, the answer would be painfully obvious. Share babies, share.
And share they will. An 11th-hour deal will be agreed to, because nobody wants to be known as the guy who cooked the golden goose.
