MLB Games Tryouts

Where is the scout?

This is the question that many parents and young aspiring baseball players ask during spring season as they get ready to go to the ballpark with dreams of having multi-million dollar bonuses in their heads. What many of them fail to realize is that the interest of these scouts is not merely a game of waiting, not is it something to be ignored. The jocks who throw great pitching during their high school practices can just sit around in their basements and play video games and still the scouts may find them. As for a lot of people, you need to go after them and practice hard. This is where the trout for Major League Baseball will come in.

Tryout is a word that often proves to be misleading because it implies the fact that the scouts choose specific players that they want, sign them, and then put them into the system of the minor league. However, from the standpoint of MLB Games tryouts, these are just opportunities for them to check out the young players who will be joining the selection for the player drafts. Most organizations make use of tryouts in the hopes that … Read more at FryingPanSports

Will this week be full of upsets in football?

football

College games:

Louisiana Tech 20 @ #3 Boise St 49 – Boise looked just OK against a very out manned LTk team. The play of LTk did not do Boise any good convincing the pollsters or the computers they deserve to be higher.

#1 Auburn @ Mississippi – The Tigers shouldn’t have any trouble with Ole Miss but they probably will struggle early. Auburn plays great against really good teams but tends to play down to the level of the lesser SEC opponents. Auburn wins.

#2 Oregon @ USC – The Ducks looked really good against an up and down UCLA team. But this is USC and it is the closest thing the Trojans will get to a bowl game this year. The key will be how does USC handle a fast and nasty Duck D? The Oregon D holds its own but the USC D is not nearly what it has been in previous years. Oregon passes the test and wins.

#5 Michigan State @ #18 Iowa – The Hawkeyes looked like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football after the 1 point loss home against Wisconsin. The loss took them to the back of the Big 10 1 … Read more at FryingPanSports

Sports Buffet for 08/10/10

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Football

The NFL negotiations for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement between the owners and the NFLPA are not going well. The NFL has proposed an 18 game season but the injuries to players this preseason are hurting the chances of the Union accepting the deal.

The list of players already on the IR seems to be a lot longer than usual. The list already includes Raven DBs Walt Harris and Domonique Foxworth, Ram DL Chris Hovan, and others. Bronco LB Elvis Dumervil could be the next one on that list depending on how the operation to fix his torn muscle goes.

FPS will be reporting on preseason games and let you know which teams are looking solid and which are looking like pretenders.

Baseball

The Reds face a tough series this week against the Cardinals. The Reds lost game 1 and as of last night had their lead cut to 1 game. The Cardinals are one of the teams that have had a lot of injuries but are still very talented.

The division races have all tightened over the last couple of weeks except for the AL West where the Rangers are running away from the rest of the division. … Read more at FryingPanSports

Baseball Heads Down the Back Stretch

all star game 2010

Baseball Heads Down the Back Stretch

Now that the All Star game is over, we need to take a look at the standings and project what might happen from this point to the final weeks of the season.

The trading deadline is coming up and there are a few names floating around that could help a contender. Some deals have already been made. The biggest deal was SP Cliff Lee going to the division leading Rangers. He gives the team the one thing they did not really have–a true #1 starter. Even with the team’s financial problems, they decided to go for it all this year.

The Jays and Braves traded SS with Alex Gonzalez going south in a five-player deal along with 2 minor leaguers for SS Yunel Escobar and LHP Jo-Jo Reyes. The Braves needed a little more O and Gonzalez should help. Escobar has been at best inconsistent.

The Jays are in 4th in the tough AL East and have put out the word that RPs Kevin Gregg, Scott Downs and Jason Frasor are available. They are looking to build for next year. Several teams might be interested in Gregg who has converted 20 of 23 … Read more at FryingPanSports

Sports Buffet for 06/29/10

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NFL

Lions president Tom Lewand was recently charged with DUI. That got him a not so friendly visit with Comm. Goodell this week. While there is no decision yet on punishment for the charge or from the league, the players and NFLPA Ex. Dir. DeMaurice Smith will be watching this case very closely. They will want to see if management is held to the same standard as the players.

UFA RB Brian Westbrook was charged with DUI in February but has been found not guilty.

Bengal RB Cedric Benson is in trouble again. This time he was charged with assault with injury resulting from an altercation at a downtown Austin Texas bar. He reportedly punched a bar employee in the face. He paid his bond but the charge is a class A misdemeanor. It will get him a ticket to meet with Comm. Goodall sometime soon.

Steelers OT Willie Colon’s hurt his Achilles’ tendon and will miss the entire year. He had started 54 straight games. The team is searching for a replacement but the good ones are gone.

NBA

We are getting closer to knowing where the big name UFAs will be going. One thing that looks fairly certain … Read more at FryingPanSports

Sports Buffet for 06/15/10

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NFL

The lower round rookies are beginning to sign. The deals are too scattered to give you a good analysis but look for the top picks to have some extended holdouts. The league ownership is in a penny pinching mood. The best indication of that is the fact that none of the usual sources have the financial data on the rookie deals. Given the concern over what the next CBA might look like and the economy still being in the tank, owners won’t quickly let the agents talk them into big increases over last year.

The RFAs are also signing. Today, the teams have the option of lowering any unsigned RFA to 110 percent of the salary the player made last year. In most cases the teams will do this for those players that they consider reserves or not critical to their long term plans.

NBA

The Celtics lead in the finals now 3-2. It is hard to get a handle on this series because each team looks unbeatable in one game but then lays an egg in the next one. While some of the differences in the games is due to injuries and foul trouble. But that can not … Read more at FryingPanSports