Tonight on the radio version of News, Notes and Rumors

 

We talk a little baseball in honor of opening of the season.

 

Chris Schad feature writer for the Twins joins us to talk about the AL Central.

 

Tony Williams, beat writer for Metro New York Paper joins us to talk NFL and NBA

 

Steve Gallo of the USA Today sports department joins us to talk about Bountygate.

 

Corey Hanley feature writer for the Orioles joins us to preview the AL East.

 

Happy Easter to all.

 

 

NNR at 6PM EDT follows the Moohead show at 5PM on http://mooheadradio.com/2.0/.  Press the Green arrow at 6 for NNR.

Join Mr. Moohead  on after early Cavs games for his post-game chat.

 

 

The archive of the show is available the following day at https://fryingpansports.com/radio-show/.

 

Be part of the show by calling our SportSims.com hotline at 216-539-0607.

 

Bill Smith is a former coach of several semi-pro teams, has officiated both football and basketball, done color on radio for college football and basketball and has scouted talent. He edits https://fryingpansports.com and was a senior writer for .  He has also published several novels on and a non-fiction work at http://www.merriam-press.com/.

He edits .  … Read more at FryingPanSports

Niblets for July 2010

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NOTE:  We will finish our question mark review for the NFC South and West Thursday.

Best comment of the month:

teeth whitening gets the comment of the month again. Comment on LeBron is LeGone to Miami I wonder if the incentives in the contracts for the beach boys are going to impose problems during their season? What if one of the players decides to pad their stats instead of playing team ball and set off the egos.

TW, I think we have a new name for the guys in South Beach–the Beach Boys. Well done and thanks for reading our site.

Updates on previous columns:

LeBron, Gilbert, Miami and Cleveland The Heat added F Juwan Howard, Joel Anthony, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Jamaal Magloire and rookies Dexter Pittman and Patrick Beverley. Z is nearly useless and was at the end of the bench during the Cavs run in the playoffs last season. Howard is not what he used to be but will help. Magloire gives the heat some physical play inside at C.

The Cavs have done very little to add talent despite owner Gilbert’s statement. The fact is that if the team could not attract a top UFA with LeBron on … 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 06/15/10

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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

Baseball needs to upgrade Umpires NOW!

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                       MLB Umpire Foster

MLB’s reputation has taken major hits from the steroid scandal, missing the playoffs because of a strike and leadership of the some times blind but always intellectually challenged Bud Selig. But there is a bigger problem with the game—the ineptness of some of its umpires.

Umpire Marty Foster covered 3rd base last night sort of. At least he was paid to do that. In the first inning he called Derek Jeter attempting to steal 3rd. The ball got there in time but Jeter was never tagged. Jeter complained to Foster and was reportedly told that he didn’t have to be tagged to be out. When Jeter told Yankee manager Joe Girardi what Foster had said, Girardi exploded and got thrown out of the game for arguing the call. Maybe someone should buy Foster a copy of the MLB rule book. Even if they did, I doubt he would read it.

The umpires were already under the gun for inaccurate ball and strike counts. New technology has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that umpires are not able to tell a strike from a ground hog. Baseball has always said that it can live … Read more at FryingPanSports

The Commissioner suspends the entire National League for 50 Games!

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By Bill Smith

Just kidding, but if things keep going they way they have been it could happen. Baseball thought it finally had a handle on the steroid problem—not so much. What it does have is the very short end of a very long stick.

Manny Ramirez of the LA Dodgers is the latest one to be caught. He was taking female fertility drug HGC. He reportedly was prescribed the drug by a doctor in Florida. HGC was added to the no-no list in 2002. He has been suspended for 50 games—the first failed drug test by a player in the program. According to team mates, Manny brings leadership any locker room west of the Massachusetts boarder. Baseball can only hope he isn’t leading players to massive suspensions. To the further frustration of baseball, Jose Canseco said that Manny was using in his first book Juiced. Maybe Canseco is a member of the psychic network.

The reason that Baseballs stick is so long for the most part is the fault of the sport’s leadership. Baseball really didn’t want to even admit there was a rock called steroids let alone look under it. Sammy Sosa went from looking like a … Read more at FryingPanSports