Pay Me Sucka!

On Saturday night, if you are a sports fan, you were probably doing one of two things. Watching Notre Dame roll over Oklahoma or dressed in some weird sports costume heading to a party at a friends place. Either way you were blindsided midway through the night about the news of a big NBA trade.

Trades in the NBA aren't all that common, they mostly happen when teams need to dump salary (see Knicks, New York) or a player is unhappy in his situation and demands out (see Howard, Dwight). This trade happened because the player was due a big contract extension and his current team wasn't going to pony up the cash.

James Harden of Oklahoma City Thunder has been a very visible star for the NBA the last couple of seasons. A high draft pick, playing on a winning team and his tell tale beard all made him quite the personality. His biggest contribution is probably the consistency that the Thunder get when the bring him off the bench. He was named the 6th man of the year last year because of the scoring (avr 16.8 ppg) he provides when his teammates might not have it that night. Even though many considered him the third best player on the Thunder, he was content, or so we thought, with coming off the bench.

Harden was entering the fourth year of his rookie contract and the Thunder could offer him an extension. Many thought that Harden would accept below market value on his contract extension so he could continue to contend for championships in Oklahoma City. Everyone was apparently wrong. Harden was offered a four year $55 million dollar contract by the Thunder, about $5 million less than the maximum that they were able to offer him on a four year extension. When he declined that extension, Oklahoma City's GM Sam Presti was apparently convinced that he wasn't going to be able to keep Harden and traded him to Houston.

Was Presti wrong for not offering Harden a max contract? Probably, his team would be in a better place with a player like Harden and financially they could have found a way to make it work. Was Harden wrong for not accepting a the OKC offer? Absolutely not! A professional sports career is short and while winning a championship is definitely important to most players, you can't deny the fact that a championship ring won't pay the bills. Harden might have had a better chance at a title in OKC this year, but Houston GM Daryl Morey is creative and will build that Houston team up quickly around Harden and Jeremy Lin.

The only question that keeps coming to my mind about the trade is why did Oklahoma City pull the trigger on the trade so quickly. They could have waited until March to make this deal. If they wait, maybe they realize that Harden is worth the extra cash or they realize that they can live with out and then make the move. Either way, the beard is taking a trip to Houston and the fun loving, young trio of stars in OKC are no more, which has definitely put the Lakers and their hall of fame roster in the drivers seat to represent the West in the NBA finals.

It's Hard Being The Superstar

When you are the best player, highest paid and team leader and something goes wrong, fingers are automatically going to be pointed in your direction. That is what happened this week with the New York Yankees.

Alex Rodriguez is a superstar player who has found himself in a bit of a slump come the playoffs, like many of the other Yanks. However, they aren't the ones that took the brunt of the criticism when the teams play starting going south in the ALCS versus Detroit. It was all on Rodriguez's shoulder. He was the one that got pulled during a crucial late inning at bat and then benched for the remainder of the series. Would the Yankees have won with A-Rod on the field? Doubtful, but it is likely he would have done better than his replacements. Will fans second guess manager Joe Girardi? Probably not, most fans love the fact that the superstar has to ride the pine, but the people that will second guess Girardi is management. Not making it to the World Series is pretty close to a fireable offense in New York.

Girardi has also sealed either his fate or A-Rod's in New York for the 2013 season. With what happened during this post season, it looks like only one of the two can remain in the big apple. There have already been rumours swirling that the Yankees are talking to the Miami Marlins about trading for Rodriguez. Other teams with deep pockets or those in need of a media splash could include the Cubs, the Dodgers or maybe down the street with the Mets. Rodriguez will not be easy to move. He is on the downside of his career, with an ever increasing cost. His play has declined from year to year, but is approaching many career milestones that could be good for turnstile numbers at least.

If it is Girardi that moves on, don't expect him to be unemployed for long. There are several franchises looking for a new bench boss, including the Red Sox and this would be an interesting move to say the least. That Red Sox job might not be open for long though. The Sox are interested in Blue Jays manager John Farrell and the sports news cycle is already saying the Sox and Jays are talking compensation. If that works out, could Girardi end up in Toronto? I don't think Jays fans would be upset with that move.

What could have Rodriguez and Girardi done differently, well for starters hit the ball out of the infield, but basically when you have a star, you can sit him for one game, but if it goes beyond that, you end up creating a situation that you can't reverse. Rodriguez isn't the first victim of this, look at the Roberto Luongo situation. The Canucks benched him and now the coach and fans don't have trust in him, so he needs to be moved. Girardi has created the same situation with Rodriguez and probably Curtis Granderson. However this ends up playing out we will probably see a new look New York next season.

Parity Reigns Supreme in the NFL

You wouldn't know it by looking at the NFL scoreboard this past weekend, but the two favourites to meet at the Super Bowl in New Orleans this February are the Houston Texans and the San Francisco 49ers.

This might not make sense to you since both of those teams were humiliated on Sunday, at home! The Texans were the victim of the Green Bay Packers. The Packers were the favourites to bring Lombardi home when the season started, but inconsistent performance from the MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers and a defense that was vulnerable and injured made the first 5 weeks of the season unbearable for cheeseheads. On Sunday though, the offense came to life and the defense, although still fighting through injuries, shut down the Texans running game.

The 49ers who were within a field goal of going to the Super Bowl last season were trying to avenge that playoff loss against the Giants. The New York Football Giants can't seem to get respect from the critics or bettors, despite being the defending champs. They went West and absolutely destroyed the 49ers. Jumping out to an early lead, forcing 49ers quarterback Alex Smith to play from behind and forcing him into turnovers. Then being relentless on offensive. Eli Manning keeps finding ways to hold his offense together finding a new receiver each week to star and a running game that grinds up the clock.

After reading those two paragraphs you might presume that the Packers and Giants should be 1 and 2 as Super Bowl favourites, but that's not how the league works this year. There are no teams that will challenge the unbeaten record of the 1972 Miami Dolphins, but each week there will be at least one team that looks like it belongs in the same breath. Usually you can narrow down the championship field to 4 or 5 teams, this year though, we are looking at 8 to 10. From that list we have to decide, the team with the least amount of faults.

8. Baltimore Ravens - Going through terrible injury crisis on defense but Joe Flacco has turned the corner as an elite quarterback

7. Denver Broncos - One word, Peyton. Although they seem to fall behind in each contest, they have the great equalizer in Peyton Manning.

6. Green Bay Packers - They seem to lack focus this season, Rodgers can't seem to stay focused for a full game (excluding Sunday) and the defense still needs to create turnovers.

5. New York Giants - As they have proven time and again, don't count them out. Playmakers like Victor Cruz and a defense that puts pressure on opponents. They also seem to play better on the road, bodes well for the playoffs.

4. Atlanta Falcons - Despite being the only undefeated team left, they have had some unimpressive wins and often play to the level of their competition. Matt Ryan has developed into an elite quarterback, but the running game which was reliable with Michael Turner has disappeared.

3a Houston Texans - Exposed by the Packers on Sunday, the Texans are still one of the elite AFC teams. Matt Schaub and Arian Foster lead an normally potent offense, but losing Brian Cushing for the season to an ACL tear puts some stress on the defense, JJ Watt will try to fill his big play shoes.

3b San Francisco 49ers - The major concern with the 49ers is how they would play if they fall behind. On Sunday they folded. The blame for the loss will fall squarely on the shoulders of Alex Smith since he is known as a game manager instead of a playmaker. They need him to be a playmaker to have a chance in February.

2. Chicago Bears - No team with Jay Cutler at quarterback will ever be ranked number one in one of my power polls.

1. New England Patriots - Did they lose on Sunday? Are they 3-3? Have they lost 3 games they should have won? Does Tom Brady look human again? The answer to all questions, yes. Do you still trust Brady and Coach Belichick in a meaningful January football game? YES

Kobe Says Aurevoir To The NBA in 2013-14

Let the retirement tour begin! Apparently, 2013-2014 will be Kobe Bean Bryant's last in the NBA. Since being drafted in 1996 by the Charlotte Hornets (yes, it is true, he wasn't always a Laker), Kobe has achieved greatness and no matter how much you hate the purple and gold and all their championships, you can't deny that.

His career will be defined by multiple things; his competitive nature, his 5 championships, being a ball hog, scoring 81 points in a game against the Raptors and desire to be better than Michael Jordan. All of these traits have made Kobe into the great player we still see on the court.

Why retire now though? The Lakers have just made two of the biggest off-season acquisitions in Dwight Howard and Steve Nash and he is playing with 2 other all-stars in Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace.This hardly seems like the time you would decide to hang 'em up. Kobe is only 34 years old, but has been playing in the NBA since he was 18. There are definitely a lot of miles on his legs, especially considering the Lakers have often gone deep into the playoffs and he has also played internationally. Recently signed teammate Steve Nash is 38 and signed a 3 years deal, why not stick around and play out the string with him, try and pick up an extra title or two. Kobe is apparently in a place where he feels good about leaving the Lakers. They will be in good hands with Howard and Gasol moving forward to keep the winning tradition alive, or so he hopes. Why not wait until he is sure Howard can produce at the championship level that Lakers fans demand?

The other big bullseye for Kobe, other than tying Jordan with 6 titles, is the all-time scoring record. He is currently about 9000 points behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, or about 5 decent seasons. This doesn't seem out of reach for such a competitive athlete, especially if those knee treatments continue in Germany each off-season.

Kobe will be missed once he retires, probably not by fans in places like New York, Denver, Utah or Toronto, teams he consistently torched, but you probably do have to honor him when he comes to town one last time. If the Raptors are planning on doing so, I hope they decide to do it with a Raptors jersey with 81 on the back and Bryant as the nameplate.

Baseball Playoffs, Almost Always Fantastic!

There aren't many things wrong with the baseball playoffs. There is so much to like between the drama, unsuspecting heroes and champagne celebrations, but there are definitely some things that could use a fresh coat of paint, so to speak...

5. Late start times - much has been made in the past 5-10 years that kids aren't watching as much baseball and young athletes are choosing other sports. Well if a 12 year old can't stay up until 9:35pm to even see the first pitch, how is he going to fall in love with the sport? Also, I can't stay up past the 5th inning!

4. Extra umpires - they don't help at all as witnessed by the botched call in Atlanta and we got through a 162 game schedule with only 4 umpires per game, why change now? We don't add extra refs in hockey just because it is the Stanley Cup or an extra back judge during the Super Bowl. So why do it for baseball?

3. Rally _____ - fill in the blank with whatever ridiculous stunt the team has dreamed up. Whether it is monkeys, squirrels, towels or tomahawk chop, we don't need it. It is so nice to see full stadiums (I dream of this one day again at SkyDome) why do we mess it up with swag

2. Pitchers wearing winter coats on the base paths - no other explanation necessary

1. New York Yankees - has there ever been a team that 90% of fans wanted to see lose more than the Yankees? They have the most championships of any organization, don't you think it is time to give someone else a chance? Their bloated payroll currently features 8 potential Hall of Famers and they robbed the Mariners of Ichiro at the trade deadline. I don't really care who wins the World Series this year (c'mon Oakland), but as long as it isn't the damn Yankees, I'll be happy

Looking Forward To The 2013 Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays are entering another difficult offseason. There was high hopes in Jays Nation that 2012 season would be a good one, full of breakout seasons and meaningful baseball in September and maybe even October. Unfortunately, the season fell apart shortly after the all-star break with some injuries, sloppy baseball and the Orioles not falling apart like we thought they would. Now the team must take stock of the talent and reassess their priorities heading into 2013.

There are several areas that should be set, Jose Bautista in right field, Edwin Encarnacion at first/DH, Colby Rasmus in centrefield, Brett Lawrie at third base and a catcher (either Arencibia or D’Arnaud). The relievers should also be in decent shape going into Dunedin. There are also many question marks, beginning with the starting pitching staff, which has lots of holes and is being held together by Dr. James Andrews surgeries. Left field is still a concern as is the middle infield. The other big question that the Jays might have to face is who will be the bench boss.

John Farrell was brought into manage the Jays with much fanfare. He had done a great job with the Boston Red Sox pitching staff, was known as players manager. In two years on the job he has kept up the rapport with the players and even though he has a pretty poor win loss record (19 games under .500), his former employer has apparently come knocking since the Bobby Valentine experiment didn’t work out.

The Jays are now in a tight spot, they can force their manager to stay and fight the possibility that he doesn’t want to coach the team or they let him go and start the search for a new manager. The Jays need to hope that Farrell decides to stay, not because he is irreplaceable as a manager, but because stability is a key to a winning organization. Farrell in his two years has seen all the players come up to Toronto that will make up the core of the Jays for the next 5-10 years and he should be working closely with general manager Alex Anthopolous to shape the roster.

Hopefully John Farrell is sitting in the corner of the Jays dugout in April and not at Fenway, but if he is, there are several candidates the Anthopolous could consider;

-Jim Tracey (former manager of Colorado who just resigned)

-Ozzie Guillen (soon to be former manager of Miami)

-Sandy Alomar Jr. (currently on the Indians bench, but was overlooked for the Cleveland job)

-Brian Butterfield or Terry Lovello (both on the current Jays staff)

-Ernie Whitt (wants a opportunity to coach at the big league level)

-Omar Vizquel (recently retired and could fit the profile of teams hiring former players, like Robin Venutra)

Whatever happens with the manager situation, this offseason needs to be about adding talent that will propel the Jays forward.

Montreal/Vancouver/Calgary/Toronto Blue Jays

A few days ago in Montreal a charity sports luncheon was held and many of the 1994 Montreal Expos happened to be in attendance. This obviously brought up many great memories of the team that had the best record in baseball at the time of the strike, but it also raised another question - could baseball return to Montreal?

Unlike the lingering questions of hockey returning to Quebec City, no one is realistically hoping for a return of the Expos to the Stade Olympique. What was discussed was the Toronto Blue Jays playing either exhibition or regular season games in Montreal. This comes on the heels of the very under publicized news that Jays games will actually be broadcast on radio in Montreal.

Toronto Blue Jays president Paul Beeston doesn't think it is likely that the Jays would play a regular season game in Montreal, but the Jays have not ruled out perhaps playing an exhibition game in the belle province in the future. This off season the Jays tried to increase their national profile this past winter with a road trip to Calgary and Vancouver and a trip to Quebec might not hurt.

The larger question here is why teams and leagues try to play games at neutral site. The obvious reason is money. By moving a game to a neutral site the franchise gets paid. For example the Buffalo Bills got a windfall payment of many millions of dollars from Rogers to play games in Toronto. When NFL teams agree to play in the International Series in London, England they get a payment from the league because they are not playing at home that weekend.

Do teams and fans get anything out of playing away from their home stadium? In my opinion not really. Teams end up playing a 'home' game on a neutral field. For example in Toronto during the Bills series, many fans come for the experience of seeing an NFL game. They wear their Raiders jersey or Tom Brady jersey, they don't cheer big third downs or even know who the Jills are. Also, players don't have the comfort of being in their home game routine. They have to sleep in hotel rooms and eat hotel food as they would on the road. Fans aren't necessarily seeing teams they enjoy and since they often don't get to see NFL/NBA/MLB games they aren't sure how to act and you get complaints from viewers on TV or from players that the crowd was poor. Fans obviously get to see world class sporting action which is great, but they often pay a higher price for a ticket than what fans normally pay.

In the end these experiments to sell your team in other communities are a losing proposition, unless you are the big dog of your sport (Yankees, Lakers, Steelers) and you can gain fans in other parts of the country or world because you are legendary franchises. For example the Raptors or Nets aren't going to be the big team in London just because they played two games there. The team that Londoners will cheer for is the team that wins championships.

Now, if we can just get a real team in Toronto....