SBNation.com User Blog: MayurP

NBA27: Offseason/Draft Edition

MayurP — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 18:51:07 -0000

Dirk's having a kid!!

Quotes from Today

Dirk

Dirk says he honestly can't see himself playing anywhere else: "I belong to this city." He will sign another 2-3 year deal when it's time.

Dirk said he's already had his MRI on his knee. Had some bone spurs in his ankle but be feels fine.

Dirk confirmed he'll be a father this summer. They know whether it is a boy or a girl, but they're not telling anyone right now.

Donnie

Donnie Nelson on not making the playoffs: "This is an out of body experience for all of us."

"We will not be back with the same exact team, but there are some gems in there that I think we would absolutely welcome back on this team."

Rick

"We’re excited about the possibilities but we're not naive to the challenges."

"I love OJ as a kid & as a person. With him, I'm like a little league dad."

"Mark and Dirk are the two primary guys in my life. Those two guys have given me an unbelievable opportunity here in Dallas."

"We’re not kidding ourselves into thinking we’re right there. We know we have a lot of work to do."

via www.dallasnews.com

Dirk's having a kid!!

Quotes from Today

Dirk

Dirk says he honestly can't see himself playing anywhere else: "I belong to this city." He will sign another 2-3 year deal when it's time.

Dirk said he's already had his MRI on his knee. Had some bone spurs in his ankle but be feels fine.

Dirk confirmed he'll be a father this summer. They know whether it is a boy or a girl, but they're not telling anyone right now.

Donnie

Donnie Nelson on not making the playoffs: "This is an out of body experience for all of us."

"We will not be back with the same exact team, but there are some gems in there that I think we would absolutely welcome back on this team."

Rick

"We’re excited about the possibilities but we're not naive to the challenges."

"I love OJ as a kid & as a person. With him, I'm like a little league dad."

"Mark and Dirk are the two primary guys in my life. Those two guys have given me an unbelievable opportunity here in Dallas."

"We’re not kidding ourselves into thinking we’re right there. We know we have a lot of work to do."

I know a couple of other videos have been put up, but I thought this one was good too. MAVS in...

MayurP — Sun, 29 May 2011 20:02:04 -0000

I know a couple of other videos have been put up, but I thought this one was good too.
MAVS in 6

So Where Do We Stand?

MayurP — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 03:13:53 -0000

The other day, CC11 had an interesting fanpost about if we could finish in the top 4. Now looking at our team, we our clearly on the outside looking in as far a Champions League Birth. However, that’s not to say that there isn’t a chance, considering the field we have to go up against.

Now, for all intensive purposes, I think its safe to say that United and Chelsea will finish 1-2 (Regardless of what order) and Arsenal should finish 3rd (unless Fabregas is injured or leaves, which is still a possibility). On the other hand, teams that undoubtedly will finish below Everton are, in no particular order, Birmingham, Blackburn, Blackpool, Bolton, Fulham (Especially if they lose Schwarzer and Dempsey), Newcastle, Stoke, Sunderland, West Bromwich, West Ham, Wigan, and Wolves. Now taking the aforementioned teams out, that leaves Villa, Everton, the Red Shite (Liverpool), City, and Tottenham battling it out for spots 4-8. As Everton fans, we know what our team is; if you don’t make sure and check out CC11’s fanpost. But looking at how we stack up against the other 4 teams is interesting.

Aston Villa – Of all the teams in the Premiership, Villa have shown to be one of the most consistent, finishing 6th in each of the past 3 years. Led by a solid tandem in the midfield of Ashley Young and James Milner and young striker Gabriel Agbonlahor, Villa has continued to defy expectations of a slide. However with age starting to show in a couple of key places, changes may need to be made to Villa’s roster in order to keep them in the 6th spot or in order to move higher. Furthermore, the consistent rumors of a Milner transfer to City, which as always is extremely interested, and a possible transfer of Young, this team figures to be significantly weakened in the midfield headed into the season. Look for Villa to compete yet again, but as far as placing, I think a healthy Everton is definitely better than them, and I think Villa is probably a 7th or 8th place team.

Liverpool – Ah yes, our dreaded rivals. In short, last year was awful for them. Significant injuries robbed the team while the ownership group led by Tom Hicks (who owns my beloved Rangers and Stars) continued to draw the ire of fans. Now, rampant rumors persist of upcoming transfers of various key players. Adding fire to the mess, Liverpool’s striker, Fernando Torres, tore a thigh muscle, which is going to keep him out for some time. As for the ownership, it continues to remain in shambles. Although short on money, they have refused to transfer key players, such as Torres, that could have earned them a significant sum. Furthermore, the team continues to get older, especially Steven Gerrard, who flirted with a move to Madrid in the offseason. Like Villa, look for Liverpool to compete yet again, but unless Torres is able to come anywhere near close to his former self, I think its safe to say that we’re better than them, and they’re probably looking at a 7th or 8th place finish.

Man City – Headed into this upcoming season, I think it may seem safe to say that no team has a better combination of buying power and talent as City does. However, as all of us know, this combination does not always lead to instant success. While they are stocked with blue chippers all across the roster and more figuring to be added via transfers, City does have some chemistry issues that were particularly evident when they were defeated by Everton in both matches last season. City, with a constant influx of talent, however, does figure to finish ahead of Everton and should finish in the top 6. However, of the teams ahead of us, I think its safe to say that they are far and away the most vulnerable team.

Tottenham – Of all the teams in the EPL, I find Tottenham the most intriguing. Finishing 4th last season, they broke the grip that had been held by Liverpool on a spot in the Champion’s League. Furthermore, with a solid cast including exciting players in Jermaine Defoe and Robbie Keane, this team figures to be the frontrunner for acquiring 4th place this season. The move that could really put this team over the top, and possibly in contention with Arsenal for 3rd, is acquiring another star striker such as Diego Forlan or Luis Fabiano, with whom they’ve been linked. In my opinion, as it currently stands, I think we’re firmly behind Tottenham, who should finish in 4th place. Hopefully, they are able to do some damage in the Champion’s League this year.

So, looking back on things in summary….

4. Tottenham

5. Man City

6. Everton

7. Liverpool

8. Aston Villa

I think of all the scenarios listed, the most likely move for us would be up a spot to 5th if City has any problems. However, that being said, I do think 6th place and a berth in Europe would not be a bad reward at all!

Poll

Where do we finish?

Top 3

0 votes

4

4 votes

5

7 votes

6

5 votes

7

4 votes

8

0 votes

9 or Below

0 votes

20 votes | Poll has closed

Clippers pass on Dwayne Casey

MayurP — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 04:08:05 -0000

Clippers pass on Dwayne Casey

Glad they hired Del Negro instead. Casey's a great fit as Carlisle's top assistant, and hopefully will remain here now that most of the NBA's head coaching vacancies have been filled.

Al Jefferson: Should the Mavs Get Him?

MayurP — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 19:27:12 -0000

As much as all of us Mavs fans hoped, as the days go by, it seems more and more certain that Dwayne Wade and Lebron James will not be in Dallas uniforms. Although that tide may have passed, there’s still one huge move that the Mavs could make to get much better: trade for Al Jefferson.

According to ESPN Dallas last week, the Mavericks showed interest in Jefferson as a fall-back option once the team had tried to acquire one of the bigger free agents.

"Sources with knowledge of the Mavericks' thinking, however, told ESPNDallas.com that Jefferson is a "down the list" target for the team who is unlikely to be pursued further until after Dallas makes a series of sign-and-trade bids for top free agents."

Well now that the Mavs are out of the running for the bigger names, it seems that the time might just be right to strike a trade for Jefferson. As of right now, the Timberwolves have a logjam at the 4/5 positions. They just signed Darko to a 4 year, $20 million deal. They've also had favorable meetings with David Lee, who also could sign there. Combine that with Kevin Love, former Mav Ryan Hollins, and Jefferson, and they’ll be looking at five guys essentially seeking starter’s minutes at two positions. Now looking at the Twolves contracts, the one that they’re tied down to the longest and would be the most logical one to move is Jefferson at $12 million per year for 4 years, and it looks like they are going to try and move him.

If the Mavs could somehow get him, Jefferson would potentially bring a low post presence that this franchise has quite frankly never had in its existence. In his first two seasons in Minnesota (before his knee injury), he averaged over 22 points and 11 rebounds, numbers that are similar to a big free agent, Amare Stoudamire, who’s about to receive an enormous contract from the Knicks. In comparison to Stoudamire, Jefferson had a similar down first year after having knee surgery. However, as Mavs Radio play by play man Chuck Cooperstein said on ESPN radio last week, the second season is when players who have those types of injuries really tend to return to their past form. In Stoudamire’s case, his game returned to its pre-injury level, as his numbers looked much better in his second season. Jefferson also should look much better in his second season back, improving on his 17 ppg and 9 rebounds. Adding the old Jefferson to the Mavs line-up would make the Mavs very formidable on the offensive end. For the first time since Finley and Nash were around, the Mavs would potentially have two legitimate offensive threats in the starting line-up (presuming Butler remains a Mav). Plus, Jefferson would instantly benefit from receiving passes from Kidd. The only problem would be along the defensive side. As stated many times by NBA experts, Jefferson is limited defensively. Furthermore, a starting lineup of Kidd, Butler, Marion, Dirk, and Jefferson would probably one of the worst in the NBA at the defensive end. But in all honesty, if the Mavs are going to get a center, who’s it going to be? Haywood? If it’s a question of giving Haywood $10 million to be the starting center and play solid defense or trading for Jefferson and living with his defensive deficiencies, its not even a question, you have to go with Jefferson. The reason we lost to the Spurs was not because of the defense. Sure, we could've stopped George Hill a couple of more times, but in terms of the games, our problem was that we could not put the ball in the basket at crunch time. Now, obviously Jefferson wouldn't solve all those problems, but he would be a massive upgrade over Dampier/Haywood on the offensive end. Now in terms of the big picture, would adding Jefferson make us better than the Lakers? No, probably not. But it makes this team a lot better than it was before.

Now the tricky part is actually setting up a trade. Amazingly, our favorite “Dust” chip and Jefferson make about the same money meaning you could theoretically do Dampier + a first rounder(s) for Jefferson, but I don’t know if the Wolves do it. So my question to everyone is, do you trade for him, and how far do you go in offering players???

Poll

Use the dust chip to get Jefferson?

Yes

392 votes

No

131 votes

523 votes | Poll has closed

Just thought of posting this. I know it happened only a year ago, but still, its pretty much 10:39...

MayurP — Mon, 24 May 2010 21:14:52 -0000

Just thought of posting this. I know it happened only a year ago, but still, its pretty much 10:39 of awesome.

OT: Dirk not starting in all star game

MayurP — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 02:25:25 -0000

OT: Dirk not starting in all star game

its an absolute joke. Dirk is having a better season than both Amare (who's at center) and Duncan and is on the 2nd best team in the West at the moment. normally, it wouldn't be worth it to make a point of it, but with the game in Dallas and at the Cowboy's stadium, it makes a difference. sigh.....

OT: Your starting 11

MayurP — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:18:29 -0000

Well so after our Conf Cup threads, it seemed like LSB has alot more soccer fans than originally thought. So, thinking along that flow with this topic, if you had to win one soccer game, who would you start and what formation would you use??

I thought about doing this with baseball at first, but I think that with soccer, there is a chance to see more diversity in people's picks.

Here's what mine would look like: 2-3-2-3

Klose Torres

C. Ronaldo Tim Cahill Robihno

Kaka Essien

R. Marquez Terry Lucio

Howard

I thought about doing this with baseball at first, but I think that with soccer, there is a chance to see more diversity in people's picks.

Here's what mine would look like: 2-3-2-3

Klose Torres

C. Ronaldo Tim Cahill Robihno

Kaka Essien

R. Marquez Terry Lucio

Howard

Any interest in Villanueva

MayurP — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:17:11 -0000

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AjSyuCLv8du2TNt3XAD5OwM5nYcB?slug=ap-bucks-freeagents&prov=ap&type=lgns

MILWAUKEE (AP)—The Milwaukee Bucks have made qualifying offers to restricted free agent guard Ramon Sessions (notes) and forward Ersan Ilyasova (notes), but will not make an offer to forward Charlie Villanueva (notes)—allowing one of their top scorers from last season to become an unrestricted free agent.

Meanwhile, the team also is dealing with a potentially embarrassing YouTube moment from first-round draft pick Brandon Jennings (notes).

Bucks general manager John Hammond said Monday that the team already had sent offers to Sessions and Ilyasova, giving Milwaukee the right to match any contract offers from other teams. But with Tuesday’s deadline for teams to make offers to their restricted free agents looming, the team decided not to make an offer to Villanueva.

Anyone interested in him?? I think we could reasonably get him with the mid-level. Plus, he would make J-Ho expendable..Thoughts?

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AjSyuCLv8du2TNt3XAD5OwM5nYcB?slug=ap-bucks-freeagents&prov=ap&type=lgns

MILWAUKEE (AP)—The Milwaukee Bucks have made qualifying offers to restricted free agent guard Ramon Sessions (notes) and forward Ersan Ilyasova (notes), but will not make an offer to forward Charlie Villanueva (notes)—allowing one of their top scorers from last season to become an unrestricted free agent.

Meanwhile, the team also is dealing with a potentially embarrassing YouTube moment from first-round draft pick Brandon Jennings (notes).

Bucks general manager John Hammond said Monday that the team already had sent offers to Sessions and Ilyasova, giving Milwaukee the right to match any contract offers from other teams. But with Tuesday’s deadline for teams to make offers to their restricted free agents looming, the team decided not to make an offer to Villanueva.

Anyone interested in him?? I think we could reasonably get him with the mid-level. Plus, he would make J-Ho expendable..Thoughts?

OT: Tom Renney (NY Rangers' Coach) fired

MayurP — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:23:28 -0000

NEW YORK (AP)—Tom Renney was fired as coach of the New York Rangers on Monday in an attempt to save a season that has spiraled out of control.

The Rangers opened the season with a 10-2-1 record, but 10 losses in the last 12 games has knocked the team out of contention for the Atlantic Division title and placed it in danger of missing the playoffs completely.

In recent home games, fans had chanted for Renney to be fired.

General manager Glen Sather didn’t immediately name a replacement.

Renney, a former coach of the Vancouver Canucks, was 164-121-42 with the Rangers in four plus seasons and ranks fourth on the team’s career wins and games coached lists.

Assistant coach Perry Pearn was also fired, but fellow assistant Mike Pelino was retained along with goalie coach Benoit Allaire, the Rangers said.

Fiery former Tampa Bay Lightning coach John Tortorella, who once served as a Rangers assistant, could emerge as a candidate. His no-nonsense approach would be a stark contrast to the laid-back, player-friendly Renney.

Renney stated strongly Sunday that his team hadn’t quit and played hard despite its 3-2 overtime loss to Toronto that extended New York’s skid to 2-7-3. The Rangers face the Maple Leafs again in Toronto on Wednesday.
This is a Sept. 19, 2008 file …
AP - Feb 23, 1:08 pm EST
The Rangers (31-23-7) entered Monday in a fifth-place tie in the Eastern Conference, but only two points above ninth-place Carolina. The top eight teams make the playoffs.

Renney is the second Atlantic Division coach fired in the past week, following Pittsburgh’s dismissal of Michel Therrien last weekend. He is the sixth NHL coach let go this season, which includes all four coaches whose teams started the regular season in Europe.

Renney went 2-0 against former Lightning coach Barry Melrose in games in Prague. Therrien and the Penguins faced Craig Hartsburg and the Ottawa Senators in Stockholm.

After a two-season stint as the Rangers director of player personnel, Renney became an assistant coach under Sather for the 2003-04 season. Sather relinquished his coaching duties Feb. 25, 2004, and turned the team over to Renney on an interim basis.

Renney, who turns 54 on Sunday, went 5-15 to finish that season and took over on a full-time basis in July 2004, but had to wait for the yearlong NHL lockout to end before he could officially claim the job behind the bench.

In his first full season, Renney was a finalist for the Jack Adams award as coach of the year after the Rangers went 44-26-12 and reached the playoffs for the first time since 1997. They advanced to the second round each of the past two years.

Sather turned over the roster before this season, allowing veteran forwards and proven goal scorers Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan to leave via free agency along with the volatile Sean Avery.

Markus Naslund was brought in to pick up the slack, and he leads the offensively challenged Rangers with 18 goals. The biggest disappointment has been the signing of defenseman Wade Redden, who was given a six-year, $39 million deal, but now hears boos every time he touches the puck at home.

With the way the team was playing early in the year, its pretty surprising how they've fallen off. Now I wonder how there going to fix this problem. Plus, we can talk all we want about that Sean Avery signing that the Stars made, but that Wade Redden deal sure looks just as bad.

NEW YORK (AP)—Tom Renney was fired as coach of the New York Rangers on Monday in an attempt to save a season that has spiraled out of control.

The Rangers opened the season with a 10-2-1 record, but 10 losses in the last 12 games has knocked the team out of contention for the Atlantic Division title and placed it in danger of missing the playoffs completely.

In recent home games, fans had chanted for Renney to be fired.

General manager Glen Sather didn’t immediately name a replacement.

Renney, a former coach of the Vancouver Canucks, was 164-121-42 with the Rangers in four plus seasons and ranks fourth on the team’s career wins and games coached lists.

Assistant coach Perry Pearn was also fired, but fellow assistant Mike Pelino was retained along with goalie coach Benoit Allaire, the Rangers said.

Fiery former Tampa Bay Lightning coach John Tortorella, who once served as a Rangers assistant, could emerge as a candidate. His no-nonsense approach would be a stark contrast to the laid-back, player-friendly Renney.

Renney stated strongly Sunday that his team hadn’t quit and played hard despite its 3-2 overtime loss to Toronto that extended New York’s skid to 2-7-3. The Rangers face the Maple Leafs again in Toronto on Wednesday.
This is a Sept. 19, 2008 file …
AP - Feb 23, 1:08 pm EST
The Rangers (31-23-7) entered Monday in a fifth-place tie in the Eastern Conference, but only two points above ninth-place Carolina. The top eight teams make the playoffs.

Renney is the second Atlantic Division coach fired in the past week, following Pittsburgh’s dismissal of Michel Therrien last weekend. He is the sixth NHL coach let go this season, which includes all four coaches whose teams started the regular season in Europe.

Renney went 2-0 against former Lightning coach Barry Melrose in games in Prague. Therrien and the Penguins faced Craig Hartsburg and the Ottawa Senators in Stockholm.

After a two-season stint as the Rangers director of player personnel, Renney became an assistant coach under Sather for the 2003-04 season. Sather relinquished his coaching duties Feb. 25, 2004, and turned the team over to Renney on an interim basis.

Renney, who turns 54 on Sunday, went 5-15 to finish that season and took over on a full-time basis in July 2004, but had to wait for the yearlong NHL lockout to end before he could officially claim the job behind the bench.

In his first full season, Renney was a finalist for the Jack Adams award as coach of the year after the Rangers went 44-26-12 and reached the playoffs for the first time since 1997. They advanced to the second round each of the past two years.

Sather turned over the roster before this season, allowing veteran forwards and proven goal scorers Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan to leave via free agency along with the volatile Sean Avery.

Markus Naslund was brought in to pick up the slack, and he leads the offensively challenged Rangers with 18 goals. The biggest disappointment has been the signing of defenseman Wade Redden, who was given a six-year, $39 million deal, but now hears boos every time he touches the puck at home.

Man, I just remembered about this. Ah, brings back some good memories.

MayurP — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 03:00:12 -0000

Man, I just remembered about this. Ah, brings back some good memories.

OT: Which NFL decade team was the greatest?

MayurP — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:18:39 -0000

Ok, so in the Cowboys- Browns thread over here on LSB, I've been arguing with someone over who's the bigger chokers, the Cowboys or the Steelers? And also over what dynasty from what decade was the greatest. My explanation was that the Steelers were the bigger chokers because esince the early 90's, they've won one super bowl, while having numerous oppurtunities to play playoff games at home (especially AFC Championship games.) The Cowboys choked last year against the Giants. There is no getting around that, but at the same time, they have won 3 Super Bowls in that time span (despite them all being early in the timespan.) As for the other question, apparently that person thinks the 70's Steelers would be able to take down the 90's Cowboys, which I highly doubt.

So, I have 2 questions.

1. Out of these 4 teams- the 70's Steelers, 80's 49ers, 90's Cowboys, and the turn of the century Patriots- who was the best? And if your a fan of one of those teams, answer truthfully. Despite being a Cowboys fan, I would honestly have to say that the 80's 49ers would probably beat the 90's Cowobys.

2. Who are the bigger chokers: the Steelers or the Cowboys?

Since I want to hear everyone's opinions, there is no poll.

So, I have 2 questions.

2. Who are the bigger chokers: the Steelers or the Cowboys?

Since I want to hear everyone's opinions, there is no poll.

Minors: 9/4 Playoffs. Game 2 Thread

MayurP — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 23:37:35 -0000

Well yesterday the Ranger's Farm teams event 1-2, with Frisco winning.

Clinton game has been postponed, so we'll have to wait to see Main.

OKC sends Lee because of Hunter's injury.

OKC Box Score

As for Frisco, Feliz goes. Man I can't wait till the end of next year, when we may have Feliz and Holland back to back in the rotation.

Frisco

Lastly, Spokane will send Boscan in their game, which according to Shroomer's site, is Game 1.

Hoopefully, this is 75 words long.

Well yesterday the Ranger's Farm teams event 1-2, with Frisco winning.

Clinton game has been postponed, so we'll have to wait to see Main.

OKC sends Lee because of Hunter's injury.

OKC Box Score

As for Frisco, Feliz goes. Man I can't wait till the end of next year, when we may have Feliz and Holland back to back in the rotation.

Frisco

Lastly, Spokane will send Boscan in their game, which according to Shroomer's site, is Game 1.

Hoopefully, this is 75 words long.

College Football Week 1 Open Thread

MayurP — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:55:38 -0000

Should be some pretty easy wins for most of the big 12 south with texas tech, UT, OU, and A&M facing teams from non power conferences or Division 2. OSU may have a bit of trouble with WSU, but thats pretty much it for the South. As for the North, the big showdown will be with Mizzou and Illinois. Also, alot of the top 25 is also starting this week, making for a nice start to the season.....

btw Appalacian State is already losing 17-0 to LSU. Its gonna be tough to pull off the upset 2 years in a row.

Do you retire Finely's number?

MayurP — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:12:19 -0000

Well, someone suggested that I place a poll when I asked this question after he resigned with SA. imo, I think you have to because, honestly, hw is more deservant than Brad Davis was. And you can say what you want about Dirk, but it was Finley who brought the Mavs out of those tough years in the 90's. Aalthough Dirk may go down as the greatest Mav ever, I think Finley is tied for 2nd with Rolando. Lastly, I'd like to finish by saying that the amount of class and proffesionalism that he brought and still brings to the game was second to none, and imo, despite I'm only 17, Finley has been my favorite player to play for any oof our DFW teams.....

Poll

Do you retire it?

yes

45 votes

no

19 votes

64 votes | Poll has closed

Chad johnson- scroll over to about 4:00

MayurP — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:43:20 -0000

Chad johnson- scroll over to about 4:00

CHAD JOHNSON is an idiot scroll over to about 4:00

MayurP — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 22:57:29 -0000

CHAD JOHNSON is an idiot

scroll over to about 4:00

Rangers one of 4 teams to show interest in Garcia

MayurP — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:42:33 -0000

Rangers one of 4 teams to show interest in Garcia

"Of all the teams at least taking a look at Garcia, the Mets, Tigers -- with a lot of Venezuelan players on the roster and Carlos Guillen being a good friend of Garcia's -- Rays -- who, as Greenberg said, "have really stayed in touch" -- and Rangers appear to be among the most interested."

Rays scouting Freddy Garcia

http://www.draysbay.com/2008/8/6/587893/of-all-the-teams-at-least#comments

Rangers have inquired about Grienke; also looking into Masset and Bonser

MayurP — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 20:01:53 -0000

Hopefully, this hasn't been posted yet and sorry if it has but Jeff Wilson writes that

A major league source said the Rangers have inquired about Royals right-hander Zack Greinke, who is 8-7 with a 3.98 ERA and would command top prospects in return.

The Rangers have also asked about two other pitchers: the Twins’ Boof Bonser and the White Sox’s Nick Masset, a former Rangers prospect, according to a source. Trading Bonser would allow the Twins to call up Francisco Liriano.

Consider Hank Blalock off the block now that he has landed on the disabled list. The Rangers had to inform two teams about the injury, and a source said one of them was the Giants.

The Giants could become another team interested in catcher Gerald Laird, but only if they trade Bengie Molina to Florida.

Interesting names here with Masset and Bonser. But I read recently that Bonser was having a bad year. I wonder if their's any way we could get Baker instead from the Twins.

The Laird situation ahs been mentioned with the Giants, but it would be interesting to see what we could get from them.

Hopefully, this hasn't been posted yet and sorry if it has but Jeff Wilson writes that

A major league source said the Rangers have inquired about Royals right-hander Zack Greinke, who is 8-7 with a 3.98 ERA and would command top prospects in return.

The Rangers have also asked about two other pitchers: the Twins’ Boof Bonser and the White Sox’s Nick Masset, a former Rangers prospect, according to a source. Trading Bonser would allow the Twins to call up Francisco Liriano.

Consider Hank Blalock off the block now that he has landed on the disabled list. The Rangers had to inform two teams about the injury, and a source said one of them was the Giants.

The Giants could become another team interested in catcher Gerald Laird, but only if they trade Bengie Molina to Florida.

Interesting names here with Masset and Bonser. But I read recently that Bonser was having a bad year. I wonder if their's any way we could get Baker instead from the Twins.

The Laird situation ahs been mentioned with the Giants, but it would be interesting to see what we could get from them.

OT: NFL Predictions time

MayurP — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:06:11 -0000

I was thinking that since Training Camp for most teams start this week, it'd be a good time to see everyone's predictions. So post them, and we can look at the end of the year and see who was right...

Here are mine (in predicted order of finish in division):

NFC East

Dallas- I got 4 losses for them: GB, at Wash, at Pitt, and at Phili to end the season. This is clearly the superior team in the conference, but the question remains as to whether they can succeed in the playoffs.

Philidelphia- This team played great down the stretch last year, and you always have to beware Andy Reid following a losing season.

NY Giants- This is a solid team, but they are not going to win 10 straight road games again this year. Either Eli is going to have to learn to play in Giants Stadium, or they can forget about another SB. Plus, the loss of Strahan is going to hurt alot more than most people think.

Washington- Even though they went on a solid run to end last year, I think it was more a rallying point around Sean Taylor than on how good they were. I think this year, even with Jason Taylor, they return to being a mediocre team.

NFC North

Minnesota- Yes, Jackson is inexperienced at QB, but in this division, with the likes of Grossman, Rodgers, and Kitna, the Vikings should still win it because of their front 4 on Defense and the playmaking ability of Peterson and their new reciever, Berrian.

Green Bay- I have to commend McCarthy on making the move of keeping Rodgers as the starter. Look Farve is not going to be around forever and the way Rodgers played last year against Dallas, I think he should take over. However, I think he'll need one full season before he's ready enough for the Packers to compete; so for now, I'll go for the Packers as my SB pick for '09-'10.

Chicago- It seems that we say this every year about Grossman, but this has to be the year that he produces. Also, the move of cutting Benson was a little confusing. Maybe because of his behavior off the field, but still, is Forte anywhere near an upgrade? This offense has nowhere near any playmakers (even if you count Hester) to compete.

Detroit- If I'm Marinelli, I just let Drew Stanton take over and see what he can do. This team is going nowhere with Kitna this year and it'd be nice to see how Stanton, or any other young QB for that matter, teams up with Williams and Johnson.

NFC South

New Orleans- The addition of Shockey does put them into competitor status and will put them into the playoffs, but their defense still sucks, and Jonathon Vilma is not the answer at linebacker.

Tampa Bay- This team continues to live in the past. In this day's NFL, you cannot succeed with you QB and top WR over the age of 35. Plus, this defense is getting old fast, and some young pieces would probably be more useful.

Carolina- This all depends on two factors: the health of Dellhome and the play of Peppers. If both of these factors work out, then they should compete woth N.O., if not, they will be down with.....

Atlanta- For this team, any kind of success would be viewed as a positive as they are in clear rebuilding mode. They should, however, try to find a trade partner for Joe Horn.

NFC West

Arizona- Look, if Matt Leinert cant succeed with this arsenal of talent he has around him, he never will. But otherwise, Wisenhunt has brought a new attitude around the Cardinals that they can succeed and that should translate into winning the West.

Seattle- This team is due for a downfall and it should start this year. When you're desperate enough to sign Julius Jones and TJ Duckett to be your leading backs, you know you have problems.

St. Louis- They should recover with a defense that is young and getting better, but they might have to concentrate on drafting offensive players, as their offense is getting older.

San Francisco- This is one of those teams that could either surprise and win the division or fall apart and be very, very bad. The growth of Alex Smith is a must.

AFC East

New England- This team scares me because they will be seeking revenge for last year. I could very easily see them going undefeated again with their schedule, but with that age on defense especially at LB, I don’t see them winning the SB.

Buffalo- They have two great playmakers in Evans and Lynch and an improving young defense. The key will be the development of Trent Edwards.

NY Jets- The season will depend on the development of Clemens. If he can come in and perform solidly, this very easily could be a wild card team with some of the players they have.

Miami- Although not the case with Dallas, this will be a typical first year for Parcells, as the Dolphins will probably be not be that good, bit watch out in Year 2.

AFC North

Cleaveland- Last year, this team had sort of a late season swoon typical of the Cowboys, but they have revamped their run defense with Williams and Rodgers, and Braylon Edwards is going to become one of the best recievers in the game.

Cincinatti- This seems like a team that could very easily fall apart due to the amount of ego’s. But the fact is that this team just has way too much talent to not suceed at some point.

Pittsburgh- The Steelers fell apart last year and I’m still not convinced that Ben R. is going to become an elite QB. Watch out for that tandem at RB of Parker and Meandenhall, however.

Baltimore- Joe Flacco is going to have a rough first season in Baltimore playing in this division.

AFC South

Indianapolis- The Colts seem like the Mavs a few years ago, when they played their best when they were underdogs, while choking as the favorites. This year, the Colts should be viewed as underdogs which would be scary, but the South is not going to be an easy 6 wins anynmore.

Jacksonville- This is a talented team, but it’s a shame they have to be in a division with the Colts and their dominance. However, they should be a wild card yet again.

Houston- They’ve never been to the playoffs, but it seems like they’ve finally found some good players, and with the likes of Johnson, Schaub, and Williams, they should make the playoffs in ’09.

Tennessee- I don’t know what to make of this team. They seem to be good on Defense and Special Teams. And they seem to be solid at RB and the O-Line. But at the same time, the problem seems to be Vince Young. They’ve got him a solid playmaker in Crumpler, but it will be interesting to see fi they can get him a WR, i.e Roy Williams.

AFC West

San Diego- Well, for Josh Lewin, this should be great. He gets to call a team that will make it to the Super Bowl, and then get to turn around and call a team that will a pennant in the summer. Honestly, this may be the easiest pick overall.

Oakland- Laugh if you want, but they have got some great young players on Defense, and if Russel can play adequately at QB, he’s got some weapons in Walker and McFaddee.

Denver- This team has never really impressed me while somehow managing to make it to the playoffs. Champ Bailey is great and Jay Cutler is improving, but nothing of about this team honestly scares me.

Kansas City- Like Aatlanta, any success is a plus. But with their draft this year, brighter days are ahead in KC.

Playoffs- NFC

Dallas
Minnesota
New Orleans
Arizona
Philidelphia
NY Giants

Wild Card

New Orleans beats Giants

Philidelphia beats Arizona

Divisional

Dallas beats Phili

Minnesota beats New Orleans

Conference

Dallas beats Minneosta

Playoffs- AFC

1. New England

2. San Diego

3. Indianapolis

4. Cleaveland

5. Jacksonville

6. Cincinatti

Wild Card

Jacksonville beats Cleaveland

Indianapolis beats Cincinatti

Divisional

San Diego beats Indianapolis

New Englans beats Jacksonville

Conference

San Diego beats New England

Super Bowl

Dallas beats San Diego :)

Here are mine (in predicted order of finish in division):

NFC East

Philidelphia- This team played great down the stretch last year, and you always have to beware Andy Reid following a losing season.

NFC North

NFC South

New Orleans- The addition of Shockey does put them into competitor status and will put them into the playoffs, but their defense still sucks, and Jonathon Vilma is not the answer at linebacker.

Atlanta- For this team, any kind of success would be viewed as a positive as they are in clear rebuilding mode. They should, however, try to find a trade partner for Joe Horn.

NFC West

Seattle- This team is due for a downfall and it should start this year. When you're desperate enough to sign Julius Jones and TJ Duckett to be your leading backs, you know you have problems.

St. Louis- They should recover with a defense that is young and getting better, but they might have to concentrate on drafting offensive players, as their offense is getting older.

San Francisco- This is one of those teams that could either surprise and win the division or fall apart and be very, very bad. The growth of Alex Smith is a must.

AFC East

Buffalo- They have two great playmakers in Evans and Lynch and an improving young defense. The key will be the development of Trent Edwards.

NY Jets- The season will depend on the development of Clemens. If he can come in and perform solidly, this very easily could be a wild card team with some of the players they have.

Miami- Although not the case with Dallas, this will be a typical first year for Parcells, as the Dolphins will probably be not be that good, bit watch out in Year 2.

AFC North

Cincinatti- This seems like a team that could very easily fall apart due to the amount of ego’s. But the fact is that this team just has way too much talent to not suceed at some point.

Pittsburgh- The Steelers fell apart last year and I’m still not convinced that Ben R. is going to become an elite QB. Watch out for that tandem at RB of Parker and Meandenhall, however.

Baltimore- Joe Flacco is going to have a rough first season in Baltimore playing in this division.

AFC South

Jacksonville- This is a talented team, but it’s a shame they have to be in a division with the Colts and their dominance. However, they should be a wild card yet again.

AFC West

Oakland- Laugh if you want, but they have got some great young players on Defense, and if Russel can play adequately at QB, he’s got some weapons in Walker and McFaddee.

Kansas City- Like Aatlanta, any success is a plus. But with their draft this year, brighter days are ahead in KC.

Playoffs- NFC

Dallas
Minnesota
New Orleans
Arizona
Philidelphia
NY Giants

Wild Card

New Orleans beats Giants

Philidelphia beats Arizona

Divisional

Dallas beats Phili

Minnesota beats New Orleans

Conference

Dallas beats Minneosta

Playoffs- AFC

1. New England

2. San Diego

3. Indianapolis

4. Cleaveland

5. Jacksonville

6. Cincinatti

Wild Card

Jacksonville beats Cleaveland

Indianapolis beats Cincinatti

Divisional

San Diego beats Indianapolis

New Englans beats Jacksonville

Conference

San Diego beats New England

Super Bowl

Dallas beats San Diego :)

OT: Navy Pitcher not Allowed to Skip Commitment

MayurP — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 23:44:06 -0000

Meet Mitch Harris. After a senior collegiate season that saw him win 20 games and average almost 12 strikeouts per nine innings, he was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 13th round of last week's draft.

So the next stop is the minor leagues and then the majors, right?

Not quite. Harris threw his 94 MPH fastball while playing for Navy's baseball team, which means he now has to fulfill the five-year service obligation that's required of every midshipman.

On Thursday, the Navy has made it clear that no exceptions will be made for Harris, who might have been drafted in the third or fourth round if his availability to play had been more certain.

Harris had said he was hoping to work around the service requirement or simply delay it for a few years while waiting to see iif his baseball dreams panned out.

From the Virginian-Pilot:

Through a spokesman, Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter ruled out (the) possibility.

“We are a nation at war, and we believe it’s inappropriate to allow Navy and Marine Corps personnel to be released from service obligations to play professional sports at the same time that other sailors and marines are carrying out their service obligations,” Lt. Karen Eifert, a Navy spokesman in Washington, said Thursday.

Eifert, who contacted The Virginian-Pilot on Thursday to make clear Winter’s position, said the Navy would not support any request to be stationed near a particular professional team or to be allowed to travel with that team.

Thing is, if Harris had pitched for Army, things might have turned out better. West Point features a recently implemented Alternative Service Option, which has allowed cadet Caleb Campbell to pursue a career in the NFL after being drafted by the Detroit Lions in April. Campbell currently serves as a part-time recruiter on his off days and can buy out the last three years of his active duty commitment by agreeing to six years of duty in the Army Reserves.

But, of course, Harris belongs to the Navy and the rules are the rules. While part of me wants to say that the Navy would be helped a lot publicity-wise if Harris became a star — anyone remember Roger Staubach? — I also realize that many other Navy students are passing up lucrative careers to fulfill the service they agreed to complete when they arrived in Annapolis. Why should a baseball player be any different?

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Navy-nixes-midshipman-s-Major-League-aspirations;_ylt=AmMl2D9fykdSXMikccAPfA4RvLYF?urn=mlb,87867

From my viewpoint, I am somewhere in the middle on this. I mean the guy signed up with the full intention that he was going to have to serve his commitement, but then again this shlould be a once in a lifetime oppurtunity for a guy who was taken relitavely high. What do you guys think?

Meet Mitch Harris. After a senior collegiate season that saw him win 20 games and average almost 12 strikeouts per nine innings, he was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 13th round of last week's draft.

So the next stop is the minor leagues and then the majors, right?

Not quite. Harris threw his 94 MPH fastball while playing for Navy's baseball team, which means he now has to fulfill the five-year service obligation that's required of every midshipman.

On Thursday, the Navy has made it clear that no exceptions will be made for Harris, who might have been drafted in the third or fourth round if his availability to play had been more certain.

Harris had said he was hoping to work around the service requirement or simply delay it for a few years while waiting to see iif his baseball dreams panned out.

From the Virginian-Pilot:

Through a spokesman, Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter ruled out (the) possibility.

“We are a nation at war, and we believe it’s inappropriate to allow Navy and Marine Corps personnel to be released from service obligations to play professional sports at the same time that other sailors and marines are carrying out their service obligations,” Lt. Karen Eifert, a Navy spokesman in Washington, said Thursday.

Eifert, who contacted The Virginian-Pilot on Thursday to make clear Winter’s position, said the Navy would not support any request to be stationed near a particular professional team or to be allowed to travel with that team.

Thing is, if Harris had pitched for Army, things might have turned out better. West Point features a recently implemented Alternative Service Option, which has allowed cadet Caleb Campbell to pursue a career in the NFL after being drafted by the Detroit Lions in April. Campbell currently serves as a part-time recruiter on his off days and can buy out the last three years of his active duty commitment by agreeing to six years of duty in the Army Reserves.

But, of course, Harris belongs to the Navy and the rules are the rules. While part of me wants to say that the Navy would be helped a lot publicity-wise if Harris became a star — anyone remember Roger Staubach? — I also realize that many other Navy students are passing up lucrative careers to fulfill the service they agreed to complete when they arrived in Annapolis. Why should a baseball player be any different?

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Navy-nixes-midshipman-s-Major-League-aspirations;_ylt=AmMl2D9fykdSXMikccAPfA4RvLYF?urn=mlb,87867

OT: Facebook Group Created

MayurP — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 23:23:09 -0000

Someone was talking about making a facebook group, so I decided to go ahead and make one. Stuff hasn't been uploaded yet (like the pic), but ya go ahead and join.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=33345329288

Your FanPost must be at least 75 words long. Right now it's only 40 words long. If you just have a quote, link, video or photo you'd like to share with the community, try creating a FanShot instead.

Someone was talking about making a facebook group, so I decided to go ahead and make one. Stuff hasn't been uploaded yet (like the pic), but ya go ahead and join.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=33345329288

OT Rays Extend Kazmir

MayurP — Thu, 15 May 2008 00:28:10 -0000

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AkdzU0mEAkq_xWc7Zyo.jJkRvLYF?slug=ap-rays-kazmir&prov=ap&type=lgns

I know he's had injury problems, but I think that for the first time ever, the Rays are starting to make some solid desicions. If they could get a few young guys in the bullpen (ie a closer), they could be set for the next 10 years. That lineup with Crawford, Longoria, Upton, and others to go along with the starting staff of Kazmir, Shields, Garza, and Jackson is going to be great. I'm sure everyone outside of New York, Baltimore, and Toronto is gonna love watching the Red Sox and Rays going off for the AL East Title for years to come.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AkdzU0mEAkq_xWc7Zyo.jJkRvLYF?slug=ap-rays-kazmir&prov=ap&type=lgns

OT BIG 12 Tourney

MayurP — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 21:01:50 -0000

Is it just me or is this going to be one of the most exciting big 12 mens basketball tournaments ever? I mean, when I seriously look at it, after the obvious front runners, KU and UT, there are 5 or 6 teams that you could say that if things broke right, they could win the tournament. Furthermore, I'm wondering, could the BIG 12 possibly get 7 teams in the tournament?? Off the top of my head, I can think of KU, UT KSU, OU, BU, TA&M, and who knows, maybe if things break right, possibly, OSU.. So, I'm gonna end with a poll, who do you think will win the Big 12 tournament???

Poll

Who do you think will win the Big 12 Tournament???

Texas

13 votes

Oklahoma State

0 votes

Kansas State

0 votes

Other

4 votes

Oklahoma

1 votes

Baylor

6 votes

Kansas

26 votes

Texas A&M

9 votes

59 votes | Poll has closed

Nick Swisher

MayurP — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 20:25:21 -0000

Sorry for posting this, but I have a question. I've been on this site for about a year, and the one common thing I've found between all users is that all you guys hate Nick Swisher. Am I just missing something obvious Swisher did or is it something else.....

One-line diaries are prohibited on Lone Star Ball. Give your diary a bit more thought, then give it another shot. If you have nothing to add to your proposed diary, then it probably belongs as a comment under another appropriate thread. Update [2007-9-18 17:15:37 by hinduplaya]:- arent there some other reasons then he's a division rival. I mean, if it were that way, you could say he's no different than anyone like ichiro or kendrick or someone like that. there has to be some other reason.