Matt Cassel Going to Kansas City

Well the quarterback woes are over in Kansas City, or so we think.

In another blockbuster move, the Patriots unload their "season saviour" of last year and ship Matt Cassel to the Chiefs in exchange for their 2nd round draft pick this year.

They already sent Mike Vrabel to Kansas City yesterday and now give them a quarterback because they assume Tom Brady will be 100% at the start of the season.

All Kansas City needs to do is give Cassel some more offensive weapons and have Larry Johnson and Tony Gonzalez want to play and this team could do some damage.

NFL Signings and Trades

Well NFL is back and the free agents are finding new teams quickly.

- Albert Hayensworth was signed by the Washington Redskins, 7 years 100 M.

- Deangelo Hall was also signed with the Redskins 5 years 54 M.

- Kellen Winslow was traded from the Browns to the Bucs for draft picks

- Lito Sheppard was traded to the New York Jets from the Eagles.

- Bart Scott was signed by the New York Jets 6 years 48 M.

- Kerry Collins re-signed with the Titans 2 years 15 M.

- There is a rumor that Brian Dawkins is going to the Broncos for a 2 year deal.

- Fred Taylor signed with the Patriots 2 years 5 M.

- Patriots trade Mike Vrabel for an undiscoled draft pick.

- Jason Brown goes to the Rams

Recent Baseball Signings

- Tom Glavine signed a one year $1 million deal with the Atlanta Braves

- Garrett Anderson signed a one year $2 million deal with the Atlanta Braves

- Ken Griffey Jr. returns to Seattle, signing a one year $2.5 million deal

- Orlando Hudson signed a one year $3.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers

MLB - Money, Money, and More Money

On this date 46 years ago, Willie Mays signed a new contract for $100,000, becoming the highest paid player in baseball.

In the day and age that we live in today, with baseball salaries being through the roof, we have to reflect on where we have come from. In 1963 when Mays received that contract from the San Francisco Giants, $100,000 was like $1,000,000 today.

Have the salaries gotten too high? Are these players over paid?
Major League Baseball has seen salaries rise astronomically since the mid 90’s. Kevin Brown signed the biggest contract in MLB history in 1998, when the Los Angeles Dodgers gave him a modest seven year deal worth $105 million. Since then $100+ million contracts have been quite common.

Most notably Alex Rodriguez received a $252 million deal from the Texas Rangers in 2001, he then received a new deal with the New York Yankees in 2008 where he was awarded a 10 year $275 million contract which with incentives could go up to $305 million.

New York Yankees short stop, Derek Jeter was given a 10 year $189 million contract in 2001. In 2006 Barry Zito was given the largest contract for a pitcher by the San Francisco Giants. A whopping seven year $126 million deal, which thus far has been the largest over-payment for a player since the Dodgers gave relief pitcher Darren Dreifort a five year $55 million contract in 2001. In the same year the Colorado Rockies gave Mike Hampton a stellar eight year $121 million contract, which the Rockies paid the Braves to take him off their hands after just two years.

2007-2008 winter meetings brought the next enormous deal for a pitcher in baseball, when the New York Mets inked up a $137.5 million contract for six years.

Then in the 2008-2009 offseason the New York Yankees struck it rich when they gave C.C Sabathia the newest largest contract for a pitcher in baseball history. $161 million deal over seven years, and then proceeded to give first baseman Mark Teixeira a hefty eight year $180 million contract.

But now comes the economic stand point from the whole situation and big question is thrown out there, are these players over paid. Well it all depends on what that player will end up making for the team he plays for. If Alex Rodriguez makes the Yankees $30 million in a season, he technically is under paid because he makes $28 million a season. That is how baseball contracts are measured, merchandise sales, luxury box and season ticket sales and other endorsements all play into the idea of the cost for a player. As long as you see thousands of number 13 jerseys at Yankee Stadium and all across the world at a cool $154.99 a piece, the Yankees and other teams with their player contracts will be doing just fine.

It just goes to show you where these contracts have gone. Just think, four decades ago a games pay for Alex Rodriguez was the largest contract in the game, now there are players in baseball making more money then some countries.

Manny = Kobe

Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp did a bit of campaigning today for Manny:

"I compare him to Kobe Bryant," said Kemp. "He makes everybody around him better. Manny's the Kobe Bryant of baseball. Of course we want him back and of course we need him. He's a freak."

A Legacy Forever Ruined

Cheater, steroid user, fake, no respect, LIAR.

These words will forever be linked to the name Alex Rodriguez, from February 7th 2009 till infinity.

Once praised as the air apparent to be the greatest of all time, is now a mere asterisk in the minds of millions of baseball fans. When Selena Roberts out-ed the 12 time all-star and three time most valuable player, the name Alex Rodriguez would never be the same again.

In America there are certain things that tick people off, rapist, murderer, and it seems like cheater is in the same category. Not to put Alex Rodriguez in the same vein as a murderer but in the minds of baseball purists that is just where his name falls. He no longer will be looked at as the clean player to finally absolve baseball of the steroid era, nor would he now be the “REAL” homerun king. Instead Barry Bonds is still sullied and Hank Aaron still holds the long ball crown, and if A-ROD gets there which barring injury he more than likely will, the number will mean nothing in the eyes of the fans.

In my previous article I mentioned what players said and how I believe that there must have been an agenda behind just Rodriguez’s name being leaked, and there was, Roberts is releasing a book chronicling A-ROD’s celebrity status and his downfall. Now it seems like this list will not be released and Rodriguez will be the only man named off this infamous list. He is the only one scorn by the wrath of four sources that breached the trust and faith of every single player in Major League baseball today.

Let’s look at the situation this way. The four sources that leaked the information to Roberts knowingly broke the law. They threw away the notion of confidentiality, which in the case of these tests and what the players were being tested for would have never complied with should they have known that one day names would be mentioned and careers would be tarnished. And that is exactly what happened here. Rodriguez’s career has been tarnished like a metal bike left out in a monsoon.

On Tuesday February 17th 2009, Alex Rodriguez is scheduled to appear in Tampa for Yankees spring training where he will face the media publicly for the first time since his interview with ESPN’s Peter Gammons on the 9th of February. He, just like Andy Pettitte last year and Jason Giambi the year prior to Pettitte will face the media and try to answer the steroid filled questions thrown at him and try to clear the air. The press conference is another step in Alex Rodriguez’s road to recovery, much like a person in AA sessions, this is just another step.

It is here where the world expects Rodriguez to be truthful once again and try to put back together the reputation and legacy that right now is in shambles like a disco ball that fell to the dance floor. With him will be sitting Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada according to Yankee sources who have said they want to be there to support their team mate, just like they did for Andy Pettitte last spring training.

Veteran Yankees closer Mariano Rivera has come out and said “To me, he doesn’t have to say anything, he has my support regardless.”

Longtime catcher Jorge Posada made his feelings known to the media as well, “Alex is my teammate and Alex is going to be my friend forever. I’m going to support him any way I can.”

Familiar with the situation surrounding Rodriguez, Pettitte has supported his fellow colleague. “Alex is my teammate; he’s like family to me,” Pettitte said. “I’m going to try to help him and pull for him in any way possible. Anything negative toward him isn’t going to come from me. I want to try to encourage him and pick him up at this time, not kick him down.”

On the bright side for A-ROD this is a good thing, seeing the marquee names supporting him like this, yet there is one name that hasn’t come out and said something to help matters, the one that matters most in New York, number two, Derek Jeter. Jeter publicly said he would not speak on the matter until spring training, so tomorrow everyone is expecting the captain to speak, and for Alex’s sake, he better support him 100 percent.

But I must go back to the issue at hand and that is the name, Alex Rodriguez. There will be no excuses from fans and A-ROD alike; he has admitted to doing the steroids to live up to his hefty contract given to him by the Texas Rangers, but what he did was wrong. Fans will boo him unmercifully at home and especially on the road. Signs on asterisks and needles and catch phrases with “A-ROID” will be staples in every game Rodriguez plays in. And there is nothing he can do about it. He brought this upon himself and he will have to live with the fact that his legacy, reputation and name will forever be etched into the minds of fans as a cheater.

A-ROD GATE

Like Richard Nixon in the early 70’s, Alex Rodriguez has orchestrated a scandal to rock the very core of the baseball world.

On February 7th 2009 Sports Illustrated reported that Alex Rodriguez tested positive for 2 types of steroids in 2003, Testosterone and Primobolin. The story was broken by Selena Roberts who confirmed the positive tests through four sources.
Now here is where the controversy starts to bubble.

Roberts has been doing the media circuit and has publicly stated that she knows the person who leaked this information is committing a crime. This source had access to PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL information that must have had ulterior motives to release these names. Out of the total 104 names on this “tested positive for steroids list” only Alex Rodriguez was out-ed.

Rodriguez sat down with Peter Gammons of ESPN on February 9th 2009 where he admitted to using banned substances in an interview that lasted over 30 minutes. A-ROD clearly emotional and distraught through out the interview did answer all the questions and in my opinion took the proper first step to diffuse this C-4 type of situation.
Much like Nixon and his “Dirty Tricks” A-ROD apparently was using his own “magic” from 2001 to 2003 as he told Gammons in the sit down. Feeling the need to live up to his massive 10 year – 252 million dollar contract, with exorbitant amount of pressure building upon his shoulders, Rodriguez decided to take steroids.

Much like the Watergate scandal there was a leak of information, which too was classified. But I once again bring up the fact that the agenda this source had when only releasing Rodriguez’s name, is absolutely preposterous. Either leak each and every of the 104 names or none at all. How could anyone be content with just one name, however much weight that name holds. Equality and fairness, this era no doubt will be labeled the “steroid era” and a tainted period in baseball, but withholding names and putting a blanket over the entire league as potential users will be a crime in and of itself.

Now retired Sean Casey has come out and said he felt betrayed by the Players Association for the leakage of Alex Rodriguez’s name from “the list.” Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling has come out and said in his blog that he wanted every name out there if A-ROD’s name was to be released. And Houston Astros first baseman Lance Berkman has said that he wants the names of everyone on “the list” exposed because those who have never touched any type of human growth hormone or steroid would like to clear their name.

Everyone wanted Alex Rodriguez to just come out and admit what he did and dish out all the “good stuff.” He went further than the actual Sports Illustrated report by admitting to doing the roids for not just one year, but three. He gave us the why, the where, the how, the when just not the who. You must give him credit for taking the whole steroid fiasco further than anyone else who was put in his situation.

Barry Bonds has denied his steroid use all though there are positive tests, lied to a grand jury and is now fighting for his freedom in a court room.

Roger Clemens has taken the “deny till I die” policy and is tossing and turning at night wondering if the three needles Brian McNamee had stuffed in his basement in a old Coke can will be tossed as evidence. He too is facing jail time for his steroid use.

Rafael Palmero wagged his finger then three days later was tested positive for steroids. Mark McGwire showed the world his Androstendione in his locker, a steroid precursor, as well as Jose Canseco coming out and saying he personally injected Big Mac with roids.

The other 103 names on “the scarlet letter forever on your forehead” list for now should consider themselves lucky. I’m sure there are big names on that list, maybe not as big of fish like A-ROD but I’m positive a shocking name or two will be on there.

This dark cloud in baseball history that is upon us will forever stain the culture of the sport, and encyclopedias will chronicle this cycle of madness forever. Alex Rodriguez will have to do a lot to get back in good graces with the fans of baseball, but it all starts now.

Unlike President Nixon, A-ROD will not pick up and leave office, he will continue to be the greatest baseball player in the game today, and prolong his journey to becoming legendary.