Typical Phenom

Damshow...he'll play. He's not about to sit out a contract, he'll play and keep his value up, he just won't be happy.

And I dunno if I over-valued him or not. In cases like Portland giving up Roy, Aldridge, and the #1, yea. But I'm making a point that they don't have the right stuff to offer. Offering either Roy OR Aldridge alone isn't gonna do it, so are they going to over-pay or just not make a deal? I'd agree with you though, the most likely of the ones I laid out is Boston, but Kobe'd be in the same situation he is now, the supporting cast just isn't there.

An interesting deal you laid out for Chicago, possibly the best I've seen yet today, though I think they might fight for Deng in any deal that gets done with Chicago.

Kobe wants traded, and with a no-trade clause, he can pick and choose. The rumors are he's told the Lakers he only wants to go to the Bulls, but even if that isn't true, the Bulls have to be a front-runner. This is huge news.

Trey's right. Mediocre and sub-par teams don't sell out as is, fans tend to be fairly fickle creatures. Once a team drops a level? There's no way you're selling out.

And someone, I think it was Matt, said that teams could build bigger stadiums when they're moved up to the major league? Aside from the fact that stadium deals start years in advance, they are generally funded by tax money. Stadium bills already have a hard time passing in a lot of markets, it'd become near impossible to pass a bill with no guarantee that your team is going to be in the majors. Not to mention sponsorships and whatnot.

And the TV rights that someone else brought up. Imagine if the Astro's got relogated and replaced by the Toledo Mudhens or something. All of a sudden, baseball's losing out on broadcast money in a top 10 market? That's a LOT of revenue lost. And if they do keep showing Astros games, there's going to be a significant ratings drop because the level of competition isn't there. No longer are players seeing Pujols, David Wright, and Bonds...they're seeing players they don't know.

I like relogation and I think it works great in the rest of the world, but the US is just spread out too much in my opinion. I'm not an expert on a map of England, but aren't all the teams fairly close to each other? Whereas in states, if your team gets relogated, you might lose out on MLB baseball altogether. For me, if the Mariners got relogated, the closest team to me now becomes the San Francisco Giants, two states and 12 hours away. Hopefully, that makes sense, otherwise I just rambled a lot...

Chuck Liddell Vs. Quinton Jackson- KO, round 3

Terry Jackson Vs. Ivan Salaverry- Submission, round 2

Josh Burkman Vs. Karo Parisyan- KO, round 2

Houston Alexander Vs. Keith Jardine- TKO, round 2

Kalib Starnes Vs. Chris Leben- Decision

Thiago Silva Vs. James Irwin- Submission, round 2

Sean Salmon Vs. Alan Belcher- KO round 2

Jeremy Stephens Vs. Din Thomas- Submission, round 1

Carmelo Marrero Vs. Wilson Gouveia- Decision

I don't define players by stats. Averaging 24 points a game for most players would mean they're good offensive players. For others, they may just fit the system right. I don't consider Karl Malone a great offensive player and look at where he's at in the record books. But it generally came on 6 pick and rolls followed by 12 free throws. Solid, steady, above average.

I'll give in on the "scoring a lot but losing" debate because it's really just my opinion. If I see a guy score fifty and his team loses, to me, he didn't dominate the game, he just scored a lot. To dominate is to outdo your opponent completely: score more, put them in foul trouble, create for your teammates....win the game. And I don't think I ever saw Oden actually dominate a game.

And I know Oden's young and I think he's got a great future, but his main focus and best attributes are defensive, not offensive. That's all I was saying.

You mention the Florida game as the best example of a dominant performance, but they lost and to me, that means he wasn't all that dominant.

If you really think he's going to be a top offensive player in the league, that's fine, but I'm just not seeing the reasoning. Because other centers weren't polished, it's too early to close the book on him? That's fair and I'm not closin the book, I'm just saying that as of right now, I don't see it happening.

Ultimately that doesn't matter. Someone will take Randolph and as stated their only reservation would likely be that it'll make Portland a juggernaut, hence why I see an eastern conference team taking him and hoping they can use him to help them squeak out a title before Portland becomes a dynasty

The way you're talking, Portland has suddenly become the most feared team in the league. They have a good, all around two guard who I don't necessarily see as a go to guy so much as a very steady, very dependable player. You've got an athletic forward who hasn't developed a strong enough post game yet. And you've got, if they draft him, a rookie center who will in all liklihood develop into a monster of a defensive center but still only be in that above average range offensively. There's no go to guy, there's no definitive team leader, there's no playmaker, and there's not a lot of depth. All these things could get addressed, but until they do, I'd stop with all the "Teams are scared, Portland's gonna be a dynasty" talk. I do, however, think if you leave Jack at point and let Webster try and play the three, they could be a young exciting team and start to get things turned around.

Ultimately that doesn't matter. Someone will take Randolph and as stated their only reservation would likely be that it'll make Portland a juggernaut, hence why I see an eastern conference team taking him and hoping they can use him to help them squeak out a title before Portland becomes a dynasty

In this day and age, I don't think any player can single handedly lead a team to a championship. Ask Kobe.

That said, Durant will be better offensively, Oden has the potential to have more of an impact. I don't think either of them will be busts, they have the fundamentals down. Thing I like about Durant is he's got heart, you can build a team around him. And yes, with Roy and Aldridge, it's a great foundation in Portland.

I'm just happy that I'm 30 minutes from Seattle and 2 hours or so from Portland. I look forward to attending games for both.

I just don't understand why they would put him on defense the first year if he's just going to be moved this year. Otherwise, if they didn't plan it on it, it's obvious that they saw the success that Bush had (the second half of the season and the playoffs) and they figured that Hester can do the same things, which I don't think he can. Bush is a more complete playmaker because not only does he have blazing speed, but he's more agile, can accelerate quicker (his strongest point) and he can actually break tackles. Up until this point, Hester has only really proved that he can juke (he's got some agility) and he's fast as all hell. It's true you can't teach speed and anytime you get a guy that fast, he's going to at least produce something. It's been said numerous times that the NFL is a copycat league and this is one of the most obvious examples because not only did Bush do some pretty crazy things last year, he did it against the Bears as well. My point is that it wasn't beneficial for Hester to stay on defense for a year then move over to offense. If they wanted him to be the playmaker you guys are saying they wanted him to be when they drafted him, wouldn't it make more sense to put him there right away rather than waiting a year after he's already learned (I'm assuming he learned SOMETHING, but ya' never know with Canes) the defensive schemes. I just think that it could hinder his development process, especially if it doesn't work out and he has to go back on defense and while he would probably retain most of the schemes, it's going to take him time to adjust to playing defense again. My main point is that if they drafted him as a playmaker, they should've put him in this position last year. But I think that they saw what Bush can do/what he did and they think he can do the same, if not better, but I would tend to disagree because Bush is a special player. Hester can be too, but at this point, he's only proven he can return kicks.

I know he played a little offense in college but the competition is different and I think that it would've been better for him if they had just put him in that "Playmaker" position that they seemingly drafted him for.

Problem is, he wasn't necessarily the most talented player. A guy by the name of Maurice Jone-Drew was still on the board and I think he'll have a very good career just from what I've seen of him. Again, only one year in, but I can see him being a lot like Barry Sanders (not exactly like him, or even close to how fluid he was) but just in general, his similarities are hard to overlook.

And no, I'm not a Bears fan , I'm a 49ers fan.

Favre vents, requested trade

By Jason Cole, Yahoo! Sports

May 13, 2007

In a fit of anger, Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre requested a trade nearly two weeks ago, a source close to the quarterback confirmed. The trade request was initially reported by FOXsports.com.

In addition, Favre expressed his frustration over the team’s failure to acquire former Pro Bowl wide receiver Randy Moss after Favre said he had agreed to restructure his deal to accommodate Moss.

Although the Packers have reportedly told Favre that they have no intention of dealing him, the revelation of the trade request and his public comments about the failed effort to get Moss, could make for an interesting time when the Packers hold a mini-camp next weekend.

Even more, Favre’s remarks could put pressure on Packers general manager Ted Thompson, who has been coy over the past two years about his desire to have Favre come back or retire.

Two weeks ago, Thompson talked about the franchise's emphasis on character when targeting players – perceived as an indirect explanation for Green Bay not finalizing a deal for Moss. However, Thompson is the same executive who last season signed wide receiver Koren Robinson after Robinson committed a DUI while under contract with the Minnesota Vikings. It was a relapse of previous drinking problems for Robinson.

As for Favre, who led Green Bay to a Super Bowl title during the 1996 season and guided the Packers to another championship berth a season later, he said his focus is only on one objective.

"I just want to win; maybe I see things the wrong way," Favre told reporters in Mississippi over the weekend. "I don't want to ruffle any feathers and I want people to respect me. Sometimes I think it's hard for them to let Brett go. They might think that we pay him a lot of money, but he still gives us the best chance to win. I've never been told that, but there are times when I wonder if I'm the odd man out here and they just don't know how to tell me."

That statement appears to be a direct reply to claims by Favre and those close to him that Thompson has not been clear what direction he wants to go at quarterback. In 2005, Thompson spent a first-round pick to take quarterback Aaron Rodgers as the heir apparent to Favre.

"I don't know if I've lost faith, and I think everyone in the organization wants to win. I just don't know if it includes me," Favre said. "If it's going to be five years from now, I'm not going to be here. This is 17 years for me and I want to win."

Favre had expected the Packers to complete a deal for Moss. He told the Sun Herald in Biloxi (Miss.): "It was a done deal and the stories of how we lost him because he didn't want to restructure his contract were not true.

"He was going to wipe his contract clean and sign for $3 million guaranteed, plus a fourth-round draft pick. That would have been a steal. But we were not willing to guarantee part of that $3 million. I even had (agent Bus Cook) call up there and tell them I would give up part of my salary to guarantee that part of the money. Apparently that wasn't enough either."

Thompson responded to Favre's comments and questions about the situation through an issued statement on Sunday.

"I think it's natural for a player to be frustrated from time to time – that's simply being human," Thompson wrote. "Everyone knows that Brett Favre is all about winning. As an organization, we share that commitment. And we want to win now."

As for the trade request, Thompson was less direct.

"We never comment on the talks we have with our players or with their agents, in line with the long-standing policy of our organization," Thompson wrote. "We try to encourage open and honest dialogue with players and their agents. But if those talks later are shared with third parties, the willingness of players to be open in future conversations may be compromised."

It's simply Brett hanging on to see if he can take some of Dan Marino's spots in the record book now. Otherwise, he'd have taken all these signs and simply retired. The Packers haven't made too many moves to pump up the offense that surrounds Brett, instead making draft picks like A.J. Hawk and Justin Harrell. Greg Jennings being as good as he's been constitutes one of those sleeper picks. So, if you were Brett, would you have just quit by now? I would've.

All of the Corrales-Castillo fights were great examples of boxing. Like EBG said, he was always one to watch. Shame.

Like Biggz said, all De La Hoya pressing the fight did was change the gameplan. Mayweather did a fantastic job of adjusting to that, but if DLH had continued to press in the final rounds, he probably could have pulled it out. Surprisingly, one of the judges gave one of the final rounds to De La Hoya, not sure how.

Mayweather landed more power punches and landed a higher percentage of his punches, Oscar just threw more. Majority of those were glancing blows that didn't have a whole lot of effect.

I love it when pulling the goalie actually works. It's so rare. Now, just gotta come through in OT.

I mentioned Smith possibly ending up in Baltimore and I love the fact that he did. It's a place where he won't feel pressure right away, probably be a 3rd quarterback at first. He can learn from a McNair, there's a strong locker room there, team leaders, and if they stay defensive minded, then Smith will just have to be in a Dilfer-role of not blowing the game.

Now, this whole conspiracy theory is stupid. Randy Moss has 20 million dollars coming to him, not every team is willing to pick that up. Most of them aren't. You're saying the Raiders only talked to the Patriots and Packers? Mike Shannahan, who hates Al Davis publically, they don't work together...he got a call from the Raiders regarding Moss, Shanny just wasn't interested.

And Maxx, you think they should have taken Aaron Rogers and a 5th round pick, then draft Calvin Johnson? There's a reason the Packers are willing to deal Aaron Rogers, he's shown crap to anybody. He's likely to not even get a chance when Favre leaves now, why would the Raiders bother with that deal? Al Davis wants to win, probably more than any owner in the league, why would he do something to hurt his team?

At this point, the Raiders would have cut Moss on June 1st if they didn't make a trade anyway, they just wanted him off the team and, more importantly, out of the locker room. He may revive his career and I hope he does, but he wasn't gonna do it in Oakland. Better to get anything for him, move on, and start building with younger guys.

At some point, on field production does take precadence over factors like size and how they did at the combine. Garrett Wolfe is 4th all time in yards per game for a career. Herschel Walker and OJ Simpson are two of the three ahead of him.

That said, he's not applying to be a full time back, though I don't rule out the option either. He's gonna contribute on special teams, he's going to come in and change the pace, and he'll be a third down back. He has good hands out of the back field and a whole lotta speed. To speculate that he shouldn't have even been drafted? I'd say that's the dumbest comment of the day, even moreso than the Crouch discussion. For shame.

I know some of you quit watching after the first and second round, so here's the highlights from my perspective.

3rd Round Selections of Note include:

KC Chiefs- Tank Tyler, DE from NC State. The strongest guy in the draft, benched 225 42 times at the combine.

Arizona got Buster Davis, linebacker from Florida State

Carolina picked up Charles Johnson, DE from Georgia. Some had projected him as high as late first round, most had him somewhere in the second.

Denver got Ryan Harris, OT from Notre Dame. INteresting thing about him...if anyone remembers, there was a show on MTV. It wasn't Made, it was one of those True Life shows and a few years back, they did one on a high school athlete, an offensive tackle who was trying to gain weight. At the end, he gets a scholarship from Notre Dame. That was actually Ryan Harris.

Buffalo drafted Trent Edwards, QB from Stanford who was projected early-mid 2nd round.

Dolphins grabbed Lorenzo Booker, running back from Florida State

Bears got RB Garett Wolfe, who'll be trying to duplicate Michael Turner. Provides a nice change of pace to Benson.

Daymeion Hughes, CB, from Cal went to the Colts. Some had him projected as a possible first rounder, then he dropped to second. Good steal for the Colts.

Alan Branch finally goes, to Arizona with the 33rd pick. Damn you TP, I wanted to be first with one!

First two picks of Round 2, very interesting.

Cards trade up to take a big chance on Branch. Bills trade up to take Posluszny, another bust or boom type player in my opinion. Good to see some teams taking chances though.

Troy Smith.

What with the Heisman and all.

Troy Smith will not be a good NFL player. You can quote me on that. He's much too short for the position and isn't talented enough. A good parallel is Eric Crouch: Heisman Trophy Winner, speedy and had a decent arm. Got drafted and faded out. Smith will be playing in Arena Football or CFL in the next 3-4 years.

Don't get me wrong, he was very good in college, but its a different game in the NFL.

As I mentioned previously, the Raiders getting Jamarcus Russell and Dwayne Jarrett? Lane Kiffin's smiling. Only Indy stands in the way.

Spencer and Ware can make life very stressful for a lot of QB's next season. Damn shame Anthony couldn't have ended up with any other team. He's now dead to me.

I like Olsen with this and Harris with their next pick.

In order, I wanted Meachem, Staley, Grubbs, or Bowe. So I'm happy, just not AS happy as I coulda been. Still, thrilled to have a wideout finally.