Green Demon

Kobe has been doing amazing lately but Dirk or Nash is going to get the award unless Kobe did incredilble the rest of the way. Nash is doing even better then he did the past to season when he has one the award and his team is doing very good as well. Dirk is on a team that has been doing amazing as well and is putting up bigger numbers then he has in a while as well.

Donovan seems to be inconstent on the National team he had a good World Cup in 02 and then bascially disappeared after that really, and really didnt show up for the 06 Cup which contributed to us not doing well. It seems that when he is agressive like he has been the past two games he is able to create oppurtunites and he is usually able to finish, he is a very good player when he decides to push it forward like he has shown.

I also got to say that I like the young midfield that we have coming up in Bradley and Feilhaber they were able to recieve from the back and bring the ball up and get it to Donovan or create oppurtuites themselves. I hope they countiue to get sometime and it is good that both of them are playing in Europe as well since that should countiue to help their development.

Howard was also able to make some pretty good saves espesially the first one he made at the beginning of the game. It is good to se that he will be playing full time now too with Everton since that will be better then sitting on the bench like he had been at Man Utd.

Well I figured that I would make this thread with the upcoming friendlies and then the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which shouldnt be much of a competition and then for the first time in a while the US team will be participating in the Copa America tournament, where they will get to face some of the top teams in South America.

Today they are playing Ecuador, who I would probably put as a higher quality, not at the higher level but they made it to the World Cup final last time around and most of thier team is playing against most of our team from the world cup. The story so far though has been how Landon Donavon has played today. With still about 10 minuates to go he has a hat trick and even had the possiblilty of a couple more goals so he has been having a great game, granted it is just a friendly but the US should win this game 3-1. Too bad that he wasnt playing at this level last summer but it is good to see that he can play at a higher level.

It should be good for this team to actually face some tougher competition this summer in South America, with them being in the Copa America group with Argentina, Paraguay, and Colombia, in between the World Cups alike they have been in recent years. There is also a rumored friendly with the Socceroos later this summer which should be fun to see.

The only reason that I am not crazy about Thomas is because it seems when an Olinemen is taking around the top 5 it is very hit or miss. I mean there have been guys like Orlando Pace and Jonathon Ogden but then you got guys that have been huge misses too, altough not that far into his carrear Gallery for the Raiders hasnt been what he was said to be so I just find it to take a linemen that early.

I would be pretty surprised if neither Cleveland or Detriot trade down from where they are at and pick up a couple picks and still get a quality guy at a pick still in top 10. I could see Atlanta trade the picks that they just gathered from the Texans and try and make a more up with Cleveland or Detriot and try and get Calvin Johnson since I think for the right price either team would be willing to move down to pick #8.

Yeah no one can really fault them for taking Carr out of college since he was highly touted but the whole Mario Willams thing really came out of nowhere last year since it was pretty much assumed they would take either Young or Bush, in that instance they screwed themselves over.

I am pretty sure that the likely have bonuses that are due in the next few months so the realased them rather then pay them the bonuses and I am sure that they tried shopping them around but couldnt get any deals.

On that note I wouldnt be suprised to see Carr end up in Cleveland seeing as how they were intreseted before he was realased and now that it would be free to get him they will probably give him a close look.

From ESPN.com

The trade that sent Matt Schaub from the Atlanta Falcons to the Houston Texans not only made the three-year veteran quarterback an instant starter, it made Schaub -- who has yet to win a regular-season start and who barely completed 50 percent of his pass attempts in three seasons with the Falcons -- a very rich man.

Schaub signed a six-year, $48 million contract with the Texans, a move that officially consummates the trade. As part of the deal, Schaub -- who played golf with Houston coach Gary Kubiak on Monday in a get-acquainted session, the Houston Chronicle reported -- will receive $7 million in guarantees.

"This is another exciting moment in the history of the Texans," team owner Bob McNair said at a news conference Thursday. "Winning is all about getting better every day, and that's what we're trying to do."

Schaub, 25, will earn roughly $20 million in the first three years of the contract.

After the first three years, the Texans must pay Schaub a $10 million option bonus in March 2010 to trigger the final three seasons of the contract, or he becomes a free agent. This is the same Houston team, though, that paid the soon-to-be-discarded David Carr a "buy back" bonus of $8 million last spring to reinstate three years of his contract that had voided.

On Wednesday night, agent Joby Branion termed the Schaub deal "a real contract" -- meaning it was a legitimate deal for a starting-caliber quarterback -- and he was accurate in that assessment.

Certainly the economics of the deal all but mandate that Schaub will be the Texans' starter. And for Schaub, a third-round choice in the 2004 draft, it represents a financial windfall. As a rookie, Schaub signed a three-year, $1.365 million contract. It included a signing bonus of $445,000 and annual base salaries at the NFL minimum.

Had he signed the one-year restricted free agent qualifying offer the Falcons made him early in the spring, Schaub would have had a base salary of $2.3 million for 2007. There was, his agents told ESPN.com more than a year ago, no way that Schaub would have considered a long-term deal that would have carried him past the 2007 season, since he would have been eligible for unrestricted free agency at that point.

Whether Schaub would have been able to earn more by signing a one-year contract with the Falcons for 2007, and then going into the open market as an unrestricted free agent next spring, is now a moot point and a matter of speculation.

Suffice it to say the contract that he signed to complete the Wednesday trade agreement is a healthy one.

As for the Falcons, the trade allows the cap-strapped team to essentially recoup the $2.3 million qualifying offer it made to Schaub and invest that money elsewhere. And the haul the team received in the trade -- a swap of first-round choices in 2007 and second-round picks in the 2007 and 2008 drafts -- provides Atlanta with considerable flexibility.

The Falcons now own three selections among the top 44 picks in this year's draft: the eighth choice in the first round and the seventh and 12th selections in the second stanza. Armed with that kind of ammunition, the Falcons could parlay those three choices to move up the draft board in the first round, perhaps to nab hometown hero Calvin Johnson, the former Georgia Tech wide receiver. Or the Falcons could combine the two second-round picks to acquire another choice near the middle of the first round.

Most teams use a chart, principally developed by former Dallas and Miami coach Jimmy Johnson, that assigns a points value to every choice in the draft. The corresponding points for the eighth pick in the first round is 1,400. The two second-round choices owned by the Falcons are worth 510 points (the seventh choice in the round) and 460 points (the 12th).

The total points value for the Falcons' three choices in the first two rounds is 2,370 points. On the points chart, the second overall choice in the entire draft, owned by Detroit -- which is rumored to be interested in trading back -- is worth 2,600 points. Atlanta would fall a little shy of that, but not by much, with its 2,370 points for the three choices in the first and second rounds.

But the Falcons have more than enough points to trade up to the No. 3 overall pick (points value: 2,200) or the fourth choice (value: 1,800 points), if they desired. By combining the two picks in the second round, with a total value of 970 points, Atlanta could net the 17th overall selection (points value: 950) in the first round.

The early read is that the Falcons, who definitely need to replenish their talent base and desperately require reinforcements at a number of key positions, simply will stand pat and exercise all three of their high-round choices. That should, in theory, net Atlanta three top-tier prospects who could play quickly for first-year coach Bobby Petrino.

But in making the Schaub trade, the Falcons have provided themselves the potential for maneuvering up the draft board if they want, and for being active and creative in the early stages of the lottery.

Yeah I would defiantly say he is probably better then Carr but I am just saying that in terms of what the Texans gave up to get him I really dont know if it was worth it. Along with that with what the Texans have in terms offensive line will he really do that much better then Carr? I am just saying that wouldnt the Texans be better off keeping the draft picks and stocking up rather then putting all thier eggs in one basket with Schaub.

I am not really sold on Schaub, I not saying he is a bad player or anything but why is he so highly regarded as a backup? That being said I obviously think Atlanta got the better end of the deal and I will countiue to believe that until Schaub can prove to me otherwise. I mean is Schaub really worth the #8 pick and then a 2nd this year and next. If i were Texas and was willing to make this kind of deal why not try and trade up and get Quinn.

I support Cleveland and that it is for me really I just could never get into anyother football team. It is a tough life being a Cleveland fan but we are really loyal to the team for whatever reason.

I know not many people care but this has been a exciting Women's Tournament this year. I havent really paid much attention in the past years but since I am in College this year I have been following my womens basketball team Bowling Green and today they became the first MAC team to make it to the Sweet 16 and everyone is going crazy here.

Yeah I know from previous rumors that Profootballtalk is basically a rumors site that the majority of the time misses rather then hits on thier rumors so I really dont believe much of what they say. From what I have heard Winslow is off crutches and has been doing fine since the surgury so until I hear otherwise from a more reliable source that I what I believe.

And also Evil Chase K like you said Porter was highly overated IMO and he was more a product of the Steelers system rather then much of an impact player and they should be glad that they got rid of Porter. He isnt going to really put up the numbers he has in the past and as he just showed he is just a distraction to the team. I was wondering if the Bengals were going to make it through the offseason without an arrest this year, that was obviously too high of an expectation for them.

The only way a Detriot-Cleveland trade happens is if the Raiders dont take Russell and even then I would say that it is pushing it that Cleveland does the deal. If the Browns take Russell, Quinn, Johnson, Peterson, or Thomas they would be ok IMO, so since they are drafting 3rd it would be pretty stupid I think if they trade up when they still have a choice of 3 good players to choose from.

Winthrop is my Cinderella so I am happy so far, I only have missed one game today and that was cause I picked Albany to upset Virgina.

The slate of games today have definatly been more exciting then yesterday and I am hoping that Creighton can pull out the win against Nevada.

I am liking what I am seeing from Winthrop so far I have them going to the Sweet Sixteen and right now they are dominating Notre Dame. Wisconson better start playing or they are going to screw over my brackets.

I hate Duke.... That is all

I dont complain about the refs often but when the free throw is some thing like 44 fta for the pistons and 24 fta for the Cavs something is wrong. I understand that the Pistons were driving to the basket but it wasnt like the Cavs werent either and then some of the calls were just terrible. I gotta say also that Lebron shot at the end of regulation that went in was amazing and I could only wish that it counted since it was like 35ft out and Billups had him well covered. I glad even with the free throw discrepincy the Cavs were able to pull it out in OT and are now just 2 games back of Detriot for the #1 seed. It is funny to see that they are that close to #1 seed since all I personally have been hearing from the national media is how poor the team is and how bad Lebron has been playing.

Cant say that I am dissapointed that Lewis is coming here, he may not be at the level that he once was at but he is still a good power running back and it is only a one year deal so it is sorta a low risk high reward type of deal altough not totally sure what we are paying him. Opens the door for the Browns to trade away/realase Drouguns since I think he was reportedly wanting a restructure deal or something like that.

In terms of the draft now for the Browns it is really up in the air, they have a solid RB now but he has had some injury problems so Adrian Peterson isnt totally out of the question as they would have a really solid 2 back group if they did that. But of course if they wanted to improve at other postions they are probably looking hard at Joe Thomas now if he falls to us at #3 to shore up the line even more. If Thomas is gone and we dont want to take AP then the Browns probably trade down to around 7-9 and get some picks and take Quinn. This move for the Browns gives me even more intrest to see what happens the rest of the FA period and the draft as well.

It doesnt seem like Jamal will have alot of value right now most of the teams that are pursuing him already have a back or can get one in the draft(Cleveland) so I am intrested to see where he ends up, heck what if Cleveland got both. Obviously unlikely if they got one they wouldnt get the other but there would be no RB problems in Cleveland anymore in that instance.

It would likely open the door to either takeing Joe Thomas and improving the OLine even more or trading down a couple spots and taking Quinn if we got Lewis, since it seems like the Browns are looking hard at Quinn, wheather that is a smoke screen or not who knows.

For what it is worth I know that Jamal Lewis is in Cleveland today visiting the Browns, I dont know who I would really want between Adrian Peterson and Lewis, Lewis has had injury problems and off the field problems but he is a proven back or there is Peterson who has some injury problems but nothing that will last long term but until he plays in the NFL is unproven.

Celebrity Dentist Sues Estate of Ex-Yankees Pitcher Cory Lidle for Destroying Apartment in Plane Crash

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Associated Press

NEW YORK — A dentist to the rich and famous has filed a $7 million lawsuit against the estate of late New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle, claiming his home was destroyed when the ballplayer's small airplane crashed into his apartment building.

Dr. Lawrence Rosenthal says in court papers that after Lidle's Cirrus SR-20 aircraft crashed into the Manhattan building where he lived with his wife and teenage son, they had to vacate their 43rd-floor apartment.

Rosenthal, whose patients include Donald Trump, Bruce Springsteen and Catherine Zeta-The plane, with Lidle and flight instructor Tyler Stanger aboard, hit the Upper East Side building Jones, said his apartment sustained "severe damage, including broken windows, smoke damage, loose bricks and extensive other damage" that forced them out.on the 30th floor, 13 floors below Rosenthal's apartment, on Oct 11. Lidle, 34, and Stanger, 26, were killed in the crash.

The two had taken a midday flight past the Statue of Liberty and north up the East River. They apparently had trouble when they tried to turn and head south.

The National Transportation Safety Board investigated, but its report said it reached no final conclusions about the cause of the accident, nor did the agency's report say who was at the controls when the airplane crashed.

Rosenthal's lawyer, David Jaroslawicz, said Thursday that "everything was destroyed" in his client's home and the family has been renting while waiting to return. He said their home is actually three apartments joined to make one apartment that is worth "several million dollars."

Rosenthal's lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Manhattan state Supreme Court, names Lidle's wife, Melanie Lidle, as the defendant in her capacity as administratrix of her late husband's estate.

A lawyer for her, Robert N. Clarke Jr., issued a statement saying attorneys for the Lidle and Stanger families had filed wrongful-death lawsuits against Cirrus Design Corp., maker of the airplane, in California. He said the lawsuits allege product liability, negligence and other complaints.

A spokeswoman for Cirrus Design didn't immediately return messages left on her office phone and cell phone on Thursday.

Rosenthal was in the news in January, when he sued best-selling dating-book author Ellen Fein for $5 million after she called him a quack on the LyingDentist.com and BadDentist.com Web sites. She accused him of ruining her mouth, according to the Associated Press.

The lawsuit accused Fein, author of "The Rules," of defamation, harassment and extortion.

Fein's lawyer, Ann McGrane, said she planned to file a motion to dismiss Rosenthal's lawsuit, and she said she was sure it would be granted.

The only reason that I like the move by the Browns is the fact that the OLine is a huge need so we need help no matter the cost, the browns had money to spend this year and along with that they are holding on to a good lineman for a good part of the time he will be playing, so altough they are obviously overpaying I think that for the Browns it can be warrented.

Yeah I just heard from other people that he did sign with San Fran, not trying to discredit you it just was a ton of money so it was kinda hard to believe. Along with this apparently the Browns signed Stienbach for 7 years for 49 million dollars, and here hoping that in the first week of camp he doesnt have a carrear ending injury, this move can hopefully shore up some of the Browns Oline.

Link?

Doesnt really surprise me that he went there for that much money, I was hoping that he would come to Cleveland if this is real but he isnt worth that much.

This is shaping up to be a pretty good FA period and also a pretty good draft, I just hope that the Browns are able to come away with some OL and DL and with hopefully getting Peterson they should be looking better next season. In no way am I saying they will be competing for the playoffs but they should move closer to .500 rather then farther away from it.