Dodgers Should Call Manny’s Bluff

The latest rejection by Manny Ramirez and his agent Scott Boras is just another example of why Ramirez is not worth even the current offer. The Dodgers have already offered Ramirez four contracts this offseason, the latest one worth $45 million over two years with a player-only option for the second year. In 2009, Ramirez would earn $25 million making him the second highest paid player only to A-Rod, and in 2010, Ramirez could make $20 million or re-test the free agent market. If Ramirez has a sub-par year this year or suffers an injury, he would still be guaranteed $20 million next year. Ramirez and Boras have said that their only objection to the contract is that the money will be paid over five years with no added interest. Ramirez would receive $10 million this year and next year (assuming he picks up the option) and the remaining $25 million would be paid out over the following three years. Both Ramirez and Boras, however, fail to realize that they are not in the position to be bargaining for added demands.

This offseason, the only other team to show even the slightest interest in Ramirez has been the San Francisco Giants (though they haven’t put anything on the table). The Dodgers have continued to negotiate against themselves, something Dodgers owner Frank McCourt vowed not to do. The Dodgers have already increased their offer from one to two years but haven’t come close to reaching the 4-year $100 million Ramirez desired mid-November. Ramirez needs to realize that this is the best offer he is going to get in this economy. No matter how much Ramirez wants to believe that the economic downturn will not and should not affect him, we have seen many changes result from the recession already. The vast majority of teams in the MLB have cut payroll from the beginning of last year, and most of the teams that have higher payrolls are the lowest payroll teams such as the Marlins who need to spend a little to stay somewhat competitive. The free agent market has never been as slow as the one this year forcing some stars such as Orlando Hudson (1-year $3.38 million), Adam Dunn (2-year $20 million), Bobby Abreu (1-year $5 million), and Francisco Rodriguez (3-year $37 million) to accept much shorter and cheaper deals than those they envisioned at the start of the offseason. It seems like the only players who have gotten normal market price are the ones who have signed with the Yankees including CC Sabathia (7-year $161 million), AJ Burnett (5-year $82.5 million), and Mark Teixeira (8-year $180 million). Since the Yankees have not pursued Ramirez, Manny must accept the fact that he is not going to get a long-term, high-paying contract in 2009.

Although spring training has started and the start of the regular season is only a month away, the Dodgers should sit on this current offer. Besides the fact that no other team has pursued Ramirez, the Dodgers don’t need Manny as much as Manny needs the Dodgers. Ramirez has publicly stated his long-term goals including getting his 3000^th hit and 700^th home-run. If Ramirez isn’t playing though, especially in his prime years, those numbers will be unattainable. The Dodgers are capable of winning the tremendously weak NL West without Manny anyway. The division, which had its best team finish only six games above .500 last year only got weaker this offseason. The Rockies lost Matt Holliday (to the Athletics) and Brian Fuentes (to the Angels) while gaining only Huston Street. The Diamondbacks lost Adam Dunn (to the Nationals) and Orlando Hudson (to the Dodgers). The Giants only added overpaid shortstop Edgar Renteria, and the Padres lost Khalil Greene (to the Cardnials) while gaining David Eckstein.

The Dodgers can sit and wait for at least the next couple of months before renegotiating with Manny. If it turns out the Dodgers need Ramirez like they did last year to propel them to the playoffs, Los Angeles can offer Ramirez a similar contract to get him to play. As long as no other team approaches Ramirez (which is unlikely this far into spring training since most teams don’t put away $25-30 million for this type of circumstance), Manny will realize that his best option is to return to the Dodgers and agree to the “cheap” $45 million deal. With all of Manny’s off-field antics and average defense at best, it seems as if Manny, rather than the Dodgers, is the one getting the bargain. -J.S.

Game of the Night (2/25)

Duke Blue Devils 78 – Maryland Terrapins 67

In one of the most physical ACC games you’ll see, Duke was able to pull away from Maryland in the final minutes to spoil another Terrapin upset bid. Maryland, which defeated No. 3 North Carolina last Saturday night, would have guaranteed itself a spot in the NCAA Tournament with a win over No. 7 Duke last night. Maryland fed off the energy from the home crowd early on and led most of the first half even though Duke kept it close. Maryland’s Greivis Vasquez, who finished with a triple double against UNC and the leading scorer for Maryland, was virtually a non-factor against Duke, playing only 22 minutes due to foul trouble. Vasquez picked up his fourth foul just two minutes into the second half and sat on the bench for ten minutes before fouling out with four minutes to go in the game. Even without Vazquez, Maryland kept it close in the second half by being physical (just ask Duke’s Nolan Smith who had to leave the game with concussion-like symptoms after a hard-screen by Dave Neal) and attacking Duke inside the paint. Without an inside presence defensively, Duke had trouble stopping Maryland’s Landon Milbourne and Adrian Bowie who combined for 33 points, scoring most of them inside or at the foul line. Luckily for Duke, however, Gerald Henderson played one his most complete games of the year, tallying 19 points, 8 boards, 4 blocks, and 3 assists. Henderson’s electrifying blocks in the second half and one spectacular dunk silenced the crowd and shifted the momentum to the Blue Devils for good. Duke finally pulled away with five minutes to go and escaped the Comcast Center with a much needed victory. Elliot Williams also had his best game of the year adding 15 points on 6-8 shooting. Williams, a freshman McDonald’s All-American guard, has started the last three games after limited playing time the rest of the year. Although juggling the lineup this late in the season could disrupt the team’s rhythm, give Coach K credit for taking this necessary risk. Before inserting Williams into the lineup against St. John’s, Duke was showing signs of another late-season collapse, losing 4 of their last 6 in ACC play. Since making Williams a starter, however, Duke is 3-0, defeating St. John’s, No. 8 Wake Forest, and now Maryland. Williams is a solid defender who will not only contribute points and rebounds but will provide a spark to the rest of the team. This unorthodox move will payoff for Duke and give them a chance to compete for the ACC title in a couple of weeks.

Although Maryland’s win last week against North Carolina greatly improved its resume for March, the Terrapins still have work to do. Maryland is eighth in the conference and 6-7 in the ACC (17-10 overall). Maryland has a solid RPI and strength of schedule and two wins over top 10 opponents (UNC and Michigan State), but Maryland will need at least two more ACC wins to guarantee itself a spot in March Madness. Maryland’s only bad loss was to Morgan State in early January, but the beat-down it suffered at home to Georgetown is looking worse and worse as the Hoyas continue to fade in the Big East. Maryland plays at NC State, Wake Forest, and at Virginia to close out the regular season before heading to the ACC Tournament.

With this win, Duke improves to 9-4 in the ACC (23-5 overall) and is alone in second place after a Clemson loss last night. Duke finishes at Virginia Tech, and at home against No. 25 Florida State and No. 5 North Carolina. If Duke runs the table and reaches at least the final in the ACC Tournament, it has an outside chance at nabbing a number one seed in March, especially if Pittsburgh and Oklahoma continue to struggle. -J.S.

Honorable Mention: (2) Connecticut 93 --(10) Marquette 82 (Jim Calhoun earns 800th victory)

Game of the Night (2/24)

Pittsburgh Panthers 73 – Providence Friars 81

After rising to the number one spot Sunday and a week after beating then-number one ranked Connecticut, Pittsburgh fell rather easily to Providence. The Friars’ balanced attack (five players scored in double figures) overwhelmed Pittsburgh, who was in foul trouble the entire night. DeJuan Blair, the reigning Big East player of the week (after dominating Uconn’s Hasheem Thabeet), picked up his fourth foul midway through the second half, greatly diminishing his presence on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Fellow Pitt stars, Sam Young and Levance Fields struggled from the field, shooting a combined 9-25. The Friars led by 18 at halftime after going on a 15-1 run to close out the first half. Pittsburgh, which never led in the game, cut the lead to five points in the final minute but never came closer than that. This was the first time in 33 years that Providence defeated a number-one ranked team and the second time overall. This win will boost the Friars’ resume and improve their Big East record to 9-7 (17-11 overall). Although Providence has a strong record in conference, its only other signature win was against Syracuse back in January. The Friars have gone 2-7 against ranked Big East opponents, racking up most of their wins against the bottom part of the conference. This win should be enough to vault Providence over Cincinnati (17-10, 7-7) and Notre Dame (15-11, 6-8) both of whom have played tougher schedules. Providence can further improve its resume for March when it plays at No. 12 Villanova March 5, four days after playing Rutgers. On the other side, Pittsburgh (25-3, 12-3) may be in jeopardy of losing its all-but-guaranteed number one seed for March Madness. This was the second time in two months that Pittsburgh rose to the top spot before quickly falling (losing at No. 20 Louisville in January after two weeks at number one). The door is open for Connecticut, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Memphis, and Louisville to gain a number one seed for March. Pittsburgh will have to quickly regroup against Seton Hall before it hosts No. 10 Marquette and No. 2 Connecticut in its final two games before the Big East Tournament. -J.S.

Honorable Mention: Texas A&M 57 -- Nebraska 55

Game of the Night (2/16)

Pittsburgh 76 - Connecticut 68

In a rough game, one play pretty much summed up the game. Early in the first half, Pitt's sophomore DeJuan Blair threw UConn's junior Hasheem Thabeet over his back, sending a message to the Huskies that Thabeet would not control this game as he has so many others. Thabeet was coming off a career game against Seton Hall in which he put up career highs 25 points and 20 rebounds. He also rejected nine shots, putting his average at 4.4 a game. However, Thabeet, who may be the best defensive player in college basketball, could not stop Blair, who put 22 points and brought down an amazing 23 rebounds. He was a big part of the reason UConn was out rebounded for the first time this season. Blair dominated Thabeet and by doing so, kept his team ahead for much of the game. However, the game was tied at 61 until Pitt's senior guard Levance Fields scored his first six points of the game on two threes. Pitt never gave up the lead again and they took away a great win. This victory marked the first time Pitt beat a number one team and the top spot is up for grabs once again.  -A.S.

NBA All-Star Saturday: Predictions

Sprite Slam Dunk Contest

Contestants: Dwight Howard (ORL), Nate Robinson (NYK), Rudy Fernandez (POR), J.R. Smith (DEN).

The most exciting and well-known competition in the all-star weekend has slowly lost its allure of the years. However, Dwight Howard's winning Superman performance has brought back some interest and he hopes to become the first consecutive winner since Jason Richardson in '02 and '03. However, he's going to feel some pressure from former winner Robinson, rookie Fernandez, and the athletic Smith. Smith and Robinson probably won't do too much. Smith is coming in as a replacement while Robinson has worn out his short dunking style. He's been in two all-star games already and his act his getting old. The finals should be between Howard and Fernandez. Coincidentally Fernandez posterized Howards over the summer in the Gold Medal game and the 2008 Olympics. I think Fernandez will surprise the league with a great performance and some surprising dunks.

Predicted Winner: Rudy Fernandez (POR)

Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout

Contestants: Mike Bibby (ATL), Daequan Cook (MIA), Danny Granger (IND), Jason Kapono (TOR), Rashard Lewis (ORL), Roger Mason (SAS).

Jason Kapono comes into the competition as the two time defending champion, once with Miami and last year with Toronto. However, there are some great 3-point shooters this year. Lewis and Granger come in as the two leading 3-point shooters in the league while Bibby, Cook, and Mason are all up there as well. Kapono has not been having his best season but that may be due to the Raptors' terrible year and inconsistent line-up. Kapono can never be counted out, as he comes in with not just experience, but winning experience as well. 

Predicted Winner: Roger Mason (SAS)

Playstation Skills Challenge

Contestants: Devin Harris (NJN), Mo Williams (CLE), Tony Parker (SAS), Derrick Rose (CHI)

Interestingly, no previous winners of this competition have entered this year so the competition is completely up for grabs with no real favorite. This challenge seems to always attract the younger players and this year is no different. Parker and Williams are the oldest players at 26, Harris is 25, and Rose is a 20-year old rookie. Harris, Rose, and Parker are probably the favorites. Harris and Rose are good all-around players but Parker has great speed and this is a time competition.

Predicted Winner: Tony Parker (SAS)

G-E-I-C-O (Horse)

Contestants: Kevin Durant (OKL), O.J. Mayo (MEM), Joe Johnson (ATL)

The new addition to the all-star weekend should prove to generate some excitement. Featured are sophomore Durant, rookie Mayo, and veteran Johnson. They're all good shooters who definitely have some creativity in them. However, Johnson is probably the best shooter and will probably be the safest as well. You have to make the shot to win the competition so all the crazy attempts may cause interest, but the craziest shooter will not be the winner.

Predicted Winner: Joe Johnson (ATL)

-A.S

Game of the Night (2/11)

UNC 101 - Duke 87

In a game that marked the 40th time these two ACC rivals met where each have been in the top 5 in standing, UNC was able to use a strong second half to seal the victory. Tyler Hansbrough and Danny Green joined a small group of players that won four straight games against the Blue Devils in Durham in the Mike Krzyzewski era; the other two players are Tim Duncan (Wake Forest) and Rusty LaRue (Wake Forest). However, the big star of the game was guard Ty Lawson who put up 25 points, 21 of which was in the second half. The Tar Heels used this strong performance coupled with Hansbrough's intensity and determination to overcome the loud Duke crowd. The Tar Heels now claim the number one spot in the very tough ACC, a spot which they hope to hold for the rest of the season. This match up was a game of two halves. The first half ended with Duke ahead by eight and all the momentum. The team was playing strong defense and great offense. However, UNC coach Roy Williams fired his team up during half time and they came out firing. After a technical foul on Duke's Kyle Singler and a Hansbrough block, the energy had moved to UNC's favor. With only seven minutes to go and up by seven, UNC went on a 10-0 run to basically put the game away. The end result was a fifth game for UNC over 100 points and another win at Cameron Indoor Stadium. -A.S.

Game of the Night (2/10)

Florida Gators 65 – Kentucky Wildcats 68

This Tuesday night matchup between two of the top teams in the SEC East was a back-and-forth battle that was decided in the game’s final seconds (actually the game’s final tenths of a second). Florida, coming into the night with a 6-2 conference record, tried to strengthen its hold on the SEC East and continue to build momentum after coming off a big win against South Carolina. Kentucky, on the other hand, needed to get back on track after losing three in a row and protect its home court before playing three of their next four away. Tonight’s game featured seventeen ties or lead changes, and the largest lead of the night by either team was eight. Florida jumped out to a quick lead, led by PG Nick Calathes, who scored a game-high 33 points. Kentucky’s Jodie Meeks helped the Wildcats stay close, scoring 23 on 7-19 shooting. After Florida F Dan Werner missed a free throw with 40 seconds to go that would have given Florida a 66-65 lead, Kentucky called two timeouts before finally putting the ball in Meeks’ hands. With 4.7 seconds to go, Meeks sunk an off-balance three giving Kentucky a three point lead. The Wildcats and their fans were deafening after the basket but were quickly silenced with .6 of a second remaining when Calathes was inexplicably fouled from three-point range by Kevin Galloway. Calathes, who had been 11-12 from the line only needed to make three foul shots to send the game into overtime…but he missed all three, allowing Kentucky to escape with a much-needed victory. The two will meet again in Gainesville on March 7 to close out the regular season. -J.S.

Game of the Night (2/8)

L.A. Lakers 101 -- Cleveland Cavaliers 91

In what was supposed to be a matchup between the two best players in the NBA, forgotten man Lamar Odom made sure he would not be in the shadows again. LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, the first and third leading scorers in the league respectively, finally met after wreaking havoc on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The Lakers came in riding a five game winning streak, including a thrilling OT win against Boston, while the Cavaliers sought to extend their 23 game winning streak at home. James and Bryant guarded each other the whole night and it showed. Each played solid defensively and they only combined for 35 points (Kobe was sick with the flu). However, where James and Bryant failed offensively, Odom did not. Odom put up game and season highs with 28 points and 17 rebounds. Odom, who was recently thrust into the starting lineup due to Andrew Bynum's injury, seized his opportunity while leading the Lakers to an impressive victory. L.A.'s significantly better shooting proved to be the deciding factor, outshooting Cleveland 49% to 39%. Odom energized his team in the third quarter to pull away after a relatively close first half. The Lakers outscored the Cavs by 15 in the third in what turned out the be the crucial quarter. Odom hit 5/6 shots while James missed all four of his, including two threes. In a game between the two best teams and the two best players, Lamar Odom showed L.A's depth is the best in the NBA and should not be underestimated come playoff time. -A.S.

The Flawed Systems that are the All-Star Games

Now that the NHL All-Star game has passed and the NBA All-Star and NFL Pro Bowl games are soon to arrive, all-star games and all their critics have once again arrived. There are positives to all-star games including putting the best and most skilled players on the same field. All-star games are unique in that the best passers, shooters, dribblers, and hitters can all compete in a single competition. Unfortunately, this uniqueness is not translating into entertaining games and, instead, we have games that are boring, intensity-free, have little defense, and lack the other intangibles of regular season and playoff games. Besides baseball, none of these all-star games even count for anything, causing many players to make excuses just to avoid playing. Few players want to play an extra game in what are already long and grueling seasons. The new polices leagues are imposing do nothing to help either. For example, Gary Bettman, the NHL commissioner, has forced players who skip the all-star game to be suspended either the game before or the game after the all-star game. This rule has already taken form in reigning Norris Trophy Winner Nik Lidstrom and reigning Selke Winner Pavel Datsyuk. Both were suspended for the January 27 game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, a real game with real implications. When the all-star game begins to affect real games and playoff implications, changes need to be made. There are two possible options; either make the game more intense by making it mean something or get rid of it altogether and simply keep the more exciting and more popular skills competitions.

In 2003, the MLB made a controversial move when it decided to make the All-Star game decide home field advantage in the World Series. It is time for the NFL, NBA, and NHL to apply a similar type of measure. While home field advantage in the playoffs may not be the best option, other options do exist. Increasing the pay for athletes who compete is one form of action that could change the intensity level. Another option is to stop all-star fan voting. In too many occurrences, undeserving and worse players have made it into the game because of ignorant or biased fan voting. While this may not change the intensity of the game, it will prevent lower quality players from making the game. Along this line is relinquishing the rule that every team must have a representative. On smaller rosters like in the NHL, the top talent is not widespread across the league. If a team has no all-star quality players on its team, it should not be awarded a representative in the all-star game. A third option is to involve charities or philanthropy in some way. For example, in the NFL, the AFC could decide to play for one charity while the NFC plays for another. Then, the winning side’s charity would receive a larger donation. This could increase both athlete intensity and fan enthusiasm because it would be a way athletes could give back to the community on the national stage.

While these options could be beneficial, the all-star games will probably never be what they once were. In the past, when there was far less national coverage, fans could only see the best players in the other league in the all-star game. In addition, all-star games used to be highly anticipated not only by the fans but also by the athletes because of the intense rivalries between different leagues (especially between the American League and National League in baseball). In today’s day and age, however, there is so much national exposure, players changing teams, and teams competing against teams from both leagues, that the rivalries and anticipation for seeing the best players have simply ended.

As we approach the Pro Bowl and NBA All-Star Game, I know that I will probably not even watch because the games have become just as much of a waste of time for me as they have for the players.

-A.S.

The Two Sides of James Harrison