BOSTON RED SOX

Red Sox trade Coco Crisp to Royals

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"The biggest surprise of this trade is that, well, it was such a surprise. Where was the media on this one? It had been weeks since we heard the Red Sox were in discussions to trade Coco Crisp, and then suddenly you wake up and bam, he's in Kansas City. I always imagined Crisp being packaged with prospects as part of a bigger deal, but the trade permitted the team to upgrade the bullpen, cut costs and give a boost of confidence to Jacoby Ellsbury, who no longer has to look over his shoulder."

Red Sox trade Crisp to Royals

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The Giants ran all over the Ravens last week in a very impressive performance, which helps to make them early favorites in postseason play.

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Six IndyCar Series drivers nominated for All-America honors

By Christopher Estrada | November 20, 2008

The American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association will choose their 2008 All-America team in January and the IndyCar Series could have a major presence on that group. Six ICS drivers -- '08 champion Scott Dixon, Ryan Briscoe, Helio Castroneves, Danica Patrick, Tony Kanaan and Dan Wheldon -- are up for nomination in the Open Wheel category. Firestone Indy Lights may also be represented on the team. Reigning champion Raphael Matos, who will drive in the ICS for Luczo-Dragon Racing next season, has been nominated in the At Large category. According to this story from IndianapolisMotorSpeedway.com, voting has already begun. I think that Dixon and Castroneves are shoe-ins, but I'm hoping that Briscoe gets on. He took a lot of heat earlier in the season for accidents, but came through fabulously after his victory at Milwaukee in June. I also think that putting Briscoe on the team would be a fitting reward in light of the journey...

Discuss  |  Tags: American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association, Dan Wheldon, Danica Patrick, Helio Castroneves, IndyCar Series, Raphael Matos, Ryan Briscoe, Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan

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Rays add McGee & Davis to 40-Man Roster; Giambi rumors continue

By Tommy Rancel | November 20, 2008

With the Rule V draft coming up, the Rays added three players to their 40 man roster in order to protect them from the draft. The first two are no-brainers; Jake McGee and Wade Davis. The other is a man who has been very good, but seldomly talked about, relief pitcher, Dale Thayer. Davis and McGee are two keys to the Rays future and even though McGee will miss a huge chunk of the 2009 season, if not all, he is still vital to the Rays future as either a starter or most likely a potential closer. Davis is one of my favorite prospects and should be contending for a rotation spot by mid season next year. Thayer, is the odd man of the three. He was acquired in 2006 from the Padres in exchange for Russell Branyan and has been very good in the minors. At age 28, he's too...

Discuss  |  Tags: Dale Thayer, Hot Stove, Jake McGee, Jason Giambi, MLB, Rays, Wade Davis

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Matt Kenseth, Joe Nemechek, and other news...

By Richard Ginn | November 20, 2008

Matt Kenseth has resigned with Roush Fenway Racing in a multi-year deal.NASCAR.com has a transcript up with a bunch of people from NASCAR including Michael Waltrip in a roundtable discussion on economy and the effect it is having on NASCAR.  It is a great read.Todd Parrott could be done as a crew chief for Travis Kvapil.Joe Nemechek is now out of his ride at Furniture Row Racing after the team jumped to a paet time schedule. ...

Discuss  |  Tags: Joe Nemechek, Michael Waltrip, Travis Kvapil

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The Woeful Washington Wizards: Where do I start?

By Kingly-1 | November 20, 2008

Welcome to the 2008-2009 season Wizards fans!   First of all, I apologize for my late start to this season in terms of posting articles. Obviously, there have been some website changes and I just gained access to publishing articles. This is my first article posting of the regular season and just like each of you, I am thoroughly disappointed in the product being displayed on the court. Whether it's on the road or at home, the Wizards are simply playing terrible right now.   The three positives of the season have been the play of Butler, Jamison and the rookie McGee; who has already moved into the starting rotation. As for the negatives, let's address them by using the Socratic questioning method:   -          What's Nick Young's problem when it gets to the last seconds of the game? Is it nervousness or simple stupidity? Is that why he isn't...

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Prince Hal Assumes Full Control of Yankees

By Tom Gaffney | November 20, 2008

King George Steinbrenner has officially passed the torch to his son, Hal Steinbrenner in a move ratified by a vote of Major League Baseball owners, today.  The teams has been run by both brothers jointly since April when both were appointed co-chairs.  So why has sole authority now been given over solely to Hal?  "I'm not going to ask the people in the family why they picked one against the other," said baseball commissioner Bud Selig, who visited Steinbrenner in Tampa, Fla., before Game 2 of the World Series last month. "I get enough trouble as commissioner. I don't need to get into family squabbles."It seems like the smart move.  Hal is not nearly as impulsive as Hank, and the guy seems pretty bright and cerebral, if a bit detached.  I do wonder, sometimes, why George was going to hand over the reins to both of his sons-in-law before going...

Discuss  |  Tags: MLB, Yankees

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Still Hope For The Chargers?

By Jeff Williams | November 20, 2008

In a year that will someday be defined by "Hope" (whether it is warranted or not), can we say that the Chargers truly have any?  Well, technically they aren't out of it, thanks to the horrible level of competition provided by the rest of the AFC West.  But do the Chargers really have any hope for a playoff berth, or are they headed for an offseason filled with some much needed "Change"?  Let's take a closer look... The AFC Wildcard berth currently looks like this:  With the Jets, Steelers, Titans, and Broncos leading their divisions, the wild-card standings have the Colts, Ravens, Dolphins, and Patriots tied at 6-4 for the two AFC wild-card playoff spots.  Even if the Chargers do go 5-1 the rest of the way, each of these teams would have to play just .500 football the rest of the way for the Chargers to enter a tie-breaker...

2 Comments  |  Tags: afc west, broncos, chargers, colts, denver, dolphins, football, jets, nfl, patriots, playoffs, ravens, san diego, steelers, titans, wildcard

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85 deactivated!!

By Jeff Gentil | November 20, 2008

As if it wasn't going to be ugly enough, but the Bengals' No. 2 receiver has been deactivated due to an undisclosed violation of team rules according to Rotoworld.com.  Chris Henry expected to start in his place.  Good Lord!!...

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Notes on Trever Miller, Rick Hummel

By athooks | November 20, 2008

Low hanging fruit? Try rotted out fruit that's been fermenting on the ground for a month. Welcome to St. Louis Trever Miller. Oh, and if you could spell your name right and shave off that ridiculous bush on your chin- that'd be great too. Don't get me wrong, the Cardinals definitely needed left handed relief help for '09... but... if the goal is to win championships (which we're not sure that's the goal for '09, true) than this seems a little back ass wards. The Tampa Bay Rays- who won the AL Pennant in '08- decided that in their quest to repeat, they'd be better off paying Mr. Miller 400K to NOT help in this endeavor. Seems like we'd want to go after players that are, you know, wanted by championship caliber teams. Then again, what do I know? That mini-trophy for forth place is sure purty in Johnny Mo's...

7 Comments  |  Tags: kevin slaten, low hanging fruit, rick hummel, team 1380, trever miller

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A best-of-one first-round playoff?

By Daniel Rathman | November 20, 2008

Division Series (newyork808/Flickr.com)

It's hardly a secret these days that among the things on Commissioner Bud Selig's to-do list is finding a way to shorten the MLB postseason.  This is a salient concern heading into the 2009 season -- set to open on the night of Sunday, April 5th -- because under the current schedule, next year's World Series would likely drag into early-November.   Unfortunately, none of the proposals brought forth thus far are both attractive and feasible.  But could the team that brought us Moneyball now change October baseball?If Oakland Athletics owner Lew Wolff has his way, the solution to the playoffs dragging into late October -- and perhaps even November -- will be replacing the four League Division Series with a quartet of one-game showdowns.  Since 1995, the opening round of the playoffs has employed a best-of-five format, thus paring the field of eight down to four.  But by chopping...

Discuss  |  Tags: Lew Wolff; Playoffs; MLB; Bud Selig

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NBA Stock Market: Mavericks getting back on track

By Joe Boikess | November 20, 2008

var iamInit = function() {try{initIamServingHandler(234,183,276630,"http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/Css/css2.css")}catch(ex){}}()Last night was a busy one in the NBA, with two-thirds of the league in uniform and on the court.  A number of intriguing matchups took place, including the Cavaliers at Pistons, Mavericks at Rockets, and Bulls at Trail Blazers. Which teams came out on top, and who has been playing well of late?  Keep reading to find out who's been looking good, and who might be needing another pep talk from Lou Holtz.Rising:Dallas Mavericks - One of the more intriguing story lines throughout the early part of the season has involved the three Texas teams. Both the Spurs and Mavericks have been struggling, while the Rockets have been trying to figure out how to best integrate Ron Artest into their gameplan. On Wednesday night, the Mavericks got their second chance to show the world that they are still a force to be reckoned with, as...

Discuss  |  Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Miami Heat, NBA, NBA Outsider

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Where could Mark Teixeira land?

By Evan | November 20, 2008

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As Thanksgiving approaches with the winter meetings not too far behind, Mark Teixeira is getting closer and closer to figuring out what ballpark he will call home next year.There has not been a ton of chatter surrounding Teixeira, but everyone knows the two big players for 'Tex' are the Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees. There are, however, a couple other teams in the mix. Here's a ranking of who is most likely to get Teixeira...1. New York YankeesThe New York Yankees are going all out this winter, economy be damned. With the Yankees set to move into a new stadium that will send their revenue through the roof, they will continue to lead the field for a very, very long time in dollars spent.The acquisition of Nick Swisher seems to have tempered most people's expectations that the Yankees will chase Tex, but I don't believe it for a...

1 Comment  |  Tags: Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels, MLB, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals

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Week 12: Studs and Duds

By Jay | November 20, 2008

Studs QBAaron Rodgers vs. N.O.- Look for a big night from Rodgers and the Packers on Monday night.  This should be a high-scoring affair. Jason Campbell vs. SEA- Seattle ranks near the bottom of the league in pass defense and Campbell will look to take advantage.  Moss, Cooley, and Randle El should be nice plays as well. RBWarrick Dunn vs. DET- With Earnest Graham out for the season, Warrick Dunn has an amazing match-up against the Lions.  Detroit ranks last against the run. Matt Forte vs. STL- Forte gained 105 total yards last week against Packers, but did not find the end zone.  Look for that to change this week as the Bears will surely rely on the young back all game long. WRDonnie Avery vs. CHI- Avery had the most catches of his young career last week and he is matched up against a Bears secondary that has made...

Discuss  |  Tags: Fantasy, Fantasy Football

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Week 11: Studs and Duds Results

By Jay | November 20, 2008

Week 11 was my best week yet.  I had 13 GOOD CALLS, 2 BORDERLINE CALLS, and 2 BAD CALLS.  This brings my season total to 104 GOOD CALLS, 27 BORDERLINE CALLS, and 54 BAD CALLS. GOOD CALLS StudsShaun Hill vs. STL- 213 yds, 2 TDJoseph Addai vs. HOU- 105 yds, TDVernon Davis vs. STL- 2 yds, TDPhiladelphia vs. CIN- 13 points, 8 sacks, Fum. Rec.Tampa Bay vs. MIN- 13 points, 5 sacks, 2 Fum. Rec. DudsMatt Hasselbeck vs. AZ- 170 yds, TD, 3 int.Philip Rivers vs. PIT- 159 yds, 2 int.Kyle Orton vs. GB- 133 yds.Justin Fargas vs. MIA- 57 ydsDevin Hester vs. GB-.7 yds.Chad Johnson vs. PHI- 34 yardsAntonio Gates vs. PIT- 10 yardsChicago vs. GB-  37 points, 0 sacks, 1 int. BORDERLINE CALLS StudsMatt Forte vs. GB- 104 total yards DudsIndianapolis vs. HOU- 27 points, 2 sacks, int BAD CALLS StudsSantonio Holmes vs. SD- 63 yards DudsRyan Grant...

Discuss  |  Tags: Fantasy, Fantasy Football

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A 'Bulin Wall or the French Battalion? What are the Blackhawks to Do?

By Bryan Thiel | November 19, 2008

Entering the season, the Chicago Blackhawks had a problem; not necessarily a big problem, but a problem nonetheless.As the 'Hawks ended a quality season with a lot of promise, they were driven to make changes. Over the offseason, the Blackhawks addressed their need for a puck-moving defenseman, and they also did a little splurging, nabbing themselves a brand new goalie in Christobal Huet.When this happened, many assumed that it was a foregone conclusion that Nikolai Khabibulin wouldn't even start the year with the 'Hawks, let alone make it out of August.But as teams filled up to their cap limitations, few teams showed an interest in the Russian tender, and even fewer had the means to acquire him.As the weeks and months proceeded, and no suitors came calling, the problem began to emerge:The Blackhawks had two quality goalies, with only enough ice time and crease space for one.Now, one's initial thought...

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A Look Into the Big East: Week 12

By Benjamin Dishong | November 19, 2008

Cincinnati takes control of Big East with win over Louisville Could it be that the Bearcats will represent the Big East in a BCS bowl this year? It became a bigger possibility when the Bearcats outlasted Louisville in a big game for both teams on Friday night. Cincinnati had a great second half, to takedown the Cardinals, and they did so with the run and pass. As a team, the Bearcats, not known for running, put together 132 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Tony Pike led the way passing, throwing for 250 yards and two touchdowns as well. Dominick Goodman played an exceptional game at receiver, grabbing 10 catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. All-in-all, Cincinnati now has to prepare for the biggest game in recent history for the school, as a win against Pitt will likely secure a BCS berth with the last conference game coming against Syracuse....

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Wednesday Night Tip-Off: Cavs-Pistons

By Staff Report | November 19, 2008

MVN Live is happy to announce that its partnership with Gillette and EA Sports has produced yet another giveaway for our listeners. Tune in to Sam Panayotovich and Steve Weinman on the Wednesday Night Tip-Off to hear how you can take home a free copy of NBA Live. Don't miss the opening of the Cavs-Pistons pre-game show, as we'll read off the "million dollar question" to which you respond with your answers via e-mail to live@mvn.com. The best and most colorful response will be awarded a copy of NBA Live '09 for XBOX 360. Interviewees include Cavalier Attitude's Amar Panchmatia and The Wayne Fontes Experience's Al Beaton, who will be asked about the red hot starts for both teams, King James' new found supporting cast, and how the Pistons are adjusting to life with Allen Iverson....

Discuss  |  Tags: Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, MVN Live, NBA

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Wednesday Night Tip-Off Show: Cavs-Pistons

By Sam Panayotovich | November 17, 2008

This Wednesday marked the second episode of MVN Live, the network's premiere source for live talk on the biggest events throughout the sporting world. Sam Panayotovich and Steve Weinman previewed the Central Division showdown between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons. Main headlines included the red hot starts for both teams, King James' new found supporting cast, and how the Pistons are adjusting to life with Allen Iverson. The guys fizzled through the...

14 recommendations  |  2 Comments

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Building a sabermetrician's workbench, part I

By Colin Wyers | November 14, 2008

Introduction There are a lot of budding sabermetricians out there. (Actually, I'm sure that's not true. But it sure seems that way. Of course, this is because I tend to hang out in places, like Tango's blog and Beyond The Boxscore, that are popular hangouts for budding sabermetricians.) Now let's face it - life is rough out there on the streets, cadging data from websites and working with spreadsheets that start to look like rat's...

7 recommendations  |  31 Comments

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Baseball Time In Arlington: A Major Announcement

By Joey Matschulat | November 16, 2008

Before throwing a couple of miscellaneous rumors out there that I'm far too exhausted to dissect after countless hours spent staring intently at a 15-inch laptop screen, I would like to make a huge announcement with regard to the future of Baseball Time in Arlington -- an announcement that has been quite some time in the making, believe it or not.Twenty-one months ago, I wrote the first of what would ultimately turn out to be...

6 recommendations  |  1 Comment

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Sunday Drivin' with why Kerry Wood and Trevor Hoffman won't be Indians and why Tony Sipp should be the closer of the future

By James Pete | November 16, 2008

This past Wednesday, the Florida Marlins shipped former closer Kevin Gregg to the Chicago Cubs for a minor league pitcher.  The deal is certainly a minor one in many ways.  Gregg had lost his job as closer for the Marlins after saving 61 games in 2007 and 2008 through August.  He struggled mightily that month, blowing six saves before they finally pulled the plug.  So why is this move such a big deal to the...

5 recommendations  |  3 Comments

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