Current draft system is no good for baseball

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

The kid has never thrown a pitch in professional baseball, and yet he's guaranteed to make enough money that he could never throw one at all and be financially stable for the rest of his life.

It's not Stephen Strasburg's fault, even though he put his pen on the dotted line of a record-breaking $15.1 million contract. It's not Scott Boras' fault for negotiating the best contract he could for his client. All he's doing is using what the current system is giving him.

And it's certainly not the Washington Nationals' fault. The Nationals were put in a terrible position. Sure, it's a position they put themselves in by being the worst team in baseball. But they shouldn't be held captive by that fact. Some say that if Washington had doubts about their ability to sign Strasburg, they shouldn't have drafted him. But if they did not draft him, they would be criticized for not choosing the best player and not being committed to winning. And in drafting him, they were pretty much forced to sign him or suffer the exact same reaction as if they never drafted him at all.

They had to sign a ridiculous contract for a pitcher- granted, with loads of potential - who may or may not ever see their major league facility. They did what they had to do with the pick because they couldn't do anything else with it. Major League Baseball does not allow draft picks to be traded. If you're the first pick, you have to be ready to give a boatload of money to a player who statistically speaking doesn't have much of a shot of ever living up to its potential and hype.

This isn't like football or basketball where draft picks make immediate impact in the league. It takes years sometimes for these guys to develop into the players we see on Major League diamonds, if they do at all. How valuable Strasburg really is to the Nationals will not be decided this year and maybe not even next year. Even if he does reach the majors, the return on his club's investment could be obscenely limited, as his best years could come after his four-year contract has expired and he's left Washington for bigger dollars he'd be able to get elsewhere.

Baseball needs to allow teams to do with picks what they wish. If the Nationals can sacrifice a gamble on a very good prospect to get someone closer to major league ready or a couple of lower picks to save money that they can use on the free agent market, then why should they not be able to if that's what they think the team needs?

Until this happens, small market teams will continue to be forced into this perilous situation. And how much better are they getting by it?

Are you scared of Brady playing in preseason games?

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

If you were the head coach of the New England Patriots, would you play superstar quarterback Tom Brady in preseason games?

Sure, why not. 

But wait.

I'm starting to get that nervous feeling in my gut that the all-everything franchise quarterback could be in serious danger if he suits up and plays in these final three preseason games.

Call me crazy, I know, but I'm starting not to like it.

One game was fine against the Eagles. Brady's surgically repaired knee looks good, he held up under pressure, moved perfectly fine in the pocket, made his reads and got rid of the football with accuracy and heat on the ball.

All systems go in my book.

But I don't really think he's got anything else to prove in the preseason.

I know he wants to shake off all the rust since he sat out all of last year after his season ended in the first game against Kansas City. 

But I'm nervous to see him slinging it in preseason games, aren't you?

I know he's going to get hit many times during the regular season and he's probably going to get hit on the knee a few times (fingers crossed that it holds up), but I'd rather that happen when games actually matter instead of the preseason.

I'd like to think Brady, a three-time Super Bowl champion and a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he retires, isn't playing in the preseason to secure his spot as the No. 1 quarterback on the team. The team, especially the receivers and tight ends, have a lot to gain with Brady under center. Brady can gain a lot, too, especially the mental aspect of coming back from serious injury (he should know he's ready to play now, though). He also does get his chance to see live game action, get the speed of the game down pat again and work on his timing, his reads and everything else that goes into being the best signal-caller in the NFL.

But I'm perfectly fine with Brady working his tail off in practice, holding the clipboard on the sidelines in the last three preseason games and getting ready for the first game of the season -- a Monday Night showdown against Terrell Owens and the Buffalo Bills.

Call me crazy, but I'm just nervous seeing No. 12 in meaningless preseason games.

Can the Big East prove it's more than just a basketball conference?

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

(Note: As the college football season approaches, I will be breaking down the following conferences: The Big XII, the PAC-10, the WAC and the Big East. This week I tackle the Big East in the last preview of this segment. If you haven't already, check out the past previews.)

It's a conference that has been craving legitimacy for, oh, going on five years?

Since its two best programs decided to jump ship, followed a year later by Boston College, the Big East has been toiling in mediocrity. Could this be the season the Big East steps it up and proves they can be heavy hitters in college football? Not likely, as there doesn't even appear to be anything that could be considered a dominant team.

West Virginia has to be considered the favorite this season, even with the loss of quarterback Pat White. What was a very young defense last year is a year more experienced. For most it's a cliche, but for the Mountaineers, you have to consider the 2008 experience to be some of the best you can have. The defense gave up just 17 points a game, which ranked 11th in the nation. The problem for West Virginia is even with Pat White, the offense was still 73rd in the nation in scoring offense and now must do so with Jarrett Brown, a senior quarterback who has thrown 110 passes in his career and no offensive line in front of him. Behind him is Noel Devine, who brings experience to the backfield, but again, with a weak line in front of him, you have to wonder how far this offense can go.

Pittsburgh is looking to turn a corner this season, but they just might take a step back. 2008 was a major improvement, but the main reason for that success (LeSean McCoy) is now getting ready to suit up on Sundays. Without anything resembling a running back they can lean on this season Brian Stull will have to vastly improve his passing and cut way down on mistakes. The strength on this team, like West Virginia, lies in the defense. While not outstanding, the defense was more than solid and the defensive line figures to be very talented at getting to the quarterback.

South Florida could be the team to watch in the conference. Matt Grothe has turned into probably the best quarterback in the conference and he has a plethora of options to throw to. But the offense around him needs to help out, especially in the backfield. I'm always wary of teams whose quarterbacks are their leading rushers. Mike Ford has to step up and provide another look for the offense or this team runs the serious risk of getting its quarterback killed. If that happens, say goodnight.

Do NOT expect Cincinnati to repeat its success from last season, which included the Big East championship and a trip to the Orange Bowl. This is not the same team. Quarterback Tony Pike and receiver Marshawn Gilyard figure to be a standouts and the offense should once again be solid. The defense, however, is a problem. The Bearcats have to replace all but two of its starters from last year and are switching formations to the 3-4 to accommodate their talent. It's never god when a team has to alter its game plan to make up for the fact it didn't recruit well enough to make its system work.

Connecticut is another team you should expect to fall off the table. Calling themselves the fastest rising programs in college football history, the Huskies are in line for a rude awakening this year. Donald Brown was this team's entire offense and he is long gone. Even with college football's leading rusher, UConn ranked 65th in scoring offense and 63rd in total offensive yards. That doesn't speak volumes for the passing game. They only threw five touchdown passes all season last year. Defense will be the name of the game for the Huskies, who ranked in the top-25 in both yards allowed (6th) and points allowed (22). But even that unit doesn't figure to be as good with the loss of guys like Darius Butler and Cody Brown.

Prediction: West Virginia is the only team in the conference with nine wins and takes the conference title.

Projected Big East Standings
1. West Virginia
2. South Florida
3. Pittsburgh
4. Rutgers
5. Cincinnati
6. Connecticut
7. Louisville
8. Syracuse

Does Boston have the arms to make the playoffs?

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

It's really sad to see.

The team that was said of have one of the best pitching staffs in the game heading into the season is now relying on Clay Buchholz and Junichi Tazawa to get into the playoffs.

Remember when nothing made you more confident than to look at the Red Sox' rotation heading into a pivotal series? It seems a million years ago. Brad Penny didn't look so bad when he was your fifth starter. Now he's your third and lo and behold, the Red Sox are being left in the dust in the AL East and now trail in the Wild Card race.

Josh Beckett and Jon Lester have been all that you would expect them to be. Beckett has to be one of the favorites for the Cy Young award, especially with his current tear. He's 7-1 in his last 10 starts with a 1.93 ERA. Clearly he has done everything you could ask of your ace. Lester, likewise, has looked more than solid. He hasn't earned a decision in his last four starts, but has only allowed nine runs in 24.6 innings (3.29 ERA) in that span.

But Penny has been simply atrocious basically since the All-Star break. He's won just one of his six starts and dropped four with an ERA north of 6.50 after making Theo Epstein look like a genius over the first half of the season, especially when June rolled along. Perhaps the whiplash is getting to him, as he's allowed seven post-All-Star homers after giving up just 10 taters in 17 starts to begin the year.

Buchholz has done nothing to give Sox fans a warm and fuzzy feeling. He's learning the hard way once again that there's a major difference between AAA hitters and major league ones. Yes, he's been left out to dry in his last two starts by zero run support, but he's very lucky he hasn't gotten blown up with that 20/19 K/BB ratio. In fact, he's failed to strike out more batters than he's walked in each of his last three outings.

Tazawa has been placed in one tough position after another. Ok, go hold off the Yankees in extra innings in your first big-league appearance. Ok, go beat the Tigers on the road. Ok, help us hold the lead in the Wild Card against Texas. The kid has 20 professional appearances before being called up and while people have raved about his talent (though he has been overshadowed by Buchholz and Michael Bowden), he's still a green 23-year-old. Expect a lot more where today's outing came from against quality opponents (5 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 3BB, 0K).

Is this team and its postseason hopes fading away as its pitching staff falls apart? John Smoltz was an epic failure. You can't blame the organization for taking a gamble on a future Hall-of-Famer, but you can question their decision not to hold him out for longer, even when he complained. Anyone counting on Daisuke Matsuzaka needs to step away from the pipe and head to their nearest N.A. meeting. It seems ridiculous to say, but at this point, the Red Sox desperately need Tim Wakefield and unfortunately, he's still limping around.

Two pitchers does not a rotation make and at this point, that is what the Red Sox have to work with.

Vick given a second chance and I'm on board, too

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Michael Vick is now a Philadelphia Eagle!

I know everyone was jumping for joy, right?

Who cares either way, if he signed or not, I say.

But what I have a problem with is how every armchair quarterback is bashing Vick because that's what society says we should do to him. We all know he did a bad thing with the dogfighting ring he spearheaded. I get it. He paid the ultimate price, too, considering he was in federal prison.

But that's still not good enough to all the judge and the jury members around the nation.

They want Vick to be jobless, a bum with a bottle of Mad Dog on the side of the street, and it probably wouldn't matter if he was executed, either. 

I think it's a complete joke.

Most people deserve second chances to correct the mistakes they made -- well, not rapists, murderers, child molesters, ect. (you get the picture) -- but Vick was in the dogfighting business. Go on the Internet and see how popular dogfighting is, you'll be amazed.

I'm not saying it's right, at all. No animal should be treated that way; I think we can all agree on it.

But give Vick another chance. He's got a right to work and football is what he knows. Let's really see what type of person he is after taking a major paycut (he once did sign a $100 million contact and had to settle for $1.6 million this season with an option for $5.2 million next season with the Eagles).

Has he changed? Will he become a role model once again? He's got the platform to do good and correct the bad that he's done.

Not to mention, on the field, he's still tremendous talent and an entertainer. He'll back up Donovan McNabb -- the clear-cut starter with Philly -- and may play in some sort of Wildcat package or wide receiver.

Either way, Vick is a show. Admit it, you'll tune in to see him in a Philly uniform and to see if he'll step on the field in some sort of capacity.

Vick, who still must serve a six-game suspension with the NFL and can only practice and play in the final two preseason games -- has a lot more to do before he can be believed that he's rehabilitated. 

But give him a shot, the Eagles did.

SEC: Five storylines to watch

By Brendan Hall
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

You call it tabloid fodder. I call it just another week in the Southeastern Conference.

Week after week, there is no football drama from top to bottom quite as consistent as the SEC. Only in the SEC can you hold a Media Day that lasts 72 hours, and the two top stories coming out are whether its top quarterback is a virgin, and that somebody had the galls not to vote said quarterback as first team All-Conference.

This stuff just doesn't happen anywhere else. Mr. Brady, are you a virgin? "Next question. Get this a-hole outta here." In what other league do you have mid-season firings of coordinators? How outrageous do you think your recruiting stories are? How many supporters fall on your every word?

Some call it trivial gossip, of Us Weekly proportions. You probably call it obnoxious.

I call it a modern-day Othello.

And I love it.

Anyways, here are the top storylines to watch for the 2009 season...

Kiffin vs. Meyer I: Badd Blood!
Sold Out at The Swamp, 9-19-09!

In about as much time as it takes to bake a potato, Lane Kiffin made himself the most polarizing figure in the south upon his hiring at Tennessee, dethroning even Jimmy Hart as the new Mouth Of The South (OK, let's be fair, the throne was vacated after he died). You've probably heard the stories a million times by now -- Kiffin said this, Kiffin said that, Kiffin accused Urban Meyer of recruiting violations that were nonexistent -- and some of you probably think he's been acting a wee bit childish.

Don't be fooled, it's all very deliberate and calculated. Kiffin knows exactly what he's doing. The Vols had grown stagnant under Phil Fulmer, to the point where his national championship could no longer give him a buffer. Two losing seasons in four years is unacceptable to the people of Knoxville; even worse, the Vols were losing in-state recruits to Vanderbilt and Memphis.

The Vols are going to be very competitive. They have the top freshman running back, and Eric Berry is arguably one of the two best safeties in the country (along with USC's Taylor Mays). When they enter The Swamp on Sept. 19, they're going to be scorned relentlessly. But that's just what Kiffin wants. Rivalries are always so much better when one guy is playing the villain role.

I think Florida has too much speed for the Vols to box up; should be a win for the Gators along the lines of a 28-17, something in that range. But a point will be made -- Tennessee is back, baby, and here to stay.

Gator bait if you're not a Gator? In Kiffin's book, anyone who's not a Volunteer is Public Enemy No. 1.

Jevan Snead: trendy hype or the real deal?

We've seen many a college quarterback who ends the season on a high note get puffed up with praise and prose from all around (see: Stafford, Matthew). The tricky part comes in separating the hype from the substance.

This year's case study will be Ole Miss's Jevan Snead, who has thrived in the starting role for the Rebels since his transfer from Texas. Many of the national pundits put focus on the Heisman hype behind Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy, with Snead and Cal running back Jahvid Best the two most common dark horses.

Of the four quarterbacks mentioned, Snead might honestly have the highest ceiling for NFL potential. He has tremendous throwing mechanics, a quick release and that certain cool swagger under pressure. You can go ahead and say he's the best quarterbacking prospect since Eli Manning, but can you honestly name one quarterback they've had since?

The question lies in whether the Rebels live up to the hype. Houston Nutt-coached teams always have skilled backfields -- this goes back to his days as offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State (Barry Sanders, Thurman Thomas, Hart Lee Dykes). With the loss of Michael Oher to the Draft, can the Rebels fill some big holes in the trenches?

Sputtering Spurrier

Much like Arkansas, Missouri, or Texas A&M, it's very tough bringing South Carolina to the top of its division. Steve Spurrier has tried taking on the task nobly, and while he's has spurts of success, it hasn't been nearly consistent enough to warrant national attention.

This could be the year the Gamecocks bottom out. Other than linebacker Eric Norwood, there isn't really any other dynamic playmaker on the field. Couple that with the resurgence of Tennessee and two programs on the rise in Vanderbilt and Kentucky, and you could have the Gamecocks sitting at the dead bottom of the SEC East.

Does it warrant a hot seat for the Ol Ball Coach? Jury's still out. Before Lou Holtz took over over, the Gamecocks hadn't had a winning season since the 1980's, and they're historically a team that teeters around the .500 mark -- this goes back to their ACC days.

Expectations, with that in mind, ought to be lower. But this is the SEC, after all. The only thing low in this conference is your pad level.

Don't sleep on Agent Twenty-Eight

Is Javier Arenas related to Gilbert or not? Wikipedia seems to think so, but the Alabama official website mentions nothing of the sort. Either way, he may not be a tenth as quirky as the Halo-loving Washington Wizards point guard, but the athletic ability does not fall far from the tree.

With all the talk about Tim Tebow this, Tim Tebow that, oh-my-he's-got-another-Percy-Harvin-with-him, don't overlook the skill set of this electric Crimson Tide return man. He is the school's all-time leading punt returner, has six career return touchdowns, and even plays a little cornerback, too.

Pencil him in for an All-America selection. Playboy already has.

Mark Richt...on the hot seat?

If you take Paul Finebaum's hackjobs for gospel, then yes. Or maybe. Well, he could be, you never know. Nothing is ever made clear with Finebaum.

Hard to believe that a coach who has gone 82-22 in eight seasons, including a 6-2 mark in bowls, in one of the nation's toughest divisions, is on the hot seat. But the grumblings have begun. Look, just because you don't win a national title does not mean you are a terrible coach. The Dawgs have lost more than three games just once, in 2006, which was supposed to be a down year.

Let's quash this drivel before it starts. But if the Dawgs lose to Tennessee, expect more grumblings.

Predicted Order of Finish

East
Florida (12-0, 8-0)
Georgia (10-2, 6-2)
Tennessee (7-5, 5-3)
Kentucky (6-6, 2-6)
Vanderbilt (5-7, 2-6)
South Carolina (4-8, 1-7)

West
Alabama (11-1, 7-1)
Ole Miss (11-1, 7-1)
LSU (9-3, 5-3)
Arkansas (7-5, 4-4)
Mississippi St. (6-6, 4-4)
Auburn (6-6, 2-6)

SEC Championship Game: Florida 17, Alabama 10

Youkilis gets punked by a rookie

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Don't go picking on a rookie, Kevin Youkilis.

Did you see last night Boston Red Sox third/first baseman Youkilis charging the mound against Detroit rookie right-hander Rick Porcello? If not, take a look at it.

How funny was it to see Youkilis -- a player even Red Sox fans don't really like because he comes off like a cry baby most of the time -- charge the mound?

Well, if you're going to charge the mound and know you're going to get ejected and suspended for that action, you might as well get your money's worth by landing a flush haymaker or drop-kick, or something to inflict damage to your opponent. Right?

Not Youkilis. He charges the mound like a bad out of hell, and Porcello retreats backward like a timid field mouse.

But wait, Porcello stands up like a man at the last second, dodges a helmet thrown by Youk, and chucks him to the ground like a rag doll and lands on him while a sea of Red Sox and Tigers converge on the bench-clearing brawl.

Advantage, rookie for the textbook takedown.

I don't care if the pitch was intentional or not, if you charge the mound you better mean it. Youkilis lost the fight, no doubt, but either way it was worth the price of admission.

The Sox have recovered from that four-game sweep to the Yankees and obviously aren't going down in the AL East without a fight.

I don't think the UFC will be calling Youk any time soon, however.