A Quote
Jerry Sloan shocked the world when he stepped down as Utah Jazz head coach:
"I had a feeling this time was the time to move on."
This is the latest example of the disgusting amount of control that NBA players currently hold. Thanks to Carmelo, there has been minimal coverage of star point guard Deron Williams's disruptive behavior in Utah. Williams is a free agent following next season, and he has already taken over the franchise with implied threats to leave. It is not unreasonable to speculate that Sloan's sudden resignation was urged by attempts to keep Williams happy. It has been rumored that he was unhappy with Sloan's offensive scheme, presumably because he is jealous when he watches Derrick Rose play. You know, that annoying offense that a hall-of-famer built and kept in place for 23 years.
Being a players' league is one thing, but this is too extreme. The players have far too much power as soon as they can threaten free agency, as franchises lose seasons at a time trying to "please" them. Something has got to give. Mark Kizla wrote an interesting take on this issue as it concerns the Denver Nuggets.
A Video
Filling in for Mike and Mike (espnradio.com), Doug Gottlieb and Marcellus Wiley discuss the NFL's labor dispute. There are a lot of issues at play: rookie salaries, 18 game schedule, health coverage for former players. I am not mentioning this to touch on any of those items.
I just want to encourage fans of other sports, say baseball or basketball, to find another station to keep up with the latest news starting March 3rd. Because that's when the NFL lockout likely will start, and that is when ESPN will spin into super-hyper-NFL-coverage mode. In the offseason.
A Photo
Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo reacts (shouts!) after making a game winning jumper against the Dallas Mavericks. At times this season, any success has been difficult for us fans to enjoy. This was an exception, as Afflalo has been steady, classy, and easy to cheer for from the moment he joined the team.
A Tweet
@TroyRenck: My latest blog on Why Michael Young is not a Rockie: http://dpo.st/e8K1Ix
It sounds like Michael Young to the Rockies has become a long-shot, but I am optimistic it still might happen. To my eye, the Rangers cannot keep Young after he blasted management, calling them "manipulative." Unless a suitor emerges that has not been mentioned in the rumors so far, it looks like the Rangers will be faced with two choices: keep the unhappy Young and count on his professionalism as the season approaches, or eat money to get rid of an openly unhappy player.
Renck thinks that the Rangers are in the driver's seat of any potential trade. I disagree. I think as Spring Training approaches, the prospect of Young staying on the team whose management he publicly criticized will be too distracting, and they will be forced to trade him (perhaps for a less than desirable package). And maybe if the Rockies wait, they can get him for a package with which they are comfortable.
One more thing: if you're the Rangers, how do you phase out Michael Young? I understand Elvis Andrus and Ian Kinsler are big time players up the middle, but the Adrian Beltre signing looked desperate to me. Check out Beltre's career statistics - he showed up big in his two contract years. That's it. And in the first of those contract years, his performance would seem....ahem....enhanced (21 HR, 23 HR, 48 HR, 19 HR, 25 HR. get serious). When Beltre is pedestrian in the third year of his long term deal, here's thinking the Rangers will regret phasing out the steady Young.
An Announcement
Warning Track Power has expanded! Look forward to the lively opinions of Ryan Presley ( @RockiesBBall24). You may know him from the well-read and well-established Pain Train blogs and podcasts.
Teaser: his first entry is about Jeff Conine. I know that peaked your attention...
Almost Forgot...
I'm excited that the Packers won the Super Bowl just because I like the individual personalities on that team, especially Aaron Rodgers. And I am very happy to see that the championship belt celebration is getting the play it deserves.
Links
Tom Friend on William Perry's life after the NFL http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/2010/news/story?id=6091766
Jeff Goodman on stories to watch in NCAA men's basketball http://msn.foxsports.com/collegebasketball/story/College-basketball-stories-to-watch-021011
Marc Lancaster writes about the challenge of trading Michael Young http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2011/02/09/finding-michael-young-trade-partner-a-tough-task-for-rangers/
Sarah Kwak presents some thoughts on the state of the NHL http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/sarah_kwak/01/28/ASG.strawpoll/index.html
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