Hornets are buzzing away?? Kobe better than Magic?? Goodbye Big East?? All this and more, MLB, Boxing, NFL, in this weeks edition of….

I want to wish all my Jewish friends a Happy Hanukkah. I hope you enjoyed the potato pancakes. I Mom and Sister made tons of pancakes. I ate of 25 of them. I am bloated right now.

Thank you Los Angeles Spenders, oops I mean Dodgers. You have done something that no baseball team has done since the Baltimore Orioles did it in 1998 and that is past the New York Yankees as the team with the highest payroll.

So the Hornets might be buzzing away (ouch I had to say it) just to be replaced by a Pelican. That’s what the rumor mill is saying. Tom Benson, owner of the NBA team who just so happens to own the copyright to New Orleans Pelicans, would like it to happen. So to would Michael Jordan owner of the Charlotte Bobcats who would like to return the Hornets back to the Charlotte name.

Major league baseball had its version of the Dick Chaney hunting fiasco as Dale Sveum, Chicago Cubs manager, was shot by Hall of Famer, and good friend, Robin Yount while quail hunting. What is it with quail hunting. It seems to me too many people get hurt was hunting these birds. Gee where is Bob Costas rant on hunting now???? LOL.. I guess the Cubs will do anything to get rid of the Curse of the Cubs, even shooting their own manager.

Kobe Bryant might be the Laker's all-time leading scorer, but if you asked me Ervin “Magic” Johnson is the Laker's all-time greatest basketball player, hands-down. Magic could do anything on the court, Guard, Forward and Center. Pass, score, rebound, play defense and block shots, whereas, Kobe couldn’t do even half the things that the Magic can.

When will the NFL crack down on drunk driving? Now we have one NFL player, Jerry Brown, dead when his “so-called” best friend, Josh Brent, who was intoxicated, traveled at a high rate of speed hit an outside curb, the car flipped over and come to a rest in the middle of the service road.

We condemn those who do drugs, or take steroids, but there is no public outrage when this happens to a sports personality.

More news from the Cowboys camp, as nose tackle Jay Ratliff had to be separated from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on December 2^nd. Jones was trying to encourage Ratcliff to return from a groin injury, which set Ratliff off and he started yelling at the owner before teammates stepped in.

Can you be religious and still be aggressive enough to box??

When do you really know when a team quits on you??

They might as well cancel the NHL season. I me lets face it a little less than half the games have been canceled this year. If any league could not have afforded to have a season canceled is the NHL. I don’t think they recovered from the last lockout.

ESPN's president finally figured out something our friends here at YouGabSports new all along and that’s ESPN OD’d on Tebow. Now they plan on cutting back on news about Timmy.

It looks like Andruw Jones is taking is act to Japan, as he has signed a one year deal with the Rakuten Eagles for $3.5 million.

Seven members of the Big East are looking to break-away from the league and possibly forming a new league. The seven non-football schools DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John’s, Seton Hall and Villanova have the votes if they want to break from the Big East. The fate of the Conference will be soon.

Til Next time

Scott

We are now roughly 1/5^th of the way through the Major League season and this season has been full of surprises, ups and downs, and general mayhem. We’ve seen perfect games, no-hitters, 4 home-run contests, appearances of top prospects, and intentional plunkings.

I love baseball!

But what I love most about the game is the parity. Sure, there are some teams that always seem to be near the top, but at this time of the year, there are also a handful of surprise teams making improbable, and sometimes short-lived, runs to the top of the division.

With that in mind, I thought I would take a look at some of the teams I am buying and selling at this stage of the season; the over-achievers, the under-achievers, and the real deal teams of the league.

Washington Nationals – Selling

Don’t get me wrong, I love the Nationals and the way they are playing the game. And yes, I’m watching the Bryce Harper show the same way I used to enjoy the “Tiger Watch”. Their pitching is absolutely phenomenal, with Strasburg, Detwiler, Gonzalez, and Zimmerman all showing the talent that makes them one of the best young rotations in baseball. That said I’m selling because I don’t think this offense can do enough to sustain the momentum. You cannot rely on pitching every night of the week and a team that ranks 27^th in runs scored and 24^th in average is not going to be there to bail out the pitcher when he fails to carry the load.

This is a good, young team, but they are still a year or so away from contending for the long haul.

Los Angeles Angels – Buying

At 14-18, the Angels have been one of the most disappointing teams in baseball, and with Texas having such a solid start to the year, they have dug themselves a big hole to start the season. Still, this is a team that is underperforming more than any in baseball and the signs are pointing to them coming out of it, as they have won 7 of their last 10 games. Remember, this is a team whose best hitter, Albert Pujols, is swinging the bat to the tune of .198 with just 1 home run and 11 RBI. They also can expect better things out of rotation stalwarts Ervin Santana and Dan Haren, both of whom have been inconsistent but have shown flashes of brilliance during the year.

You just can’t keep a team with this much talent down.

Boston Red Sox – Selling

Well, it appears that the Red Sox have figured out a way to beat the new MLB Draft slotting system, as they are bound and determined to secure a high pick after a 12-18 start. They have the second worst ERA in all of baseball and the struggles of their top three starters (Lester, Beckett, and Buchholz) are not showing any signs of getting better at this stage. You can tell that times are desperate when fans start looking forward to the return of Daisuke Matsuzaka from Tommy John surgery to stabilize the rotation.

The offense is doing its job, but when you have to consistently score 7-8 runs to stay in a game, there is something else offensive going on.

Cleveland Indians – Selling

Sometimes it is hard to justify selling on a first place team, but the numbers do all the talking for me with the Indians. Despite ranking 18^th in team hitting and 21^st in team pitching, this team has managed to place itself atop the mediocre American League Central division. That said, is it just dumb luck that Cleveland is holding on to the division lead or is it more of a bi-product of the disappointing season thus far for the Detroit Tigers?

I’m more apt to believe the latter and banking on Detroit making a similar run to the one they did to close out 2011, while Cleveland flirts with the division title, but fades by August.

Toronto Blue Jays – Buying

If there is a team that has been dying for the chance at a division change or an additional playoff spot, it is the Toronto Blue Jays. This is a team that has been on the cusp of contending only to suffer because of the division they play in, getting leaped by the Tampa Bay Rays along the way. Still, there is a lot to like in Toronto, with some electrifying young players (Brett Lawrie, Eric Thames), Edwin Encarnacion having a career year, Jose Bautista set to get back to being Joey Bats, and a top quality, young pitching staff coming into its own, the Blue Jays are poised to snap up that extra wild card slot.

Los Angeles Dodgers – Buying

Remember when people were trying to argue that Matt Kemp should have won the MVP award over Ryan Braun a year ago, and that was before the PED controversy? Well, Kemp is out to prove them why by going out and playing as the MVP this year. But the Dodgers are so much more than Kemp. Andre Ethier is one of the more exciting young bats in baseball and is in a walk year. The top four starters in the rotation all have an ERA under 3.32, and have the third lowest starters ERA in the majors.

And now with new ownership decided, the team can focus on winning games and winning back the Los Angeles market share back from the Angels.

ScottJax asks the question no one in the media has asked, or said about Tim Tebow. Will his words cause controversy?? Old Players in the NBA?? WrestleMania hits Random Thoughts?? Brooklyn Nets?? All this and more in this weeks edition of….

Wow, I never thought I get Jacksonville’s own, Tim Tebow, “Tebowing” for me. Thanks Tim. By the way, my son goes to the same Church as Tim and has talked to him on many occasions. He is a nice fellow and when it comes to his “faith” he is the real deal.

The provocative question is later on in the blog

Okay Gabbers. ScottJax has posted his annual WrestleMania predications. They can viewed here:

http://www.yougabsports.com/pt/WrestleMania-XXVIII---ScottJaxs-annual-predictions/blog.htm

Please feel free to give me who you think will win each match.

How would you like to be left out of a game because your old? Well it happen to Tim Duncan. The Spurs were playing their third game in three nights and they gave him the night off. So the official scorer listed Duncan as DND (Did Not Dress) - Old.

A column by Peter Veceey, who says its from multiple sources, is saying that the Nets are targeting Kevin Garnett (restricted free agent), Ryan Anderson (restricted free agent and a player the Nets drafted and then traded away) and Ersan Ilyasova (unrestricted free agent), while renouncing the rights to Kris Humphries. The Nets are saying they want a stronger rebounded to play alongside Brook Lopez.

While Kris Humphries (27 years old) has never been a scoring machine, nor rebounded, since he has been a Net he is averaging a double-double. How many NBA players can say that? He averages 11.9 points a game and 11 rebounds a game. Garnett is on the downside of his career, this year is averaging 15.3 points and 8.3 rebounds. He turns 36 in May. Anderson is 23 years old and is averaging 10.1 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game and Ilyasova is 24 years old and is averaging 9.4 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game.

Any of these players better rebounders than Kris Humphries???

Got to get rid of Billy King, he is going to kill the Nets.

Oh no the trading for Tim Tebow was not a publicity stunt. Then how come the team is had a press conference to introduce a back-up quarterback. There was no coach, owner or players at the conference. Yep they really, really want him.

Jet’s are just starved for attention.

Here is the question that no one, that I have heard or read has mentioned:

An honest question deserves an honest answer

If Tim Tebow was any religion other than a Christian, would he have still gotten this same coverage. NOT!!

Frank McCourt buys the Dodgers, the stadium and surrounding area for $430 million in 2004 and yesterday he sells it for $2.15 billion dollars to a group that includes Magic Johnson and Stan Kasten. Mark Walter, Guggenheim Capital (the main source behind the $$$$) chief executive, will be the controlling owner. Kasten will run the team, while magic will also be involved in some of the day-to-day activities and will be looking to woo free agents.

The Johnson group, largely funded by Guggenheim Capital chief executive officer Mark Walter, agreed to purchase the Dodgers, Dodger Stadium and a 50 percent stake in the parking lots surrounding the ballpark from McCourt for $2.15 billion.

After Frank pays off his ex-wife $131 million and some $579 million in debt, he will taken in over $1.5 billion dollars. On top of that he gets to buy the half the parking area of Dodger Stadium and surrounding area for $150 million dollars.

I got to buy me a team!!

Til Next Time

Scott

PS. Tebow didn't actually Tebow for me

I’ll tell you the truth folks; there is a side of me that hopes that even the most troubled people are capable of change. Now, that comes with the understanding that those same people have to make that choice and have to admit to themselves that the path they are currently on isn’t the one they strove to be on.

And isn’t that the first step down the right path; admittance?

For former slugger Manny Ramirez, he appears ready to take that first step. In an interview with ESPN’s Pedro Gomez, Ramirez finally admitted to his transgressions against the Major League Baseball drug policy, saying, “I also want to show my kids that if you make a mistake, don't quit. Just go back and fix it.”

For Ramirez, admittance is a big stride. After initially running afoul of the MLB policy in 2009, Ramirez opted to take the route of blaming a banned substance in a prescription for a “personal medical issue” for triggering the positive test. Granted, he accepted the 50-game ban because ultimately the responsibility of knowing the policy falls on the players and not their doctors, but he sidestepped intentionally taking a banned substance that was later identified as a female fertility drug. When Ramirez again turned in a positive test and faced a 100-game ban last season, he abruptly opted to retire rather than face up to his mistakes.

Yet, here we stand a year later and Ramirez is trying to get himself reinstated from the retired list and find a job with a team looking for a right-handed DH. MLB has agreed to reduce his ban to 50 games, basically giving him credit for time served, but Ramirez still needs to find a team willing to take a risk on a man nabbed twice by baseball’s testing policy. To do that, he’s holding court and trying to say all the right things, like “I want to show people that Manny can change, that he can do the right thing” and “A bunch of guys are going to look at me and say hey, this guy made a mistake but he didn't quit. Look how he finished. He did the right thing and came back”

Like I said, there is a side of me that hopes that people can change. For Manny Ramirez, it is easy for me to sit here as a Red Sox fan and hope that Manny can as well. However, I’m a bit skeptical, as I’m not sure that I buy into Manny’s sincerity 100%.

Sure, this is a broken man, but given the expected humbleness, there are a few things that have me ultimately questioning things:

Firstly, during this interview with Gomez, Ramirez continued to refer to himself in the 3^rd person, repeatedly saying “He” and “Manny”, rather than owning his statements with the ever powerful “I”. As much as I want to feel he is admitting to his mistakes, putting it into an outside perspective feels a bit cowardly and half-hearted to me. He wants to sell sincerity without necessarily truly taking responsibility for his actions.

Secondly, I’m not sure that playing the game is where Manny will truly find redemption. We need to remember that he is a 38-years-old former slugger and proven steroid user. Whether via attitude, health or suspension, Ramirez showed an inability to take the field regularly during his last few seasons and had been relegated to DH duties when he signed with Tampa last season. There is no evidence that his body will hold up to the rigors of playing again, even in a DH role, especially given the massive drop-offs expected of PED users after they stop cycling it into their bodies. Given that and the obvious fact that he’ll still need to serve a 50-game ban once he signs with a team, it is hard to imagine a team taking a chance on Ramirez at this point in his career.

You can only be burned by the same pot before you stop reaching for it.

That said I believe Ramirez’s path to redemption is different, and perhaps a bit unknown to him. One of the knocks against Ramirez during his tenure in Boston was his unanswered promises to take a philanthropic role in the Boston community. Sure, he donated vehicles to the Dodgers for their auctions, but never really approached the charitable status that many of today’s top players enjoy.

To me, Ramirez still has that chance to right his wrongs and make up for his transgressions. Trying to recapture the glory days and showing that you can go out on top isn’t the way to that. Instead, Ramirez needs to become an advocate against the very thing that brought him down. I’m sure that Bud Selig and his offices could easily put together an outreach program, and use Ramirez as its figurehead, that will help to dissuade kids from becoming involved with steroids or growth hormones. He can be the poster boy for the fight against performance-enhancing drugs, the rallying point for an entire generation of future ballplayers.

Most importantly, he can “show people that Manny can change, that he can do the right thing”, and in doing so, be the role model that he should have been.

"Joe has been an invaluable resource for me and all of us at Major League Baseball this year," Selig said in a statement. "I understand his desire to pursue an opportunity in Los Angeles. Joe has been a lifelong friend and I know that will continue in the future."

That’s what Commissioner Bud Selig had to say in regards to Joe Torre stepping down as MLB’s executive vice-president of baseball operations on Wednesday and joining a group attempting to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers. But if you read between the lines, it sounds more like:

“Joe Torre adds immediate legitimacy to the group headed by real estate developer Rick Caruso. He is my hand-picked choice to own the Los Angeles Dodgers.”

That’s right folks; I’m calling “Shenanigans” on the whole deal. If I am any of the other potential bidders, a list which currently includes Mark Cuban, Orel Hershisher and Steve Garvey, Peter O’Malley, Magic Johnson, et al, I’m crying foul as well.

It would seem to me that the field of potential buyers is already well-formed and financially backed. The addition of Torre to a group lead by a real estate developer (ahem, McCourt, ahem) doesn’t do anything to back-up the legitimacy of the process. All it does is signal that Bud Selig and the other cronies at the country club want another good-old-boy after watching McCourt tarnish the image.

To me, there are already two worthwhile groups here; the one lead by Magic Johnson and former Washington Nationals president Stan Kasten, and the one lead by Mark Cuban. Both Cuban and Johnson have strong business acumens, not to mention immeasurable competitiveness. Both groups would have the flash and drive to give the Dodgers the visible ownership that it truly needs. Both would do what it takes to make the team and the baseball culture viable again, especially with Arte Moreno setting up Anaheim like Ellis Island and taking on all the poor, tired, and huddled masses of Dodgers fans wanting to see the best show in town.

All Cuban has done is make one of the sorriest franchises in NBA history into a perennial contender and defending NBA champion. All Johnson has done was captivated the city of Los Angeles and the mass market of fans outside of the area and turned the Lakers into a national phenomenon.

Yet, we stand here this week and hear how Bud’s special friend has decided to throw his hat in the ring. Sure, I understand that Torre has his L.A. ties, having managed the team from 2008-10, but three years with a team doesn’t make you a staple of the market. That alone would justify Manny Ramirez trying to buy the team and moving it to “Mannywood”.

No, Torre is here because Selig needed him here. They need to control the Los Angeles circus when bids are submitted on January 23^rd. They cannot allow a free-thinker like Cuban to walk into the ring like Al Czervik and take over Bushwood. No, Bud needs an inside man to make sure they have the anti-McCourt in place, someone who will follow the book on ownership to the letter and will roll over like a good dog when Major League Baseball wants him to.

Shame on you Joe Torre. Shame on you Bud Selig. And shame on any of the sheep that don’t see the wool being pulled over their eyes because there is a wolf in the herd.