A Complaint and Some UFC Talk
You know what new trend I am already getting really sick of? Baseball teams locking up star players to contracts that they call reasonable one year and then dumping those players for salary relief the next year. The Blue Jays took it to the extreme when they gave Alex Rios to the White Sox for absolutely nothing, but the Rays followed in the mold yesterday when they sent Scott Kazmir to the Angels for a couple of prospects. It’s yet another case of where money is becoming the controlling factor in sports – sadly inevitable. You can make the argument that both Rios and Kazmir were having off years, but both have talent that made their contracts seem like a solid deal last year, and there isn’t a real physical reason in either case why that talent can’t be realized again. The White Sox obviously got a huge steal in Rios, and I think the Angels made a nice move in Kazmir as well. It was only the beginning of last year that Kazmir was seen as one of the top young arms in the game, he’s young, and they have him under contract for two years beyond this one. The price was reasonable, and it’s all upside as I see it. It’s not like it can hurt – the pitching staff in Anaheim has been a long way from effective.
The Giants made a waiver claim on Trevor Hoffman. There’s no guarantee that the Brewers will give him up, but I absolutely love the thinking from the Giants. There’s little risk to them, and if they did land him then he would be a great guy to have both in the bullpen and the clubhouse down the stretch. I still like the Giants’ chances of catching the Rockies down the stretch – despite the red hot play of the Rockies, I just like the roster that the Giants have much more.
UFC 102 takes place in Portland tonight. It is one of the least inspiring main events they have put together in a long while in my eyes. Randy Couture vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira would have been a great fight five years ago, but now both guys are past their prime, coming off decisive losses, and the whole thing just reeks of desperation. I think Couture will win it, but I have no faith left in either guy – either one could lay a massive egg and I wouldn’t be surprised in the least. The most intriguing match on the card in my mind is Keith Jardine and Thiago Silva. Up until January Silva was undefeated in 13 career fights and was seen as a future megastar in the sport, but then he was ripped to shreds by Lyoto Machida . Now he has to bounce back from that boondoggle, and he has to do it against of the most under-appreciated and dangerous fighters there is. My gut says that Silva is in trouble again, but I am very interesting to see if Silva has what it takes to wipe away the memories of that humiliating loss and start over.
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Tags: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Keith Jardine, Randy Couture, Scott Kazmir, Thiago Silva, Trevor Hoffman, UFC 102
