July 31, 2010, 5:44 pm
The 10 most notable makeovers of baseball's swapping season
Big League Stew

There was a flurry of activity leading up to Saturday afternoon's trading deadline and each move was ostensibly made to make each involved team a better one — whether it be for this season or future ones. But what contending teams made the biggest game-changing swaps? Let's take a look at the past few weeks to figure it out.  1. Cliff Lee(notes) to the Texas Rangers: The July 9 trade with Seattle was the first blockbuster to go down and no one was able to top it in the three weeks that followed. In acquiring Lee and his insane K/BB mark (114 to 7), the Rangers nabbed the best pitching prospect on the market and showed they weren't going to let their financial situation turn them into a "just happy to be here" division winner in the the playoffs. C.J. Wilson(notes) is a nice pitcher, but Lee gives them a much better start to any playoff series.    2. Roy Oswalt(notes) to the Philadelphia Phillies: Though his Fightin' debut left a lot to be desired, Oswalt's decision to relent and leave Houston for the northeast potentially gives the Phillies the league's best 1-2-3 pitching rotation. At the very least, it ended the hot potato that was Philly's third starter spot and gives the team the rotation stability it will need to catch Atlanta.  3. Ted Lilly(notes), Ryan Theriot(notes), Scott Podsednik(notes) and Octavio Dotel(notes) to the Los Angeles Dodgers: For being handcuffed by the McCourts' tight purse strings, GM Ned Colletti sure was able to add a lot of usable pieces. Lilly will be a reliable starter for Joe Torre's rotation and should pitch well in spacious Dodger Stadium. The other three players aren't going to cause too much excitement, but will give the Dodgers depth when they could have just done nothing. The most incredible part is that ESPN's Buster Olney hears that all four players were only added for about $3 million in extra payroll. 4. Miguel Tejada(notes) and Ryan Ludwick(notes) to the San Diego Padres: Remember wh

 

July 30, 2010, 2:51 pm
Video: Portis and Cooley help Redskins fans get engaged
Shutdown Corner

The first day of practice for Washington Redskins Pro Bowlers Chris Cooley(notes) and Clinton Portis(notes) was nothing out of the ordinary, except for the little matter of helping a couple get engaged to be married.  While signing autographs for fans at the end of the first day of training camp, Cooley and Portis assisted Redskins fan Don Carter in proposing to his girlfriend, Elizabeth Ellis.Note: There's a 30-second advertisement at the start of the clip.Portis sneaking a kiss on the cheek of the bride-to-be is only one of the great things about that clip. Carter contacted the Redskins before the practice and laid out his plan. The team, in turn, asked Cooley if he'd be willing to participate and the tight end was happy to participate. "I was actually nervous," Cooley told Redskins blogger Matt Terl. "It was really cool, and I was really excited for him. She was so surprised." Thanks, Redskins Blog

 

July 30, 2010, 3:10 pm
The 10-man rotation, starring Terry Porter and the Bulls?
Ball Don't Lie

A look around the league and the web that covers it. It's also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren't always listed in order of importance. That's for you, dear reader, to figure out. C: K.C. Johnson's Twitter. Terry Porter could become Chicago's new assistant coach. PF: The Lakers Nation. Are the Lakers about to get Delonte West(notes)? SF: SBN. Goran Dragic's(notes) brother is named "Zoran," Beno Udrih's(notes) brother is named "Samo." SG: NBA.com. Your last chance to vote for the 2009-10 game of the year. PG: USA Today. Mikhail Prokorov thinks USA Today is our paper of record. He might be right. 6th: HoopsAnalyst. The third installment in the most recent transactions series. Great stuff. 7th: Celtics Hub. Von Wafer(notes) is back in the NBA. But is he still Crispy? 8th: B-R.com. The biggest one-year drops in three-point attempts. Notice all the 1998s (line was moved back). 9th: Indy Cornrows. What to expect from Pacers playing the biggest roll in the 2011 cap dump. 10th: Truth About It. Deconstructing Kirk Hinrich's(notes) versatility. How dare you. Got a link or tip for Ball Don't Lie? Holler at me at kdonhoops (at) yahoo.com, or follow me on Twitter.

 

July 31, 2010, 1:13 pm
Puck in Bowman’s crease after $2.75 million Niemi award
Puck Daddy

Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman expected the arbitration decision for goaltender Antti Niemi(notes) to come down today after Thursday's hearing and the word is, via ESPN Chicago's Jesse Rogers, that the arbitrator has set Niemi's salary at $2.75 million for next season.Bowman now has 48 hours to decide one of three options: accept the decision which would put the Blackhawks over the cap by more than $3 million; decline the ruling and allow Niemi to walk as an unrestricted free agent; or accept the decision and trade Niemi.It was believed Chicago was hoping for a ruling around $2 million, while Niemi's camp was seeking in excess of $3 million a season. The $2.75 million deal puts Bowman in a tricky spot trying to fit this deal into the Blackhawks' salary cap hell. Either way, more salary is needed to come off the books for Chicago, but they certainly don't want to let Niemi go if they can somehow make his salary fit into their cap structure.If Bowman walks away from the decision, cheaper alternatives in Marty Turco(notes) or Jose Theodore(notes) could possibly be had for cheap and be viable options if Chicago is at the end of their rope with Cristobal Huet(notes). The choices of making Huet's $5.625 million contract disappear in the American Hockey League or finding another NHL team to take on that much salary for another two seasons will be fun to watch as next season approaches.In other moves, over in San Jose, as expected the Sharks re-signed forward Devin Setoguchi(notes) to a one-year, $1.8 million deal, while the Anaheim Ducks signed defenseman James Wisniewski(notes) to a one-year, $3.25 million deal ahead of a scheduled arbitration hearing next Tuesday and then promptly dealt him to the New York Islanders for a conditional third-round pick in 2011.Ducks GM Bob Murray told the Orange County Register that he had offered Wisniewski a four-year deal at the trade deadline, which was turned down and he wasn't going any higher on the term.

 

July 30, 2010, 11:00 am
King has a right to return
Early Doors

It's not often Sky Sports News provides genuinely compelling television. Their idea of drama is David Craig standing outside St James' Park surrounded by kids bunking off school, prattling about the imminent arrival of some Sporting Gijon player signed on the strength of a couple of YouTube clips. ...

 

July 31, 2010, 1:17 pm
United need reinforcements
Paul Parker

It has been a frustrating summer in the transfer market for Manchester United, and I think they need one or two more players if they want to contend for silverware this season. The club's top brass insist that the £80 million they received for Cristiano Ronaldo is still available for Sir Alex to spend, although there are those who doubt this. ...

 

July 30, 2010, 12:55 pm
Fugger gets it right. Again
Jim White

It is not what you expect of the man who owns the biggest emporium of over-priced tat in the world, the man so ensnared by conspiracy theory that he routinely accuses the royal family of murder, a man pilloried by Private Eye as a swivel-eyed potty mouth. But it is hard to argue with the contention that Mohammed al Fayed - the old fugger himself - knows what he is doing when it comes to appointing managers of his football club.Sure, the Fulham chairman hasn't always got it right. ...

 

May 12, 2010, 9:53 am
The biggest game of my life
Danny Murphy

I have played domestic and European finals for Liverpool, I have represented my country and been involved in a relegation dogfight, but tonight's Europa League final is the biggest game of my career.It is certainly the biggest in the club's history, and I am extremely proud to be leading out the lads in Hamburg. It is a responsibility that I take very seriously and I relish the role of Fulham captain. ...