With Malice…

Greece, what a place to live!  Fine food, beautiful cities, amazing history…

The news that Josh Childress has signed with Olympiakos has to surprise many, but given the money that’s being thrown around in Europe, it was really only a matter of time.

Recently, more and more European players have elected to take bigger contracts in Europe than were being offered to them in the NBA.  This summer, talk was of Brandon Jennings bypassing college and heading to Europe.  His test scores meant that he was ineligible for many of the top hoop schools, and rather than take a chance on a lower tier school that could find a way to accept him, Jennings will head to Europe and play pro-ball for a year.

Childress beat him to the punch tho’, and this really signals a change in the status quo.  Not that the top line stars presence in the NBA will be threatened in the foreseeable future, but Josh Childress gave the Atlanta Hawks 11.8 points and 4.9 rebounds a game last season, coming off the pine.

The Hawks apparently offered Childress a deal somewhere between $5.5-6 million a year, but exact details are unknown.  The Olympiakos three-year deal was worth about $20 million. Guaranteed money, and Childress gets to elect as to whether he wants to opt out of the contract after each year.  With the growing strength of the Euro versus the falling US dollar, that’s big dollars.  The Hawks can keep his NBA rights, and he remains a restricted free agent - if they do so… but that would mean they make a qualifying offer each year, and that’s going to count against their salary cap.

The fact that Europe now has the financial wherewithal to make offers like this gives mid-level players leverage that they previously did not have.

Currently within soccer and rugby, high level players declining with age sign mega-buck contracts outside of the mainstream markets.  Think David Beckham… within rugby union, recently former Australian captain George Gregan and compatriot Stephen Larkham headed to Japan to sign big contracts.  Eventually the same will happen in the NBA, with falling stars heading over to the European game.  One day, as Adrian Wojnarowski points out, we’ll even see a superstar heading there.

But today… it’s Josh Childress.

As promised, parts 3 & 4 of episode 2 of Road to Redemption.

The Nike series ‘Road to Redemption’ episode one wasn’t available in Japan, but it’s a very interesting look…

Here’s parts 1 & 2 of episode 2…

Parts 3 & 4 up later…

What a week for baseball as the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game kicked off early in the week and gave fans plenty to cheer about.

There are 2 robberies to report from Monday Night as Josh Hamilton stole the stage in the first round and then Justin Morneau stole the trophy from Hamilton despite hitting 13 less homeruns on the night.

Josh Hamilton wrote another chapter in his amazing comeback story as he won over the fans in New York by stepping to the plate against his 71-year-old pitcher and crushing pitch after pitch deep into the New York night.  When the first round had come to a close, Hamilton had set a new record with 28 homeruns in one round including 3 shots over 500 feet.  The fatigue of 38 swings in the first round was too much for Hamilton as Justin Morneau defeated him in the Finals, 5-3.  It was a proud moment for Canada and the Minnesota Twins as Morneau won his first Home Run Derby title.

The All-Star Game proved to be just as exciting on Tuesday as the teams battled for 15 innings before Justin Morneau found himself in the spotlight again as he was able to slide in just ahead of the throw on a Michael Young sacrifice fly and the America League continued their run of dominance with a 4-3 win.  We were all left to wonder what would have happened if Morneau were called out and the game went to a 16th inning.  Every position and pitcher was used during the marathon and it’s possible that Bud Selig would have faced another nightmare.

Business was back on schedule on Thursday when the 2nd half of the MLB season officially kicked off.

The Mets were able to run their win streak to 10 games before losing a pair, but they remain baseball’s hottest team with a record of 8-2 over the last 10 games.  They find themselves in a deadlock with the Philadelphia Philles for the division lead.  The Florida Marlins are right on their heels, but also face a tough start to the 2nd half and could find themselves fading out of contention.

As we turn out attention to the NL West, we find an embarrassment to baseball.  The Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers are tied for the lead with 48-50 records.  Each team is 5-5 over the last 10.  The Rockies are playing well as of late, but also sport a 5-5 mark over the last 10.  They have won 4 in a row after a 1-5 stretch.  The 2 worst teams in baseball are holding down the bottom of the division.  The San Francisco Giants have lost 9 of the last 10 and the San Diego Padres have come up short in 8 of the last 10, including 6 straight.

Speaking of teams that have lost 8 of the last 10, Tampa Bay leads the American League East.

The Rays are lucky to be in that position after Boston was swept by the Angels.  Don’t look now, but the Yankees appear to be getting hot and should be adding their annual big name via trade any day now.  This division should be fun to watch down the stretch.

In the AL Central, the White Sox and Twins are tied with 55 wins, but Minnesota is one back in the loss column.  The Twins came out of the break on fire as they racked up 20 runs on Texas in 2 games, before suffering a 1-0 loss despite Scott Baker having a perfect game through 5.2 innings.

Minnesota pitching has been hot and things could get better if Francisco Liriano has anything to say about it.  Liriano is 8-0 with an ERA of just over 2 in his last 10 starts at the Triple-A level.  He would provide a huge boost to an already solid rotation if he could maintain those pre-injury numbers with the big club.

Plenty to watch for this week as there will be quite a few clubs making the decision to make a move because they are out of contention or stay put because the guys are starting to catch fire.

- The Consigliere

From the pen of The Football Consigliere

Tom Brady
Height: 6-4
Weight: 220lbs
Team: New England Patriots
2 YR Avg: 37 TD
2007 Total: 50 TD
2008 Projection: 38 TD

Last year, Brady put up unbelievable numbers, which included 50 TD passes. He’s always been a solid performer with an all pro offensive line, but now he’s gotten some skilled help. It’s no coincidence that his huge season came during his first year with Randy Moss. Moss hauled in 23 of those 50 TD passes and his speed left the field wide open underneath for Brady’s safety valve, Wes Welker. It never seems to matter who is in the backfield but a healthy Laurence Maroney can only help Brady’s numbers. Expect a decline in last year’s TD total, but he could still lead the NFL.

Tony Romo
Height: 6-2
Weight: 230lbs
Team: Dallas Cowboys
2 YR Avg: 27.5 TD
2007 Total: 36 TD
2008 Projection: 32 TD

Romo is coming off a huge season in which he seemed nearly unstoppable when he and Terrell Owens were on the same page. You add Marion Barber and Jason Witten into the mix and Romo has plenty of weapons at his disposal. There is also a wild card in the backfield with game breaker Felix Jones. There are plenty of reasons to love Tony this year, unless of course he starts dating Hilary Duff.

Peyton Manning
Height: 6-5
Weight: 230lbs
Team: Indianapolis Colts
2 YR Avg: 31 TD
2007 Total: 31 TD
2008 Projection: 34 TD

Manning will once again lead one of the best offenses in the NFL. All of his weapons will return and everyone is getting better with the exception of Marvin Harrison, who seems to be slowing down a bit. Reggie Wayne will stretch the field, Dallas Clark will cover the middle and Joseph Addai will be the homerun threat on the swing pass. Manning always has a strong line to give him plenty of time and there’s no reason to think that he won’t be near the top of the league in TD passes again this year.

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Fast approaching the end of the Australian football season (the league is the ‘Australian Football League’), so it’s appropriate to have the basics of the rules explained…

Good luck in Golden State, big fella.

Yes, I am back after another hiatus, this time family enforced. Damn nuisances with their by-pass surgery. Anyway, gonna be snappy this week so straight into it.

Cowboys vs Broncos.

Broncos captain Darren Lockyer returned last week after yet another recovery period for his injured knee. Cowboys skipper Jonathan Thurston is out, after having minor knee surgery on his meniscus (?), for up to six weeks. Cowboys will not win again until he returns and this week will see the Broncos deliver them their 11th straight loss.

Broncos by 20

Sea Eagles vs Eels

Sea Eagles are the team to beat at the moment having won 9 of their last 10 matches. Eels are without sensational five eighth Feleti Mateo and Luke Burt has been dropped from first grade. Their forwards are their biggest problem though and will be no match for the Sea Eagles pack. However, if history is any thing to go by this is the one game the Eels are most likely to lift for. I’ll go with the upset.

Eels by 6

Titans vs Panthers

After their sensational win against top four side the Roosters last week the Titans now know they can win without Prince and Bailey. Expect that confidence to be on show. Panthers have been solid without being sensational.

Titans by 10

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Sheesh… really starting to heat up here.  Bring on some days at the beach!

But, as I can’t get there for now, I’ll tell you what you should be reading around the traps:

1. I agree with Kelly Dwyer over at BDL that the rumored Ron-for-Lamar deal is a bad idea for LA.
2. Awful Announcing has a look at what’s inside the ESPY’s gift bags…
3. Will Brinson explores the situation surrounding NBA referee Scott Foster…
4. Rebirth of Josh Hamilton? Deadspin…
5. Heh… Interesting times on Chilean Subways via The Angry T…
6. They’re tearing down the Spectrum… Epic.
7. Scuba diving!  If you haven’t tried it, you should.  Or, at least look at these pictures from the Bahamas - via One Diver’s Perspective.

That’s all for now… enjoy.