There is so much happening right now in sports.  Free agency starts at 12:01 EST tonight March 2nd, well that would actually be tomorrow morning officially, but who cares you know what I mean.  We have the NHL trade deadline passed and a story yet to come that you will see actually get coverage in an NHL arena of more than a highlight on Sportscenter.  Spring training has also began and steroid winds are blowing yet again.

  So we need to talk, well I need to write and you need to read.  I am going to start with a trade that actually happened in the NFL.  The big surprise to me is that there was actually three players involved in the trade as well.  The Detroit Lions sent Dre Bly and a 6th round draft pick to Denver for Tatum Bell, (T) George Foster, and a 5th round pick.  The winner to me is Denver but Detroit needed to make this deal as well so it works out for both sides very well.  The Broncos now have two very good pro bowl corners on their defense.  The Lions lose Bly but gain another solid RB to team up with injured Kevin Jones who currently is injured with a serious foot injury.  Bly is a very good cover corner but Detroit's defense is now designed to have run stopping CBs instead.  To me Denver gets the better end because they may have the best pair of corners in the game now and the Broncos always fit new RBs in their system and they seem to work every time. Detroit is now clearing out Matt Millen's guys he brought in, to bring in more of them.....uh oh  At least Matt got two players for Dre and will move up a round in the draft as well.  Good trade for both.

  Joey Porter was released by Pittsburgh today making him a free agent.  Joe Horn was released as well.  Most of the better free agents seem to be defensive players.  A team could actually bring in Nate Clements, Ken Hamlin, Joey Porter, Donnie Edwards and Adelius Thomas if they lay out the contracts correctly.  Not really but it does sound like the Washington (racist Indian name) NFL team for 2007!

Brady Quinn, what is the deal here?  He didn't throw at the combine?  He is a quarterback.  Now I read that he isn't going to interview for teams during Notre Dame's pro day.  He was over rated his entire career and now he is costing himself millions of dollars by falling even a few picks in the draft.  Or is he?  Maybe the less he says the better.  Kind of like how a woman knows if she wants to get it on with a guy unless he starts saying a bunch of stupid stuff by talking too much.  Maybe not but he may fall to picks 15-20 by doing this.  That is the difference in millions of dollars in guaranteed money.

  NHL trade deadline had a lower noted trade which involved league tough guy in Todd Bertuzzi to the Detroit Red Wings.  Bert goes to the Wings who are a team he was a former nemesis of.  He had a fued on ice with Chris Chelios.  Bertuzzi clotheslined Chris Chelios in a playoff game and instantly became the bull's-eye on every Detroit fan's dartboard?  Now the two are teamates.  Bert also may help revive a former rivalry.  Remember Bertuzzi is the guy who hit Colorado's Steve Moore from behind and has essentially ended his career.  The NHL may want to get the Wings-Avs rivalry revived because anytime they had these two play the ratings were actually on the ratings.  The Red Wings continue to be the team that gets ratings when they are on but unfortunatly for the NHL, they are the only team anyone ever wants to watch.  They are and have been a great team to watch and have never been afraid to bring in who they thought gave them the best chance to win the Stanley Cup.  Now they bring in a player in Todd Bertuzzi who has played all but seven games this year and had a 17 month suspension from the Moore hit.

Gary Sheffield has a new book coming out and it will cover a lot of things in his life he never talked about before including steroids.  Sheffield met with a Major League Baseball executive Thursday to discuss recent comments by the Detroit slugger on whether he would cooperate with former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell's investigations into steroids.  Sheff was quoted in the an Associated Press report saying conflicting things at different times of the week "The (players') association told us this is just a witch hunt," Sheffield told USA Today. "They don't want us to talk to them. This is all about getting Barry Bonds."  Sheffield then told SI.com he would let the union decide whether he would talk with Mitchell's staff.  "I've always been more than willing," Sheffield told SI.com. "I'm not saying they're going to get much out of me, 'cause I don't know nothing."   I believe him when he says it too. He has always been a great player but never in the same place very long.  Sheffield has always been a contract guy.  By that I mean he always made sure he was "getting his."  If MLB was ever concerned about steroids in baseball and the intergrity of the game they would have never let it get this out of hand. 

The trade deadline had it all yesterday.  Players were dealt, prospects and draft picks as well.  It is never fair to really say who winners and losers are for sometimes five to seven years.  Especially with as many draft picks and prospects were dealt yesterday.  The moves that were made are all to help organizations (canadian translation organ-eye-zation) wins the Stanley Cup this year or in ten years.

One team did what they have a history for and they are my first loser of the pack.  I left Nashville of the list of winners because they didn't add anyone after Foresberg.  Peter Foresberg has not played like the Peter Foresberg of Colorada since he was in Colorado.  The Predators are a fast team that didn't seem to prepare for  a marathon as the Detroit Red Wings have now tied the for the second best overall record in the NHL, just one point behind Eastern Conference leading Buffalo.


First winner is  the New York Islanders.  They get a franchise player in Ryan Smyth from Edmonton. but give up essentially three first round picks to get him.  The trick now is to sign him to a long term deal like Edmonton would not.  If they cannot convice Ryan to stay, they will have problems.

The second winner is San Jose.  They traded for Bill Guerin.  He may actually be the best overall forward right now in the NHL.  The Blues were eliminated basically from the playoffs and needed to look at the future.  San Jose may now have the best power play going into the playoffs.

The Third winner is Detroit.  They brought in struggling winger Kyle Calder traded from Philadelphia back to Chicago enroute to a trade to Detroit.  Calder came off the bench to score approxiamtley 6 seconds into his Red Wing career.  The Wings also brought in Todd Bertuzzi from Florida who has been out almost all season with back surgery.  Bert is almost ready to go though. 

The Pittsburgh Penguins got tougher, a lot tougher.  They convinced tough guy, veteran, goal scoring, playoff tested Gary Roberts to waive his no trade clause and also brought in the leagues best fighter Georges Larauque to protect possibly the leagues best player in Sidney Crosby.  These moves may be bigger than all of the above, but don't forget, goaltending wins out and they have a lot riding on Fluery to prove he has more than a great regular season in him, and he has that chance this year.  The Pens may not win it all this year but these are the steps to get there.  The playoff experience will be great for this young team.

Other teams that were close were Atlanta for bringing in Keith Tkachuk not Pascal Dupuis.  Atlanta is ready to make a playoff run adding to their improved line up.  Nashville did bring in Foresberg but that is all.  Five years ago that would have been huge.  But the question remains in Nashville is, will the Preds get the Peter Foresberg of old, or just and old Peter Foresberg? 

Teams that lost were not as clear because of the prospects and future picks acquired are moves made for the future  However I can say that with out a doubt the Edmonton Oilers are losers, clearly.  The irony of Mark Messier night?  Honoring a hero and sending another away, adding in Wayne Gretzky had his coyotes in town was too much for me.  The day they traded the franchise in Ryan Smyth, they celebrate Mark Messier and celebrate with another of their big trades made when they sent Gretzky to L.A. in 1998.  Smyth is often dubbed Captain Canada because he has represented his country on the ice so many times at the world Championship tournament.  He also won gold with Team Canada at the 2002 Olympics.

The Hab nots is what Montreal has become.  They traded away a defenseman two days earlier and stand in the number seven spot in the playoffs in the east tied with the Islanders.  They are still in a strong position to play for the Stanley Cup and decided maybe they shouldn't be.  They made no moves other than subtraction.

The Maple Loafs did it again!  They brought back Yanic Perrault for his third stint in Toronto.  He did have 19 goals for Phoenix this season so far and the Loafs do get Mike Peca back soon so maybe they are going to be just fine.  maybe they can have the respect of being called the Leafs again come playoff time.  Yanic said of his return to Toronto "It feels like Groundhog Day, "I wake up and I'm back in Toronto.  He also said "It's great . . . the fans have always been great."

It is nice to see the trade deadline hasn't lost its luster but had more shine since the salary cap. More players were moved yesterday than any in trades past.  It is also amusing to see the same basic results in standing before and after the cap. Many thought the Wings would falter but had the best overall record by far last season and only one point behind the Sabres for the Presidents Trophy. Some thought this would keep teams like New York from plucking great players from teams, having a huge payroll, and never making the playoffs.....wrong. It all came out who the have and have nots are when it comes to front office supremacy.

 

 

For some teams in baseball right now they are looking to make a significant move via trade to make a playoff run.  Some teams need and will acquire starting pitching, or a big bat.  Some teams really truely need to make a move, but for some teams, no move may be the right move.

I am not going to go through all the teams but here are a few that need a new face in the clubhouse and a few that no move may be the best move.

Chicago Cubs - With the Cubs struggling all season long now it is time to make some moves.  They have several players they can trade and if they want to have a better future it is time to move some players and stock up some younger players.  They have starting pitching and several veteran players they can move.  Kerry Wood and Mark Prior however should not be traded, they should be rested.  This is not the season they hoped to have but next season at least they could start over.  Any baseball franchise needs a solid 1-2 punch to start the rotation, with Wood and Prior they have that when they are healthy.  If they can make any trades they need to get as many players in return as possible.

Washington Senators - They are in great position to trade Alphonso Soriano and possibly Nick Johnson.  They also are a team who needs to get as much in return as possible.  Getting cash back for these players is not a smart option.  They can't afford to make a deal to get a prospect and cash for Soriano.  They should be looking for several players in return even if they are all prospects.  Cash does not win you games, look at the Yankees, they pay over $200 million for a team in second place in the AL East and 6.5 games back of the wild card.

Cincinnati Reds - Staring pitching is needed most.  They have also been very streaky this season as well.  Every time they have been counted out they put a string of wins together like as of late.  They now lead the wild card race for the National league.  The Reds should not be looking to move Griffey either.  With Dunn and Griffey in the line up in gives them two solid left handed hitters that most teams only dream of.

Florida Marlins - if they have another fire sale they may as well move this franchise.  No team in baseball has let more talent go than them.  It is a shame that baseball fans in south Florida have had to be a part of a team that has won two World Series and traded away any player that remotely has a fan base.  Maybe baseball should have a minimun cap as well to prevent teams like the Marlins from selling out on their fans as many times as they already have.  Have they ever thought about trying to win back to back championships?

Chicago White Sox - No move may be best for them.  They won the World Series last year and have only the Tigers in front of them in all of baseball.   Bullpen help may be the only move they make.

Detroit Tigers - Rumored to be trying to work out a deal with Philadelphis for Bobby Abreu to add a left handed hitter to an already potent line up one through nine.  They have also been rumored to be involved with a John Smoltz for Joel Zumaya trade.  To trade Zumaya for anyone would be a mistake they would regret for many seasons to come.  He is the future closer and has three pitchs already in his arsenal.  It would be ironic if they did make that move since it was Detroit who traded Smoltz for a veteran pitcher in the first place when they traded him to Atlanta for Doyle Alexander in 1987.  As for a left handed bat, they have Dmitri Young rehabing in the minors and he is a switch hitter.  He has been almost the only force in the line up the Tigers had in years past.  He may be just what they need and they already have him.  No move may be the best move.  They have the best record in baseball, they should go with what has gotten them there.

Milwaukee Brewers - If they can trade Carlos Lee they must.  They have been fading fast and Lee makes a lot of dough.  He will be a free agent at the end of the season and they need to get something for him. Lee will be in high demand but his impending free agency may hinder what they get in return.

New York Yankees - Starting pitching is imperative to acquire for the Yanks.  They have had injuries and weak pitching all season.  They need to look to National league to get what they need as American League teams will be less willing to trade with them.  They will get their star outfilders back before the playoffs.  Pitching wins anyway.  And if they really want to win that is the direction they need to go.