777Gators

First I would start by saying that yes I am a Braun fan and have watched him come up through the Minors. I am also not arguing whether I think Steroids are right or wrong as my opinion rest more with a person's right to choice. I also would not be the guy to debate if the Hall of Fame or old MLB Baseball records are tainted by the introduction of Steroids to the game. Frankly I dont care and yes I would much rather watch a 9-8 score fest with balls flying out of the park traveling 600ft as opposed to a 1-0 snooze fest. With todays large money contracts and each players quest to obtain one by whatever means available, todays game simply is what it is.

In relation to Braun and the recent bashing he has received eventhough his case was thrown out due to flaws in a system that could of been correct test results or reasonable doubt the test was flawed, to me makes no sense. Not to mention the fact there is chatter now that everything he has accomplished suddenly is tainted and I was reading last week that the Hall of Fame is now out of reach. Can we please take one step back, take a breath and get things in perspective. First of all Braun has never tested postiive in his career for any PED's and he past 3 MLB test during last years 2011 season, all of which were negative. The test in question here is only related to and was taken during the Playoffs, so anything he accomplished in his career and all of last year should not even be debated.

Ahh the test, yes the test that suddenly everyone in the world has analyized and knows without a doubt makes Braun quilty. I have no idea what the results were or why or if it was tainted. More important I do know the results of that test were 3 times larger then the normal limits for the human body and was the largest limit ever recorded for a failed test in history, yet Braun in appearence never seemed to bulk up or add any significant muscle as refered to by himself and those around him everyday. Yes the flavor of the moment opinion seems to be that Braun won on a technicality of the chain of custody system, maybe he did and like it or not that chain of custody in this case was flawed. However I also beleive in this country you are presumed innocent until proven quilty by the evidence and if there is a reasonable doubt in that evidence then you are protected under the law. I find the chain of custody in this case coupled with the extreme amount levels of the failed test to be more then enough reasonable doubt and so did the judge.

I have no inside scoop as to the Tebow medical condition but I am assuming he wont play this weekend against LSU. In fact I am probably hoping he doesnt play as he has the rest of his life to worry about and as we all know concussion's are nothing to mess with.

I think the Gator Nation will get a look at the future at the QB position atleast this weekend while Tebow waits another week to get medical clearence and it could be the end of Tim playing the way we are accustomed to as in running between the tackles running over linebackers. Regardless of the way it plays out I hope for a full recovery and on a positive note this could lead to playing smarter and lead to developing true characteristic's of an NFL QB.

As I woke up this morning and started to enjoy my first cup of coffee I was intrigued by the TO story and waitied till my second cup before starting my blog, maybe thats because I was shocked what I had read about more drama in Big D. Yes TO is a distraction and yes one could argue that Dallas needed to move him out, but release him. Wow!

Forgive me as I don't have the contract numbers in front of me as to what kind of hit Dallas will take if Owens is outright cut. Understanding that I am in no way judging the Cowboys or even saying they are wrong as I dont stand in that locker room but I would assume a few things. Wouldnt it of been better to atleast shop TO and see what they could get on the market as I am sure Al Davis would of chomped at the bit to put TO in Silver and Black, In fact I bet Owens will be in Oakland before Monday. If the Cowboys think Williams is there number one WR then they are sadly mistaken and it seems they forget the temper tandrums Williams was putting on in Detroit when he wasnt getting the rock and CJ was stealing William's thunder. The first mistake Jerry made this off season for not only the city of Dallas and the fans was not firing the coach and getting a fresh start in that locker room, fresh ideas and a more intimidating presence on the sidelines. Make no mistake TO has an attitude and is a distraction but the sad thing is some of the things Owens was complaing about were the truth, when he got the rock it was plain to see TO wasnt washed up and when Romo could actually get him the ball, 80% of the time it was a positive ending.

So on one hand I commend Dallas for taking a firm stance and saying enough is enough but I would of liked to of seen them get something in return instead of just eating the salary and the cap hit as I am sure alot of true Cowboy fans are saying the same thing. On the other hand Phillips is weak and has never been a winner as a head coach and I dont think that is going to change next year, with or without TO.

 

Well now as we wake up this morning we get the tail of two tapes, of course all of this is my opinion so you can take it for what it's worth. Lets get rollin with what I consider to be a smart move.

It is nice to see the Dodgers waking up, smelling the coffee and realizing they are bidding against themselves in the make beleive Manny sweepstakes put on by Borass. As I have said before I am not a Dodger, Manny or Borass fan but I am a fan of MLB. I truly don't understand what the infatuation with Manny is as to me the negative truly out weighs the positive and eventhough I mentioned the Braves should go after him to save face, that thought was not in favor of 25 Mil a yr. I hope the Dodgers lower their offer from here on out as truly we are now talking about greed from Manny and Borass with the latest decling of 2 yrs and 45 Mil, no way this guy is worth 75 million over 3 yrs at his age with that attitude. It is time for teams to take a stance and stop giving into Borass and overpaying for talent that buries a team in the long run and players from the DR are immortal's. We all know the 3 yr contract Manny is after is not because he is worth it but rather so he can take 2 yrs off and play hard in the 3rd yr for what, Another large contract. Teams know the trend as they have seen it on center stage in Boston and in the end I wonder why the Dodgers even stay interested as truly no one else is going to get in the ballpark at 25 Mil a yr and frankly anybody that offers anyhting more then a 1 yr contract is a fool. I for one could careless if Manny ever steps on a MLB field again and would love to see him and Borass take it on the chin.

Turning my attention to the NFL Free Agency madness we see it didn't take long for what alot of people perceived to be the Gem and the number one Free Agent to come off the board with Mr Albert Haynesworth. I have not seen the makeup of the Contract yet but 7 yrs 100 Mil is the early line, WoW. As someone who follows the Titans and has watched Haynesworth play through out his career in person. I hope the Redskins protected themselves with a heavy incentive and performance based contract, because if they didnt I can assure you they just got burnt. Only a fool who has not looked at the NFL career path of Albert or the on and off yrs would give this guy 7 yrs of guarenteed money as in my opinion you just gave into the Manny Ramirez of Baseball.   

 

 

 

First of all coming from a fan of MLB and Chipper but not a fan of either club, I was shocked when reading this News. I would of assumed after all that was written yesterday this was a done deal between Griffey and the Braves. I mean you factor in Orlando and the home of the Braves Spring Training and Griffeys house, the fact Atlanta is about an hr flight away during the regular season and it seemed to fit, like a match made in Baseball Heaven. Not so fast my friend.

From one perspective let me say congratulations to the Seattle Mariners in getting Ken Griffey Jr back in the organization. Truly if there ever was a list of players that built a MLB team and put them on the map Jr would be on that list. This truly is a feel good story for MLB in a time when there is so much negativety and I am even more excited to see a player have some compassion to his roots as opposed to the money. Eventhough I am not 100% sure what the Atlanta Braves offered, I am sure the Griffey this late in his career wasnt hurting for money and went with his heart. Some forget that it was Griffey who forced or should I say demanded the Mariners trade him so he could be closer to home and as the Mariners took care of Jr, he is returning the favor now. It will truly be fitting to see Griffey Jr go out in a Seattle uniform and taking it to the Hall of Fame with him, " Providing his name isnt one of the other 103 on the list" of course. Regardless of where Griffeys skills are at the closing moments of a stellar career he will no doubt put fans back in the seats and give the Seattle Mariners something to be proud of as they have brought one of there stars back to where he started.

From the other perspective we must now wonder what is going on with the Atlanta Braves and why has this place suddenly become Taboo to sign and play Baseball. Once a proud and storied franchise has now been treated like a read headed step child over and over again this Off Season after losing out on Ken Griffey, Furcal done an about face and scatted back to the Dodgers, John Smoltz bolted to the RedSox and the Braves still have an OF that hit 27 Home Runs last season but yet watched Adam Dunn slide to the Nats. Not to mention the fact being haggled by a washed up scrub like Glavine who's demanding 3-5 million to get on the mound.  Is it the fact Bobby Cox is too old and the looks lifeless in the dugout, are the Braves just to cheap and trying to get something for nothing, heck are the Braves just boring? Regardless of what one's perspective is on what the Braves are doing I would say if they dont make something happen in the next 4 weeks to get some power in that lineup, its going to be a long season in which you will see Chipper uninterested and not playing in more then 100 MLB games this yr. I cannot stand Borass or Manny Ramirez and what they do to MLB but if I was in the Braves Organization I would be on the phone doing everything I could to get a deal done and get Manny's bat in the lineup, not only for the fans, the city of Atlanta, but also to restore some kind of dignity to the Braves organization. 

I May be the minority here but to tell you the truth I dont care if Arod is on steroids, Frankly I dont care if any athlete uses them, Its their body and to tell you the truth I love to see a ball fly 600ft. Personally, if I was Arod I would come out and say "Yes I took Steroids in 2003 along with half of MLB, put an asterick by my name and I am not interested in the Hall of Fame". When Arod is done with this contract with the Yanks he will have earned over 500 Million, not counting endorsements. Heck he could build his own shrine if he wanted one.

Steroids make a man stronger Yes with lifting and they will assist in the body recovering from the bumps and bruises of a long MLB Season but they do NOT but a bat on the baseball. Thats is God given ability that a player has and regardless he has to hit the ball. I mean in a day of Corked Bats, Eye Surgery that improves the vision beyond 20/20, Tommy John Surgery where guys come out throwing 100mph after, when there heater topped off at 90 before, Tons of supplements that arent Steroids. I think there is plenty of things in Baseball that aid's today's players that wasnt available in the old days and Steroids is just one of them.

This is all about records and the Hall of Fame and is said to be tearing down baseball. Look at the Stats on every stud player in MLB and you will see a huge numbers increase around 03,04,05 then they start to come down and frankly I dont think with today's money MLB Stars could care less. Think about it Steroids and 500 Million or my picture on a wall in the Hall, Im going with the money.

Manny is a great hitter and someone who fills the 4 hole nicely in a lineup, with that I will agree. However I truly hope that both Manny and Borass take a hit on this one. The Dodgers offer was more then fair both times they offered it and to tell you the truth was too much money, the Giants rumors are nothing more then a Borass ploy and didnt they learn anything from the Zito Debacle. The reason Manny isnt signed with a MLB team has a few variables, Borass for one, the economy for two and truthfully only a small handful could ever afford him.

However the main reason he isnt signed which everybody avoids like the small pox, is his attitude. Who in there right mind wants to sign Manny to a long term contract at 37 only to watch him play when he wants to and act like a 1st grader. I truly think the Red Sox debacle last year is hurting him more then he thinks and If I was a MLB team I would only sign him to 1 yr deals also, that way he was playing for a new contract every yr. Let Manny go to a team that is losing and watch what he does. I can think of alot better ways to spend 25 Million a yr and with a whole lot less risk. I am happy he is unsigned and frankly could care less if he ever puts on a uniform again and instead of Manny going around crying how nobody wants to sign him, maybe he should fire Borass, drop the asking price and go prove to all MLB clubs that he isnt a risk anymore with his attitude as they already know he can hit the ball. Somehow I dont think Manny would starve on say, 15 Mil for this yr.