Rams trading Griffin

Ever since the Super Bowl went final and Eli Manning hoisted the trophy with the rest of his teammates there has been much speculation about April's NFL draft, but especially around the two biggest name quarterbacks available in the draft.  Those two names are names you are, or should be very familiar with by now, Andrew Luck from Stanford and Robert Griffin III from Baylor.

For all intents and purposes the Indianapolis Colts have said they will take a successor to Peyton Manning with the No. 1 pick in the draft and all signs point to them taking Luck.  Luck is the most logical choice for the Colts as they appear to moving forward from the Manning era and looking to go with someone else.  Luck is the perfect piece to begin rebuilding a team around.

The most intriguing pick in the draft is going to be the St. Louis Rams who have the No. 2 overall pick in the draft.  The reason it is intriguing is because the Rams already have their quarterback of the future in Sam Bradford, so it comes to no surprise they are shopping around for trades for their pick.  They are essentially trading Griffin because no one sees him falling past the No. 2 pick, especially if the Rams trade the pick.  They will be looking to get some really good compensation for trading the pick, knowing how coveted Griffin is after dazzling scouts at the NFL scouting combine this past week.  They will be looking to get what the San Diego Chargers got after trading the rights of No. 1 overall pick Eli Manning in the 2004 draft to the New York Giants.  The Chargers received two first-round picks, a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick.  With those draft choices the Chargers were able to get Phillip Rivers, Shawn Merriman, and Nate Kaeding, all of whom have been to several Pro Bowls.  

Whatever the Rams receive for essentially trading Robert Griffin III, it is sure to yield great results and allow them to continue to add pieces to build around their quarterback of the future.  It is a good move for the Rams who have been committed to Bradford since drafting him.  Not only that, but the team who gets Griffin will have a quarterback around whom to build for years to come. 

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The Appeal Heard Round the World

Well it is official folks, just when you thought Major League Baseball couldn't screw up its drug/steroid policy any further, they go and make it worse.  MLB has overturned last season's NL MVP, Ryan Braun's suspension for a positive performance enhancing drugs test.
If you have not read the story on ESPN, click here to read it.  Braun tested positive for elevated testosterone back in October, but Braun claimed tampering and challenged correct procedures had not been followed in the handling of his sample.  It is because of this Braun won his appeal despite having a 20:1 ratio of testosterone and the test confirmed synthetic testosterone was in his system.
This is going to open a huge can of worms as everyone who has been punished for testing positive may now try and appeal the decision, especially because of the technicality which allowed Braun to start the season much earlier than anticipated.  According to reports from this ESPN article, MLB officials are livid Braun won and hope it does not create a precedent from which more appeals may draw.  This is exactly what baseball did not need at this time.  It appeared they were headed out of the darkness the steroid era left lingering over the sport when something like this happens.  Just because the sample sat at the tester's home in a cool container because he thought FedEx would have already been closed, doesn't create synthetic testosterone appear in the sample, especially when all the seals are intact.  It is reprehensible, especially if there was synthetic testosterone was found in the sample no matter what policies were in place.
I think the worst part of all of this is Braun is claiming his character has been defamed and he is trying to get his reputation back, which he believes MLB has stained.  Now I want to direct this at Mr. Braun.  Ryan, you stained it when you decided winning the NL MVP award was more important than your integrity and took the synthetic testosterone.  In my eyes you are no better than Manny Ramirez and all the others who have tainted the game by taking steroids.  You are making millions and are cheating America's pastime.  I hope you realize you have disappointed me and many other fans all around baseball, this may have been a short reprieve, but there is no saving the reputation you yourself tarnished.  You only have to look in the mirror to find the one responsible.  Quit blaming others for your own actions.  Please for once be a man and take some responsibility for what you have done.  When you can do that you can have my respect as a person, but the respect I once had for you as a player is gone and gone forever.  Do everyone a favor and don't tarnish the game you and many others love by taking synthetic testosterone ever again, because I am sure you don't want to disappear into obscurity like Ramirez.  He keeps coming back to the league because he can't come to grips with what he has done and misses the spotlight.

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Best NBA weekend performance

As I contemplate the weekend performances in the NBA and which one I should blog about, because there were some great ones, I'm drawn to a performance most would maybe overlook. Sure Kevin Durant had 51 points, Russell Westbrook had 40 points, and Lebron James was two assists away from a triple-double there was one that stood out from all of these. It was Serge Ibaka's triple-double.
Here is Ibaka's stat line for the night: 14 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 blocks. Now on the surface that may not sound as impressive as a 50-point game or a 40-point game, but when you dive into the stats a little more it makes sense. He has 14 points on six of seven shooting and he made two of four free throws. He also added a steal and only had one turnover. That is a pretty amazing feat considering everything else going on in the game.
Ibaka has proven time and time again how valuable he is to the Thunder. He continuously hustles to get rebounds and seems to always be getting back on defense getting blocks. The guy is a defensive beast and can provide an offensive spark when needed. He doesn't have to very often with the way Westbrook and Durant play, so he can continue to be the defensive stalwart and he will be a key cog in what is sure to be a deep playoff run by the Thunder.

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