Song of the Day-6/16/10

Is Haynesworth For Real?

How often does the average American citizen wish they had $100 million dollars in their bank account?

To rephrase that question, how often does the average American citizen wish they were paid $100 million dollars to play the game they love?

Well, for those of you who have ever dreamt about being THAT rich, then this following post should have you as fired up as I am after hearing about the most recent Albert Haynesworth debacle.

The Washington Redskins of 2008 needed a face-lift. They needed to play harder, faster, and more tenacious. Most of all, they needed a big man in the middle to give their defense some character, and they believed that character would arrive with the signing of one of the most talented defensive tackles in the league.

Luring him to Washington wasn't going to be tough, it's a place with a great football past and as die-hard fans as you'll find on the east coast. Signing him to the contract that his conceited personality desired, well that would be very tricky. Yet, through day-long negotiations and meetings galore, the Washington Redskins' owner Dan Snyder graciously offered Haynesworth a contract worth $100 million dollars. Of that $100 million dollars, $41 million of it was guaranteed to the former Tennessee Volunteer. Plenty of personalities around the league scratched their head at this signing, but the Redskins were hoping his talent would mask the distractions he's notorious for.

Fast forward a year, and the Washington Redskins are kicking themselves. Hard.

A player who had been notched as 'dirty,' and 'selfish,' is right back to his typical antics. The Washington Redskins of 2009 needed an even more drastic overhaul, after a disastrous 4-12 season that led to the firing of then head coach Jim Zorn. The season for Haynesworth was just as catastrophic, where he finished a sub-par season with just 37 tackles and four sacks. More importantly, teams weren't afraid to run right at him, which was the biggest reason for the giant signing.

Now, Haynesworth has surprised and frustrated his coaches and teammates by deciding to be a no-show for mandatory mini-camp. He's claimed that the coaches and management have altered their defensive strategy, and that this new particular style doesn't fit Haynesworth's abilities.

Imagine, paying a talented and monstrous football player $100 million dollars to change the face of your franchise, and then hearing him (not even him, it's his agent) say that the system doesn't fit him best, and now he wants a trade. The fact that he wants a trade is mind-boggling enough, but now the management needs to try and find a team that is bonkers enough to shell out THAT type of money to a personality like that?

It seems that in this situation, money has truly gotten to Mr. Haynesworth's head. Now he has left his organization, teammates, and fans out to dry, all because of his me-first personality. It's a lesson to be learned for not only the Washington Redskins, but for all of football's higher-ups. Before you break the bank on someone strictly based on talent, examine their personality with the finest of microscopes to ensure that a situation like this won't occur. All in all, if things continue like this for Washington, the Redskins of 2010 will also need a face-lift.

Song of the Day-6/9/10

MLB 2010 Predictions #1

We currently sit about a third of the way through the season, and as I see it so far, here's what how I think this year will end:

AL East Winner: New York Yankees

AL Central Winner: Minnesota Twins

AL West Winner: Los Angeles Angels

AL Wild Card: Tampa Bay Rays

NL East Winner: Philadelphia Phillies

NL Central Winner: St. Louis Cardinals

NL West Winner: San Francisco Giants

NL Wild Card: New York Mets

Yankees over Rays, Angels over Twins; Yankees over Angels

Cardinals over Mets, Phillies over Giants; Cardinals over Phillies

Yankees over Cardinals

AL Cy Young: Phil Hughes, New York Yankees

NL Cy Young: Ubaldo Jiminez, Colorado Rockies

AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers

NL MVP: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals

Monthly MLB Dream Team

Here are my selections for the Dream Team for the last month:

Catcher

Last Month's Prediction: Matt Wieters, Baltimore Orioles

This Month's Winner: Victor Martinez, Boston Red Sox

Martinez has gotten hot, as have the Red Sox, over the past month. He's batting .298 with 8 HR's and 30 RBI. He'll have to continue to play hot if the Red Sox want to keep winning.

Next Month's Prediction: Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins

First Base

Last Month's Prediction: Mark Teixiera, New York Yankees

This Month's Winner: Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins

It was very tough not to go back to last month's winner, Miguel Cabrera, because he is still absolutely crushing it. However, Morneau is no slouch himself, batting for both average and power. He's got a .370 average to go along with 13 HR's and 40 RBI.

Next Month's Prediction: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals

Second Base

Last Month's Prediction: Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati Reds

This Month's Winner: Robinson Cano, New York Yankees

I hate to give the same player the credit two months in a row, but if anyone deserves it, it's Cano. Continuously putting his talent on display, he's now batting .363, with 12 HR's and 45 RBI. Not only is he leading the Yankees to their fast start, he's also blowing all other second basemen in the league out of the water.

Next Month's Prediction: Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies

Third Base

Last Month's Prediction: Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco Giants

This Month's Winner: Scott Rolen, Cincinnati Reds

Kudos to this veteran, who has positioned the Reds in a first place battle for the NL Central. Even after all these years, Rolen still has pop as he leads all third basemen with 14 HR's.

Next Month's Prediction: David Wright, New York Mets

Shortstop

Last Month's Prediction: Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins

This Month's Winner: Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies

With identical power numbers as Ramirez (8 HR's, 29 RBI), Tulo gets the nod here because of his average, which as of now sits at .303. Troy is a pretty unorthodox SS, mainly because of his great power at the plate.

Next Month's Prediction: Derek Jeter, New York Yankees

Outfielders

Last Month's Predictions:

Shin-Soo Choo, Cleveland Indians

Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers

Marlon Byrd, Chicago Cubs

This Month's Winners:

Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners

This guy's at it again, leading all OF's with a .353 average and 82 hits. If only he didn't play in Seattle, people might actually get to see how good he really is.

Vernon Wells, Toronto Blue Jays

There are four playoff-caliber teams playing in the AL East right now, and unfortunately for two of them, they won't get a chance to play in the postseason. Vernon Wells, whose been a Blue Jay for quite some time now, will probably get the short end of the stick, but his numbers as of now are very impressive (14 HR's, 40 RBI, and a .306 average).

Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays

18 HR's! His .250 batting average clearly establishes him as a basic power threat, but he's on pace for about 54 HR's on the year, so this guy clearly deserves the nod for this month.

Next Month's Predictions:

Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers

Jason Bay, New York Mets

Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay Rays

Starting Pitcher

Last Month's Prediction: Phil Hughes, New York Yankees

This Month's Winner: Mike Pelfrey, New York Mets

He's currently pitching right now, but before tonight's game he stood at 8-1 overall, with a 2.39 ERA. That ERA was inflated in his only loss of the year against their NL East rival the Philadelphia Phillies. He's been as close to perfect as possible this year for the Mets, and has clearly established himself as a great Number Two starter.

Next Month's Prediction: Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals

Relief Pitcher

Last Month's Prediction: Kevin Gregg, Toronto Blue Jays

This Month's Winner: Heath Bell, San Diego Padres

Bell has done his job, to say the least, for his Padres. He's got 16 saves through two months, and has helped the Padres own first place in the NL West. Not to mention, his ERA sits at 1.38, which for a reliever is phenomenal.

Next Month's Prediction: Jonathan Broxton, Los Angeles Dodgers