A short stay in Philly for Cliff Lee; Philly not worried

Cliff Lee is involved in a three-way way trade which would send him to the Seattle Mariners and bring Roy Halladay to the Phillies. Now when i first saw this I thought that it was kind of pointless for Philly to trade their best pitcher in the World Series and a Cy Young candidate from last year. Both Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay are phenomenal pitchers, but Lee is left-handed and Halladay is right-handed. I put some thought into the situation and came to the conclusion that although being a blockbuster trade and one of the biggest I've seen, it is honestly good for everybody. Cliff Lee would be the best pitcher on most rosters, but at the same time so would Halladay. Halladay fits the Phillies the best because his right-handed pitching will complement Cole Hamels left-handed pitching. The Yankees won the World Series last year because the Phillies didn't have a dependable right-handed starter. Roy Halladay will fill that void and the Phillies could easily go back to the World Series. This bothers me a little bit though. Baseball is beginning to turn me away since all the best teams sign the best players just because they have more money. Granted Florida is not the best of teams, but the city of Seattle is putting most of their money in acquiring Cliff Lee. Teams like Cincinnati and Cleveland don't have the money to make these moves which leaves me with no hope. I just don't think baseball is very exciting anymore.

Tiger Woods Controversy

Tiger Woods has been in the spotlight non-stop lately and obviously not for good reasons. As you all know Tiger got in a car accident outside his home on Thanksgiving evening after allegedly getting in an argument with his wife Elin. The original story was that Elin saved him by smashing the back windshield with Tiger's five iron. Now we all know this isn't what happened. I mean come on, all she had to do was open the door and drag him out if he was seriously injured. Considering he was going under 23 mph since his airbag didn't deploy probably suggests that he didn't need "saved". Recently voicemails and text messages have been discovered revealing that Tiger had a couple of mistresses. This explains why his wife Elin would chase after him with a golf club and later move out of their enormous Orlando house. My take is Tiger simply couldn't resist the constant women throwing themselves at him since he is famous and loaded for that matter. This makes me think different about Tiger and athletes as well. If golden boy Tiger Woods is getting caught cheating on his wife then other top names athletes might be as well. I just think these athletes shouldn't be getting married if they are going to sleep with other women. Just don't get married if that's what you want to do! Marriage isn't meant to be temporary. Marriage is a permanent bond to be faithful for life. Do it for the right reasons.

Brady Quinn takes a cheap shot on Terrell Suggs

Brady Quinn just adds to another terrible loss on Monday night. The Browns took a whooping from the Ravens this past Monday and happened to get shut out thanks to Brady Quinn. I watched the entire game and the Browns defense really didn't play that bad. The only problem was Brady Quinn and the offense. I don't think I have ever seen a worse offense in all of my years watching the NFL. Brady Quinn was absolutely horrible against a banged up Ravens defense. Granted the Ravens defense has a reputation to protect and I think Brady Quinn pretty much did that for them. He threw passes that I honestly could have thrown better. Let's get down to the point though. Brady Quinn had one of the cheapest hits on Terrell Suggs. He chop blocked him and dove straight at his knees. Terrell Suggs in turn suffered a severe MCL sprain. I can relate to this because I used to play defensive end in high school and some tackles would try and chop me. This is the worst thing ever because your knees are very vulnerable. This just amazes me how Quinn would do such a thing. If I was Terrell Suggs I would be furious. There is no reason to go for someone's knees especially when you are down 17-0 and have no chance of winning the game. Brady Quinn was rightfully fined and I think that hits like this one should be punishable by suspension.

Kobe scores 100th 40 point game

Kobe Bryant and Lebron James are obviously the best two NBA players at the moment. Kobe has been in the league longer than Lebron, but is Lebron better? This is going to be an argument for the ages. Lebron has been phenomenal ever since he entered the league. Kobe has as well. Kobe accomplished something Lebron hasn't last night against the Pistons. He scored his 100th 40 point game. Some may argue that Lebron hasn't been in the league long enough to accomplish this feat, but Kobe definitely deserves kudos for this great accomplishment that only MJ and Wilt the Stilt have done themselves. This makes me think different about the NBA. I have never really been a huge fan of the NBA because I love the NFL so much, but after seeing highlights of Kobe and Lebron every day on Sportscenter I am slowly getting more interested in the NBA. I always thought it was just a bunch of overpaid crybabies playing the game, but now the NBA is the best it has been since Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. I am very fond of watching hard dunks and unbelievable plays. Kobe scoring his 100th 40 point game has definitely grabbed my attention in the NBA.

Elizabeth Lambert: Soccer player or UFC fighter?

Elizabeth Lambert is a soccer player for the New Mexico women's soccer team, believe it or not, who must have had a boost of testosterone before their game against BYU. She was not just playing physical, but punishing her fellow opponents. She repeatedly was caught on camera punching BYU players and even ripping one girl down by her hair. She also had some very dangerous slide tackles as well as kicking the ball into a BYU player's face. This is not even the worst of it though. After committing all of these fouls you would think that she would have been ejected with a red card. This unfortunately did not occur as the game was played throughout with Lambert only receiving a yellow card. This is outrageous to me. How can someone get away with what she did. Granted, she was suspended for the rest of the season, but somehow i feel like she should be punished more. I understand there isn't much else you can do other than suspend her, but what about something more powerful like stripping her of her scholarship. I just think this kind of behavior is absolutely unacceptable in sports. This event made me think different about this young lady and if I was one of those BYU players I would have probably retaliated. There is just no room for that stuff on the playing field.

Is the NCAA consistent with their suspensions?

Previously in class we discussed the LaGarrette Blount suspension for punching Byron Hout in the jaw in their season opener. The discussion of whether the suspension was sufficient also took place. Recently, LaGarrette Blount was reinstated by the NCAA. I think it is interesting how Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant is suspended for the year because he went to Deon Sander's house to work out and supposedly agent Eugene Parker was there to talk about his future. Obviously this is against NCAA policies. I don't think that a full year suspension is justified in this situation. LaGarrette Blount acutally punched Hout and got reinstated while Dez Bryant went to work out and an agent, who is a good friend of Deon Sanders, happened to be there too. I think that the NCAA is inconsistent with their suspensions and Dez Bryant's draft stock and senior year are now being stripped from him. He was going to be a possible top ten pick and now he is going to drop to late first round early second. This makes me think differently about how the NCAA distinguishes what is worthy for suspension and what clarifies reinstatement. I conclude that the NCAA needs to make up their mind and go one way or the other.

Mangini sends Edwards packing: Good move?

Early this morning the decision was made for the Browns to trade Bralyn Edwards to the Jets. I have heard numerous reactions to this, but it was a great move if you ask me. Bralyn Edwards is tied with Brandon Marshall for the most on-target dropped passes since 2007 at 30 apiece. This year he has more dropped passes than catches and the Browns look like they have no hope. The Browns needed to make a move and they finally did. This was a good trade for both teams because the Jets got the deep threat wide receiver they had been looking for and the Browns got Chansi Stuckey, who is better than any receiver on the Browns, Jason Trusnik, and a 3rd and 5th round draft pick. The Browns need to think about rebuilding and this is an early step. This story caught my attention and made me think about how this would affect both teams. After analyzing the trade I feel that both teams are going to benefit from this trade. Bralyn Edwards simply just didn't want to play for Cleveland and I believe he will work hard in New York and become a big player again. On the other hand Cleveland got a solid receiver and two draft picks. Mohammed Massaquoi is emerging as a good receiver and with Chansi Stuckey, Derek Anderson could improve. The 3rd and 5th round draft picks will help as well. If the Browns are smart they could get a steal on a player such as Legarette Blount; RB out of Oregon who was suspended for the season, dropping his draft stock because of character issues. Bralyn Edwards just didn't want to be a Brown anymore so Mangini took advantage and now the rebuilding process has begun. The Browns have yet to make a good move in rebuilding besides Joe Thomas. Playmakers are needed and so far the Browns have none that are proven.

Does Bralyn Edwards forget who's the King of Cleveland?

Bralyn Edwards was at the same club as Lebron James and his entourage this past weekend and apparently they don't get along. There was some kind of confrontation between Edwards and one of the King's friends. Edwards ended up throwing a punch to a measly 5'7 130 pound man who happened to be in Lebron's crew. This upset Lebron which is the last thing you want to do. Bralyn made the wrong decision messing with the King. Lebron is the face of Cleveland and Edwards hasn't done much to compete with Lebron. The Browns are awful and disappoint the Cleveland fans every year as opposed to the Cavs and Lebron who give hope to the city if Cleveland. Bralyn Edwards needs to learn his place on the food chain. I don't think that punching the King's noblemen moves you up in the kingdom. The last thing Cleveland needs is negative attention. They have enough already during the football season and Edwards should apologize to ease tension. I now think differently of Bralyn Edwards because he must be drunk if he thinks he's higher up than Lebron on the Cleveland food chain. I respect Lebron for not retaliating and telling the media, in a nonconfrontational way, that Edwards was wrong. Lebron is the king of Cleveland and Bralyn Edwards is lucky to live in his kingdom.

Miguel Cabrera gets drunk in between double header

Miguel Cabrera is a vital part of the Detroit Tigers. He has played very well this season batting .323 with 30+ homeruns and over a hundred RBI's. Tiger’s fans love him since he is one of their best players. But what do Tigers fans think about Cabrera making a trip to the bar in between their double header this past Sunday? That's right Cabrera went to a local bar in between games to relieve some stress. He was accused of beating his wife after coming home drunk the same weekend of the games. Instead of concentrating on the AL race between the Twins, Cabrera decided it would be nice to have a couple drinks before the second game on Sunday resulting in the GM/President/CEO David Dombrowsky picking him up to participate in the second game. Cabrera ended up going 0-4, but said he was not affected by the alcohol. This caught my attention real quick. What kind of example is he setting for fans? I don't care how stressed you are, as a professional athlete it is unheard of to drink before, let alone in between games. It obviously affected his performance and it was a crucial game which could have prevented the tie-breaker game played tonight in which they were eliminated from playoff contention since they did not win the division. Dombrowsky is also to blame for letting him play and not punishing him. I don't care how important the games are Dombrowsky should have not let that happen. It is unethical by both Cabrera and Dombrowsky and, although I don't believe in karma, the Cabrera and Dombrowsky got what they deserve at the expense of the team.

NFL holdouts

NFL holdouts occur every year. Rookies know that they can sign high dollar contracts and they're beginning to take advantage of it. Michael Crabtree is a perfect example of this ridiculous trend. He has yet to sign with 49ers because he wants $22 million guaranteed instead of $17.7 million which is the standing offer from San Francisco. Since Crabtree was predicted as high as 4th in the draft he believes he should be paid like a 4th overall pick. He dropped to 10th and as a result he received a contract for a 10th overall pick which was higher than the amount Keith Rivers got the year before. Essentially Crabtree was offered a top ten contract and he is still unhappy. This irritates me because that is just downright stupid. There is no reason that a player should not be thankful for having all that money. How does Michael Crabtree think he deserves an extra five million dollars when for all we know he could be a bust. Chances are he won't be, but why not take the initial $17.7 million and prove throughout the season that you are worth a bigger contract. When it comes down to it Michael Crabtree is being selfish. Selfishness is unethical and something needs to be done to stop these absurd contract demands.

Introduction

I am a huge Tennessee Titans fan who has ten years experience of playing football and about eleven years experience of following football. I follow strictly the NFL with the exception of moderate knowledge of most other professional sports and pretty good knowledge of collegiate sports. I am so interested in football because of my ten years experience. It was the best time of my life because there were no larger adrenaline rushes than there was in football. I loved playing defense for the reason that you could legally hit people as hard as you could and not be punished for it. The reason I follow the NFL the most is because there is nothing better than watching the world's best football players perform in front of thousands of fans. There is just something about that which gives me the chills when I watch. Fantasy football makes Sundays even more exciting knowing that I have a chance to pick my own team and show my knowledge about the NFL. I can then focus on certain performers in most of the games instead of just watching my Titans play. I am very interested in taking this class because not everyone knows about the history of sports or the philosophy. I am excited to become even smarter about sports and understand its origins. I expect great things from this course including broadening my knowledge about my favorite aspect of life...sports. The only concern I have for this class is in the ethics portion. I am taking an ethics course along with this one and it does not look like a fun class. That makes me worry about the ethics portion of this class and I can only hope that the aspect of sports involved with ethics can make it more interesting.