Phelps Captures Second Gold Medal in Stunners

Micheal Phelps increased his gold medal count to two late last night, but only by the slimmest of margins. Phelps is now two for two in medal races. Those two races were considered the toughest and Phelps is in good shape now that he won the 400-meter freestyle relay 400-meter individual medley.

Last night's race was completely stunning. Phelps raced first and put the U.S. in good position. Coming down the stretch, Jason Lezak (the anchor for the U.S. team) caught France's Alain Bernard, who was ahead by a body length. Lezak touched the wall just before Bernard.

Bernard said that the French team (who were the favorites) would "smash" the Americans. It turns out the jokes on him.

Let's get back to the race. It was the most exciting swimming race that I have ever seen. In horse racing you win by a nose; in swimming, you win by a touch, and that's exactly what Jason Lezak did. It was easily the most exciting event in the Olympics so far.

Micheal Phelps will try for his third gold medal tonight at 10:15 pm Eastern Time. I think he will win all eight events. He has already won the toughest events for him. You should have seen him cheering on Lezak.

U.S. Basketball Team Beats China

The U.S. men's basketball team beat China today in their first game. The host country stayed in the game until halftime, but the Americans pulled away in the third quarter. The final score was 101-70. Yao Ming (left) played well for China (even though he wasn't 100%), scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He looked better than most people thought in his first game back from a foot injury. The top scorer for the United States was Dwayne Wade, who came off the bench. LeBron James also contributed 18 points.

The U.S. team showed it was ready to win in these games. While China is not one of the best teams, they are no pushovers. This was one of the first times I have seen real teamwork from the U.S. in the Olympics. Four players (Wade, James, Dwight Howard, and Kobe Bryant) scored in double-digits, but none more than twenty.

The defense really stepped up in this game. It seemed like every other possession resulted in a turnover for the Chinese. The U.S. team recorded 14 steals. Like I said before, the U.S. men's basketball team will win gold.

Jets a Contender?

Sorry for not writing about this sooner (I was away): Brett Favre was traded to the Jets late Wednesday night for an conditional draft pick(s). Here's the deal: The Jets get Favre. If Favre plays less than 50% of the Jets' total snaps, the Packers get a fourth rounder. If he plays 50% of the snaps, the Packers get a third rounder. If he plays 70% and the Jets make the playoffs, a second round pick is going to Green Bay. If he plays 80% or more and the Jets make the Super Bowl, it's a first round pick. And finally, if the Jets trade him to the Vikings, it's three first rounders.

This was a good move for the Jets. Their quarterbacks were Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens, both not good quarterbacking options. Chad Pennington was dropped shortly after the Favre trade. I think this makes the Jets a real contender. I know Favre is well past his prime, but he showed last year that he can still be a premium quarterback.

What does this mean for Green Bay? Well, it means that Aaron Rodgers will be the starting quarterback and G.M. Ted Thompson doesn't have to worry about Brett Favre showing up at camp. The Packers' management is relived that they worked a deal to send Favre far, far away.

So, are the Jets a contender. Will the Jets finally fight their way out of the cellar now that Favre is in command. They will be. They have pretty good wide receivers in Laveraneus Coles and Jerricho Cotchery. The defense should be very good also. The Jets will be a borderline playoff team this season.

Olympic Preview

The 2008 Olympic games are set to start in Beijing this Friday with the opening ceremonies. Here are some of the major stories surrounding the games:

Micheal Phelps Chasing History: Swimmer Micheal Phelps has a chance to win eight gold medals. If he does, he will break Mark Spitz (another great swimmer) record for most gold medals in one Olympics (7).

I watched Phelps in Athens and I think he is the greatest swimmer ever. I think he will win the eight events. It seems like he breaks a world record every time he swims (and it's usually his record he breaks) It's not going to be easy, but he is definitely capable of doing it.

U.S. Men's Basketball Team Determined to Win: Our men's basketball team will be on the spot in these games. This team was dubbed the Redeem Team, and for good reason. The U.S. didn't win the gold in Athens and has struggled in international competition.

This team, stacked with NBA Stars like LeBron James (right), Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Chris Paul, and Dwight Howard, is clearly the most talented. But they're always the most talented, so let's see if they can translate that into wins.

The problem with the U.S. basketball team in the past has been lack of teamwork. The U.S. basketball program thinks it can just put together the best players and start playing in the competition. Too bad basketball is a team sport, and the players have to work together. Whoa! That's a surprise.

Coach K is urging the media that his team is ready to win gold in Beijing. I think they'll win too.

Air Quality: Everybody is talking about how badly polluted the air is in Beijing. This is a major concern among the athletes. Chinese officials are trying (but not succeeding) to reduce the pollution.

41-Year Old Dara Torres: U.S. swimmer Dara Torres says she feels better than ever at age 41. That's seems tremendously unlikely, because swimmers usually reach their peak in the early-to-mid twenties. The same question enters everybody's head: Is she doping? I remember another athlete who "peaked" when he was older (Barry Bonds, otherwise known as the King of Steroids)

Steroids Cast Shadow Over Games: Steroids are threatening to ruin track and field. Track and field used to be the top dog in the Olympics. But now many of its premier athletes have been uncovered to doping. This issue is driving fans away from the sport (including me). But let's not talk about the bad things until after the gold medals are awarded and the syringes thrown away.

Some Odd Olympic Events: Table tennis and badminton seem odd here, but they are very big events in China. Handball. When I saw handball on the list of Olympic events, I had to laugh. Something you and I played as a kid is now a profession. Imagine a guy applying for a job and for past professions, he writes pro handballer.

Note: I will not be able to post this weekend because I'll be away.

Phillies Report

I went to the Phillies game last night. Old man Moyer was going 11th straight wins against the Florida Marlins. It was ladies night at the ballpark last night and the Phillies celebrated by hittimg like old ladies. The Marlins cruised, beating the Phils 8-2.

One of the main problems for the Phillies last night was the bottom of the order. They really struggled with runners in scoring position. Geoff Jenkins (later replaced by Jayson Werth), Eric Bruntlett (later replaced by Greg Dobbs), and Carlos Ruiz combined for one hit. Five guys combine for one hit, the Phillies need another bat in the bottom of the lineup. Ruiz collected the only hit of those five, but it was a single with no runners on.

Moyer (right) pitched alright. He did load the bases in what seemed like every inning, but he did well to allow only two runs to the powerful Marlins offense.

Ryan Howard needs to improve his defense. On one play, he froze on a ball hit to the Moyer. He seemingly forgot to cover the bag. On another play, a sharp ground ball went right through his legs. Maybe Howard should spend less time golfing and more time practicing his fielding.

The only bright spot of the night was Victorino (who's been red hot) homer. After looking at the instant replay, though, it looks like it should have been a foul ball. The Phillies bullpen didn't do a good job either. Two pitchers, fresh from Triple A, gave up five runs. J.A. Happ, who one of those pitchers, gave up four runs in just two innings. Happ did do well in the rotation, but clearly he is not a relief pitcher.

The Marlins are just 1 1/2 games behind the Phillies and could inch closer if they win today. The Mets won last, and are now only two games back.

10 Questions with Tim Dierkes

This is an interview with Tim Dierkes, from MLB Trade Rumors.com. I would like to thank Tim for doing this interview with me via email. Here are the ten questions I asked him:

Q: 1. How do you find out the rumors you put on your site?

A: I monitor about 200 sites and read all the latest newspaper and web articles, scanning for rumors.

Q: 2. What trade were you most surprised about?

A: Ken Griffey Jr. to the White Sox was one I never saw coming.

Q: 3. Which guys didn't move that you thought you go to a different team?

A: Raul Ibanez, Paul Byrd, David Weathers.

Q: 4. Why didn't the Marlins get Manny Ramirez?

A: They asked for too much - $7MM to cover his salary plus another $2MM to cover the draft picks they'd get. And they also wouldn't give up the prospects the Pirates wanted for Jason Bay.

Q: 5. Which team improved the most with their deadline deal?

A: Looking strictly at deadline day, the Dodgers. Looking at the entire month, the Brewers.

Q: 6. Who are your World Series picks and why?

A: Heading into the season I picked the D'Backs and Red Sox. The D'Backs because I love the 1-2 punch of Webb/Haren, and the Red Sox because they have a stacked high OBP offense and Josh Beckett.

Q: 7. Who is the biggest loser at this year's deadline?

A: The Reds. They had multiple veterans with trade value but weren't able to move Adam Dunn, Weathers, or Jeremy Affeldt.

Q: 8. Why do you think the Phillies didn't make any deals?

A: They probably didn't want to give up their top prospects for lefty relievers.

Q: 9. Who will win the tight races in the NL East, NL Central and the AL East?

A: I'll take the Phillies, Cubs, and Red Sox.

Q: 10. What do you spend the most time writing about now that the deadline has passed,

A: Possible waiver deals and free agents for the upcoming season.

Favre Fighting for Job?

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has officially reinstated Brett Favre (right).  He will be in camp on Tuesday.  There is an interesting story developing out of this.  It is rumored that Packers' head coach Mike McCarthy will let Favre and Aaron Rodgers battle it out for the starting quarterback job.  I know what your thinking: Packers' camp will be a three ring circus.

Earlier this weak, we learned of a deal that would pay Brett 25 million dollars to stay home.  The Packers were actually going to pay this.  Favre said he was even considering taking the money and spending the rest of his days sitting on a lawn chair.  Did he realize that would make him look like a total sellout.  He keeps saying how he yearns for the chance to play, and then he takes the money.  But maybe that was his plan all along.  Hey, I'll retire for 25 million bucks any day.

This makes me think: How does Aaron feel about this.  I wish I could interview him now.  First, the organization (and that includes the coach) says they would rather have Rodgers than Favre.  That's a real self-esteem builder; the Packers pick you instead of a future-hall of famer.  But now, you might have to fight it out with Favre to even start.

Is this what the Packers are really going to do?  I don't think they should.  They are putting Aaron Rodgers in a tight spot and (like I've said before) making their camp look like a three ring circus looking for its ring master.  Think how that must anger Rodgers, but he'll never say it.  I think they'll wind up trading him right before the first preseason game.

What if Rodgers wins the job?  That would be something, Mike McCarthy telling Brett Favre that he will be riding the bench this season.  But Favre wouldn't settle for that, he would definitely demand a trade.  And then the soap opera would continue.

Shutdown Closer

Shutdown closer, that's been the words to describe Brad Lidge this season.  The Phillies closer has been nothing short of dominant this season.  He ranks fourth in saves in the National League (26).  But the more important stat is that the he has not blown a save chance for the Phillies.  He is a perfect 26 for 26.

How has he regained his old form this year?  Beside the fact that he's been healthy this season, he also has improved his already nasty slider.  Lidge's top pitches are a high 90s fastball and a mid-to-low 90s slider.  That slider has been really striking out hitters.

His road ERA, an impeccable O.82.  Lidge has really been a key to the Phillies' success this season.  It's important to have that shutdown closer in the bullpen.  Righties are batting a horrid .088.  That's a remarkable number.

Lidge has 59 strikeouts in 46 innings.  But what's more than the stats is that when he comes in the game, players and fans know he will shut the other team down.  He gives the feeling that the game is saved as soon as he enters the game.  That's certainly what he's done this year.