Personnel Moves
I wonder how much I would like the world of sports if I was actually employed there. How would I like being told that I was being shipped to New York in the best interests of the team? What would I think of my salary being bandied about among the press? All this fascinates me, as you can tell, but I wonder how I would feel if the shoe was on my foot.
OK, that's quite enough introspection, let's review a week FULL of HR type maneuvering.
ITEM ONE: Joe Mauer signed a four year deal on Friday, meaning he will be assured thirty three million dollars. Additionally, the Twins have bought out his first year of free agency, which is wonderful news. On the open market, Mauer would have likely seen double that salary. I mean, in a world where Gary Matthews Jr. can get a 50 million dollar contract, I think that the Twins got a steal. May Joe Mauer never hit the open market.
ITEM TWO: The Wild executed a trade on Friday, pre-Ference, sending winger Pascal Dupuis to the Rangers for center Adam Hall. Once again, the Minnesota general managers are listening to what I have to say. First the Twins, now the Wild. They shook up their forward lines that were further down on the depth chart, and already, after one game it appears to be paying dividends. In the Saturday game against Carolina, Hall crashed the net with ferocity and gave the Wild the little spark they needed in order to overcome the high flying 'Canes.
ITEM THREE: In non-Minnesota news, there were a couple of other trades worth noting. First, there was the Vitaly Vishnevski for Eric Belanger trade between Atlanta and Nashville. Why was this significant? Well, because Carolina just traded Belanger to Nashville the day before, even though Atlanta apparently wanted him. I'm assuming that Carolina didn't want to trade with an in-conference rival like the Thrashers, but Nashville and Atlanta circumvented the 'Canes intentions. Drama!
Additionally, as I have previously noted, the NHL hot-stove league was officially opened with the trade of a Ference, as Andrew Ference was a part of the blockbuster trade that sent the top available defenseman, Brad Stuart, to the Flames. This definitely gives the Flames a good shot at making noise in the playoffs, as they patched their largest hole (if only they hadn't traded away Jordan Leopold, huh?), however I fail to believe that this is the best the Bruins could have done. They gave up Stuart AND Wayne Primeau for lesser versions of each player. Chuck Kobasew is young, to be sure, but he really only projects to a third line forward, because he lacks the offensive skills the B's so desperately need. And Andrew Ference is no replacement for Brad Stuart. Hell, he's no replacement for Brad Ference.
ITEM FOUR: Drew Brees got injured in the Pro Bowl, dislocating his elbow, making it the second year in a row he sustained an injury in a meaningless game. Last year it was the shoulder. I anticipate a wrist injury next year.
ITEM FIVE: Speaking of personnel, I really hope Liev Schreiber can get a fantastc job after his work on CSI, particularly in the last episode he was on. I can honestly say I had never heard of him, but I was unduly impressed by the brilliance of his acting.
ITEM SIX: I'm beginning to think that the Big Ten isn't much of a basketball conference this year. Wisconsin has received all they could handle from Northwestern (twice) and Iowa, and Ohio State has struggled with Purdue twice, including one time on the road, where the Boilermakers have been putrid. Just the return of Spencer Tollackson has made Minnesota competetive again, and the Gophers, for all intents and purposes, should have been forgotten a long time ago. Granted, Northwestern and Penn State are traditionally poor teams, but even the supposed middle of the road teams aren't playing that well this year, like Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, and Iowa. If the Big Ten only received three bids this year (Wisconsin, Ohio State and Indiana) I don't think anyone should be surprised.
Sorry I diverged from the theme there towards the end. Please forgive me? Until we meet again.
OK, that's quite enough introspection, let's review a week FULL of HR type maneuvering.
ITEM ONE: Joe Mauer signed a four year deal on Friday, meaning he will be assured thirty three million dollars. Additionally, the Twins have bought out his first year of free agency, which is wonderful news. On the open market, Mauer would have likely seen double that salary. I mean, in a world where Gary Matthews Jr. can get a 50 million dollar contract, I think that the Twins got a steal. May Joe Mauer never hit the open market.
ITEM TWO: The Wild executed a trade on Friday, pre-Ference, sending winger Pascal Dupuis to the Rangers for center Adam Hall. Once again, the Minnesota general managers are listening to what I have to say. First the Twins, now the Wild. They shook up their forward lines that were further down on the depth chart, and already, after one game it appears to be paying dividends. In the Saturday game against Carolina, Hall crashed the net with ferocity and gave the Wild the little spark they needed in order to overcome the high flying 'Canes.
ITEM THREE: In non-Minnesota news, there were a couple of other trades worth noting. First, there was the Vitaly Vishnevski for Eric Belanger trade between Atlanta and Nashville. Why was this significant? Well, because Carolina just traded Belanger to Nashville the day before, even though Atlanta apparently wanted him. I'm assuming that Carolina didn't want to trade with an in-conference rival like the Thrashers, but Nashville and Atlanta circumvented the 'Canes intentions. Drama!
Additionally, as I have previously noted, the NHL hot-stove league was officially opened with the trade of a Ference, as Andrew Ference was a part of the blockbuster trade that sent the top available defenseman, Brad Stuart, to the Flames. This definitely gives the Flames a good shot at making noise in the playoffs, as they patched their largest hole (if only they hadn't traded away Jordan Leopold, huh?), however I fail to believe that this is the best the Bruins could have done. They gave up Stuart AND Wayne Primeau for lesser versions of each player. Chuck Kobasew is young, to be sure, but he really only projects to a third line forward, because he lacks the offensive skills the B's so desperately need. And Andrew Ference is no replacement for Brad Stuart. Hell, he's no replacement for Brad Ference.
ITEM FOUR: Drew Brees got injured in the Pro Bowl, dislocating his elbow, making it the second year in a row he sustained an injury in a meaningless game. Last year it was the shoulder. I anticipate a wrist injury next year.
ITEM FIVE: Speaking of personnel, I really hope Liev Schreiber can get a fantastc job after his work on CSI, particularly in the last episode he was on. I can honestly say I had never heard of him, but I was unduly impressed by the brilliance of his acting.
ITEM SIX: I'm beginning to think that the Big Ten isn't much of a basketball conference this year. Wisconsin has received all they could handle from Northwestern (twice) and Iowa, and Ohio State has struggled with Purdue twice, including one time on the road, where the Boilermakers have been putrid. Just the return of Spencer Tollackson has made Minnesota competetive again, and the Gophers, for all intents and purposes, should have been forgotten a long time ago. Granted, Northwestern and Penn State are traditionally poor teams, but even the supposed middle of the road teams aren't playing that well this year, like Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, and Iowa. If the Big Ten only received three bids this year (Wisconsin, Ohio State and Indiana) I don't think anyone should be surprised.
Sorry I diverged from the theme there towards the end. Please forgive me? Until we meet again.
posted by Ryan | 12:23 PM
1 Comments:
If the shoe was on your foot, you could take it off and sell it for a lot of money. Or leave it there, and keep your foot warm! There are all sorts of optoins.
But, yeah, I wouldn't want my salary tossed around the press. Then again, I'm not making insane amounts of money, either.
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