A Brand new ballgame?

A few random sports thoughts as we wait for to see whether Andy Reid will revert to the pass-happy mad offensive scientist against the Browns Monday night:

Mo Cheeks juggled his lineup last night. Apparently the Sixers agree with just about everyone else who has watched the team struggle at the start of the season that Andre Iguodala is never going to be a two guard. Willie Green was inserted into the starting lineup last night, shifting “Iggy” back to his more natural three spot at small forward. He responded with 27 points. Not that it really mattered. After hanging tough, the Cavs, led by LeBron James, dropped 36 points on the Sixers in the third period to win going away, 101-93. And yes, those were boos you heard raining down on Elton Brand, who returned from injury and managed just 6 points on 3-of-11 shooting, while grabbing 11 boards.

The Phils have yet to pull the trigger on any big deals at baseball’s winter meetings in Las Vegas, but in the spirit of the town they are doing more than their share of gambling. They are betting they can win a stare-down with veteran Jamie Moyer. He wants two years guaranteed. The team is looking for something more akin to a one-year deal with an option. Moyer knows he has the fans in his corner – up to a point.
The Phils also might be clearing a path for the exit of another very popular player, backup catcher Chris Coste. The guy who penned “The 33-Year-Old Rookie” is going to have some competition for that backup receiver slot. The team sent catching prospect Jason Jaramillo to the Pirates for catcher Ronny Paulino. The move is being seen as confirming what many already thought, that Lou Marson is the team’s catcher of the future. It also means the popular Coste will face a challenge in camp from Paulino.

Can someone explain sports and money to me? On second thought, don’t bother, it only gives me a headache. The Mets and Yankees, as usual, have been showering big bucks on high-profile free agents. The Yankees dropped a cool $161 million on the top free agent on the market, starting pitcher CC Sabathia. You read that right, $161,000,000, with six zeroes. The Mets aren’t exactly slouches either. They needed a closer. They went and got one, dropping $37 milllion in the lap of Francisco Rodriguez.
All of which is fine, except for one thing. Both teams are in the process of moving into new stadiums. And both of them are getting a huge chunk of public funds to do it.
Some day, someone will explain to me how this works.

Comments