Drew Brees had a fantastic overall season for the Saints in 2006, but where did he rank in terms of QG?

What is the Common Thread?

I find it utterly ridiculous that instead of discussing Alex Rodriguez’s on field actions, I.E. passing Jimmie “The Beast” Foxx on the homerun list with the 535^th of his career. Instead, I have to deal with the late night visits to Madonna’s apartment.

What I find interesting about this entire hullabaloo is the connections to all of these people by a single person, their P.R. manager, Guy Oseary. Funny how A-Rod is seen with Madonna; A-Rod’s wife has been spotted on tour with Lenny Kravitz; All of them are being represented by Oseary, and all have reasons to find themselves in the spotlight. Alex Rodriguez is always finding ways to increase his visibility while Lenny Kravitz and Madonna are trying to launch very expensive, multi-national tours.

Hmmm…. If I were not a dummy, I would assume that all of this was staged and that every single step had the same purpose, to raise the level of awareness of all of Oseary’s clients, regardless of how negative it is.

How did it work out for Mandy McCready and the whole Roger Clemens’ debacle? How convenient for McCready that all of this came about during her attempts to gain some spotlight and reclaim her standings amongst the country singers in her genre. If I were her, I too would have gone with the “no comment” as it keeps her in the limelight as she tries to resurrect her career.

This is yet again, another situation that proves that the entertainment business and sports are slowly, but surely mixing together with each new story. All I want is to watch sports, pay attention to my fantasy leagues, and write about what is important, without all this peripheral news.

The New Clash of the Titans

After watching the Tampa Bay Rays sweep the reigning World Champion Red Sox in what could be labeled nothing else but incredible, I sat down to watch the Red Sox try and recover some face by beating up on the now fourth place New York Yankees.

Beyond Johnny Damon running into the fence, Jon Lester pitching an impressive five-hit shutout, the Sox now taking the first two games, I have to say that it is anti-climatic at this point. Throughout my life, as a New Englander, I have anticipated each and every showdown between these two teams and based on the national coverage, I would have to say that I was not the only one. Now, I have to say that I did not even pay attention to the second game, instead, going to a work cookout that I could have cared less to be at (Heck, I spend most of my week with them, never mind potential vacation time with them, no less, talking about work).

My point is simply this… Until the Yankees are able to get on the horse, which appears to be sometime in 2009, I believe that the major television networks, as well as fans across the nation, are not going to be tuning in to this match-up for the rest of the season. It just does not have the same implications it has had in the past…or dare I say, “boring”.

I would much rather find an intriguing pitching duel in the National League, focusing on the young arms of Johnny Cueto, Edinson Volquez, Manny Parra, and recent call-up Eric Stutz to see if there are any long-term potential in my fantasy leagues than focus on what has been the supreme rivalry of what I have known for most of my thirty-three years.

The Tale of Two Weavers

For most of my life, it has always been about my little brother trying to be better than me at anything we did. I would have to assume that this is consistent through most families throughout the world. With that, I turn to the Weaver brothers, Jeff and Jered.

While both were Anaheim Angels, it was apparent early on that Jered Weaver had the better of the two careers ahead of them. As Jered became a major league phenom for the Angels, the elder sibling, Jeff Weaver, has been bounced around from team to team.

In all likelihood, Jeff Weaver is not only happy for his brother and the success he has received to date, but also because of the promise of his little brother; Jeff was let go of from the Angels, eventually becoming a World Series winner with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006.

The Crazy World of Closers Continues

In all likelihood, Masa Kobayashi will get the majority of save opportunities initially, but we could see some attempts be given to Rafael Betancourt, who prior to this season was the incumbent relief pitcher considered for the future closers position.

\In other closer news, we turn to the Tampa Bay Rays, who despite losing their veteran closer, Troy Percival, were able to sweep the Red Sox and establish themselves as the team to beat in the American League. Dan Wheeler was traded for last season with the anticipation that he would take over as the teams’ closer. He will likely see the majority of opportunities, unless he is incapable of delivering with some consistency. If it turns out that Wheeler cannot keep the position, the Rays’ bullpen has great potential in J.P. Howell (6-0, 2 SV, 2.96 ERA, 47 SO, 51.2 INN) and Grant Balfour (2-0, 2 SV, 1.08 ERA, 25 SO, 16.2INN) with both possibly getting a shot.

See Dick Run. See Jane Jump. See C.C. Go?

Let the rumor mills begin! C. C. Sabathia has been talked about in trade rumors since the end of last season. It appears, according to reports, that there are several teams vying for the services of this hard-throwing lefty; however, there appears to be one team that is clearly in the lead, if you can call it that.

As the rumor mill goes, the Indians have plenty of pitching prospects but lack positional players. The team with the most to offer is likely the Milwaukee Brewers, a team that has such minor league players as Matt Laporta (OF), Mat Gamel (3B), and to a lesser degree, shortstop Alcides Escobar.

That is not to say that Tampa Bay, with what seems like 20 straight first round, top five picks doesn’t have a shot; or the Boston Red Sox, with their minor league system, Including Brandon Moss (OF), Lars Anderson (1B), and even shortstop/second baseman Jed Lowrie, especially considering how the Kelly Shoppach trade has helped the Indians while starter Victor Martinez is out; but it does come down to trying to keep Sabathia out of your division if you can help it.