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30th October, 2009 - 12:09 pm
By Christopher Reina
NBA Pushes Back Deadline For 2006 Draft Class: With Rajon Rondo the only member of the 2006 draft class having serious extension talks with his team, this is likely to be a meaningless issue, but it is interesting that the NBA has decided to give teams until November 2nd to submit contracts. The NBA should simplify the process and instead of having the deadline be October 31st, change it to simply the night before the season begins.
Reina's 09-10 NBA Season Preview: I wish I could see things differently than everyone else, but I don't see how some combination of the Lakers, Celtics, Spurs, Magic and Cavaliers don't comprise the 2010 Finals. Both the Blazers and Nuggets have a chance of usurping the Spurs in that Final Four, but likely not.
Burnett Outduels Pedro, Yanks Even Series: Pedro Martinez is, by a fairly wide margin, the best pitcher that I have ever seen and he is also the best in history looking at things from a pure statistical standpoint. His level of dominance during the height of MLB's steroid era is more remarkable in the hindsight that way more people were juiced that we once thought.
Pedro's Game 2 start just adds another notch on the bed post of his legacy, evidenced by the smile he had as he slowly walked off the Yankee Stadium mound. Charlie Manuel shouldn't have let him go back out there in the seventh inning. I know the nuances of Pedro's expressions well enough to know that he wasn't fully confident in starting the seventh when Manuel asked him about it.
Throw out that third earned run in the seventh and Pedro gives up two runs in six innings, while striking out eight and making several Yankees look worse than they have all postseason.
I didn't realize it until after the game was over, but this was only Pedro's second World Series start of his career. Most of those infamous postseason moments with Boston were either in the ALCS or ALDS and his only other start was a mostly forgettable one in Game 3 at the old Busch Stadium.
Pujols Explains Controversial Contract Comments: I'm passionately against implementing a salary cap for baseball, but if both Albert Pujols and Joe Mauer eventually end up in New York and Boston, something will have to be done by the other owners because we can't have players of that magnitude leaving those cities. Free agency should be for players like Matt Holliday and Mark Teixeira, who their old teams felt they could live without, or for pitchers, but not true franchise players like Pujols and Mauer.
Washington's Injury Makes Not Taking Jets' Offer A Bad Gamble: There is no way you can't feel bad for Leon Washington, who was badly injured during Sunday's game in Oakland. I love Warren Sapp's comment that you have to take the stand-up triple unless you're a quarterback.
Maybe I'm on the conservative side when it comes to these matters, but I think more often than not everyone wins (player, team, agent) when a new contract is signed early that involves some give and take.
Washington turned down an offer giving him more than enough money to live the remainder of his life in absolute luxury and now he may not ever get that back.
Outside RealGM
BlazersEdge on Loss to Denver: I have loved what I've seen from Martell Webster with his return this season. He is more explosive than I thought he would ever be capable of and if you combine that with 40% shooting from distance and a much-needed injection of swagger, then Portland has an element they were missing last season. Webster is just two years older than Nicolas Batum and two years younger than Rudy Fernandez, so he would be a rookie this season if he would have gone to UW for four years.
Feeling Lawson Regrets Yet?: Dave Berri has been rightfully impressed with what he has seen (at least statistically seen) from Ty Lawson. I have been as well, but it is extremely premature to call Check Mate on Lawson against two players that haven't played their first NBA game yet (Ricky Rubio, Brandon Jennings).
The biggest single thing that hurt Lawson's draft stock was that he was seemingly made of glass during his three seasons at North Carolina and that is something that just doesn't go away even after a very good start to his NBA career.
Aikman continues to gush about Austin: Troy Aikman believes the Cowboys are seeing the real Miles Austin.
Colletti’s Answer Is Under His Nose: Ned Colletti and the Dogers are searching for a second baseman and FanGraphs rightfully points out that re-signing Orlando Hudson will be their best option.
Please send comments and questions to Scoop@RealGM.com, where we may select it for a future edition.
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