"Bit's O' Info"

It's been awhile since a "Bit's O' Info" post, so now seems like the perfect time to do one.

Cubs trade for Harden: Originally I thought this was a terrible deal for the Cubs, as the Cubs are now just getting over the Mark Prior-Kerry Wood era, and now they bring in another pitcher with tons of talent that is always injured. Then I found out they didn't give up a whole lot (Sean Gallagher, Matt Murton, Eric Patterson and a minor leaguer), and they also acquired Chad Gaudin. Gaudin is a guy I think will have more of an impact on the Cubs than Rich Harden. He was having a good year in the AL, and AL pitchers tend to translate very well to the National League, at least at the outset.

All in all, if Harden pans out they pair him with Zambrano for a great front end of a rotation. If not they still got Gaudin, who will provide quality-high quality innings.

Elton Brand goes to the Sixers: Shades of Carlos Boozer on this one. Brand opted out of his deal with the Clippers, and stated he absolutely wanted to return. The Clippers then go out and get a verbal commitment from a great player in Baron Davis to pair with Brand, giving him some much needed help. They also draft Eric Gordon ( who may very well make an appearance in my draft notebook special that I am still working on), giving themselves a team that should contend in the West. Now Brand is reportedly going to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers. While I understand why he would do this (the Sixers are a good up and coming team in a weaker Eastern Conference), he still is breaking his word with the team after they made a good faith effort to help him. It would be one thing if the Clips did nothing to bolster the team and expected Brand to stay, but they signed a huge piece of the puzzle thinking he would be around. I'm not sure they make the Davis signing if they think Brand is going to leave. We'll see if the rumors become true, because according to multiple sources the deal with the Sixers is just about done.

Record for Maine Olympics: The state of Maine has a record 7 people making the cut for this years Olympics, including world record holder and gold medalist Ian Crocker. The state seems to be slowly but surely becoming more modernized, both in technology and in sports. I personally can't wait for the proposed NBDL team to arrive in Portland.

NFL continues crackdown on cheating: In a move reminiscent of the NBA's new hire of Major General Ron Johnson to oversee it's referees, the NFL announced the hiring of Pennsylvania State Police Chief Jeffrey Miller to oversee security, which includes both fan and team behavior. The NFL seemed eager to specify that his duties include the overseeing of teams taping other teams when the announcement was made. Personally, I don't like either hire. These guys are outsiders to the game, and will have a tough time adjusting to their new lives. personally, I think it's more of a public relations stunt by both leagues than anything. Gives them a "hard ass" new look at the top.

Wrigley Field to host next NHL outdoor game: This was some of the best news I have heard in awhile. Seriously, an NHL game at Wrigley? That will be amazing to watch. The only other baseball park I would rather see a NHL game in would be Fenway. Can you imagine watching Sid the kid and the Penguins take on the Bruins with the monster as the back drop. It would be unbelievable. Still, a game at Wrigley Field, in HD, has me more ecstatic about hockey than I have been in a long time. This outdoors idea could slowly, single-handedly, bring the NHL back to relevance.

~Aaron Jackson

I TOLD YOU SO!!!

I'm not even going to use the tired line of, "I'm not the kind of guy to say I told you so, but, I told you so." I'm not even going to mess around with that, because I don't need to. I told you so last week when the Red Sox were in Tampa, that the easiest move and the smartest move to make would be to put Justin Masterson in the bullpen and bring Clay Buchholz back into the rotation. Buchholz has been very good in 9 starts in Pawtuckett holding an era well below 3. Masterson has really impressed me as of late, and not just his start at Yankee Stadium, but he also made an appearance on a Red Sox show on NESN and had some funny comments to make when asked about the Timlin Road Race. "I don't really like to run. But my wife is running in it for me." That's the kind of kid I like. And here is what he had to say about his demotion to Pawtuckett and move to the bullpen, from this morning's Boston.com column:

"I'm excited," said Masterson, who will make his first relief appearance for Pawtucket tomorrow, and is scheduled to pitch again Friday and Sunday. "This is nice. When I got here I kind of knew with the great starting staff we had that when they get healthy they're going to do their job. They want me to go down and get some relief work down there and that's what I'm gonna do." Boston.com

He is the kind of guy that will take a move like this and run with it. He is glad to have a role with the major league club and that is what has been given to him with this move.

Dice-K looked about as good as I have seen him last night, he was able to get out of trouble in the first inning which always seems to give him a lot of problems this year. But he kept his pitch count down the next couple of innings which has been the key to his longevity in games throughout his young career in the states. When his count gets up in the 80's by the 3rd inning you know it's going to be a short night not matter how well he pitches in the 4th and 5th innings. The offense just wasn't there last night, but it was still a very entertaining ball game to watch and the American Dream Dusting Pedroia is now making a run a the batting title with this white hot streak he's on right now. Manny is even showed signs of life last night. Things could be looking up, I know I feel good about Lester going for the Sox tonight.

Sterling Pingree

The Airing of Grievances

I am going to a place I don't want to go to right now, but I feel it's necessary. With the rest of the Red Sox coasting into the all-star break like they're high school seniors going into Christmas break, I figured I should go on a Frank Costanza-Festivus tradition and air my grievances. Forget breaking out the belt, I'm getting the pole down from the crawl space in the attic.

"I've got a lot of problems with you people, and now you're going to hear about 'em."

~Terry, what the hell are you doing on nights that Wakefield pitches. In theory taking Jason Varitek out of the line up and replacing him with Kevin Cash is a bad thing and your line up appears worse. You then compound this by choosing to give Julio Lugo the same night off, and usually either Youkilis, Ortiz, Lowell or Ramirez the same night off. Thus weakening your line up for his starts by having the last three hitters in your line up looking something like 7. Crisp, 8. Cash and 9. Cora. With the slump of Jacoby Ellsbury right now, you have 4 hitters in a row that are struggling right now and the best out of them right now is Kevin Cash (gulp). STOP doing this, it killed me last night to see Wakefield out there on the mound and not to have Manny in the line up. I don't care that they're in 4th place a game in Yankee Stadium is still a big deal.

~Manny, you're not without fault either here, my major grievance with you right now is that pinch hitting display you put on last night. What gives? You stand up there and just watch three straight pitches go by from Mariano Rivera and sit back down? Are you mad because you had to take an AB last night when it was supposed to be your night off? It was just tough to watch with someone so talented.

~Julio Lugo, I'm not going to grieve against you right now, you've had enough at home games for that. For Festivus I am going to get you the Tom Emanski fielding skills video to watch during the all-star break. Watch it, use it and apply it. Done and done.

~Jacoby, you are the golden boy, we all know it. I saw you on second base during a game of this past Yankees series standing next to Derek Jeter and I couldn't help but see the similarities. You might be the Red Sox version of Jeter before long, you already have one ring, but right now you have to get on base to be effective. Bunt a little more kid, you had two bunt singles on Friday, you could do it more often. I am getting frustrated as I'm sure you are about soft ground balls that you are narrowly getting gunned out at first on. Good things happen when you get on base, but at this pace, Evan Longoria is going to beat you out for Rookie of the Year, an award I think your name was being emblazon on before the season started.

~Dice-k, throw more fastballs, I know Remy mentioned it during your last start, but I really do agree with him. Throw the change up and the fast ball and lay off the breaking stuff a little bit, until you get ahead in the count. You seem to figure this out every start when your pitch count is hovering around 75 in the 3rd inning. You're hurting the bullpen by only going 5 inning each time out, we can't be having that every 5th day, not with the way this bullpen is going.

Speaking of which,

~Javier Lopez, you could get your own column. I understand you consider yourself a bit of a left handed specialist. Well to quote Dennis Farina in Little Big League, "I hate your curve ball, because THE DAMN THING DON'T CURVE." You're a left handed specialist that last night faced one left handed hitter and gave up a game tying triple to Robinson Cano. Mike Myers you're not, I don't think I can even call you a left handed BK Kim at this point. (A little bit too harsh? Wait until I challenge him to the Feats of Strength after this column!)

~Delcarmen, Aardsma and Hansen. You boys have been my acolytes of hope this first half and I now believe that one of you could become good in the second half and something of what you're supposed to be, reliable. I'm going to do the old college orientation thing. Men, look to your left, and now look to your right. At the end of the season, one of these men are going to be in Pawtuckett. Delcarmen, throw more curve balls. Hansen throw more sliders. Aardsma, just keep heaving. And all of you, THROW MORE STRIKES!

Now if you'll all excuse me, Sean Casey, Hideki Okajima and I are going to go pull Jonathan Papelbon off the Festivus Pole on which he is dancing on.

This is the best Festivus ever!!

By the way, Jackson and I have started our very own Facebook group. Join, we'll talk. It'll be great!

Sterling Pingree

Dead? No, I Think It's Just A Flesh Wound.

Tennis. A sport most have considered dead in the U.S. due to a lack of great American players and a lack of good ratings.

I'm here to tell you that's not the case. Sure, tennis may be struggling right now, at least here. But that doesn't mean it's not still exciting; if you watched either Wimbledon final this weekend you would know that. Both matches were full of story lines, and both matches lived up to them. That's something you rarely see. Take the NBA finals for example. That series was hyped because of it's story lines and it's past, and it failed to be anywhere near the series people thought it would be.

First we had Venus Williams against her sister Serena Williams. For fans that only enjoy watching players from their own country this was a match made in heaven, as you rarely see two Americans in the same final in tennis. Plus you have the sibling rivalry...ok, well maybe they aren't rivals and live together, but still. It definitely brought the final to another level.

Then we had potentially the best tennis match in the history of the sport. It took defending Wimbledon champ Roger Federer and matched him up against the up and coming Rafael Nadal. It took the dominant force on grass courts that hadn't lost at Wimbledon for years and matched him up against a player that dominated him in their last matchup. And for almost five hours (the longest match in Wimbledon history) they battled, with Nadal squeaking away with the win in a 5th set tiebreak. There are no words to describe how amazing this match was.

I'll admit I'm biased. I played tennis in high school, and actually went out yesterday to play for about two hours during the men's final (during one of the rain delayed sections). But this weekend produced two unbelievable finals, and definitely lived up to the hype. Hopefully it will allow the sport to get more coverage, and by getting more coverage by default it gets more fans. That is one of the main reasons sports die; a lack of media coverage. If the media wants a sport to die, they stop covering it, and then the ratings go down. Now, obviously different media sources stop covering sports normally for good reason, but once the media stops covering your sport you'll have a tough time getting back. Just look at the NHL.

Tennis was on the ground in the U.S. It wasn't moving, we weren't sure it was still alive. But I'm checking for a pulse and I can feel one, ever so faint, beating steadily. And after this weekend I think it got just a little bit stronger.

~Aaron Jackson

C.C. Sabathia Traded

Updated 8:08 PM: According to ESPN.com it's official. Heres the link. Definitely a good deal for the Brew Crew, I had a chance to see them play the Sox in their three game series at Fenway. Although they lost all three I can tell you this team can contend right now. With Ryan Braun, Corey Hart, Ben Sheets, Prince Fielder, J.J. Hardy and Rickie Weeks they can win it all, and this deal is basically a one year rental to do just that. Good to see a team taking a chance
; even if it doesn't work out they will get some good draft picks in return.

7:31 PM: I'm working right now, and I just got word that C.C. Sabthia has been traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. From what I hear it's official. I can't link any sites because there aren't any reporting the deal is done, but I will try to later. The word has been that Cleveland will get power bat Matt Laporta from the Brewers Double A team as the main piece, with other smaller pieces to follow. I'll try to get out more later as it comes in.

~Aaron Jackson