This blog has moved! Yes, already!
As of Thursday, Feb. 12, this little blog has relocated to a new home on AJC.com. It’s the same newspaper, the same Web site and the same writer (feel free to groan) — there’s just a new URL.
New features: Bigger type, more graphics, comments that load 10 times faster and a larger and more recent photo that makes me look pretty doggone old. I think you’ll like it (the blog, not the photo). But I am, as we know too well, often wrong.
Home > Mark Bradley > Archives > 2008 > November > 17
Monday, November 17, 2008
Bradley’s Buzz: Much ado about Jake (and others)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sittin’ around the crowded hot stove
The trade that didn’t happen (yet) was the talk of cyberspace. The Padres balked and Frank Wren walked, at least figuratively, away from a big deal for Jake Peavy. Here’s Scott Miller of CBSsports.com reporting that negotiations had broken down, and here, just for fun, is the same Scott Miller’s assertion of two days earlier that a deal was imminent.
Writing in the San Diego Union-Tribune, Tim Sullivan paints an unpretty picture as to why the Padres are looking to peddle Peavy. For one thing, team owner John Moores is getting divorced — here’s Bill Madden of the New York Daily News on the same subject — and you know how costly and contentious those negotiations can get.
Speaking of interpersonal relationships, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe looks at the class of free agents and suggests pitcher Brad Penny, often identified as a Braves target, needs to get away from “movie-star girlfriends and horses.” (As we know, the two can lead to much distress. Ask Jack Woltz, the unfortunate movie producer from “The Godfather.”)
Speaking of negotiators who play hardball — I’m thinking of Vito Corleone and Tom Hagen — here’s a chilling suggestion from Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times: The always-helpful Scott Boras could wind up brokering a trade that would send Andruw Jones back to the Braves.
Speaking of more sensible Braves scenarios, Allan Ryan of the Toronto Star writes about pitcher A.J. Burnett. Joel Sherman of the New York Post identifies Derek Lowe as a Mets target. And here’s Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star describing the difficulty the Royals could face in keeping pitcher Zack Greinke, whom I know from recent personal experience is a favorite of AJC.com bloggers.
OK, back to Peavy. Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com reports that the Yankees are now on the trail, which is bad news for all clubs who have financial constraints. And Peter Gammons of ESPN.com suggests that, because of the flagging economy, most clubs do. And that’s why, writes Buster Olney, also of ESPN.com, relatively unassuming pitchers like Penny and even Mike Hampton are desired commodities.
Enough baseball. How ‘bout those Hawks?
For one brief shining moment, our local NBA team was No. 2 in John Hollinger’s power ratings on ESPN.com. (Having lost three in a row, they were down to No. 4 at last check. And Peter Vecsey of the New York Post credits Marvin Williams’ improvement as a 3-point shooter not to Mike Woodson or shooting coach Mark Price but to general manager Rick Sund.
Tech man makes good
Perhaps you missed it, but Anthony Morrow, recently of Georgia Tech, set an NBA record for undrafted rookies by scoring 37 points in his first start as a Golden State Warrior. Janny Hu of the San Francisco Chronicle quotes former Warrior Baron Davis as saying, “Oh my god. Who was that guy?” And Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group reports that Morrow, who was known as “A-Mo” at Tech, now answers to “Ant.”
A personal note: I’ve always liked A-Mo — sorry, force of habit — as a player and a person, and here’s a little something I wrote about him last spring.
Conference championship not required
Remember last December? Remember how so many folks said Georgia didn’t belong in the BCS title game because it didn’t win its league? Well, Brad Edwards of ESPN.com offers a look at how ludicrous things might get this year if only conference champs were allowed to play for the national title. It’s fun reading if you hate the BCS, and boy do I.
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