Sportsmeat

1. Tough to say, but I think Angels, Cubs, Dodgers and Yankees are most likely.

Even though he once signed with the Rangers, I just don't seem him going to a team as bad as the Giants.

He doesn't want to live in Detroit.

The Red Sox won't sign him. He is basically the ultimate anti-Red Sock[??]. The fans despise him. They value their chemistry.

I think the Mets talk is intriguing. Wright has offered to move to help out. An infield of Wright, Reyes, Arod and Delgado is pretty sweet. What would be the optimal fielding arrangement though? I'd say Reyes at second, ARod at short and Wright at third. Would Reyes be pissed?

Also, what position does Arod want to play? People forget that he was a very very good defensive shortstop before NY.

One team that nobody talks about is the Marlins. The dude loves Miami, and I wouldn't be shocked if they made a big play for him (as an Hispanic star in a heavily-Hispanic area).

Bottom line, though, is that I'd say the Yankees are as likely as anyone to sign him.

3. The Dolphins have a better shot. The Rams will pull one or two games off because they are still playing hard and Mark Bulger is good enough to win some games on his own (despite being hurt). The dolphins are playing Cleo Lemon and Jesse Chatman.

4. Belichick (is that how you spell it? I just looked it up and realized that I've been spelling it wrong) has run up the score in almost every game. Basically, he is giving a big f*ck you to the NFL and every other team. And honestly, it kind of turns me on. This team is a machine. They demoralize other teams. They outperform other teams in every conceivable facet of the game. I honestly think that they are the best team I've ever seen. And in a way, I have to sit back and admire that (even though they are the Patriots).

Plus, Tom Brady is just dreamy.

5. I don't know, but one thing I noticed yesterday is that West Virginia should be mentioned in that discussion. They had one fluke bad game where thy lost by a touchdown to a good team on the road with their starting QB injured. They've beaten everyone else easily (averaging a 25 point margin of victory), and I believe that they are in the top ten in the NCAA in both total offense and total defense.
 

Dood, too many questions. I'll try to cover them all, though.

1. Angels are my No. 1, with Mets and Cubs tied at 2. The Yanks situation, I dunno. When you flush $31 million of Texas money down the toilet, you're not helping yourself. Listening to Steve Sommers (here, you there) last night, someone brought up the idea that A-Rod could take his best offer -- say $330 mil -- subtract the $31 mil, and say, "Hey Yanks, you can have me for $299 mil, no hard feelings." Not bloody likely. For that to happen, I think A-Rod would have to duct-tape Boras' entire head and stuff him in the trunk of his car.

2. If the Pats win, I think they could do it - I'd give them about a one in four shot. If the Colts win, I still think they're unlikely to go 16-0. Maybe one in 20.

3. Dolphins. They're just flat out terrible. The muddy Wembley bowl might have been their best shot.

4. Sure, but I don't care. When they play the Eagles, maybe I'll care. Probably not. But maybe. In the past day I've heard Belichik compared to Captain Ahab and characterized as lacking a soul. I'll add one more: he's the kind of guy who secretly takes pride in those two characterizations.

5. The more important question. Who does number two work for?

6. No. The Knicks, however, should. Trade Curry, trade Randolph, trade Stephon. Give them whatever they want. Kobe + four warm bodies = playoffs in the east.
 

1. Good call with the Marlins. That could happen. A-Rod is the one person who could bring fans to the stadium and that team has the potential to be very good in short order. All that said, if they spend money on A-Rod and fans still don't come, they'll be belly up in no time.

I don't see the Mets working here. I think Reyes would be very unhappy to get moved to 2B again and Wright is a little too big to play there (that said, he's a good fielder with an erratic arm, so maybe). More likely, Wright would shift to 1B or RF.

And my guess is that Boras is shopping A-Rod as both a SS and a 3B -- it keeps more teams in play, which drives up the price tag.

2. Agreed on the Cheaters -- they really could go 16-0. I've never seen a team win like this.

3. At this point, if the Jets go 2-14 but those two wins come over the 0-16 Dolphins, I'll consider this season a success.

4. This is the NFL -- you shouldn't be able to run up the score on someone. As I wrote to Maxipriest earlier, if you want to stop a team from running up the score, try playing defense.

5. In order, LSU, Oregon, BC, Oklahoma and then Zona State. My suspicion is that at least three of these will lose before the end of the season. The BCS title game will come from Ohio State, LSU and Oregon -- just don't make me pick just two quite yet.

6. Kobe would be perfect for the Knicks, but I don't see the Lakers being all that interested in any of the Knicks players. Most likely, I think the Lakers swing a deal for Jermaine O'Neal.
 

To help you guys catch up with every other sportsblog on the interwebs, I'll lay down a hack comment about the perfect storm of sports brewing in Boston:

the Red Sox just won their 2nd world series in 4 years;

the Patriots are threatening a perfect season; and

the Celtics have to be considered favorites to win the East.

(I don't really believe BC has a legit chance of playing for the national title, so i'm leaving them out.)

This constellation of fortune could propel Mass-hole Nation well beyond the irritant levels of other annoying fan "nations" such as the Yankees, Cowboys, Raiders, DC United, Chelsea, the Duke Blue Devils or any other extremely annoying fanbase of which you can conceive. There's already a solid foundation of loud, belligerent morons from "southie" and other parts of that shitty town who supported these teams when they stunk. That base could grow exponentially with the addition of front-runners and bandwgoners from across the nation.

Plus, Boston has the trifecta of ultra-deusche celebrities carrying their banner - Dane Cook, Ben Affleck and Jimmy Fallon (although Fallon's been known to flip allegiances based on where he's working).

Finally, I can't leave out The (Boston) Sports Guy. To paraphrase a Deadspin commentor - Bill Simmons has been masterbating furiously since late September and may not "finish" until June.

Consider this a Halloween warning.

"They mostly come out at night... mostly..."
 

I really should stand up for that "shitty town" comment, but I'll just chalk it up jealousy.

I really can't see A-Rod going to the Marlins. I mean, this is a team whose owner conducted a fire sale just two winters ago (two years after winning the world series), later forcing the NL manager of the year out of town. They'd have to give him partial ownership of the team, which I don't see happening. My bet is on the Dodgers or Angels. Does anyone really believe that he'll get 10 years for $300 mil? His best shot was with the Yankees and Boros has A-Roded it (ie blown it). The Cubs are for sale which takes them out of the equation.
 

Actually, my ex-girlfriend broke my heart and moved to Boston after college. Instead of admitting my failure as a boyfriend at the time, I told everyone that while she was walking to work one day, a city bus knocked her into a wood chipper and after being accidently blended with other mulch, she was spread over the track at Suffolk Downs where she is trodden on by horses in at least 7 races per day. I'll concede that I'm unjustly rough on the City itself and retract my "shitty" comment.

However, I stand behind all of my rash generalizations about Boston fans as well as my assessment of the very real threat that other fans across the country face this year.
 

I keep hearing that the Cubs' status takes them out of the running, but I don't see why. I mean, that franchise will sell, regardless of whether it's saddled with a $300 mil contract. Granted, they don't need A-rod (or really, any good players) to get people to show up at games. But I need a better explanation of this idea that being up for sale rules them out.

How wierd is it going to be to see Donny Baseball in a Dodgers uni? It's like those old pics of Namath with the Rams.
 

Speaking of running up the score, did you guys see the article on ESPN on the HS team that scored 72 points in the first Quarter in route to a 83-0 win. They ran 15 plays in the first quarter and scored on 14 of them. Only 1 pass play. Their passing was 2 for 3 on the day..

Yes that score was run up. Just like agaist the fins when they brough brady back in after the backup threw a int for TD. My questions is, is some defensive end going to take a cheap shot at brady during one of these crazy routes.
 

The Cubs are owned by Tribune which is now owned by Sam Zell. This guy is a pretty savvy businessman and he's gonna want to sell it at the absolute highest price. You're right, the franchise will definitely sell (with or without A-Rod), but Tribune is saddled with a huge amount of debt and he needs every penny he can get. Potential buyers are going to look at expected profits over the next 10 years, and $300 mil in expense for A-Rod is going to definitely lower profits/cash flow and hurt the value of the company, unless he allows them to raise ticket prices by 30% and still sell out, which I doubt is possible.