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Leinart Impressive, Grossman Not in 3rd Preseason Game

A dragged out negotiations process that brought Matt Leinart into camp late does not seem to have hurt, as he was impressive in his second preseason game. Meanwhile, Rex Grossman is still a question mark for the Bears.

Leinart showed why the Arizona Cardinals selected him with the 10th pick in the draft, and the Arizona Cardinals beat the Chicago Bears 23-16 in Friday’s preseason game. He took over for Kurt Warner in the second quarter and completed 15-of-21 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown. “I feel comfortable with the offense for the most part right now,” Leinart said. “So they called a lot of stuff, and I just went out there and tried to execute.”

He entered the game with 5:13 left in the second quarter and completed 12 consecutive passes at one point, while leading the Cardinals (2-1) to a field goal at the end of the first half and a touchdown early in the third quarter. Leinart completed all six passes on his second possession as the Cardinals drove 54 yards in the final minute of the half, Neil Rackers’ field goal extending their lead to 10-6. After Antrel Rolle intercepted Rex Grossman on the opening possession of the third quarter, Leinart went 4-for-4 as the Cardinals drove 42 yards against the Bears’ first-string defense for a touchdown that made it 17-6.

“It’s awesome,” Leinart said. “It’s good reps and experience for me just in case I’m thrown into the mix or if something happens. I can play at a high level, like Kurt plays at.”

[...]

Grossman was 13-of-21 for 117 yards and an interception after two rough preseason games for Chicago (1-2) but did little to end the quarterback debate among fans. Grossman was booed, and backup Brian Griese was cheered when he entered with about five minutes left in the third. Then, he went 10-for-14 for 131 yards and a touchdown, and heard a “Griese! Griese!” chant late in the game.

“Every time he’s in there, I see the same looks and he makes nice passes,” Grossman said. “I congratulate him, but as far as looking over my shoulder, you can’t. You just can’t. As soon as you do that, you’re done.” Coach Lovie Smith said there’s no reason for Grossman to look over his shoulder. “He’s our No. 1 quarterback,” Smith said.

Frankly, that’s just silly. Griese is a solid pro quarterback, although he’s never going to be a superstar. Grossman has more upside but is not ready to lead a team to the playoffs. The Bears defense is good enough that they should be a playoff team.

Meanwhile, the Cards could have a Tom Brady situation, albeit with a number 10 overall pick rather than a 6th rounder. If Warner goes down and Leinart replaces him, he likely won’t give the job back. That’s a good problem for the team to have and the first time in maybe 25 years that they’ve had depth at quarterback.

 

Tiger Puts Shot on Clubhouse Roof

Tiger Woods missed a shot re-e-e-al bad, landing it on the roof of the clubhouse. He still pulled out a bogey.

Tiger Woods’ second shot on the par-4 ninth hole at the Firestone Country Club on Friday went far right, hit pavement and bounced onto the roof of the clubhouse. Some moments later, a WGC-Bridgestone tournament official was seen roaming around the roof looking for the ball. Woods gathered with other officials at the entrance to the clubhouse as the gallery swarmed to the area.

[...]

Figuring out where Woods should drop took so long that the group behind his was told to play through.

Woods and McGinley were shown on ESPN’s broadcast laughing as they waited near the 18th green.

The telecast reported some moments later that a cook from the clubhouse found Woods’ ball and handed it over to his caddie, Steve Williams. Woods was allowed to drop just off the path near the clubhouse about 100 yards from the hole. Woods’ then hit his third shot, a wedge, onto the green within 25 feet of the cup. He just missed his par putt right. Woods was not assessed a penalty stroke. PGA Tour official Mike Shea said, “This is a pretty unusual situation. … The ball ended up in the parking lot where preparation for hospitality takes place.” Officials ruled that the ball had been moved by someone and that the grandstand qualified as a temporary obstruction. “The ball was picked up by an outside agency,” Shea said.

Woods settled for bogey on the ninth, carding a 64 for the day.

Many players that did not land their ball on a roof did no better. Some, presumably, did worse.

 

Return of Old Time Base Ball

The Vintage Base Ball Federation has put together a sizable nation-wide league playing base ball the way it was meant to be played. Or, at least, the way it was played in the 1880s.

Talk about turning back the clock. Former major league pitcher Jim Bouton announced Thursday the launch of an organization that will play by 19th century rules: The Vintage Base Ball Federation. Yup, back then baseball was two words.

It will be six balls for a walk, and a foul ball won’t count as a strike — unless it’s caught, in which case the batter will be out. A foul ball caught on a bounce counts for an out, and a hit batter is only a ball, with no base awarded. Gloves will be tiny, bat handles will be thick and the ball — that’s right, one ball will be used per game unless it falls apart or is lost — will be dead. There aren’t any pitcher’s mounds, and there’s no such thing as a balk on pickoff attempts. In a mixture of sport and theater, umpires must be addressed as “sir.” Fans — called “cranks” — will be encouraged to wear period costumes, so ladies get out those flowered hats and gentlemen doff your straw boaters.
[...]

“The game the way it was meant to be played,” Bouton said during a news conference at Delmonico’s, a restaurant that opened in 1836. “No batting gloves, helmets, wristbands, elbow pads, shin guards, sunglasses. No arguing with the umpire. No stepping out of the batter’s box. No charging the pitcher or posing at home plate. No curtain-calling, chest-thumping or high-fiving. Just baseball.”

There will be some allowances for modern times, such as protective gear inside uniforms for catchers and lining under the short-billed caps when players bat. There will be relief pitchers, and uniforms will have polyester, because flannel isn’t durable enough.

[...]

Before each plate appearance, a batter will declare his “desired strike zone preference” — belt to knee or belt to armpits. If the umpire misses a call because his view is blocked, a team captain can ask for a “gentleman’s ruling,” in which players involved in the play are to truthfully say what occurred. If a dispute remains, the umpire may ask the cranks for their opinion.

It sounds fun. The wistfulness for old times, however, just demonstrates how we tend to remember the good and forget the bad. As the piece notes,

“The 1880s and ’90s were characterized by very rough play and ill-mannered conduct toward umpires and opponents and spectators,” said John Thorn, a board member who serves on the 19th Century research committee of the Society for American Baseball Research.

Somehow, though, we have gotten the idea that showboating and rude play is an invention of the modern era.

 

Albert Pujols Aces Babe Ruth Tests

We all knew Albert Pujols was an impressive baseball player. How impressive? According to recent scientific analysis: Babe Ruth impressive.

How does El Hombre match up against the Sultan of Swat? This spring, Washington University scientists, at the request of GQ magazine, put Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols through a series of tests similar to those given to Babe Ruth 85 years ago — tests ranging from finger tapping to visual responses to bat speed.

The results? Both men aced the tests, and their results were strikingly similar.

In 1921, psychologists at Columbia University put Ruth through scientific tests to try to determine what made him great. He had faster than average reflexes, steady nerves, and superior sight and hearing. The same holds true for Pujols. At Washington University, clinical neuropsychologist Desiree White and cognitive psychologist Richard Abrams and their colleagues gave Pujols tests resembling the ones Ruth took. Both men were 26 and top hitters when they were tested.

GQ features some of the results of the Pujols tests in its September issue.

For one test, White put a piece of paper in front of Pujols. Capital letters were strewn about the page. White told Pujols to locate and cross out all of the As. White realized she’d never seen anyone scan the page the way Pujols did. Most people scan a page left to right, the way they do when they read. Pujols visually divided the page into sectors and searched each one briefly for the letters before moving on to the next sector. When he’d searched all sectors, he returned to the first and started over. It took him four rounds and a minute to complete the task. “I’ve never seen anyone scan that way, but it would be important on the baseball field,” White said, noting the skill would allow Pujols to scan the field and know where everyone is without missing any action.

In another test, Pujols replicated 133 symbols in a minute — a testament to Pujols’ hand-eye coordination. The test makers don’t even list a score that high.

In a test of finger-tapping speed, Pujols tapped at 2.4 standard deviations faster than average — placing him in the 99th percentile. “It just doesn’t get any better than that,” White said. In fact, Pujols popped the screw right out of the finger tapper. He was contrite, even fixed the machine, tightening the screw with a fingernail.

White said Pujols’ performance on any one test doesn’t explain his abilities; it’s the whole package that probably counts. “My hypothesis would be that there’s something special about how he puts it all together” on the field, she said.

One would imagine.

 

Pat Riley to return as Miami Heat coach

From the Sun Sentinel

Pat Riley confirmed Wednesday that he will return as Heat coach.

After acknowledging as much on the eve of last season’s playoffs, Riley cast doubt on his sideline future in the wake of his team’s 2006 NBA title when he said in late June, “I’m absolutely spent, worn out.”

But apparently rejuventated by a whirlwind offseason that has included vacations in Africa, Europe and Hawaii, Riley issued a statement quelling speculation that he might step aside. Immediately after issuing his statement, Riley departed to Japan for the World Championships, where Heat guard Dwyane Wade is participating.

“After winning the championship, I realized there’s always something meaningful that happens in your life that becomes the primary point of your destiny,” Riley said. “Winning the championship showed me that I am definitely in the right place, at the right time, with the right people. I can’t wait to get started.”

Riley, 61, began his second tenure as Heat coach Dec. 12, after Stan Van Gundy stepped aside for personal reasons. Riley said at the time his only commitment was for the balance of the season. He then waffled numerous times about committing to a longer sideline future, necessitating the need for Wednesday’s statement.

Riley will continue in his dual role as team president, a title he has held since joining the team in 1995, which also was the start of his initial eight-season Heat coaching tenure.

Riley ranks as the NBA’s third-winningest coach, with a 1,151-589 record in 22 seasons. He also ranks second on the NBA’s all-time postseason victory list, at 171-107, with five titles. He is 395-290 in his nine seasons as Heat coach.

The news doesn’t surprise me. Riley manuevered Stan Van Gundy out so to be able to coach again. I never thought it would be a one-year deal.

 

Cowboys Trade LB Shanle to Saints for 4th Rounder

Hoping to bolster their shaky linebacker corps, the New Orleans Saints on Wednesday acquired fourth-year veteran Scott Shanle from the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a fourth-round choice in the 2007 draft. Len Pasquarelli has details:

Hoping to bolster their shaky linebacker corps, the New Orleans Saints on Wednesday acquired fourth-year veteran Scott Shanle from the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a fourth-round choice in the 2007 draft.

Shanle, 26, appeared in 15 games for the Cowboys in 2005, starting seven contests at inside linebacker in the Dallas 3-4 alignment. He registered 50 tackles, 1½ sacks and two passes defensed. But he was rendered extraneous when the Cowboys added veteran Akin Ayodele in free agency this spring and chose Bobby Carpenter in the first round of the draft.

Those moves, plus the switch of longtime defensive end Greg Ellis to linebacker and the return of second-year veteran Kevin Burnett from 2005 knee surgery, provided the Cowboys one of the deepest units in the league. And while Shanle’s name was not specifically cited, it has been rumored for the past week that the Cowboys might be willing to deal from their surplus at the linebacker position.

The Saints need help at linebacker, and it will not be surprising if Shanle challenges for a starting job by the start of the regular season. Even with a dramatically overhauled linebacker corps, the Saints have struggled to find defenders who can play “downhill” to the ball. It will be interesting to see where the New Orleans coaches use Shanle, who can probably play in the middle or on the strongside in the team’s 4-3 front.

Saints defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs was the Dallas linebackers coach the past three seasons and knows Shanle well.

A good move for both teams. Barring a string of injuries, the Cowboys don’t need Shanle and they’re getting a 4th rounder for a guy who they picked up for free. And the Saints know what they’re getting, with both the head coach and the defensive coordinator having been with the Cowboys last season.

 

Cowboys Give Up on Drew Henson

Much touted quarterback prospect Drew Henson’s ride with the Dallas Cowboys is apparently coming to an end, despite getting only one half of game experience in his three year stay. Pete Aldrich reports, “Jean-Jacques Taylor just checked in from the Bill Parcells news conference. The news: Drew Henson won’t be on the roster and the team is trying to trade him.”

I can’t say I’m surprised, although I am disappointed. This is yet another wasted draft pick (a third, traded to the Texans for his rights) for a quarterback who we really have no information on other than whatever the coaching staff saw in practice. That Parcells stuck with Vinny Testaverde late in a 7-9 season rather than giving Henson a chance to prove himself remains one of the oddest decisions during his tenure.

UPDATE: JJT adds more detail.

The Drew Henson experiment is over. “Drew Henson is not going to be on roster this year,” coach Bill Parcells said Wednesday. “I just didn’t see enough. We tried very diligently with this guy.”

Henson, signed three years ago, was supposed to eventually be the Cowboys quarterback of the future. But he started only one game – Thanksgiving Day against Chicago in 2003 – and was benched at halftime.

Tony Romo distanced himself from Henson last year, claiming the backup job. And Romo has been even more impressive in training camp and preseason games the past month as Henson fell more out of favor. In the past two weeks, Henson lost practice repetitions to undrafted free agent Matt Baker. Henson did not play in either of the Cowboys’ first two preseason games.

He will count about $3 million against the club’s salary cap, though he’s no longer on the team.

“I don’t keep players that I don’t think can play for us,” Parcells said.

Parcells declined to talk about whether Dallas is trying to trade him. “I’m really not at liberty to discuss the situation because I’m not privy to that information,” Parcells said. “He’s not going to be on our roster. That’s all you need to know. This is a little bit of a limbo situation. There are a couple of moving parts.”

Parcells said the Cowboys aren’t sure who will be their third quarterback when the season starts. They could keep Baker or attempt to acquire an experienced veteran.

Frankly, though, a $3 million cap hit could mean that other players have to be cut, too. It makes very little sense from that standpoint.

 

Team USA Winning Basketball Games

When the Dream Team was assembled in 1992, we all thought that teams comprised of US professionals would simply embarrass international competition forever. The last couple of Olympics and World Championships, however, have demonstrated that doesn’t work if the best players don’t show up and the ones who do refuse to play as a team.

Mike Krzyzewski seems to have turned things around, with the team up 3-0 in group play in the FIBA World Championships.

Coach K got the attention of everybody in the building when he cleared his bench at the 5:13 mark of the first quarter. Krzyzewski continues to assert that he’s going to wear down the opposition by playing guys for short periods of time, telling his players not to hold back or pace themselves when they’re in the game. To drive that point home, he inserted Joe Johnson, Kirk Hinrich, Antawn Jamison, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all at the same time, replacing the starters: LeBron James, Shane Battier, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony.

“We’ll probably continue to do that,” D’Antoni said after the game. “It keeps everybody engaged and fired up and it’s worked pretty good that way. It gets everybody thinking on the same page. Coach K came up with (the idea). It’s fun to see (the fans’) reactions.”

Krzyzewski also swapped five for five at the five-minute mark of the third quarter.

“I like it,” Dwyane Wade said. “I don’t know how much coach is going to keep it that way but hopefully (he will). I like it. It gives us a chance to know that we’re only going to be out there for five minutes, so go very hard. And, also, it’s two different teams you’ll see; the first team is very different than the second team. It’s helped us out tremendously, so hopefully we’ll stick with it for a little while.”

Of course, the team still faces the problem that has plagued them since the Dream Team: Everyone expects them to win, so they get no credit if they do. But Lord help them if they lose.

 

NFL Trade: Lelie to Falcons, Duckett to ‘Skins, Pick to Broncos

The Atlanta Falcons, Washington Redskins, and Denver Broncos pulled off a three team trade yesterday.

The Atlanta Falcons traded running back T.J. Duckett to the Washington Redskins on Tuesday as part of a three-team deal and acquired holdout receiver Ashley Lelie from the Denver Broncos. The Broncos received Washington’s third-round pick in the 2007 draft as part of the deal, according to two officials within the league who spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade had not been officially announced.

Washington had been shopping for a running back since star Clinton Portis partially dislocated his shoulder in the preseason opener against Cincinnati. The Redskins are unsure if he’ll be ready for the start of the regular season. The Falcons, meanwhile, were eager to land another receiver after losing Brian Finneran to a season-ending knee injury in the early days of training camp. Lelie was the NFL’s leader in yards per catch in 2004, but he held out of training camp this year in hopes of forcing a trade.

In an interesting twist, Duckett and Lelie were involved in the same deal after being taken with consecutive first-round picks during the 2002 draft.

The Redskins continue to trade away first day draft picks as if they were meaningless. Giving away a third for a merely decent running back as an insurance policy for a star that will likely be back in the first game or two is a real head scratcher.

 

Cowboys Cut Stephen Peterman, Former 3rd Rounder

The Dallas Cowboys have released their second highly drafted offensive lineman from the 2004 draft, letting Stephen Peterman go along with three unheralded players.

The Cowboys on Wednesday released four players, including guard Stephen Peterman. Peterman was the team’s third-round pick in 2004. Their second-round pick in that draft – tackle Jacob Rogers – was released in March. Also released Wednesday were linebacker John Saldi, cornerback Quincy Butler and tight end Erik Jensen.

While the Cowboys brain trust has of late been quite excellent at drafting defensive talent, they have been simply abysmal at picking offensive linemen. They have spent several high draft picks in recent years and have still have, at best, a mediocre line.

 
 


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