As we go on during this offseason, we can see that certain teams are going to go through rebuilding stages. One of these teams is the Cleveland Indians.
Fausto Carmona is not necessarily on the trading block, but it is said that the Indians are open to listen to offers for him in order to help their rebuilding process.
The Indians may be hesitant to move him, but he has had two lousy seasons, and the asking price for him shouldn't be that high.
The Florida Marlins have many prospects to use to get Fausto, from pitchers to position players. The problem is deciding how much Carmona is worth.
Last season was very disappointing for Carmona as he posted a 5-12 record with a 6.32 ERA.
He has shown signs of brilliance in his career, though, as he had an outstanding 2007 season, and it looks as if he can eat innings when healthy and pitching well.
He would be a good fit for the Marlins since it is evident that a strong end of the rotation pitcher is necessary for the team to excel, because frankly, I am exhausted of going through seasons filled with "growing pains."
Also, Carmona is no longer expensive since he has already gone through two of the four years on his $15 million contract, making him worth around $4 million per year.
Now we have all of the background information out of the way, we can determine why this is a good offer to help rebuild the Cleveland Indians.
Dan Uggla, Gaby Sanchez, and Graham Taylor
For
Fausto Carmona and Jensen Lewis
This is a good deal since the Indians will end up receiving three players, including Uggla, who hits about 30 HR per year and knocks in 90-100 RBI.
Gaby Sanchez, who is a very good first baseman (and can also play third), can provide a strong bat with some pop.
Graham Taylor is a very talented young pitcher who is consistent in the strike zone. He is not a very hard thrower, but he certainly has great movement and control.
I would also like to know how much more it would take to eat up at least 30 percent of Carmona's contract.
Even if nothing happens this offseason, I do expect Carmona to be on the trading block eventually. If it is not now, it is probably going to be before the trade deadline.
Place a comment to what you think it would take for the Marlins to get Carmona, or if you feel that Carmona shouldn't be traded at all this season.
He scores goals, dishes out hit after hit, and drops the gloves when necessary. He is a rare breed in today's NHL, he is a true power forward, and his name is Ryane Clowe.
The San Jose Sharks are a team that often find themselves criticized for being too soft and too "cutesy" while handling the puck.
But when it comes to Ryane Clowe, the words "soft" and "cute" aren't even in his dictionary.
After splashing onto the scene in his first regular playing time back in 2006-07 when he registered a solid 34 points in 58 games, fans expected big things from Clowe the following season.
Unfortunately for the Newfoundland native, a knee injury in October of 2007 limited him to just eight points in 15 games that season.
While he returned in time for the playoffs, the Sharks missed out on Clowe's ability to set the physical tone during the regular season, and subsequently the '07-'08 Sharks were out-hit in the postseason.
However, with the knee healed last year, Clowe finally broke out with 22 goals and 52 points in 71 games. And his physical presence, along with guys like Brad Staubitz and Douglas Murray, helped the Sharks overcome that "soft" label that had been following them since the lockout.
Clowe's physical tone and willingness to drop the gloves as a top-six forward rubbed off on Joe Thornton, who ended up fighting with Anaheim center Ryan Getzlaf at the beginning of Game Six of the quarterfinal series with the Ducks last season.
Without a top scorer like Clowe bringing that nastiness to the table, it is highly doubtful you would have a seen a guy like Thornton drop the gloves in that situation.
It is that mentality of physical dominance that No. 29 brings to the Sharks' locker room that helps the team play at a high level of intensity. A mentality incredibly similar to former Sharks captain Owen Nolan.
Nolan, the current Minnesota Wild forward, was a Shark from 1995-2003 and was captain of a team teal from 1998-2003. He is still a fan favorite in San Jose because of his hard-nosed style game in and game out.
While Nolan did once hold the Sharks' franchise record for 44 goals in a season, he was better known for his willingness to hit anything that moves and drop the gloves when needed.
A hard-hitting, glove dropping, goal scorer is the definition of a power forward. And just like Nolan, Clowe fits that definition to a T.
Granted, Clowe's career points per game of .61 is slightly lower than Nolan's career mark of .74, the current Shark has turned his game up a notch since starting the year pointless in his first seven games.
Since registering his first point on Oct. 17, Clowe has tallied 26 points in 31 games, good for higher than Nolan's career mark at .83.
Whether or not he sustains this pace is uncertain, but it is highly likely that he will finish the year at or above Nolan's career pace of .74 points per game.
Considering that this will probably be Rob Blake's last season in San Jose, a new captain will be named next season.
Dan Boyle would be the obvious choice, and, as I have stated here on Bleacher Report, Boyle would be the best choice.
However, if the Sharks were to look elsewhere, wanting to give the captaincy back to a forward, the next best choice would have to be Clowe.
Even when the 27-year-old wasn't scoring to begin the year, he was still a major force to be reckoned with out on the ice. His strong play along the boards, intimidating physical presence, and willingness to stick up for his teammates are all attributes fitting of a captain.
On the other hand, if guys like Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Dany Heatley aren't scoring, they aren't doing much at all. But Clowe is the guy who the Sharks count on to change the flow of the game and create momentum even without scoring a goal.
It's this play, similar to that of the recently retired Jeremy Roenick, which should have Clowe as a serious candidate for captain next season.
The three best ways to bet on golf are listed below.
There certainly are other methods that are fun, but these three are simple enough to explain to someone on the first tee.
All of them allow for a player to have a few bad holes and still be in contention.
Before we being, let's distinguish between match play and stroke play, as to avoid confusion.
Stroke play counts each and every stroke in the round, totalling them up at the end to get a final score.
Match play counts each hole individually. Taking 15 shots on one hole is completely irrelevant to the next one.
The Nassau
A Nassau can involve either two players or two teams. It's also known as a 5-5-5 bet. It can be played in either stroke or match play.
What a Nassau actually does is create three separate bets—one on the front nine, one on the back nine, and one overall.
This enables a player who has played terribly on the front nine to still have a chance to come back or at least cut their losses.
As an example let's say Tom and Jim are playing a $5 stroke play Nassau.
On the front nine, Jim shoots 39, and Tom shoots 41. Tom would win that bet.
On the back nine, Jim shoots 41, and Tom shoots 36. Tom would win that bet.
On the overall bet, Tom beat Jim by two strokes, so he wins that as well, netting $5 total from Jim's wallet.
Skins
Skins is a tried and true method of gambling, best with either three or four players. The reason golfers love it is because even if you play 17 bad holes, you can still come up the big winner by winning one important hole.
Just like Nines, you must assign a dollar value to each skin.
Each hole is worth one skin. In order to win a hole, you must have win it outright.
Generally, this game is played with something called "carryovers." This means that if two or more players tie for the best score, the skin is added to the next hole.
So lets say that Jim, Tom, Willy, and Chubbs are playing a game of skins
On the first hole Chubbs and Willy make eights. Tom and Jim both make fours. Because they tied, the skin will be carried over to the next hole.
On the second hole, Tom, Jim, and Willy all make four, but Chubbs manages to score a three. Despite making eight on the hole before, Chubbs gets both skins.
After 18 holes have been completed Chubbs has nine skins, Willy has six, Jim has three, and Tom is shut out.
Tom would owe Chubbs $9, Willy $6, and Jim $3. (-$18 total)
Jim would owe Willy $3 and Chubbs $6. (-$6 total)
Willy would owe Chubbs $3. (+$6 total)
Chubbs wouldn't owe anyone anything. (+18) total
Nines
Nines is a perfect game for three people. Although it seems complicated at first, it's really quite easy once you get the hang of it.
First you must assign a value for each point. Generally that value is between a dime and a dollar, as there are lots of points to be scored.
The way it works is that each hole, there are nine points awarded total based on the final scores.
The lowest score gets five points, the middle gets three, and the highest scores only one.
If all players tie, each gets three.
If one players wins and the other two tie, the winner gets five points and the others get two each.
If two players tie for the lowest score, they earn four points each, and the loser only gets one.
This scoring system is used every hole until the end of nine or 18, and then scores are totalled to determine the total wins and losses for each player.
As an example, let's say three guys play nine holes, giving each point a value of one dollar. Jim winds up with 38 points, Tom with 27, and Willy with 16.
Willy owes $22 to Jim and $11 to Tom.
Tom owes $11 to Jim.
So overall, Jim makes $33, Tom breaks even, and Willy loses $33.
The Colts are rolling into the playoffs but will not go far without Peyton Manning, as we saw in the final quarter against the Jets.
The Colts should have gone for the undefeated season. That stunk for all the Colts fans. The game against the Jets was just silly. I am glad that the Jets were able to beat the second string of the Colts. Hooray.
No. 2 San Diego Chargers, 12-3
The Chargers have won 10 in a row and are the hottest team in football, except for the Colts. These two teams will play for the AFC Championship.
No. 3 Minnesota Vikings, 11-3
The Vikings have had a couple of bad outings, but, overall, things look good for Minnesota. If they reach the Super Bowl, they actually have the best chance in their history of winning one.
No. 4 New Orleans Saints, 13-2
The Saints are reeling from a loss to Dallas followed by a loss to Tampa Bay in the Super Dome. They sometimes look very confused on defense, especially in the second half. Playing poorly is not the way to enter the postseason.
No. 5 Philadelphia Eagles, 11-4
The Eagles are very dangerous to other teams in the playoffs this season. They are capable of beating any team in the NFC.
No. 6 Dallas Cowboys, 9-5
The Cowboys must keep winning to ensure a playoff berth. One loss could spell doom and gloom for Dallas. They can clinch a playoff berth with a win against Washington in Week 16. A loss would be jobs lost in Dallas, starting with Wade Phillips.
No. 7 Arizona Cardinals, 11-4
The Cardinals have clinched the NFC West again and could be a problem for many teams with a hot Kurt Warner and his receiving crew. This defense has improved, and Beanie Wells is running the ball well.
No. 8 Green Bay Packers, 10-5
A great season only marred by two losses to Brett Favre and Minnesota is keeping Green Bay from winning the division. This could be a dangerous wild card team.
No. 9 Cincinnati Bengals, 10-5
There seems to be plenty of good teams this season in the NFL. The Bengals have 10 wins and should beat the Jets to get to 11. This team does not want to see the Steelers for a third time this season.
No. 10 New England Patriots, 10-5
Here's another good team at 10-5. The Patriots are looking to beat Houston in the last game of the regular season to dash the playoff hopes and the first winning season for the Texans.
No. 11 Pittsburgh Steelers, 8-7
The Steelers are hanging around and making the rest of the AFC really nervous. No one wants to play the Steelers in the first round of the playoffs.
No. 12 Denver Broncos, 8-7
The Denver Broncos have a serious chance to miss the postseason altogether. They must beat Kansas City next week or face total failure this season.
No. 13 Houston Texans, 8-7
The Texans have a chance to make the playoffs and finish with a winning record for the first time in their eight-year history. The problem is their last game is in New England.
No. 14 Baltimore Ravens, 8-7
The Ravens have fallen hard, losing 23-20 to the Steelers in Week 16. They finish with the Raiders at home and then must wait and see. Even if they beat the Raiders, they may not get in anyway.
No. 15 New York Jets, 8-7
The Jets took advantage of an early exit by Peyton Manning to barely stay alive for the playoffs. They must beat Cincinnati in the final week, which is unlikely.
No. 16 Atlanta Falcons, 8-7
The Falcons got it going a little late this season and will finish one game out of the mix at 9-7 by beating Tampa Bay in the last game of the season.
No. 17 Carolina Panthers, 7-8
By beating the Giants and knocking them out of the playoffs, Carolina improved to 7-8 and a chance to get to .500 next week against a now-struggling New Orleans Saints team.
No. 18 Miami Dolphins, 7-8
The Dolphins will finish 7-9 with a loss to the Steelers next week, and they look forward to improving next season.
No. 19 New York Giants, 8-7
The Giants shot themselves in the foot against Carolina and will miss the playoffs this season. The Giants face Minnesota in their last game, and their hearts will not be in it. Minnesota now has a chance to tie New Orleans for the No. 1 NFC seed in the playoffs.
No. 20 Jacksonville Jaguars, 7-8
The Jags stayed in the playoff hunt until Week 16, which is really great compared to last season.
No. 21 San Francisco 49ers, 7-8
The Niners will need to add an impact defensive player, as well as wide receiver and get some quarterback help.
No. 22 Tennessee Titans, 7-8
The horrendous start for the Titans this season will motivate them early next season. Watch out for this team in the first three games next season.
No. 23 Chicago Bears, 5-9
Not a good start for Jay Cutler and his new team. Maybe Cutler isn't that great, huh?
No. 24 Cleveland Browns, 4-11
The Browns were the worst team in football for most of this season, but two nice wins in a row have really helped the team's confidence of late. Go Browns.
No. 25 Washington Redskins, 4-10
The Jim Zorn experiment is over.
No. 26 Seattle Seahawks, 5-10
This team is horrible. What happened to that competing for the division talk?
No. 27 Oakland Raiders, 5-10
Hopefully, the JaMarcus Russell experiment is over and this team can draft a decent quarterback.
No. 28 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 3-12
This team moved up in the rankings a little with a big win against New Orleans in Week 16.
No. 29 Buffalo Bills, 5-10
The Bills have not had much to cheer about this season, and I am shocked they won five games.
No. 30 Kansas City Chiefs, 3-12
Matt Cassell is not as good as Kansas City thought.
No. 31 Detroit Lions, 2-13
Two wins better than last season will have to do.
No. 32 St. Louis Rams, 1-14
The Rams, by far, are the worst team in football. Who did they beat, anyway? I forgot.
The hearts of the Gator Nation have now been taken off life support. Instead of calling it quits, Coach Urban Meyer has decided to take an indefinite leave of absence.
He needs to take a vacation.
Once the Sugar Bowl is over, Meyer would normally begin his annual recruiting trek. This year, he is going to let his staff handle it.
According to Scout.com, the Florida Gators currently are ranked fifth in recruiting and have 20 players on the board for the 2010 signing class. The class includes two five-star players, Mack Brown of Lithonia, Ga., and Matt Elam of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Think about it—the Gators already have 20 recruits in the pipeline, and surely they have up to a dozen more waiting in the wings.
Most of the work has already been done, so with the exception of damage control, is this the reason why Meyer feels he can take a break?
Coach Meyer will have four-plus months to sit back and relax while his staff finalizes recruiting and preparing for spring practice. He may choose to speak to several booster clubs around the country, but the vast majority of the work will be completed.
Sounds like a vacation to me.
Personally, I think this is a good idea.
Yes, his choice of resigning the day after Christmas, then changing his mind 24 hours later is questionable at best, but remember that his good pal Billy Donovan did something similar a few years back, and all is well.
Take the family to Disney World, Coach Meyer.
Call up the Spurrier and play some golf.
There are plenty of cruise ships that depart from the Sunshine State. Have Enterprise pick you up, while you and the Mrs. take that romantic weekend getaway.
Just do us all a favor—please don't scare the Gator Nation like that ever again.
