Nnamdi Asomugha Is Now An Eagle

Well, there you have it, the Eagles have done it again like they did with Michael Vick by swooping in last second and signing Nnamdi Asomugha, the #1 free agent this offseason and the #1 CB in the league.  Now the only question will be what will the Eagles do with THREE legitimate cornerbacks.

 With his 5yr/$60mill contract, Nnamdi Asomugha is the highest-paid CB in the NFL

With Asante Samuels, Nnamdi Asomugha, and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie all on their roster, the Eagles will have to look to move one of them so that one isn't just rotting away on the bench.  The smart move looks to be Samuels, with only one year remaining on his contract, he is very attractive to some teams looking to add a strong CB to their roster.  Also, if the Eagles weren't serious about trading Kevin Kolb for DRC while still wanting to sign Asomugha and having them both play, they wouldn't have done both deals.

 Asante Samuel could get moved with the Eagles housing three top-tier CBs

In the meantime, look for the Eagles to shop Samuels and get a nice piece in return for him.
But, while we have the three, I think it's time that all the Eagles fans just sit back and rejoice about how their pass defense will be unbreakable for years to come.  You hear that?  It sounds like the noise that the engraver makes, etching "Philadelphia Eagles- 2011-2012 NFL Champions" onto the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

So DRC Is An Eagle Now...

So it became official a little over an hour ago that the Eagles have traded back-up quarterback Kevin Kolb to the Arizona Cardinals for cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a second round pick.
This was the deal that the Eagles were leaning towards the entire time when it was announced that Arizona was really interested in trading for the talented QB.  In return for shipping out Kolb, who has only started a handful of games for the Eagles, they receive the young Cromartie, one of the best young corners in the game and already a Pro Bowler, for only $950K this season and a measly $1.13 million next season.

Paired up with Asante Samuels, DRC will make the Eagles pass defense one of the best in the league

Teaming up Cromartie and Asante Samuels in the defensive backfield will put the Eagles amongst the tops in the NFL as having the best 1-2 cornerback combos in the league.

Kolb will finally get his chance to start in Arizona

As for Kolb, I couldn't be happier for the guy.  When the Eagles drafted him, they expected him to be the heir apparent to Donovan McNabb.  But when a concussion derailed him in Week 1 last season and Michael Vick stormed onto the scene, it was Kolb back in his back-up role.  The guy has the talent to be a huge impact in a weak division in the NFC West, where any of those teams really need is a QB.  And with Kolb, the Cardinals jump out as the front-runner to win that division, with the Seahawks replacing Matt Hasselbeck with Tavaris Jackson, the 49ers giving former #1 overall pick Alex Smith one last go, and the St. Louis Rams relying on the second year services of Sam Bradford.
All-in-all, this was a great deal for both sides and a very happy day to be an Eagles fan.

*Images courtesy of Google Images*

Remembering Kei Igawa

This is an article published by the New York Times.  Great article that chronicles the journey of once promising Japanese pitcher Kei Igawa, a pitcher who signed a $20 million contract plus $26 million bidding rights with the Yankees only to last 16 games in the MLBs.  Now, a pitcher who fluctuates between AA and AAA, he does whatever it takes to fit in and still find a reason to play the game he loves.  Enjoy, courtesy of the New York Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/sports/baseball/kei-igawa-the-lost-yankee.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&seid=auto&smid=tw-nytimes

Supposed to be the next big Japanese star, Kei Igawa never found a home on the Yankees' big league roster.

*Image courtesy of Google Images*

Today Could Be A Great Day To Be An American

So, in the real world, today is July 17th, 2011.  But, in the American sports world, today is the fourth round of the 140th Open Championship and the Women's World Cup final.  In either case, both are very well recognized events around the world and will be watched by many, but for Americans, today is a very special day.

Sitting in second place, is this finally DJ's chance to get his name on a major championship trophy?

At roughly 9:10am, Dustin Johnson will tee off to begin his final round at the Open Championship, in second place at -4, only one shot behind leader Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland.  But, even before DJ strikes his first shot, there are four other Americans who are in contention to take home the Claret Jug.  Rickie Fowler is -2 and in the second to last pairing.  Sitting at -1 is 2009 US Open champion Lucas Glover and at even par for the tournament is both Anthony Kim and Phil Mickleson, both playing together in the fourth to last pairing.
It is odd to see this many Americans in the top-10 at a major championship, even more so since this one is being played across the pond on a course and in conditions that are unlike those in America.  There was a lot of talk leading up to the tournament about how the Americans haven't been performing well in majors, having not won one since Mickleson won the Masters last year.  But, the way these five Americans have played thus far is raising the hopes of Americans that this could be the major where the Americans stop their "drought."
Obviously, Johnson is looking to be the best contender in the group, at only one stroke back and in the last group, but in the other two majors where he has played in the last pairing on Sunday, he hasn't faired too well, averaging 77.5 strokes per round, including the infamous 82 at Pebble Beach last year in the US Open.

Only three strokes back, Fowler is a strong contender for this year's Claret Jug

But, don't sleep on the rest of the Americans.  Fowler and Kim are both young, so they'll most likely go out full steam ahead hoping to find success early and put the pressure on Clarke.  Glover is by far one of the best putters on tour and that is a major key in being successful at the Open Championship.  And, well, don't forget about Lefty.  Even though, this isn't his best major, only finishing in the top-10 once in his career, this is a different looking Mickleson, playing with a lot of confidence and holding steady, comfortable with making pars.
Roughly once the Open Championship crowns a winner, we will then be kicking off the Women's World Cup final in Germany, with the United States hosting Japan.
Everyone remembers the slip up in the US's third group match, forcing them to have to play Brazil in the quarterfinals.  Well, in case you were under a rock over the past week, the US really used every minute of that Brazil game to get by in dramatic fashion.  With only 10 women on the field, Abby Wambach scored on a beautiful cross from Megan Rapinoe in the 120+2' to tie the game at 2-2 and sending it into penalty kicks.  Hope Solo stopped Brazil's third shooter and everything after that was history as the US eliminated Brazil.
The semifinals pitted the US against France and the 3-1 score may look a little more dominating than what it actually was.  It took another Wambach header in the 76' to go ahead 2-1 and another goal late in the game put it on ice.

Abby Wambach has scored big goals in the last two games for the US to help them to the WWC Finals

The US has never lost to team Japan, but don't sleep on the Japanese squad.  They upset heavy favorite Germany in extra time in the quarterfinals and then dominated a strong Sweden club that beat the US earlier in the tournament.  This should most certainly be an entertaining match.
As an American today, I am going to sit back and watch as the US is strongly represented in sports across the world and hope that today we, once again, express our dominance.

*Images courtesy of Wikipedia*

Phil Hughes Makes His Return Tonight

So Phil Hughes is finally pitching in the big leagues again.  Getting a spot start tonight, Hughes will take Bartolo Colon's start against the Cleveland Indians, making his first start in the bigs since mid-April.
Hughes was summoned to the DL after only three starts this season with a "dead arm."  It's hard to actually believe that diagnosis considering that even 40-year old pitchers don't get a dead arm three weeks into the baseball season.  But, his numbers don't lie with the dead arm scenario, sporting an 0-1 record with a 13.94 ERA.

Phil Hughes makes his return to the rotation tonight against the Indians

Hughes was supposed to be a major cornerstone in the Yankees' rotation this season, along with CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, but failed to deliver.  He came off a spectacular breakout season in 2010 with an 18-8 record, but a fairly high ERA at 4.14.  But, when it was known that Andy Pettitte made it clear that he was staying retired and the Yankees failed to lure Cliff Lee to New York, the Yankees knew that Hughes had to be the guy.  But, that plan never panned out.  What did, however, was the free-agent signings of Colon and Freddy Garcia who have both pitched outstandingly and are a major reason why the Yankees have a lead over the Boston Red Sox in the AL East.

The newly revamped Bartolo Colon has been a huge asset to the Yankees success this season

But, what may prove interesting after tonight is who Phil Hughes will replace in the starting rotation pending he has a good start.  Sabathia and Colon are easily the two best pitchers in that rotation right now, so no dice there.  Ivan Nova has won four straight starts and Garcia is pitching like his days in Seattle and Chicago.  And Burnett is off and on, but has had a couple starts where he has pitched well, but didn't get the decision he would have liked.  I think the best solution would be to put Hughes in the bullpen as 7th inning man, or maybe even have him be used as a long relief pitcher.

Freddy Garcia is pitching like he's back in Seattle

Either way, as a Yankees fan, I'm just hoping he can get through tonight.

*Images courtesy of Google Images*

The Year of the Serb

Well there it is.  Novak Djokovic not only took over Rafael Nadal as tennis' new number one player in the world, but he also dethroned Nadal as Wimbledon champion.  It is Djokovic's first Wimbledon title and his third grand slam title in his career.  The win, 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3, has helped Djokovic climb to number one in the world rankings, a feat that has only been held by 24 other men in tennis history.  He is also the first player to hold that ranking in the last seven years not named Nadal or Roger Federer.

Djokovic, who made major headlines to begin this tennis season started off the year winning his first 43 matches of the season, winning the Australian Open, his second career major, but was finally stopped in the French Open semifinals to Roger Federer.  He is now 50-1 on the season and doesn't seem to be slowing up anytime soon.
Djokovic, a player once known as a guy who never really wanted to reach his full potential and was known to retire in matches when things got tough, is now seen as possibly one of the fittest guys on the ATP tour.
With the win today, Djokovic is also the first player to win the Wimbledon final besides Nadal and Federer since 2002, a stunning nine years.

*Image courtesy of Google Images*