The Daily Grind

I have to get through this quick today. I had the day off from work, I could have been doing this all day. But, no, I slept, fielded birthday wishes, and listened to "Mike and the Mad Dog" and took a nap (it was a slow show). Yesterday was maybe my shortest post, and today won't be too different. Hey, these are the only three days a year where there are no games being played by the four major sports (NBA, MLB, NHL, NFL). So, its slow times in the blogosphere/commento-sphere (Yes, I am calling myself a commentator whether you like it or not).

-A Ron Artest-Lamar Odom swap was heavily rumored earlier in the offseason, but it seems to have died down. But, its not for a lack of effort on the part of Artest to keep it alive. Artest really wants to play for the Lakers. He has fired his agent and is now representing himself, and begun making disparaging remarks towards the Maloof brothers and the Sacramento Kings: "I do believe [there is] a team out there that can be more committed than Sacramento to me... Now that I'm my own agent, I can get a better feel on how teams really view me because I can represent myself." Joe Maloof fired back today: "Take a deep breath and quit flying off the handle with comments that don't make sense... I hate to say it that way, but that's how I feel...He's just got to settle down."

I know the Kings have not been winning with Artest, but it seemed last off-season that Artest was very happy there. I thought Artest would be a King for the rest of his career. I thought he really enjoyed the relationship the Maloof brothers have with their players. The team stunk in 06-07, just as they did in 07-08. Both years trade rumors involving Ron-Ron swirled. So, I am curious as to what exactly happened recently to make Artest totally change his tune. I'm just going to throw my arms up, I'm flabbergasted. It's just Artest being Artest. It's another feather in Larry Bird's cap, another solid explanation for his thesis: "Why Ron Artest is Not Worth It."

Personally, I think Artest-for-Odom would be great for the Lakers. I don't necessarily understand why the Kings would want to do it. It gives the Lakers some much needed defensive toughness. And offensively, Artest is skilled, so he won't slow down a Lakers offense that really got rolling, scoring 100 points a game after acquiring Pau Gasol, but before running into the Celtics (Yes, I have a huge smile on my face).

-Brett Favre, again. Chicago and Minnesota both have solid teams, if they had quarterbacks who weren't killing them. So, to me, they looked like good fits for Favre if he wants to play next year. But, I can hardly blame Packers GM Ted Thompson for not wanting to trade Favre in-division to either of those teams. So, if he moves out of division, it is rumored that both Carolina and Washington have interest. I don't like Favre going to Washington at all. If he goes there, the Redskins will be abruptly halting Jason Campbell's development. Carolina seems like a better fit, they have a solid defense and he could be a significant upgrade with Jake Delhomme at QB.

Baltimore has been linked to Favre as well, but Ozzie Newsome has been making it clear, "No way." Baltimore seems committed to Troy Smith and Joe Flacco. Kyle Boller can be officially labeled a "bust," if you haven't done so already.

-I really enjoyed the Home Run Derby last night. Save for Rick Reilly and Chris Berman, who did everything in their power to ruin the show for me. Josh Hamilton's 28 HR explosion in the first round was obviously the star of the show. This was no fluke, this kid has finally put his life together. I was a bit put off by his "thanking Jesus" post-game interview with Erin Andrews (in her worst outfit ever), but he's the next great power hitter in the game, along with Ryan Braun.

I don't really think Hamilton tired that much, when he lost in the finals to Morneau. I am more of the opinion that his 71-year old mentor/derby pitcher tired and was not throwing as well as the night went on.

-I want to just make a quick note here. I do not want to say too much without doing any research. Ryan Church is back on the disabled list after the Mets badly botched his concussion issue, and now he could be lost for the season. Mark Mulder obviously has not been right the last few years. He didn't look good earlier this season in the minors and then the bullpen, but the Cardinals still threw him out there for a start. He faced three batters, and he probably won't be heard from again, maybe ever, almost certainly not this season. And to pick a non-baseball story: We all remember Ted Johnson with the Patriots. After he was done playing, Johnson went in front of the ESPN cameras, alleging that Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli often pressured him to play through concussions and concussion-like symptoms.

It's an ugly business. I understand teams wanting to get value for players they invest so heavily in. But, it strikes me as very odd that unions that are supposedly as strong as the player unions would not be able to shield their players from situations like these. Very grim situation. If anyone knows more about this: more examples, more informations, avenues of research. Please, let me know.

Miscellaneous Video of the Day:
Derek Waters Presents Drunk History
Funny Video, part of series, I guess. Michael Cera of Arrested Development and Superbad is in it as Alexander Hamilton.

Old School Rap Video of the Day:
Method Man- Bring the Pain