No blackouts for the last two years speaks volumes as well... Houston would have had empty seats as well over the years if they hadn't sold PSLs - one successful season, and Texans fans think they're a league powerhouse!
Unless Reyes was going to kick in some of his own funds to pay off what Mets' ownership has to pay in the Madeoff scandal, the Mets couldn't have afforded Reyes at any price!
With all the one-year deals signed last offseason, and all the other contracts expiring, there could be nearly 600 free agents this offseason. The market can be soft because with so many players to choose from, most teams can point to the list and tell an agent that if his client won't sign, then there's 20 others looking for a contract...
I agree - the Pats will roll over about $7M in cap space from 2011, and are expected to have about $20M in space for 2012. Even if Welker's franchise number temporarily takes up a third of that space, the team still has room to make plenty of moves.
In your rush to judgement, you fail to look at the entire story. Braun's sample tested positive, but he tested negative in previous samples, as well as in a sample given immediately after the first positive test. That is why the basis of his appeal was that the chain of custody caused the sample to test positive.
The testimony given by Braun's side was centered around how failing to handle a sample in the proper manner, temperature, etc can lead to a false positive.
Keep paying for past accomplishments... Jeter's salary would pay for Aviles, Punto and Iglesias combined. Having to fill out the roster with that overpaid side of the infield is what pushes the Yankees over the luxury tax cliff...
Every Sawx fan would welcome Mitchell making the call - he's so impartial. Boston would get Garza, Soriano, Soto, and half the top Cubs prospects, and Chicago would still have to pay the salaries!
I don't understand why you all don't have jobs in an NFL front office - after all, you're quite adept at making sweeping assumptions based upon SportCenter highlights...
Gabbert wasn't expected to play in 2011 (unlike Newton, Dalton, or Ponder), so he got no real prep time in training camp. His QB coach had never been a QB coach before, but no real coach was willing to work under a 1-year deal (since Del Rio was basically a lame duck), he had no receivers willing to catch the ball, and he is a year younger than any of the other QBs drafted last year.
But despite all that, he did make improvements over the season and in flashes he showed why some draftniks had him rated higher than Newton. Give this kid a real off-season to work with some real coaching and real receivers, and you armchair GMs will be eating your words sooner rather than later...
One NFL Network "insider" says it's Gruden, another NFL Network "insider" says it's Rob Chudzinski... Maybe they could keep throwing out names until eventually they have named every coordinator or free agent HC as the "favorite"...
Gabbert is the youngest player ever to start 13 games at QB, and he made a lot more "upward progression" than most of you got to see on the Sportscenter highlights. He had basically no time to build timing with a sorry lot of WRs - Justin Blackmon caught more TD passes in the Fiesta Bowl than any WR currently on the Jaguars roster. A full off-season with a new coaching staff and a couple of receivers, and Gabbert will be really good.
You could have put on that skirt that was hanging in your locker, ya wuss!
The testimony given by Braun's side was centered around how failing to handle a sample in the proper manner, temperature, etc can lead to a false positive.
Gabbert wasn't expected to play in 2011 (unlike Newton, Dalton, or Ponder), so he got no real prep time in training camp. His QB coach had never been a QB coach before, but no real coach was willing to work under a 1-year deal (since Del Rio was basically a lame duck), he had no receivers willing to catch the ball, and he is a year younger than any of the other QBs drafted last year.
But despite all that, he did make improvements over the season and in flashes he showed why some draftniks had him rated higher than Newton. Give this kid a real off-season to work with some real coaching and real receivers, and you armchair GMs will be eating your words sooner rather than later...
Bingo Long and his Traveling All-Stars...
Ramirez: "ummmmm"
Gabbert is the youngest player ever to start 13 games at QB, and he made a lot more "upward progression" than most of you got to see on the Sportscenter highlights. He had basically no time to build timing with a sorry lot of WRs - Justin Blackmon caught more TD passes in the Fiesta Bowl than any WR currently on the Jaguars roster. A full off-season with a new coaching staff and a couple of receivers, and Gabbert will be really good.