Random Thoughts

A couple of random rants going on inside my brain.....

1. So, I watched the clip of Josh Beckett throwing at Bobby Abreu and it led me to two thoughts. One, how the hell does the ump call time in the middle of Beckett's windup? How can you expect Beckett to maintain control of the ball if, a half-second from the release of the pitch, action is halted and Abreu's stepping out of the box. Secondly, isn't the idea of bench-clearing brawls a bit overrated? I'm not saying that players, in the heat of the moment, shouldn't settle their frustrations on the field if things come to that, but do Abreu and Beckett really need 20 people a piece to seperate them from each other. Let's think about this in a non-sports scenario: You're in a packed nightclub on a Friday night. A younger, slightly more muscular gentleman bumrushes his way to the bar and bumps you aside without apologizing. Now, if you choose to go upside this guy's head, do you really see the other bar patrons dividing into two large groups and blocking off the two of you from going at it? No. Now, back to baseball, if Abreu gets pissed and wants to slug Beckett in the face, does it really take 20 people to hold back 35-year-old Bobby Abreu? What does adding another 30-40 bodies onto the field do to the situation that sending, let's say 3, players a piece can't, other than escalating the fiasco into a full-fledged battle royal? Look, I love baseball brawls. If someone threw a 90 mph fastball at my head and I lived to talk about it, I'd be looking for blood too, but do we really need every confrontation to turn into a scene out of West Side Story? My answer would be no.

2. I'm trying to wrap my head around the logic of the Browns trading Braylon Edwards. I know he's in the last year of his deal and his chances of re-signing at the end of the year are pretty slim, but let's take a long look at the Browns' offense at the moment. Their prized free agent signing from a couple years ago, Joe Jureviscius, was never healthy and, thus, was released. Last year's big prized acquisition, Donte Stallworth, is facing DUI manslaughter charges and has about as much of a chance at continuing his NFL career as Rich Kotite. They just traded your #2 option, Kellen Winslow, to Tampa Bay. Their starting running back, Jamal Lewis, has more miles on him than a '86 Pinto. They have no clue whether their starting QB will be Derek Anderson or Brady Quinn or Bernie Kosar and now you want to entertain offers for your only offensive threat with no replacement in place?

Now, before you say that the Edwards-to-the-Giants rumors as well as other trade scenarios are just speculation, keep in mind that Cleveland hasn't tried to shoot these rumors down, nor have they negotiated a long-term deal with Edwards. So let's not be so naive as to think that if a team is desperate enough to meet the Browns' price(believed to be a first and a third), that Edwards won't be on the first thing smoking out of town. My problem with this is, if you trade Edwards, a. what kind of message do you send to your fans, who had high hopes after your promising breakout season two years ago and b. who's catching passes from Quinn/Anderson/Couch/Holcomb/Kosar if you don't get a wideout back?

The Giants supposedly offered a 2nd rounder and either Steve Smith or Sinorce Moss, which the Browns wisely pish-poshed. However, let's assume Cleveland takes that deal, or better yet, let's say the Giants agree to the Browns' demands and trade their first and third AND Steve Smith(which, I know, is a bit steep, but humor me here). The Giants get Edwards, who despite his stone hands is probably better than any of the wideouts available at the bottom of the first round(Save for Kenny Britt, who is the next Jerry Rice.........(awkward silence)......sorry, Rutgers homer moment). What about the Browns though? Unless Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree is available when the Browns go on the clock at 5(which is unlikely, but not unrealistic), the Browns will be picking again at #29 staring at a wide reciever group of possibly Britt, UNC's Hakeem Nicks, Florida's Percy Harvin, and Maryland's Darius Heyward-Bey. None of those options have the # 1 potential of Edwards(Again, except for Britt, who has his ticket to Canton punched already.......OK, I'm done). So the Browns would deal Edwards for a combination of, let's say Nicks, at 29, Smith and whomever they'd take in the 3rd round(For the sake of completing the hypothetical situation, let's say Ohio St. LB Marvin Freeman). Does that strike you as a fair deal for a guy in his prime and who is just two years removed from a Pro Bowl season? Look on the bright side, Cleveland fans, losing Edwards next season won't be nearly as bad as when LeBron's a Knick in 2010. Just sayin'.

3. Final thought....and it's a brief one(since Gabe already tackled the NBA playoff preview), this is shaping up to be one boring NBA playoff. First of all, as Gabe mentioned, there is nobody standing in the way of the Lakers out West(though, if you're a Lakers fan, the Jazz as an 8 seed has to scare you a little if they stroll out Boozer, Deron, and Millsap against the soft Showtime frontcourt). The Spurs are old and beat up. The Rockets don't have a go-to guy besides Yao(and don't give me Ron Artest. His best chance of breaking out in the playoffs is if someone soft-tosses a cup of Bud Light at his dome) The others are just happy to be there. As for the East, there's really nothing stopping the Cavs. The Celtics are spent and the Magic are a one-man show. Granted, this gives us the LeBron vs. Kobe Finals we all hoped for, but with the way the playoff TV schedule is spaced out, will we even care by then?

Signing off,

Your Favorite Blogger's Favorite Blogger, Dave Leonardis.