Random Sports Thoughts

Training camps fully start on Friday for pretty much every NFL team. Rookies have reported and veterans are trickling in. Time to put on those pads and go to work....I can not wait. More on the NFL to come in the future.

• Brett Favre turns down Vikings to remain retired: "The hardest decision I've ever had to make"....harder than the first and second time? Good riddance Favre, go fish and hunt in Mississippi, it will be way better than putting your tired, busted body through any more pain and embarrassment.
  

• Phillies trade prospects for Cliff Lee: Actually they didn't have to part with their most prized prospects, instead only giving up four decent ones in order to make a run at back-to-back titles. Typical Cleveland trades their ace for young talent, they are thinking long term with this. They get back two pitchers and a catcher with high upside (pitcher Jason Knapp being the best one), the rest have a much longer shot to be impact players. The rest of the prospects. I'm sure one of these guys will pan out for them. Phillies Nation lists Amaro's top 10 as GM and I gotta say I agree that he has done well. I'm still worried about Cole Hamels, even though he has dominated the last two games (although against the lowly Padres and Diamondbacks). If Hamels and Lee pitch like they are capable of, the Phillies should breeze to the National League pennant.

• Dodgers remain quiet: I feel like they will feel the pressure to make a move now that the Phillies have acquired Cliff Lee. GM Ned Colletti is enamored with his prospects but I don't feel like their rotation is a sure-fire winner come playoff time. Chad Billingsley is fantastic, but how much can you rely on Randy Wolf and the young Clayton Kershaw? Clock is ticking Doyers. (Update: Dodgers trade two Double-A prospects for All-Star Orioles closer George Sherrill) Well that shores up their bullpen. This will keep Jonathan Broxton fresh, he has been overworked this season and is going to need the occasional day off from now on since the Dodgers are coasting to the NL West pennant. 3B Josh Bell is said to be the best player in the package that the Orioles are receiving.

• NBA Free Agency:
• Steve Nash signs 2-year extension with Suns: So Steve Kerr has set the clock back on basically everything that he has done in the past year or so. He has catered to Steve Nash's desires and the direction that he wants. It is going to be back to the run-and-gun that everyone has lamented the loss of. I still think that had Amare Stoudemire not gone down last year the Suns make it into the playoffs. People forget that he missed the second half of the season and have now labeled the Suns a non-contender. While it will be extremely hard for the Suns to contend with the bigs in the Western Conference, this team is similar to the Mike D'Antoni teams that competed year in and year out. This year's team has a better bench though. Leandro Barbosa, Louis Amundson, Jared Dudley, Earl Clark, and Goran Dragic can make things happen if they play how they did towards the end of the season. Barbosa desperately needs to have a bounce-back year. He had a very tough year emotionally with the loss of his mother, who was basically the center of his life. I am really interested to see how Channing Frye fits into this offense as well. Earl Clark is going to have to become the next Shawn Marion, if he can play versatile defense like him, then that will fill a huge hole that the Suns have had since he left. I wouldn't expect that much out of the rookie though. This team scares me from a rebounding perspective. The Suns are going to have to consistently outscore teams, which they can do. But the thought of Channing Frye and Amare Stoudemire going up against Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum does not give good feelings. All signs point to Steve Kerr making another midseason move if things do not go well on that front. Bottom line with the Steve Nash extension is that he likes Phoenix, and he likes his friends on his team. He wants to remain comfortable while playing a style that fits his game and makes him happy. He is all about team chemistry. I hope that they find it and bring excitement back to the desert

• Hedo Turkoglu signs with Toronto Raptors: He basically went there because his wife liked Toronto better and there is a larger Turkish community there. Along with the Raptors trading for Belinelli (for Devean George and cash?! What a steal) this team is really interesting. The starting five (Bargnani, Bosh, Calderon, Turkoglu, and possibly Belinelli at SG) will be all international players with the exception of Bosh. I dont see how this keeps Bosh around, surrounding him with players with which he shares nothing in common with. He is gone after this year. I have a feeling that Jerry Colangelo has almost accepted this and is trying to bring an international style of ball to the league to see how it works. He is the director of USA Basketball and has been studying the game intensely over the last few years. I am not sure what to expect out of this team, but I do predict an astronomical amount of flops and awkward moments of celebration between Bosh and his Euro teammates.

• Ron Artest signs with the Lakers: I dont get it. Ariza provided the things he can provide without ruining the offense and stopping the ball. Now the Rockets steal Ariza at the midlevel exception. If the Lakers lose Odom too, I don't see how they do not take a step back next season. Prepare to get hoodalized by Ron Ron.