Bleacher Report - Articles by Paul Erskine

Its a Dunn Deal!

Paul Erskine — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 09:20:57 -0400

The Arizona Diamondbacks have acquired the major league home run leader, Adam Dunn from the Cincinnati Reds, for prospect Dallas Buck and two players to be named later. Arizona, felt the need to add a bat to compete with the Dodgers who bulked up at the deadline by adding Manny Ramirez, and with the loss of Justin Upton have added the slugger they needed.

Dunn who is hitting .233 this year, with 32 home runs and 72 runs batted in. He may have a low batting average, but his on base percentage is at a respectable .373, and he has a slugging percentage of .573. Basically he is a walk, strikeout, and home run type of guy. He can help Arizona a lot in a sad but increasingly competitive NL West race.

Dallas Buck, who is a pitching prospect and former top ten prospect in the Diamondbacks organization, had Tommy John surgery at age 21 last year and has recently returned the last couple months to pitch in Single A ball. He has a respectable 3.47 ERA, and the Reds are obviously hoping he can return to pre-surgery form. The two players to be named later have not been released. No possible lists on who the Reds have their eyes on are to be found either.

Only time will tell if this trade will benefit each team in the long run. Arizona tried to acquire Dunn at the trade deadline, but obviously didn’t meet the Reds demands. Their thoughts probably changed once the Dodgers made their moves, and now being more motivated and willing to give up more, have gone out and got the outfielder they needed to stay in the NL West race.

Jason Bay Going to the Bay

Paul Erskine — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 08:44:53 -0400

According to Mlbtraderumors.com Jason Bay has been traded, but not to Boston. When the three-team blockbuster trade fell apart between the Fish, Pirates, and Boston earlier this afternoon, the Pirates turned around and sent Jason to the Rays, who are currently competing with Boston to win the AL East.

In return the Pirates will receive infielder Reid Brignac and pitching prospect Jeff Niemann, who made his major league debut earlier in the season but had a rough go at it.

In 2007 Niemann made the All-Star team for the Rays Triple-A team by posting a 12-6 record with a 3.98 ERA. A first-round choice in 2004, Jeff has struggled with injuries, but has been healthy lately.

Reid is hitting at a .257 clip this year with nine home runs and 43 RBI with the Bulls as well. Both prospects are ranked in the top 10 in Tampa Bay’s organization.

The Rays gain the big right-handed bat they have been looking for to continue their surprise playoff push. Bay, selected to the All-Star Game this year, is hitting .282 this year with 22 home runs and 63 runs batted in.

After the moves made by the Yankees in recent days, the Rays felt some added pressure to add some help to stay in the race. And with Boston still a powerhouse better safe then sorry!

Now that things are finally shaking out with the trade deadline it looks like the AL East has become the show to watch over the next two months. With three teams fighting for the top spot, and all trying to add power and depth while it can, look for a wild August and September, and an even better October!

Ken Griffey Jr. Heading to the Windy City in a Trade That is Long Overdue

Paul Erskine — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 01:48:39 -0400

The night after Griffey connected for his 608^th career home run, he gained the opportunity to play for a World Series contender. The Reds and the Chicago White Sox have agreed to a trade that would send Griffey back to the AL pending Griffey's approval.

Griffey has a full no trade clause, so he could refute the deal. It is expected that he will make that decision early this morning. It has yet to be released who the Reds would get in return for the former All-Star, but honestly, who cares.

Yes, he is one of the greatest players of our generation and the youngest kid in history at the time to reach 500 home runs, and one of six players to ever hit 600. But let us be honest, at $10 million a year you really expect more then a .250 average and 15 home runs from your third spot in the lineup. Couple that with the lack of effort he visibly puts forth in the field, and it’s a wonder he has stayed around this long.

The trade to Chicago will be good for him and the Reds. He will most likely ride the pine and swing the bat four times a night, which is what he should be doing at his age. He will give Chicago another weapon as they try to maintain their 1.5 game lead over Minnesota in the AL Central.

He has been hitting at a .318 clip sense the All-star break, which is probably a main reason the Sox went out and got him. But, the fact remains that his situation in Cincinnati just did not bode well for him, or for the Reds.

This will allow him to continue his career as a DH, which he can do for a very long time without having to worry about injuring that fragile body in the outfield and get the World Series ring he most definitely deserves.

This allows the Reds to finally move past the "Griffey" age, in which their dreams came true in his acquisition, and then fell apart over the following years because of injury, and old age.

I am a fan of Ken Griffey Jr., but lets hope for his sake and the Reds organization sake that he accepts this one way ticket out of the Queen City!

Mark Teixeira Is California Dreamin'

Paul Erskine — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 11:18:52 -0400

The Teixeira sweepstakes are over. The Angels have acquired the hard-hitting Mark Teixeira from the Atlanta for their young first baseman, Casey Kotchman, and AA relief pitcher Stephen Marek.

After the announcement on Monday that the Braves had become sellers, things started to heat up quickly, with most predictions having Teixeira heading to Arizona. But the Angels decided to continue to solidify their powerful lineup in preparation for the playoffs.

The switch-hitting first baseman is batting .283 on the year, with 20 HR and 78 RBI. He is replacing no slouch, considering Casey’s line is not a whole lot worse: .287, 12 home runs, and 54 RBI.

But, obviously going for it all this year, the Angels want to take no chances and make sure they have the power and production they need to make a run against Boston and the Yankees for the ALCS.

The Bengals Already Have Two Strikes Against Them on the First Day of Camp

Paul Erskine — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 06:51:56 -0400

It's failing before it starts. The hope of a younger and better defense for the Cincinnati Bengals has already taken a hit. Bengals.com is reporting that Antwan Odom, the newly signed free agent defensive end, may have been seriously injured this morning in the Bengals first practice of training camp.

The story reports that Odom was seen on crutches leaving the Georgetown training complex, with his left foot wrapped in ice and in a boot. Marvin Lewis did not report an injury, but simply stated that he was leaving for testing.

Antwan, the Bengals' only major free agent signing of the offseason came over from Tennessee after having an eight sack season this last year. He is only 26 and was suppose to help drastically improve the Bengals poor pass rush, and overall defense.

The Bengals lost two of their better defenders this offseason, DE Justin Smith to the 49ers and safety Madeiu Williams to the Vikings, but were hoping to turn things around with the signing of Odom and a slew of young players, including first round pick Keith Rivers.

Rivers did not report to camp today, because he is one of the three first round picks still not signed, along with #7 Sedrick Ellis, and #8 Derrick Harvey. Even though Rivers it not expected to hold out long, any time you are installing a new defense with a new coordinator and your number one pick is not there to learn it, that is the last thing that you want.

So count it, the Bengals are not through the first day of training camp and they already have two strikes against them, and we all know what happens when you get to three!

Devin Hester Is the Baby of the Week

Paul Erskine — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:40:43 -0400

About once a week, someone does something in the sporting world that catches my attention. So welcome to my first weekly blog. I’m sure I will tackle all sports, and all kinds of subjects, both the positives and the negatives.

You can view it maybe as the highlight or lowlight of the week.

Without further ado, may I present this week’s winner: Devin Hester!

The rightful owner to the top spot on my crap list. What is this world coming to when a third-year, punt/kick-return specialist is holding out of training camp because his new deal is not done YET!

You see, the key word there is YET.

Now I don’t know about every other sports nerd in the world reading this, but I’m a poor college student who works 50 hours a week and makes $20,000 a year. Coming into his third year in the NFL, Devin Hester is upset because he is making $445,000 this year from his rookie contract.

Ah poor baby!

Now, some may argue, "But he's Chicago’s No. 1 wide receiver as well."

And to that I say, "EXACTLY!"

Remember, we're talking about the Bears. Their so-called “No. 1” wide receiver who caught exactly 20 balls last year for an amazing 299 yards and two scores. Okay, so the man has returned 11 punts/kickoffs for TDs in the last two years.

So cut that in half, add two, and with a little benefit of the doubt, Devin Hester scored eight TD last year, which is exactly 48 points. Add on the extra points, and he gets up to 56. Divide that by 16 games, and that gives us an astronomical 3.5 points per game. Wow, that will win you a lot of games...of golf!

I’m not saying the man does not deserve more money. But if you are holding out because your new contract, which is currently under negotiation, is not done yet, you deserve nothing more than a dead deer with two cherries on top.

I’m sorry, but I don’t care how good you are. Lots of players sign rookie contracts and become stars before that contract is up. Deal with it!

Marcus McNeil and Antoine Bethea: Both are Pro Bowlers, both were drafted the same year, and both are making around the same amount of money this year as Mr. Devin. Do you hear them complaining? Didn’t think so.

Chicago should take a page out of the Bengals' book. Tell him if he is gonna be a baby, then sit out. Once those fines start piling up, he will be there, you can count on it.

And even if he shows up and still does not wanna give it his all, you better believe that on Sept. 7, at 7:16 PM, when he sees the Colts' special teams coming after him like a fat man chasing a cheeseburger, he is gonna move or he will be in a wheel chair.

So, a word to the wise, Chicago. Tell him to stick a fork in it and play. If he does not want to, tell him to go play football in Greece with Josh Childress. Maybe they will pay him to return all his air balls!

NFL Draft: Who Will the Bengals Select After Seddrick Ellis?

Paul Erskine — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 04:23:43 -0400

The NFL offseason, where hope is gained or taken away. Where a team can regain respectability, or can lose what little it had to begin with.

Free agency is important but not as important as the draft. The draft is where dynasty’s begin. You build the foundation of your team from the draft and then fill in pieces via free agency.

The Bengals have struggled the past couple years in the draft. Whether it is injuries or player conduct, a lot of players have not turned out to be who we thought they were when we drafted them. So to help them not screw it up this year, I decided to select their ten picks for them.

Now the other 31 teams in the NFL might have something to say about this and chances are this will not be who the Bengals walk out with after April 27^th, but it’s who can help this team and regain the national respect that we once deserved.

1^stRound: Seddrick Ellis, DT, USC

Not a surprise by any definition. Consensus around the league in most people’s mock draft has the Bengals drafting Ellis. He is a tough defensive tackle, who is athletic and will help in both pass and run defense. His only knock is he is shorter then what you would like but he makes up for it in effort.

2^ndRound: Anthony Collins, OT, Kansas

There are lots of different opinions on where this kid should be drafted. He is a raw developmental prospect that has the talent to start in the NFL. The Bengals have two Pro Bowl caliber tackles but one is old and coming off of injury and other had a less than desirable season. They franchised Stacey Andrews to keep him around one more year, but they need insurance just in case they cannot work out a long term contract. Besides you can never have too many tackles.

3^rdRound: Jordy Nelson, WR, KSU

Here is a kid that you will hear a lot about and the Bengals will be lucky if he makes it to this spot. He has height, size, and speed. A solid WR prospect that will definitely help the Bengals correct there horrible misfortune at WR this offseason. He will most likely never be a true No. 1 for a team, but he will contribute.

3^rd Round (Compensatory): Charles Godfrey, CB, Iowa

Now yes they have drafted a corner with their first pick in the last 2 drafts, but Deltha O' Neal is not what he use to be and they need to find a nickel corner now which is where this kid comes in. He is young and inconsistent, but he has a lot of talent and a lot of upside and coming in he will have time to develop before he is asked to perform. In two years the Bengals could have one of the best secondaries around.

4^thRound: Ezra Butler, OLB, Nevada

The Bengals might not wait this long to draft a linebacker depending on if they get Thurman back from suspension or not. While lots of people feel that they need a lot of help here, I disagree. Everyone should be back from injury and if they get Thurman back, which they probably will, they will be in good shape. Ezra is great pass rusher and can contribute on special teams.

5^thRound: Kenny Iwebema, DE, Iowa

Another Iowa product that really caught my eye. The Bengals got another pass rusher opposite of Geathers in Antwan Odom who is an up and coming player growing into his prime. They did however loose Justin Smith one of their leading tacklers. Enter Iwebema who is of the Justin Smith mold. Strong against the run, not so much against the pass, but he will fill in nicely behind Geathers and Odom on running downs.

6^th Round: David Roach, S, T.C.U

With the Bengals loosing Williams this may seem like a little late to be addressing the need at safety, but Roach is a solid player who will contribute quickly behind Marvin White and Chinedum Ndukwe. He has size and speed and will play well.

6^th Round (Compensatory): Corey Clark, OT, Texas A&M

Solid pickup here, possibly a steal. Has great size and is a good athlete with lots of experience. Needs work but he will end up being a solid backup.

7^thRound (compensatory): Tim Hightower, RB, Richmond

Small school player who will provide some insurance in the running game. Is not going to break the big ones, but it a solid in between the tackle runner which the Bengals like. Won’t ever be the star but will definitely help.

7^th Round (compensatory): Anthony Aldridge, WR/RB, Houston

A bit of a tweener without a true position at the pro level, but he runs a sub 4.4 and you can never have too many of those. He is only 5’9 which won’t help his case but he could make his name in special teams and catch a ball or too.

Free Agent Pickups:

Lance Leggett, WR, Miami-physical prototype of a star WR who has not figured things out…yet!

Demetrius Bell, OT, Northwestern St.-Athlete who has what numbers you look for but he’s raw.

Angelo Craig, OLB/DE, Cincinnati-Decent pass rusher, who could develop into more.

Derek Lokey, DT, Texas-Overachiever, who could earn a spot.

"The Shoe" Returns: Bearcats' Strong Start Reminiscent of Glory Days

Paul Erskine — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 08:25:41 -0500

On Saturday afternoon, the Fifth Third Arena returned to traditional form as Cincinnati upset Pittsburgh.

Screaming my head off from tip-off to the final horn, I was reminded of the days when Steve Logan and Dwyane Wade battled for the Conference USA Title, and of the epic struggles between Louisville and the Bearcats when "home" for the 'Cats was still called "The Shoe."

Ah, those were the days—Bob Huggins, Skyline, and Bearcat Basketball. Days of promise, dominance, and titles.

Those days have been gone for a couple of years now. But on Saturday, in the closing minutes, the Shoemaker Center was back.

And it's here to stay!

Using good half court offense and defense, UC was able to slow down the high scoring Panthers. Getting Dejuan Blair in foul trouble went a long way as well. Being constantly pulled never allowed the big freshman to find his groove.

But this is not a recap of the game—those came out on Sunday. This is a story of a once dominant champion taking a knockout blow, crumbling to his knees in sweat and agony—and now his chin has lifted again. The look of determination that only true fighters have has once again resurfaced, and watch out Big East, because the Bearcats are back!

Now let's not blow our heads and expect a conference championship and Final Four run. Even a fighter has to shake off the cobwebs after a big blow. At 9-9, a shot at the big dance does not seem very promising. But with two-thirds of the Big East schedule to play and road trips to UConn, Georgetown, Pitt, and West Virginia looming, I think that may be too much to expect this year. A trip to the Big East Tourney and NIT however, is very much in sight.

Some may say this is not much of an accomplishment, and I as a long time Bearcat fan would have to agree—usually. But after the two seasons of drought, the rain is starting to come.

If you had asked any coach in the Big East at the beginning of the season whether UC would be tied with the most wins after 6 games, he would have laughed in your face. Heck, I would have—but that is where they sit.

A lot of early nonconference losses will hurt their chances at the Big Dance, but a solid conference run will get them into the Big East tourney. If they do well there, it could get them a birth into the NIT.

Up next for the 'Cats is an always tough UConn team at home. UConn comes fresh off a big win much like UC with a victory over Marquette. And even though Connecticut is having an off year compared to their normal Top 25 selves, they still come in having all 5 starters averaging double figures in points.

They are no pushover that’s for sure. Of their 5 losses, none are critical. The worst is a home loss to a solid Providence team.

On paper UConn would seem to be able to handle the Bearcats—but then again so did UC's last six opponents and only two were able to. Since this game is in Cincinnati, I’m going to go with UC—if it were in Connecticut it would be a different story.

I was at the game on Saturday to scream, hoot, and holler. I was part of a day when the Shoemaker Center returned—and so did the Bearcats.

Do Cincinnati Bearcats Have a Chance?

Paul Erskine — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 06:30:29 -0500

From the normal sports fan's perspective, the game on Saturday between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh looks pretty standard. Pittsburgh is riding high off their impressive win over Georgetown Monday night at home, and Cincinnati is coming in having taken a shot to the face from Notre Dame. Up at half time, the Bearcats got their butt handed to them in the second half by Notre Dame's Luke Harangody who had 24 of his 25 points in the second half.

So is there a chance for this young yet talented Bearcat team?

Three weeks ago this question probably would have never been posed. Pittsburgh, win or lose against Georgetown, would have come out swinging had they lost and would have been flying high with confidence had they won.

But now the game actually has some relevance. This same Bearcat squad that lost to the likes of Belmont at home and got creamed by an average UAB team on the road has gone on to post wins against rival Louisville, Syracuse, and #19 Villanova in the last three weeks.

Now I don’t care who you are and what else you did during that stretch, but beating those three teams in a three week span is impressive. Supposing to follow the pattern of last year’s conference games in the Big East, UC was expected to fall fast once conference play began. Already at 5-7 it looked like UC's season was down the drain.

But anyone truly following the team would have noticed a slight upswing in performance. After a very rocky beginning of the season leading up to conference play UC had three very important losses. Yes losses to the likes of N.C. State, at the time #17 Xavier, and #2 Memphis.

Now what can we learn from these games? Simple, they lost all three games by 10 points are less.

Now, after getting blown out by UAB and losing to Belmont and Illinois St., playing with a middle of the pack ACC team, a top 25 rival, and the number two team in the nation is improvement. A lot of improvement. They are three and three sense, losing a couple they shouldn’t have and winning three no one thought they would.

That’s what you get with a young talented team, lots of explosion, and lots of inconsistency...Which is why this weekend UC has a chance.

Deonta Vaughn, who was just named the Big East Player of the Week, scored 20 or more points in the past three games leading up to the ND game. He has been the leader of this team and with a little defense Pittsburgh will have a scrap on their hands come Saturday.

Now, stopping Pittsburgh is easier said than done. Freshman star Dejuan Blair is coming off a big game against Georgetown. He is a threat on the offensive and defensive ends of the court, which is rare for a freshman. Throw him in with junior forward Sam Young and you have a very dangerous duo.

Pitt’s front court has been hurt this year losing two starters to injury, but Ronald Ramon and Keith Benjamin have both stepped up to fill in. So with a small yet powerful frontcourt and a veteran backcourt this Pitt team means business.

But the circumstances are right. This game is in Cincinnati. They are coming off a tough loss from earlier in the week and will come out swinging for the fences. Pittsburgh comes in riding high and any loss of focus would not go well. If Vaughn has a big game and the Bearcats continue to hit the boards like they have been, which is likely because of a slight size advantage, Pitt will be in for a long night.

But will it be enough? Who knows? Guess you will have to watch and find out!