The REAL. BIG. Blog

A little over 20 years ago a true Blockbuster event happened. Herschel Walker was traded from the Dallas Cowboys to the Minnesota Vikings. This deal was certainly groudbreaking… for the Cowboys. For those unfamiliar to what Minnesota gave up for the  All-Pro Running Back, heres the deal:

Minnesota Received:

Herschel Walker, Dallas’s 3rd (’90) round pick, San Diego’s 5th round pick (’90), Dallas’s 10th round pick(’90) and Dallas’s 3rd round pick in the ‘91 draft.

Cowboys Received:

LB Jesse Solomon, LB David Howard, CB Issiac Holt, RB Darrin Nelson (who was traded to San Diego), DE Alex Stewart, Minnesota’s 1st, 2nd, 6th round picks in the 1990 Draft, their 1st and 2nd round picks in the 1991 Draft, their 2nd and 3rd in the 1992 Draft and their 1st round pick in the 1993 Draft.

Yes, draft picks are only draft picks and there are countless big name busts, but to put this into perspective a little bit, with the first round pick in the ‘90 draft, the Cowboys picked Emmitt Smith, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher. In the ‘92 draft, they picked Darren Woodson, NFL Hall-Of-Famer and one of the best safety’s to ever play the game. Those two players alone would have made the deal worth while.

Now why do I bring this up you ask?

There are rumors floating about that the Detroit Tigers are putting Curtis Granderson on the trading block. Granderson is young player in his prime, with gold-glove fielding capabilities and the potential to be a 30-30 man every year. Many teams have reported interest, including the Yankees, Red Sox and Cubs, and the asking price is not cheap.

What will come of Curtis Granderson this offseason?

Congratulations to the New York Yankees on winning their 27th World Series title. The exhausting MLB season has finally come to a close, along with the best time of the year for sports…

October and November are some of the most exciting months for sports fans. It is the only time of the year that all 4 major sports are on at the same time.

The MLB Playoffs are nearing the end, where every pitch, every catch and every move matters. This year in the playoff you had two of the more storied franchises in all of sports with the Yankees and Dodgers. Let’s not forget the Red Sox and Cardinals who have both won a World Series title in the past 3 years. And then there are the two most consistent teams in baseball: the Twins and Angels. Year after year, those two teams always seem to be near, or at the top of their respected divisions. After starting 19-28 and firing their head coach, the Rockies came back and made another impressive run to the postseason.

The NFL is in full swing with intriguing story lines, bone-crushing hits and highlight reel plays. There are always surprises with the NFL. Who would have thought that at age 40, Brett Favre would be playing as well as he is… who would have thought that in week 9 we would still have two undefeated teams (Indianapolis and New Orleans both 7-0)… Who would have thought that the Wildcat would make defensive coordinators cringe… From the Ram’s, Lion’s and Buccaneers to the Saints, Colts and Vikings, Sunday’s are days where you can always find excitement with any team.

The NBA season tips off. A clean slate for every team. The Clippers look to spring forward with Blake Griffin, Stephen Curry looks to show off his sweet shot at the professional level, and the rest of the NBA Rookies look to make their mark on the league. This is a league full of superstars. From LeBron and Kobe to Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade, each player brings a different dynamic to the court that can only be classified as incredible.

And finally, the puck drops in the NHL. After a come from behind win against the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Penguins are looking for the first repeat since the Red Wings went back to back in ‘97 and ‘98. With all the free agent moves and offseason trades, the tides may be turning for some teams in the NHL.

Of course, I cannot forget College football. Every sports fan has a favorite NCAA team. With tailgaiting, face painting, BCS discussions, conference title hopes, stadiums with 100,000+ people, and bowl games… College football definitely demonstrates the true passion of fans and athletes.

Ah yes, it really is a great time of year!

By Matthew Martz

Teixeira signs with the Yanks, K Rod goes to the Mets, and Manny Ramirez is out of contention for Anaheim. This years off-season woes begin with last seasons trade of Casey Kotchman for Mark Teixeira, and now the Angels have neither. Instead the Angels are assigning first base duties to Kendry Morales. This season’s 40-man roster is not shaping up to most Angels fans expectations.

By Matthew Martz

Who said Christmas doesn’t come early? It does if you ask New York Yankees fans. It looks like the Yankees are doing a lot more to move out of the past and into future besides just moving into their pricey new ballpark in 2009. They will have the 4 highest paid players in baseball with A-Rod, Teixeira, CC Sabathia and Derek Jeter, as they try to win the World Series for the first time since 2000. Third baseman Alex Rodriguez has baseball’s highest deal at $275 million over 10 years, and shortstop Derek Jeter is second at $189 million over 10 years. They have also signed Mark Teixeira for $180 million over eight years, and are spending $161 million for CC Sabathia over a seven-year contract term. The Yankees’ off-season spending spree has now climbed to a staggering $423.5 million.

By Apryl DeLancey

As the country is knee deep in the very interesting NFL season I thought I’d take a moment to talk about baseball:

I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that the Tampa Bay Rays are for real.  Yeah, I know, they choked in the World Series.  But really – they were at the very bottom last season.  I mean the BOTTOM.  That whole worst to first thing was going on.  To even make it to the playoffs was a major feat and the first in their franchise history.  They knocked off the precious Boston Red Sox on the way and totally owned the New York Yankees all season.  In spite of what you may think – the Tampa Bay Rays are a real baseball team now.   They are on the map and deserve fans and recognition!

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria was recently named the American League Rookie of the Year.  Ha!  A player from the Tampa Bay Rays!  Seriously!  Talk about validation.  Longoria is only one of the many young stars that keep the franchise afloat.  The lineup is chock full of the young and talented like Matt Garza and Dioner Navarro.  On the other side of the diamond, first baseman Carlos Pena got a Golden Glove nod for himself.  More validation.  Hopefully the team stays mostly intact through this offseason so they can come back strong next year.  The team can only get better.  I’ll bet if they make it back to the World Series they’ll actually put up a big fight and perhaps even win the whole thing.

On the other hand, the Los Angeles Dodgers continue to let the Manny Ramirez clock run.  Let’s see where he ends up.  We all want him to stay here in Los Angeles.  With the Dodgers.  The New York Yankees already have their wallet open if he doesn’t stay.  In other news, the Dodgers decided to let Brad Penny become a free agent.  Who will be next?

Speaking of the National League and the Dodgers, the playoff sweep of the Chicago Cubs didn’t stop catcher Geovany Soto from getting the NL Rookie of the Year nod.  Congratulations to him.

The landscape of the MLB map is undergoing a change.  I like to think it is for the better since teams that are not exclusively from the northeast corner of the country are making headlines.  A similar migration of power happened in the NFL when the Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, and San Francisco 49ers lost their stranglehold on NFL titles.  It’s now happening in baseball.  Fans tire of the same teams winning all the time.  At least this one does.  Let’s mix it up!

By John Fontana

Boston Red Sox Logo Fathead Wall Graphic

I am in Boston today. The city of winners. That’s a fact and you can check the record – even with grief from last night’s Red Sox loss to the Rays pervading every establishment public and private in New England. In the past six years, this city has celebrated six championships in three pro sports (football, baseball and basketball).  Would you take that for your city AND last night’s loss?

The Patriots, woe they are to perform this season (and set to face the Broncos on Monday Night Football), were Super Bowl champions in 2002, 2004 and 2005.

The Red Sox, who just missed the Series for the third time in five years with Sunday’s loss, were champions in 2004 and 2007.

And the Celtics are the current defending NBA champions having beaten the Lakers for the title in June. Let’s not even mention the 16 other NBA crowns they’ve pocketed in the modern era.

That’s a lot of champagne, ticker tape and trips to Disneyland anyway you cut it.  So an ALCS loss to the Rays merits perspective.

Sure, the magic didn’t work for the Red Sox this time. But the Red Sox fate is but a mere chunk of silver in the city’s pot of gold.

It’s been worse here. Much worse. Flash back to 1986. If you’re not a Red Sox fan that date is meaningless to you. Mention that year and any true Sox fan can fill in the rest. October 25. World Series. Game 6. 3-2 series lead. Sox pitcher Bob Stanley. New York Mets hitter Mookie Wilson. Boston first baseman Bill Buckner. Vin Scully’s now haunting words “a little roller up along first…behind the bag…It gets through Buckner.”

In the 2003 HBO documentary, “Curse of the Bambino,” one Boston fan described the loss as the “darkest day in Boston since Jack Kennedy was shot.”  Clearly, it’s been painful before.

But now look at them. In their worn blue caps with the famous red “B.” Their Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen jerseys. Their Big Papi chants and Papelbon dance.

Even after a heartbreaking loss, it must feel fine to be a sports fan in Boston.

By Apryl DeLancey

I knew it!  I knew it!  I knew it!  I knew that the Los Angeles Dodgers actually making it to the World Series was too good to be true.  On the 20th anniversary of the very day the famous Kirk Gibson home run was hit the season is over.  Argh!  I’m really not surprised.  The Dodgers will always be like that – you know, like that relative that promises to show up to your birthday every year and never does.

Okay Mr. Frank McCourt, you listen here.  First of all, BRING BACK MANNY RAMIREZ.  Let me just be clear about that – BRING BACK MANNY.  You know the guy with the hair that can hit the daylights out of the ball?  Don’t be a total chump and let him go.  He belongs here.  While you’re at it – make sure Rafael Furcal, James Loney, Russell Martin, Matt Kemp, and Jeff Kemp stay too.  Don’t be tempted to trade away Andre Ethier or Blake DeWitt either.  Keep Brad Penny, Jonathan Broxton, and the whole bullpen while you’re at it.  In fact, don’t get rid of anyone that has made a name here in Los Angeles.  Don’t trade away all of the good players just to fund that mall you’re building at Chavez Ravine.

A colleague tried to tell me that I should be grateful that they came this far.  Whippee.  So what?  They made it to the NLCS.  Sure, it is admirable.  It is nothing to be unappreciative of.  But for crying out loud, let’s keep the momentum.  Build a team.  We deserve it.  You get record-breaking attendance all the time.  We show up to the stadium and buy the merchandise.  L.A. DESERVES A WINNING TEAM.  By winning, I mean the entire thing - not just a good record and an appearance in the playoffs.  Why can’t the Dodgers be the elite franchise?  Fans have no interest in waiting 100 years or suffering through anything  remotely similar to what Chicago Cubs endure year after year.

That said - congratulations to all of you Philly fanatics.  Shane Victorino is actually a class act - as much as that sentence makes me want to hurl as I write it.  The Philadelphia Phillies are in the World Series.   I’ll only be watching if the Tampa Bay Rays make it in.  Seriously, I’ve already mentioned how absolutely boring I think a Phillies – Red Sox World Series would be.  Yawn.

Go Rays!

By Apryl DeLancey

Tampa Bay Rays Logo Fathead Wall Graphic

Boston Red Sox Logo Fathead Wall Graphic

Just when I stewing about the fact that Tropicana Field was full of red – lo and behold – Fenway Park had Tampa Bay Rays fans!  Bwahaha.  I’ve read several blogs recently that basically called the Rays fans a bunch of backward folk.  Having gone to college in Tampa, I can say that this is not always the case.  Most of those nuts you see out there have migrated from other places (I’ll spare you the details on the exact locations, but you know what I’m talking about if you’ve been there).  Newsflash:   Florida natives are actually normal people.  They get a bad rap just like we do here in Los Angeles.  Go ahead, ask 95% of those nutty residents where they are from…not originally the Tampa Bay area.  Conversely, there are many transplants that are normal, upstanding citizens as well so I don’t want you to get the totally wrong idea.

At any rate, I’ve complained that Tampa residents need to stand up and claim their Rays –regardless of where they are from.  I didn’t stop being a Dodgers fan when I was in Tampa, but I certainly never disrespected the home stadium of where I was living by wearing the opposing team jersey if they came in to town.  Of course, I had the luxury of that not happening too often since the Rays are in the AL.
But alas, back to my original point…there were several people at Fenway Park wearing Rays garb.  How does that feel Boston Red Sox fans?  You look at those folks with disgust, don’t you?  Ha!  Now you know how the rest of the baseball world feels when you grace us with your presence in our home stadiums.

Oh, and I just have to point out how you all started to bail out in the 8th inning after Rocco Baldelli of the Tampa Bay Rays belted out that three run homer over the Green Monster.  I don’t EVER want to hear you try to talk about Los Angeles Dodgers fans leaving early from games ever again.  The Red Sox “faithful” were leaving the stadium in droves.  So much for “in it until the end,” eh?  By the way, those folks you see arriving late and leaving early to Chavez Ravine are generally posers there to stargaze.  Sure, some fans can’t get there in time since we have no public transportation and traffic can be a challenge.  For the most part, diehards get there and take the abuse until the game is over.  Yeah, if you wait until all of the bandwagoners have left there is no problem leaving the parking lot.

Alright, I’ve gotten off point several times here – the intent was to point out that the Boston Red Sox bandwagon must be broken since I saw Tampa Bay Rays fans in the stands.  I was just as amused by that and the home team fans leaving early as I was with the Red Sox loss.  No, I’m not talking trash guaranteeing a Rays win of the ALDS.  I would hate to jinx them like that.  For now, I’ll remain cautiously optimistic and dream of a Dodgers – Rays World Series.  Deal with it.

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