Tuesday Thoughts

While wondering who the Maple Leafs may acquire, here is what's on my mind this morning:

Kudos to Phil Jackson as he made a good move in acquiring Jose Calderon, Sam Dalambert & a couple of draft picks. Calderon is a legitimate point guard and the Knicks acquired a good one in Cleanthony Early from Wichita State. Was sad to see Tyson Chandler go and not so sad to see Raymond Felton go. Now the attention focuses on Carmelo Anthony. It says here he ends up back with the Knicks.

Jason Kidd is a real piece of work. It's pretty low to negotiate for a job while someone is still in it. Kidd wanted more say in personnel matters with the Nets to the point that he wanted Billy King's job. The same Billy King who hired him. What a piece of work. Here's hoping that the Milwaukee wallows at the bottom of the league while Kidd is there.  Not sure if there is a bigger egomaniac than Jason Kidd.  The ultimate coach killer.  Just remember Jason, what comes around goes around.

Mike Napoli's "What an Idiot!!" comment was classless but what would you expect from a punk Red Sox. Could you imagine if ARod did that to Boston's Brandon Workman?  There would be everyone calling Rodriguez a jerk, a bum and violating the integrity of the game.  Napoli should be ashamed of himself and should have showed some respect toward Masahiro Tanaka.  I'm also not happy with the Yankees' response which was basically that it was no big deal.  So much for the rivalry.  It's bad when I'm more fired up then the guys wearing Pinstripes.

How long is Brian Cashman going to continue as General Manager of the New York Yankees?  It is evident that the wild spending spree this past off-season is a disaster.  But for Tanaka, Carlos Beltran is a shell of himself, Brian McCann is lost and Jacoby Ellsbury was a mistake. Certainly you couldn't predict Ivan Nova going down for the season and CC Sabathia and Michael Pineda being on the disabled list.  But, the fact is that the Yankees don't have the starting pitching to win the weak American League East. If Cashman doesn't make a move for a starter soon, the bullpen will be destroyed by mid-August. So, the team that Cashman built can't hit and the starting rotation is in disarray. Nice job, Brian!!

If you get the chance, pick up Mariano Rivera's book, The Closer.  It was a great read about a truly remarkable baseball player and more importantly, a remarkable human being.  

I'm not sure what to expect from the Toronto Maple Leafs today, as the 2014 Free Agent Frenzy kicks off at 12 noon.  The trade for Josh Gorges from the Montreal Canadiens blows me away because it doesn't make any sense.  Gorges will be 30 in August and has four more years on his contract.  It is said that the Leafs want his leadership and gritty play to add sandpaper to the blue line. They have already added Roman Polak so a trade for Gorges doesn't make any sense.  Moreover, we don't know who the Leafs were willing to give up to get him.  Gorges turned down the deal as the Leafs were not on his limited trade list.  Here's hoping that Gorges doesn't give in.

The pressure is on Leafs G.M. Dave Nonis. If it was up to me, the only free agents I would go after would be Anton Strahlman, Christian Ehrhoff or Paul Stastny. Otherwise, bring the Marlies up and let them fill out the roster.

And finally, Happy Canada Day to my Canadian friends. Be safe and enjoy!!