Tuesday’s Water Cooler – February 23, 2010
Here we go with today’s sports water cooler talk. Here, you won’t just find the straight news; you’ll find the stuff everyone is talking about – the ice breakers, the Twitter Sports Picks and topics…well, basically all the stuff you discuss at the water cooler.
Enjoy!
It seems Randy Moss opened the floodgates by discussing his impending departure from New England the other day. Several other legends either discussed their futures or were handed walking papers over the last 24 hours.
NFL news: Chargers release LaDainian Tomlinson
It was only a matter of time. LaDainian Tomlinson’s career with the San Diego Chargers over the last decade bordered on legendary, but his prime is long gone and the Chargers, a major AFC contender, need a 20-carry back to help their anemic rushing attack. LT is no longer capable of carrying that type of load.
Tomlinson ranks eighth on the NFL’s all-time rushing list, second in rushing touchdowns and third in total touchdowns. It remains to be seen whether a team wants to take a chance that he can squeeze out another good season, especially after he averaged just 3.3 yards per carry in 2009. But the Packers, Patriots and Vikings have all been linked to his name.
NBA news: Allen Iverson leaves 76ers, possibly for good
Allen Iverson’s latest pickle isn’t necessarily “typical” A.I., as he’s missed time to be with his sick daughter rather than his bruised ego. But, regardless of his reasons, he’s been in and out of Philly’s lineup constantly since he rejoined them this season. Iverson reportedly has been a good teammate, not complaining about his minutes, but the team may choose to move on from him anyway. We should know within the next week.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas update: while he’ll still probably try to rejoin Cleveland once the waiting period is up, that doesn’t mean other teams can’t try to woo him during that probation. The Atlanta Hawks are ready to swoop in; they have their $5.9-million midlevel exception to offer and can guarantee more minutes than Cleveland can since Shaq is in the mix.
MLB news: Manny says 2010 will be his last season with Dodgers
Following Randy Moss’ lead, Manny decided to publicly state his intention to leave his team before his final season with that team even started. Curious. While Randy Moss’s logic behind his upcoming move was more about the numbers game, the changing business, Manny was simply being Manny. He didn’t state a reason for not expecting or wanting a contract extension. He just said “I don’t know. I just know I’m not going to be here.”
Ironically, did ManRam do a better job posturing himself than Moss? Moss almost devalued himself by suggesting he’ll be run out of town whereas Manny phrased things so that leaving sounds like his decision. Interesting.
Olympics news: Canada benches Martin Brodeur
When you hit a certain age, I suppose being the NHL’s all-time leader in wins and shutouts doesn’t always mean much. The fact of the matter is that Canada faces elimination and utter disaster tonight in men’s hockey and coach Mike Babcock has lost confidence in Martin Brodeur. The New Jersey Devils stalwart struggled to handle puck in Sunday’s costly loss to the U.S., playing right into the Americans’ gameplan to force turnovers.
Now, Roberto Luongo will get the call, starting tonight against Germany. He doesn’t have Marty’s winning resume but he has nowhere to go but up after Brodeur’s uninspired effort on the weekend.
SPORTSBOOK.COM PROMOS – JOIN and GET up to $100 FREE – 10% New Member Bonus on your first deposit. $20 Mobile Free Play – Stay on the go and in the dough with Sportsbook.com Mobile. Bet now! Join Now
