Water Cooler – October 5th, 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!
The Minnesota Twins’ first season at Target Field is already an unqualified success but they got some bad news heading into their American League Division Series battle with the Yankees.
MLB news:
Justin Morneau out for entire playoffs; Mets, Pirates clean house; Reds extend Dusty Baker 
The Minnesota Twins already knew they’d be without their top power hitter, Justin Morneau, for at least the ALDS. He hasn’t played since suffering a concussion on July 7 as he can’t shake the symptoms. But the news got worse yesterday when the twins announced he would be shut down for the entire playoffs. General manager Bill Smith explained that they don’t want to rush him back and put him at risk. This is the second straight season that the Twins will battle through the playoffs without Morneau.
The writing was on the wall seemingly forever and the Mets finally let the sword drop on general manager Omar Minaya. They fired him yesterday after the Mets went 79-83 despite having baseball’s fifth-highest payroll. They also fired manager Jerry Manuel. Could the moves open the door for Joe Torre?
The Pittsburgh Pirates also acted swiftly yesterday, firing manager John Russell. We can hardly blame all the Bucs’ struggles on him but, boy, were they ever bad. This year’s Pirates had a 12-game losing streak, four seven-game losing streaks and five eight-game losing streaks. Yikes.
On the positive side, the Cincinnati Reds, fresh off securing their first playoff berth in 15 years, extended manager Dusty Baker’s contract by two seasons.
NFL news: Roethlisberger and Holmes reinstated; Morgan Burnett out for season; Jarrett arrested for DWI
Week 5 is “Reinstatement Week” in the NFL. During the Pittsburgh Steelers’ bye week, Ben Roethlisberger returns to quarterbacking duty after serving his suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
Santonio Holmes will make his New York Jets debut on Monday night against Minnesota after completing his four-game suspension for substance abuse. 2009 Defensive Rookie of the Year winner Brian Cushing is finished his ban for performance-enhancing drugs as well.
The Green Bay Packers have lost rookie safety Morgan Burnett for the rest of the season. He tore his ACL in Sunday’s victory over the Detroit Lions.
Disgruntled Carolina Panthers wideout Dwayne Jarrett probably had a chance for more playing time with Steve Smith injured but may have squandered that opportunity by driving drunk. He was pulled over for speeding and arrested for driving while impaired early Tuesday morning. It’s Jarrett’s second DWI in less than three years.
NHL news: Mike Cammalleri suspended for season opener
Montreal Canadiens sniper Mike Cammalleri, who tallied 13 goals in last year’s playoffs, will miss the Canadiens’ season opener against Toronto on Thursday night. The NHL suspended him for the game after he slashed Islanders rookie Nino Niederreiter on the back of his leg in preseason action this week, buckling him to the ice in pain.
Comments are welcome below!
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