Water Cooler – August 10th, 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 NHL and an arbitrator threw the players association a major curveball yesterday. The Ilya Kovalchuk ruling headlines today’s news.
NHL news: Arbitrator voids Kovalchuk’s contract, makes him unrestricted free agent
In a move with a greater impact than many people realize, an independent arbitrator made the ruling no one expected yesterday in the Ilya Kovalchuk case.
Most people figured the arbitrator would let Kovalchuk’s 17-year, $102-million with New Jersey deal stand. Sure, it was a blatant attempt to circumvent the salary cap, as it was heavily frontloaded and designed to reduced the annual cap hit (which is the total divided by number of years). But several other players had signed similar shady deals before, including Chris Pronger and Marian Hossa.
But apparently 17 years is the breaking point. The arbitrator ruled in the NHL’s favor, voiding Kovalchuk’s deal and making him an unrestricted free agent. The Devils will likely try a restructured offer but other suitors like Los Angeles can now re-enter the Kovalchuk sweepstakes.
MLB news: Mariners fire Wakamatsu; Reds acquire Jim Edmonds
The writing was on the wall months ago, so it’s amazing that Don Wakamatsu survived as Seattle Mariners manager for as long as he did. Whether it was his fault or not, Seattle has been a train wreck in 2010 – a year when they were expected to compete for a division title.
Though he had public tiffs with players like Chone Figgins, many Mariner players believe Wakamatsu isn’t responsible for the teams’ 42-70 record and that he is simply the fall guy.
Proof that the Reds are serious about making the playoffs this season: they acquired Jim Edmonds from the Milwaukee Brewers yesterday for Chris Dickerson.
Edmonds, now 40 years old, still has some pop left in his bat with an .843 OPS this season. He joined the team yesterday and made his debut against his longtime team, the St. Louis Cardinals, going 0 for 4.
NBA news: Sean May to Mets; T-Mac to Detroit?
Sean May’s glory days may be over. He’s only a four-year NBA veteran but, after averaging just 6.9 points per game, it appears he’ll never match the high of his NCAA championship with North Carolina in 2005. Still, he’s a warm body to fill out a roster and the Nets have decided they have a use for him. They signed him on Monday but didn’t disclose the contract details.
Hard to believe Tracy McGrady is just 31 years old. Given the mileage on his body you’d swear he was in his mid-30s. But that happens with guys who joined the NBA out of high school.
There are conflicting reports surfacing about his possible future with the Detroit Pistons. Some sources claim he’s signed a one-year deal with Detroit for the veteran’s minimum.
Others say the Pistons are simply weighing the pros and cons of acquiring him. Nothing official yet, though.
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