Water Cooler – August 11th, 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 ripple effect of Ilya Kovalchuk’s contract situation could rock the NHL. Let’s have a deeper look at how the voiding of his deal affects the rest of the league in today’s sports news.
NHL news: League looking in to other shady deals after Kovalchuk’s contract voided 
After an independent arbitrator ruled in favor of voiding Ilya Kovalchuk’s 17-year, $102-million deal with New Jersey, several other big names with questionable long-term deals are suddenly under investigation.
Roberto Luongo, Chris Pronger, Marc Savard and Marian Hossa are the four names being tossed around. They all signed absurdly long deals that pay them past age 40 and are clearly designed to dodge big salary cap numbers. It’s possible that the league could void all four contracts and render those players unrestricted free agents. Imagine the Free Agent Frenzy 2.0 that would create?
Teams with itchy trigger fingers like Toronto and Los Angeles would potentially pounce.
Strange, unrelated story: if you’re not convinced that hockey isn’t meant to be played in Florida, take a look at the Panthers’ latest strategy. They’ve offered fans a “name your price” Perfect Plan ticket promotion. Fans can bid on virtually any seats and find out within 24 hours if their price has been “accepted.”
It’s a great promotion but you have to wonder if the franchise would need to woo fans like this if it moved to, say, Quebec City.
MLB news: Cardinals and Reds clear the benches, ignite NL central rivalry
The St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds may have baseball’s hottest rivalry at the moment. In the second game of their crucial series at Great American Ballpark in Ohio this week, tempers boiled over.
Cincinnati’s Brandon Phillips greeted St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina at the plate with a little bat tap. Molina wasn’t in the mood for any pleasantries after Phillips had called the Cards “little bitches” who “bitch and moan about everything.” He immediately took exception and the brawl began.
It started harmlessly enough, with a bit of pushing and shoving, but managers Dusty Baker and Tony LaRussa got heated and jumpstarted the brawl again. Jonny Gomes punched Chris Carpenter and Reds starter Johnny Cueto even tossed some MMA-style kicks into the mix. Cool.
We can only hope they both squeak into the playoffs so this epic battle can continue.
Did I mention that whole brawl happened in the first inning?
NFL news: Revis nowhere close to agreement with Jets
Is it almost time to downgrade the New York Jets in our Super Bowl XLV odds? Cornerback Darrelle Revis is arguably their best player and it’s no secret that he’s holding out for a deal surpassing the value of Nnamdi Asomugha, Oakland’s superstar cornerback.
He’s reportedly turned down a 10-year, $120-milllion offer and seeks something around $160 million with $30 million in guaranteed money.
In case you’re wondering – yes, that deal would make Revis football’s highest paid player.
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