Kuzul

A report surfaced this morning out of Baltimore saying that the Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs and Baltimore Orioles had discussions on a possible three-way trade with pitcher Rick Porcello and shortstop J.J. Hardy being part of the deal.Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reported:"I heard last night that the Tigers and Cubs are discussing a potential trade involving pitcher Rick Porcello, who also interests the Orioles. Now here's the rumored kicker: The Tigers are trying to get the Orioles involved because they want shortstop J.J. Hardy, and they don't feel as though the Cubs have the necessary components to make it a two-team trade."This makes sense from a Cubs standpoint since they lost out on their main target---pitcher Anibal Sanchez---earlier this offseason when he elected to re-sign with the Tigers. The Cubs then went out and signed Edwin Jackson to a four-year deal.While Jackson is considered a solid pitcher and a workhorse, Porcello is younger ...

Sports are a quality-of-life issue. When budgets are tight, which goes first: season tickets or replacing the stove? Well, that depends—does the stove still work? Keeping your granddad’s seats at The Meadowlands isn’t as important as paying the rent. Starting your own tradition with friends or children doesn’t carry the same imperative as little Joey’s school books. Nevertheless, season tickets are far more valuable than a new DVD, blouse or video game. Yes, even Madden. In a possessions-obsessed world, it’s time to refocus on giving ourselves real-life experiences rather than merely things. When was the last time that a new electronic toy let you say, “Yeah, man, I was there!”? The last time that a pair of shoes helped you bond with a relative from a different generation? That “Quest for the Planet Zycor” or “Gunman 14” truly inspired you? Sports serve a multitude of purposes in our society: catharsis, escapism, motivation. ...

On a relatively slow news day in the sports world on Monday, one would expect that an upcoming three-game series matching two of the most storied franchises in baseball would be the top story on ESPN’s featured Sportscenter at 6pm EST.  The fact the two teams are one and two in their division, and the two biggest markets on the West Coast might have some cache, but not to the execs at ESPN.  The San Francisco Giants and the visiting first-place Los Angeles Dodgers didn’t even make the tease in the opening storylines, let alone the lead story.   Four days after LeBron James and the Miami Heat won their first NBA title, Sportscenter led with the victory celebration and parade that took place today in Miami.  OK, fine, it’s King James and the new “dream team”, certainly the Giants and Dodgers would be up next.  ...

In the sporting world, we often exaggerate ultimately meaningless moments with lofty words like "redemption." The Boston Celtics win back-to-back games at home to tie the Eastern Conference Finals? That's not redemption. Albert Pujols smashes a home run to break out of a slump? That's not redemption. Tiger Woods wins the 2012 Memorial Championship after months of struggling? That's not redemption. No, true redemption, true salvation from almost unimaginable hardships, can only be found in stories like that of Brian Banks, the former California prep football star who lost 10 years of his life after being wrongfully convicted of rape. In 2002, Banks was accused and convicted of raping a classmate. In 2012, the now-26-year-old Banks has been exonerated, according to USA Today. In between, he served five years in prison. He spent five more with a court-ordered tracking device around his ankle. He had to register as a sex ...

After a tumultuous offseason, Ryan Braun is shutting up his critics so far in 2012.In early October, Braun tested positive for a banned substance. He appealed the findings and was eventually exonerated due to a chain of custody issue. Because of this, the majority of fans believe that Braun got off on a technicality and have labeled him a cheater.Many thought that the hatred from the fans during road games would distract Braun and his level of play would decrease. Critics of Braun also pointed out that, with Prince Fielder's departure, teams would pitch around Braun more often, and he wouldn't see as many good pitches as he did with Fielder behind him.Braun claims that he tunes out opposing fans and doesn't let it affect his play. He must be telling the truth.For the season, Braun is hitting .357 with one home run and four runs batted in. In four games on the ...

What do 40 Gulf Stream jets, a lifetime supply of Donald Trump's hair products and the Los Angeles Dodgers have in common?They all cost $2 billion.  On Tuesday, a group called Guggenheim Baseball Management LLC ponied up just over two billion greenbacks to lay claim to the Dodger franchise after a nasty divorce between the previous owners, Frank and Jamie McCourt, forced the team onto the market. The $2.15 billion purchase, led by Laker legend Magic Johnson and über film producer Peter Gruber, not only set the record for the most expensive acquisition of a sports franchise, it obliterated it. Previously, the record amount paid for a sports team was the 2005 procurement of Manchester United for $1.47 billion. Add a half billion dollars more to that figure, and you come up with what a top-three market baseball team goes for these days. For a perspective on the astronomical nature of the Dodgers deal, ...

With the economy in the shape it is, fans are being more select with their money. Season tickets aren't being purchased at as high a rate as before.Many venues simply aren't good enough to draw fans into spending hard earned cash. While more nice sites than poor are provided by the majority of American pro franchises, that still doesn't guarantee successful ticket sales.Whether it's history or an inability to generate revenue, these 10 franchises are in need of a new place to play.Begin Slideshow

The Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners play two games at the Tokyo Dome in Japan on Wednesday to open the 2012 Major League Baseball season.The trip to Tokyo comes nine years after the 2003 trip between Oakland and Seattle was cancelled due to complications involving the conflict in Iraq.Since then, the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Devil Rays (now "Rays") faced off in Japan in 2004, and Oakland "hosted" the Boston Red Sox on the other side of the Pacific Ocean in '08.But those weren't the first time that the MLB has played games outside of the U.S. and Canada.And it's not the only sport to do so.This is a look back at the best regular-season games played in other countries by the major sports leagues.Begin Slideshow

Disgusting.Disgraceful.Disturbing.Disappointing.I'm talking about the MLB network, specifically, the countdown they've been airing about the 40 greatest individual seasons since 1940.Four of those seasons belonged to Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds. Bonds was ranked #1 for his 2004 season.Well, MLB network, I'm not sure how to tell you this but, um, uh, er, well, those guys cheated.Steroids? Human Growth Hormone? Performance enhancing drugs? Any of that sound familiar MLB network?Apparently not.There was no mention in the countdown that Clemens', Sosa's, McGwire's and Bonds' seasons may have been tainted.No hint that any of their accomplishments were anything less than legitimate.I've been racking my brain trying to figure out why MLB network would include those players in a countdown like this. Maybe they were taking an "innocent until proven guilty" attitude.But I think these guys have pretty much been proven guilty.At the very least, McGwire should have been excluded, ...

The NBA All-Star Game is to be held on Sunday, and we have every reason to believe it will be a terrific event for fans and families alike.   But how does it compare to the games in the other professional sports?   Certainly, all of the games have their own strengths and weaknesses, but which one is the best overall? Here is a comparison of the games for the NBA, NHL, NFL, and MLB.Begin Slideshow