The New York Yankees are on the verge of trading for Curtis Granderson. He will provide the Yanks with power and speed. This move will make their aging outfield significantly more athletic. Melky Cabrera will move over to a corner outfield postion where he has more speed and a much stronger arm than Nick Swisher. If this does get done it will be a three team trade between the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, and Arizona Diamondbacks.

It will look something like this…

Yankees get Curtis Granderson from Detroit

Diamondbacks get Max Scherzer from Arizona and Austin Jackson from New York

Arizona gets Edwin Jackson from Detroit and Ian Kennedy from New York

I think this will be a good trade for all three teams. I mentioned how Granderson can help the Yankees above. Detroit frees up money and adds two great young players with a lot of upside. Arizona adds a proven starter in Jackson and an up and coming prospect in Kennedy.

I obtained this autograph in 87 days c/o Detroit Tigers

On the heals of their second straight SEC Championship game, Florida DE Carlos Dunlap has been charged with DUI. Dunlap, a projected first round draft pick, was named MVP of the 2009 FedEx BCS National Championship Game last season against Oklahoma. In preparation for this SEC Championship game, Dunlap created a a to-do checklist.

Dunlap is tied with Jermaine Cunningham for the team lead with seven sacks, and also leads the team with 8 1/2 tackles for a loss. This could be a big loss for Florida on their defensive front. Coach Urban Meyer isn’t expected to address Dunlap’s arrest again until after Tuesday’s practice.

South Carolina Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier and school officials have filed a complaint against Alabama after their 20-6 loss. Spurrier believes that the Crimson Tide holder put a small piece of white tape on the ground to spot PATs and field goals.

I thought you just had to put it on the ground. But they had a little piece of white tape or something, and I looked at it on tape and I said, ‘What’s that little piece of white there?’ Then after the guy kicked it he grabbed it and put it back in his pocket,” Spurrier said.

Honestly I had no idea that Spurrier was such an astute film watcher, but if the film shows that it will be interesting to hear Alabama’s reasoning behind it. When you are the #2 in the nation breaking little rules might make people wonder what other rules are they breaking. Alabama is currently on probation for major penalties stemming from a textbook scandal. Here is the rule in question…

The NCAA football rulebook (Rule 6-3; Article 10; subsection d) says: Any device or material used to mark the spot of a scrimmage place kick or elevate the ball makes the kick illegal. The penalty is “illegal kick” and is five yards from the previous spot.

So the penalty for this rule in the game is nothing but a 5-yard penalty. Not much of a big deal, but what if SEC officials go back and review every kick and throw them all out. If that were the case, only one game would be affected. The Tide beat Virigina Tech by 10 points. There were 14 points in that game that came from kicks.

After suffering a concussions two weeks ago against Kentucky, many are wondering whether Tim Tebow can or should play this weekend at Death Valley. The top ranked Gators are taking on the number 4 ranked LSU Tigers. Florida coach Urban Meyer has stated that it will likely be a game-time decision.

Meyer said there would be ongoing evaluation and communication up until the 8 p.m. ET kickoff Saturday.

Meyer said he would err on the side of caution on whether to play Tebow even if the quarterback gets medical clearance. Tebow underwent more testing Wednesday morning.

Meyer also said the crowd noise at Tiger Stadium could be a factor.

Personally, I would lean on the side of caution and not play Tebow. Win or lose I cannot see anybody keeping Florida out of the National Championship game with a minimum 1 loss assuming they win the SEC Championship. I would want to make sure that Tebow is completely healthy for that game.

If  Tebow does not play, it is not a given for LSU. Backup QB John Brantley is very capable. LSU will also have to solve their offensive woes against a very stingy and veteran Florida defense.

I obtained this autograph from Tim c/o his home address in 25 days during the summer after his sophmore year.

Well, it took the Tigers and the Twins 12 innings in the 163rd game to finally complete the 2009 regular season for Major League Baseball. So who should get the Hardware this season for their trophy cases?

MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS

NL: Albert Pujols

I think this award may some day be renamed to the Albert Pujols Award. When they call Albert a machine it is justified. I can already tell you his stats next season…46 HR 132 RBI with a .331 batting average. Mark it down. No other hitter in Baseball had more than 35 HR while hitting above .300 and only one other hitter had less than 100 strike outs.

AL: Joe Mauer

He led the AL in batting (.365), Slugging % (.587), and On-Base % (.444). He just won his third batting title at the age of 26. Aside from his numbers, he was the catalyst for a Twins team that came out of nowhere in the last month of the season to win the AL Central. They did that without former MVP Justin Morneau in the lineup.

CY YOUNGS

NL: Chris Carpenter

Carpenter was 17-4 with a 2.24 ERA. That by itself is pretty spectacular especially after he missed a month early on in the season. What sets him apart from Wainwright and Lincecum is that he finished the year 12-1. That could have been 15-1 had the bullpen not blown 3 saves.

AL: Zack Greinke

Was the best pitcher in the AL, and that is all that matters. He started the season only allowing 2 runs in his first 45 innings and he ended the season only allowing runs in his final 48 innings. He ended the season with lowest ERA in the majors at 2.16 and third in strikeouts with 242

Cases could certainly be made for other players with exception of Pujols of course. Unfortunately MLB moves at a snail’s pace in awarding these accomplishments. So in a few weeks we will see the real winners.

With the Cardinals clinching the NL Central, Tony La Russa is preparing for his 14th trip to the postseason. La Russa is one of two Managers in Baseball history to win a World Series in the National and American League. He is also the only manager to win multiple pennants in both leagues.

La Russa took the Oakland Athletics to 3 World Series and his Cardinals have played in two this decade. He won 1 sereies with each of those teams, but he has also been swept in the World Series with each of those teams. The 1990 Reds swept the much more favored A’s, and the curse of The Bambino came to a crashing halt in 2004 when his Cardinals were swept by the Red Sox.

Still La Russa seems to get the most out of his talent, and again that talent includes Albert Pujols. Having the best player in Baseball helps, but having a pitching staff with Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright at the top of the rotation make this years Cardinal team a favorite to get back to the World Series. La Russa hopes to bring St. Louis it’s 11th World Series title.

I received this autograph from Mr. La Russa in 19 days care St. Louis Cardinals.

Two virtually identical teams in the SEC (Southeastern Conference) replaced their coaches last season. Though the teams were identical the coaching hires were complete opposites.

2008 UT Vols                                     2008 Auburn Tigers

5-7 record                                                5-7 record

3,225 total yards                                   3,677 total yards

208 total points                                    208 total points

Lane Kiffin joined the Tennessee Vols with a super staff of Coordinators including his father, Monte Kiffin. From day one Lane Kiffin has made sure his voice and face were heard and seen in the media. He has become a go-to sound bite for reporters. Kiffin has made it a mission to get his name and the Vols in the headlines nationwide.

Gene Chizik, a former Auburn defensive coordinator, filled the vacant spot left by Tommy Tuberville. He did not make promises rolling over the Tide or drag Auburn through an off-season media circus. Chizik’s (5-19) record in his two seasons at Iowa State, and his stoic demeanor left a lot of Auburn fans not excited about his hiring. Like Kiffin, Chizik brought in a very well known and balanced set of coordinators to help rebuild the Auburn Tigers.

The much more heralded Kiffin is (2-2) while Chizik is sitting at (4-0). The Vols routed Western Kentucky 63-7 in their first game, but have looked pretty average since. The Tigers, under offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn are averaging 45 points per game after putting up 54 on Ball State. Auburn is scoring points in bunches and Tennessee has a stingy defense. So something will have to give this Saturday. I will be watching to see if Auburn can put up points on a great defense, and whether or not Tennessee can beat a team in a big boy conference.

At an event to benefit many local charities, Tennessee head Basketball Coach Bruce Pearl made an off-script joke about the challenges he faces getting so many diverse players to play as a team.

“I’ve got a tough job. I’ve got to put these guys from different worlds together, right?” Pearl said. “I’ve got guys from Chicago, Detroit … I’m talking about the ‘hood! And I’ve got guys from Grainger County, where they wear the hood.”

Pearl apologized, calling the joke “inappropriate.”

“Unfortunately while I was trying to excite the crowd and encourage employees to give, I made an inappropriate joke. I certainly did not intend to offend anyone and I apologize to everyone, especially the people of Grainger County.

“In no way am I trying to justify what I said, but I’m disappointed that the focus has been placed on me rather than the charities I was there to help. My only hope is that the visibility of this mistake will encourage those who can to give to those in need during these difficult times.”

Race issues are highly sensitive enough with politicians throwing the “R” word almost daily. Pearl seems to be a very likeable guy and it seems he was genuinely trying to be funny. Hope everybody will accept this apology and move on.

For the Yankees, $423.5 million dollars bought them a playoff birth. Congratulations, after 1 agonizing year of not being in the post season the Yankees are back! However, if the Yankees are going to win the World Series this season they are going to need these three stars to step up in a big way offensively.

Derek Jeter was amazing in the playoffs from 1995 to 2000, but since then has been pretty average. Since 2001 Jeter has a .294 average, but has batted justed .215 in ALCS and World Seiries games.

A-Rod has been pretty pedestrian in the playoffs since becoming a Yankee. He owns a .244 average with 4 HR, 9 RBI, and 24 strike outs in 94 at-bats.

Mark Teixeira was in the playoffs for the first time last season as a member of the Los Angeles Angels. While he batted a scorching .467 he only managed 1 RBI against the Red Sox.

Pitching wins championships, and the Yankees put a bulk of that $423.5 million towards their two front line starters CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett along with Teixeira. I am not convinced that the Yankees will win the World Series or even get out of the first round, but I do believe they will go as far as the bats of these three stars take them. Because they are going to have home-field advantage, offense will play a big role in the whiffle ball field known as Yankee Stadium.

Herschel Walker has worn many hats in the public arena. From Football star to Olympic Bobsledder to competing against other celebs on The Apprentice.

Now at age 47, walker has signed a multifight contract with Strikeforce who looks to challenge The UFC for it’s Mixed Martial Arts audience.

Herschel, a longtime martial artist and sixth-degree black belt in tae kwon do who’s also trained in Muay Thai and Kenpo karate, has hinted at a possible move into MMA for the past few years.

“I’ve been training for several years,” Walker stated. “I would play college football games on Saturday and then compete in martial arts tournaments on Sunday after church. I’m now looking forward to opening up another chapter in my life and to competing in MMA.”

I received this autograph from Mr. Walker in 20 days care of his home address. While he is not yet a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Herschel Walker is a first ballot HOFer in the TTM autographing world.