Umenyiora Out For Season

Defensive end Osi Umenyiora of the Super Bowl champion New York Giants will be out for the 2008 NFL season due to a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee. He suffered the injury in Saturday's preseason game against the New York Jets. When the injury initially occurred, it looked very serious because Umenyiora couldn't leave the field putting pressure on the left leg and he was later taken to the locker room on a cart. Umenyiora led the team in sacks last season with 13 in a season where the Giants led the league in sacks. Those sacks were important in the playoffs as well as the Giants were able to apply pressure on the quarterbacks en route to their Super Bowl win over the previously undefeated New England Patriots. Umenyiora was the only player from the Giants to play for the NFC in the Pro Bowl. The Giants defense were good last year, and was excellent in the playoffs. But they lost several defensive players from that defense. Michael Strahan, the face of the franchise for years, retired after winning the Super Bowl. Gibril Wilson, the starting safety, left the Giants in free agency to play for the Oakland Raiders. Kawika Mitchell, their starting linebacker who had 4.5 sacks, left the Giants as well in free agency to play for the Buffalo Bills. With Umenyiora's injury, the pressure is now on defensive end Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka to put pressure on the quarterback. How will Umenyiora's absence affect the Giants' defense? Will the Giants repeat as Super Bowl champions?

USA Brings Gold Medal Home

The United States basketball team captured the gold medal on Sunday with a 118-107 win over Spain in the gold medal game. The United States missed out on the gold medal in the 2004 Olympics in Greece when they lost to Argentina and they ended up getting the bronze medal. This year, the team made it their mission to capture the gold medal and bring it back to America. The team, labeled "The Redeem Team," blew by the competition in the Olympics, reminiscent of the 1992 Dream Team that blew by the competition in the Olympics in Barcelona. Things started getting tough for the United States in the games that counted. They played Argentina again for the right to move on to the gold medal game and they had problems. Argentina's best player, 3-time NBA champion Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs, got injured early in the first quarter and didn't play again. The United States then went ahead and led by 21 before Argentina came back and trimmed America's lead down to 6. Luis Scola of Argentina, who plays for the NBA's Houston Rockets, was dominant against any defender from the United States. But they pulled through for a 20 point victory. The gold medal game was thought to be easy but it wasn't. The U.S. offense was good as usual, but their defense wasn't. They gave up an Olympic team high 107 points, after blowing out Spain in pool play a week and a half earlier. Does this win show the U.S. is back on top? Was this the best U.S. Olympic team ever?

NFLPA Head Upshaw Dead at 63

The NFL Players Association union head director Gene Upshaw died on Wednesday from pancreatic cancer. Upshaw was 63 years old. Upshaw was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer only three days before his death, which was on Sunday. Upshaw's wife convinced Upshaw to go to the emergency room after she noticed he was breathing a little funny and differently. That is when he found out he had the cancer. There were no signs that Upshaw's health was rapidly deteriorating during the couple days between the diagnosis and his death. Suddenly, on Wednesday night, the cancer took his life. Upshaw played in the NFL from 1967-1981 with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. He was a guard and he is the only player in the NFL to play in the Super Bowl in three different decades. He won two championships during his NFL career, and soon after his retirement from playing football, became an active member of the NFL Players Association in 1983, when he became executive director. He guided the players through the 1987 strike, when regular players crossed the picket lines. He was responsible in the institution of the salary cap and free agency, which helped players gain a lot more money. The salary cap and free agency was instituted in 1993. He has come under fire recently for abandoning the retired players with disabilities. Matt Stover, kicker for the Baltimore Ravens, drafted a plan to oust Upshaw from his position soon. How will Upshaw's death affect the players? How will he be remembered?

Phelps Set Single Olympics Record

Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps of the United States has won a record eight gold medals with his country's win in the 4*100 medley relay event. It was Phelps' final event of the Olympics and he has been successful in getting gold medals in every event he has participated in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Coming into this Olympics, Phelps has been the favorite to win gold medal on all events. While some events were easy for him, there were some close calls. In the 100 butterfly event, Phelps beat Milorad Cavic by a hundredth of a second to capture his seventh gold medal. In the 4*100 free relay, he almost didn't win gold when teammate Jason Lezak came back in the final moments to edge out France for the gold medal. The other races, however, have not been close at all and hasn't had any competition. Phelps has been mentioned, however, by people making comments on his spectacular run. NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson had comments on ESPN's Pardon The Interruption show where he said that he would beat Michael Phelps and know a couple others who can as well. Ian Crocker, another swimmer for the United States, also had comments about Phelps challenging him in one of the races both of them were participating. Crocker came in fourth, while Phelps, of course, won the gold medal. Is Phelps the best Olympic athlete ever? When will his record be broken, if ever?

Williams To Cavs In Three Team Deal

The Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks, and the Oklahoma City franchise have been involved in a three team trade that was completed on Wednesday. In this deal, the Cavaliers received Mo Williams, point guard from the Bucks. Williams has been a good scoring point guard and the Cavaliers made the deal in order to give superstar Lebron James help. Williams averaged a career high 17.3 points per game last season with the Bucks. James spoke with the media after the deal was announced and gave his personal approval of the deal. The Bucks received point guard Damon Jones from the Cavaliers, point guard Luke Ridnour and forward Adrian Griffin from Oklahoma City. Ridnour was facing decreased playing time at the point guard position after Oklahoma City drafted Russell Westbrook out of UCLA with the fourth overall pick. Ridnour already had his starting spot taken last season by Earl Watson. Oklahoma City received forward Joe Smith from the Cavaliers, and Desmond Mason from the Bucks. Good, solid players were sent to the Bucks and Oklahoma City, but both teams viewed the trade as salary cap related. Who got the better of this deal? Does this make the Cavaliers the team to beat in the Eastern Conference?

Iguodala, 76ers Agree On Deal

The Philadelphia 76ers have re-signed free agent guard Andre Iguodala to a six year, $80 million. Iguodala became a free agent this offseason and made it clear that he would look for a long term contract with a lot of money. He turned down the 76ers offer during the regular season that was worth $57 million. The 76ers were one of few teams that was flexible financially this offseason. They went out and signed Elton Brand, who bolted the Los Angeles Clippers for a $82 million contract. After the 76ers signed Brand, they made it their priority to come to terms with Iguodala. Locking up Iguodala now gives the 76ers a good team going into the 2008-2009 season. Their projected starting lineup includes Andre Miller at point guard, Willie Green at shooting guard, Iguodala at small forward, Brand at power forward, and Samuel Dalembert at the center position. How will the 76ers do next season? Are they legitimate contenders in the Eastern Conference?

Hawks Re-Sign Smith to 5 Year Contract

Josh Smith, forward for the Atlanta Hawks, will be staying with the Hawks after the Hawks decided to match the 5 year, $58 million contract offered by the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies offered the contract to Smith on Friday and the Hawks were quick to match it. Smith demanded a bigger pay after playing an important role in the Hawks' first playoff appearance since 1999. The Hawks, who in years past have not spent a lot, said publicly that they'll do whatever they need to do to retain Smith. The Hawks, this offseason, already lost valuable sixth man Josh Childress to a Greek team after he was not happy with the offer he received from the Hawks. Smith has said that he would not even re-sign with the Hawks if head coach Mike Woodson was still around. After the Hawks' first round loss to the Boston Celtics, the Hawks gave Woodson a two-year extension. Smith and Woodson have never been on the same page a lot of the time they've been together in Atlanta. Smith, however, was more concerned with the money. The Hawks have signed Maurice Evans to fill the void left by Childress. They now have taken care of business by acquiring one of their biggest piece. Will the Hawks make it back to the playoffs next season? Will Smith live up to his contract?

Pennington Signs With Dolphins

Chad Pennington, former quarterback of the New York Jets, has signed a two year contract worth $11.5 million with the Miami Dolphins, an AFC East rival of the Jets. Pennington was released by the Jets on Thursday, after the Jets acquired quarterback Brett Favre in a trade with the Green Bay Packers. Pennington had a lot of teams pursuing him once he became available. The Dolphins already had three quarterbacks on their depth chart but none of them have been convincing enough for the Dolphins and the Dolphins saw an opportunity to pursue a quarterback who has proven to be accurate. Pennington's career completion percentage is just above 65%, which is excellent. But he has not shown the ability to throw long and put zip on his passes. He has consistently been labeled as a weak-throwing quarterback. The Dolphins have shown that they want Pennington as their starter with the kind of money they're paying him. Bill Parcells, vice president of operations in Miami, was with the Jets when they drafted Pennington back in 2000. Now, with four quarterbacks, the Dolphins are most likely to release one of them. The other three quarterbacks are rookie Chad Henne, John Beck, and Josh McCown. Will the signing of Pennington help the Dolphins? How will Pennington fare in Week 1 when the Dolphins play the Jets?

Favre Traded To Jets

Brett Favre, quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, was traded to the New York Jets on Wednesday for a conditional draft pick. Favre was the starting quarterback for the Packers since the 1992 season. He has started 253 straight games for them, which is an NFL record. He announced his retirement from football back in March but changed his mind over the course of the offseason. His wishes were to return to the Packers as the starting quarterback. The Packers were committed to moving in another direction and keeping Aaron Rodgers as their starter. Favre then requested a trade or a release. It is believed that Favre wanted to go to the Vikings. The Packers wouldn't let him go to another team in the same division. Favre sent his reinstatement papers and was reinstated. He quickly determined that the Packers were not interested in having him in training camp. He went back home to Mississippi and the Packers worked feverishly to trade him to another team. The Packers were able to work out a deal with the Jets in a trade where the Packers get a draft pick based on Favre's season performance. With that trade, the Jets determined that quarterback Chad Pennington's services were no longer needed. They quickly shopped him in a trade and were unable to find suitors. So they released him. How will Favre impact both the Jets and Packers? Will the Jets make the playoffs?

Favre Reinstated By Goodell

Brett Favre, quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, has been reinstated by the NFL and will report to training camp on Monday. Favre announced his retirement back in March, after leading the Packers to a 13-3 record and a trip to the NFC Championship game. His last pass that he attempted was intercepted by Corey Webster of the New York Giants in that game that sent the Giants to the Super Bowl. After the announcement of his retirement, the Packers announced that Aaron Rodgers would be the starting quarterback. Favre said that he was pressured into making a decision quickly. The decision he made at the time, according to him, was the way he felt about going another season. In his thinking, he felt he couldn't last another training camp and another season. That changed over the course of the offseason. He contacted the Packers about returning, in which the team wasn't so welcoming. They constantly told Favre and the media that Rodgers would be the starting quarterback and they were working out a deal in which Favre would be paid to stay retired. Favre did not accept that offer and sent his reinstatement letter to the league office. Commissioner Roger Goodell did not approve the reinstatement immediately in order for the Packers and Favre to work out a deal. Will Favre's arrival be a distraction? Who will be the starting quarterback at the start of the season?

Panthers' Smith Suspended First Two Games

Steve Smith, wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers, has been suspended for the first two regular season games by the team for his role in a fight earlier this week against defensive back Ken Lucas. In photos, Smith was seen on top of Lucas punching him in his face and being restrained by several of his teammates. After the fight, Lucas was seen with an ice pack on his eye and it was later reported that he suffered a broken nose. Smith has had a hot temper and has been in anger management classes in the past. Smith was also shown apologizing to Lucas after the fight. Smith is going to lose about $200,000 with the two game suspension. He is missing the first game against the San Diego Chargers and the second game against the Chicago Bears. Smith is still allowed to participate in training camp and all practices. After the fight with Lucas, he was sent back to his home in Charlotte. Lucas was not suspended for this fight, and he was listed as day-to-day for his injury. Is this the last straw for Smith? How will his loss affect the team in the first two games?

Ramirez Sent to Dodgers In Three Team Deal

Manny Ramirez, left fielder for the Boston Red Sox, was traded on Thursday to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three team deal involving the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Dodgers got Ramirez and cash in the deal. The Red Sox received Pirates left fielder Jason Bay, who's a former All-Star. The Pirates received relief pitcher Craig Hansen and outfielder Brandon Moss from the Red Sox and third baseman Andy LaRoche and pitcher Bryan Morris from the Dodgers. Ramirez was acquired as a free agent by the Red Sox in 2000 after numerous successful years with the Cleveland Indians. The success with the Red Sox continued. He helped the Red Sox to their first World Series title in 86 years in 2004 when they defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. Ramirez was the World Series MVP with impressive numbers in the four game sweep. They also won the 2007 World Series against the Colorado Rockies in a sweep also, in which Ramirez was very productive that postseason. The Red Sox, however, felt like they needed to move Ramirez quickly because he was not playing hard for the Red Sox. Ramirez's comments in recent days has suggested that he didn't want to be a part of the Red Sox any longer as well. Ramirez is in the last season of his contract he signed with the Red Sox back in 2000. Who benefits the most from this deal? What will happen to Ramirez in the future?

Griffey Jr. Headed To White Sox

Ken Griffey Jr., right fielder for the Cincinnati Reds, has been traded to the Chicago White Sox on Thursday in a deal that sends minor leaguers Nick Masset and Danny Richar to the Reds. Griffey Jr., who had a no trade clause, had to waive his no trade clause and agree to the deal for it to go through. Griffey Jr. has 608 career home runs. He is only the sixth player in MLB history to have at least 600 home runs. He hit his 600th home run earlier this season with the Reds against the Florida Marlins. There have been rumors swirling around about Griffey Jr. going to a contender. The Reds haven't been contenders since Griffey Jr. came to the Reds from the Seattle Mariners in 2001. Griffey Jr. hasn't been to the playoffs since 1997, when the Mariners won the American League West division. Ozzie Guillen plans to use Ken Griffey Jr. at the position he played most of his career at- center field. Griffey Jr. played the last two seasons in right field for the Reds because his defense wasn't as great as it was earlier in his career. But the White Sox have decided to move him there and move center fielder Nick Swisher to first base. Paul Konerko, their everyday first baseman who has been struggling, has been removed from the lineup temporarily and there is no word on what will happen to him in the near future or in the offseason. Who benefits the most from this deal? Will Griffey Jr. be able to help out the White Sox in their goal to a division title and a World Series title?