Hot Stove Update 11/27
3:30 p.m. Eastern
-Ken Rosenthal reports that the Cubs are looking for an OF, even with Milton Bradley still on the team, and could go after Curtis Granderson or free agents Marlon Byrd, Rick Ankiel, Scott Podsednik, Mike Cameron and Coco Crisp. Unless Boston wants Adam Everett or Miguel Tejada, they’ll have to sign Marco Scutaro, a Type A free agent.
11:25 a.m. Eastern
-Jon Heyman hears that Jermaine Dye wants to go west and that the Rangers could be his destination.
11 a.m. Eastern
-Toronto’s National Post reports that the Blue Jays want a major-league ready arm and a bat in addition to prospects for Roy Halladay. “Among the names mentioned prominently this week were Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Chad Billingsley and Los Angeles Angels pitchers Joe Saunders, Jered Weaver and Ervin Santana.”
-Jon Heyman reports that the Blue Jays like Jesus Montero of the Yankees and Casey Kelly of the Red Sox, but major league ready guys would also have to be in the trade.
-The Pirates may even boost payroll this year with Hank Blalock and Rick Ankiel on their wish list, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The possibility seems unlikely though as the team wants to build with its young core. They may add a defensive SS like Adam Everett though.
-Peter Gammons likes the Toronto signing of SS Alex Gonzalez because it forces the Red Sox to go after a SS like Marco Scutaro, who would get the Jays a first round pick in next June’s draft.
-The Orioles are considering Erik Bedard and Ben Sheets this offseason, says MASN.
-The Diamondbacks are an unlikely suitor for Nick Johnson, says Steve Gilbert of MLB.com.
-19-year-old SS prospect Starlin Castro is on such a fast track to the major leagues that the Cubs are moving Ryan Theriot to 2B, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Sunday NFL Week 12 Picks ATS
Atlanta (+12.5) over Tampa Bay- The Bucs really didn’t show anything at home against New Orleans last week and will be going into Atlanta where the Falcons have a must-win game while likely getting back both Michael Turner and Jerrious Norwood. The defense needs to do a much better job than they did last week against the Giants, but the offense alone should get the job done.
Miami (+3) over Buffalo- The Bills’ run defense is poor to say the least, and Ricky Williams should continue his hot running in Buffalo against the Bills. Terrell Owens went off last week in their loss to Jacksonville and will need a day like that to beat a solid Dolphins defense. Look for the ‘Phins to stay in the AFC playoff race with a win.
Cincinnati (+14) over Cleveland- The battle for Ohio is usually close, but it shouldn’t be this week with a ferocious Bengals defense and a healthy Cedric Benson. Brady Quinn should have much less success throwing the ball and the running lanes Jamal Lewis enjoyed against Detroit will probably not be there. Bengals by two touches.
St. Louis over Seattle- The Seahawks are really struggling and a change at QB may just be a good thing for the Rams. Kyle Boller will be at the helm and can’t do much worse than the injured Marc Bulger did. Steven Jackson will start and do good things on the ground and the Rams should score a home upset.
NY Jets (+3) over Carolina- Neither team is very good, and both teams have mistake-prone QB’s. It’ll come down to the defense that puts on the most pressure and the team that runs the ball best. The Panthers certainly have the ability to run the ball with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, but the Jets have the ability to get pressure on the QB and they should force mistakes and win a close game.
Philadelphia (+9) over Washington- Philadelphia’s offense seems to be clicking even without Brian Westbrook. LaSean McCoy is running the ball extremely well and Donovan McNabb always seems to strive against the Redskins. The Eagles should get a good deal of pressure on Jason Campbell and win this one fairly easily.
Indianapolis (+3.5) over Houston- This win won’t be easy on the road for the Colts, and should be a shootout since neither team can really stop offenses as good as the ones they’re going up against. But Matt Schaub is obviously more mistake prone than Peyton Manning and the Texans are still reeling from a tough loss to Tennessee. The Colts will go to 11-0 with their win in Houston.
San Diego over Kansas City (Chiefs cover the 13.5 point spread)- The Chiefs showed a lot of life in their home win against Pittsburgh and they should carry that confidence west into San Diego. KC should be able to limit the Chargers running game and do enough on offense to cover roughly two TD’s.
Jacksonville over San Francisco- The Jaguars seem to be on a roll right now and should continue if they can contain Franke Gore and Vernon Davis. Maurice Jones-Drew and Mike Sims-Walker should be too much for the 49ers defense and Jacksonville should keep their hot streak going.
Arizona over Tennessee- Assuming Kurt Warner plays, the Titans don’t have enough on defense to contain the Cardinals offense. Arizona is 5-0 at home and with the best run defense in the league statistically, which may not bode well for Chris Johnson and the Titans.
Minnesota (+10.5) over Chicago- While Jay Cutler may bounce back from his late game interception last week against the Eagles, the Bears’ offensive line can’t open up any holes for RB Matt Forte and their defense is poor against the run and give up big plays. Their defensive deficiencies play right into the Vikings’ hands, who should turn those Bears flaws into a win.
Pittsburgh over Baltimore- Even with Ben Roethlisberger’s concussion, Pittsburgh knows it has to win this game (as does Baltimore) but the Steelers should come out with a lot of defensive intensity and should be able to get to Joe Flacco and force mistakes. It’s going to be a great, hard fought game but I’m going with Pittsburgh.
NBA Week In Preview
TNT’s Dynamite Performers- Dwight Howard was off to a relatively “slow” start this season, but more than made up for it in a battle for the best record in the Eastern Conference. Superman lived up to his nickname in Atlanta, scoring 22 points and grabbing 17 boards as Orlando dumped the Hawks 93-76 to go to 12-4 on the season led by a 26-11 fourth quarter run. The woes for the Chicago Bulls continue. Luol Deng had 26 points to lead the team, but their defense was downright atrocious. Utah shot 60.8% from the field and got 28 from Carlos Boozer and 21 from Deron Williams to defeat Chicago 105-86 to hand the Bulls their fourth straight loss.
Robert Frost Report
Fire- LA Lakers, Cleveland, Denver, Portland, San Antonio, Allen Iverson’s PR Department.
Ice- New Jersey, Minnesota, Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, New York.
SprungOnSports’ Friday Top 10
1) Phoenix Suns 12-3 (2)- The Suns have won two straight and are 6-0 at home and even at 37 years old, Grant Hill is averaging 12 points and a team leading 7.2 rebounds per game.
2) LA Lakers 11-3 (4)- LA has won four straight and eight of 10 which coincides with Pau Gasol’s return to the lineup. Golden State, New Jersey and New Orleans are up next.
3) Orlando Magic 12-4 (5)- A huge win over Atlanta gives the East lead to them and a home and home next week with the Knicks should keep their ranking up. Orlando’s depth is severely underrated.
4) Cleveland Cavaliers 11-4 (9)- The Cavs are heating up with their three game winning streak and may be better without Shaq in the lineup. That plan seems to be working for the top-ranked Suns this season…
5) Denver Nuggets 11-4 (7)- Denver’s 5-4 road record is a bit disturbing, but their next four are at home against beatable teams and they should start to create some distance in the Northwest. Every time he gets increased minutes, SG Aaron Afflalo is really stepping up for the Nuggets,
6) Boston Celtics 11-4 (6)- The Celts keep their ranking after division wins over New York and Philly didn’t seem very impressive. After his contract extension, the criticism of Rajon Rondo is getting louder.
7) Dallas Mavericks 11-4 (3)- With the rankings to tight, teams need to stay hot. A bad loss to Golden State was followed up the very next night by a 130 point outburst against Houston. Consistency is key for Dallas.
Eight) Atlanta Hawks 11-4 (1)- The Hawks have lost two straight and have not scored over 100 in four of their last five games. Philly, Detroit, Toronto and New York are four sub-.500 teams they play next week.
9) Portland TrailBlazers 12-5 (8)- They may have won four of five, but those wins were against Detroit, Minnesota, Chicago and New Jersey. Utah and Miami are on the schedule next week.
10) Miami Heat 9-5 (N/R)- Miami came through with one point wins over New Orleans and Orlando, and their murderous stretch continues with games against Boston, Portland and Denver next week before the Lakers.
Removed From Rankings- Milwaukee- 8-5 (10)
Week In Preview
Friday- Washington looks to get their season back on track in Miami against the Heat at 7 eastern on ESPN followed by two of the younger hot teams as Brandon Jennings and the Bucks battle Kevin Durant and the Thunder. San Antonio plays at Houston in the only other game featuring two teams over .500.
Saturday- NBATV has Charlotte at Washington in what could be a game to avoid last place in the Southeast. Other great games feature Dallas at Cleveland, Orlando at Milwaukee and Portland at Utah.
Sunday- Boston continues its Floriday foray by visiting the Heat as the NBATV feature game at 6 eastern. Toronto hosts Phoenix nationally in Canada on CBC at 3:30 eastern. Hawks-Pistons, Sixers-Spurs and Rockets-Thunder are other games of mild relevance.
Monday- The Warriors play their first national TV game without Stephen Jackson at 10:30 eastern at home against Indiana on NBATV. Chicago will be at Milwaukee in the only other important game.
Tuesday- Mike D’Antoni plays his former team, the Suns, Miami will be at Portland and the Lakers host the Hornets in the evening’s important games.
Wednesday- 10 games grace the schedule led by an 8 and 10:30 NBATV doubleheader with Philadelphia visiting Oklahoma City and the Rockets facing the Clippers. Raptors-Hawks, Suns-Cavs, Pistons-Bulls and Pacers-Kings are other good games.
Thursday- A huge TNT doubleheader is on Thursday led by the Celtics at the Spurs at 8 eastern and the Heat and Nuggets at 10:30.
