Random Ramblings

Lots of stuff to comment on that has been cloggin the Inbox,so a long edition of Random Ramblings usually cleans this up.

This is a few days old,but I must say that Doug Mientkiewicz is either the ultimate bench guy or one smart fellow in using the media to help get a roster spot,because he sure said all the right things in this interview with the Post-Gazette.
Finally,a veteran to come to Pittsburgh that gets the idea that past their prime veterans can contribute without having to be an everyday player.

The Pirates also added another member to the arson squad in Byung-Hyun Kim.
Kim signed a one year deal for 850g thats carries as much as a Million more in incentives.
Not sure what he has left,but he has always been more effective in a relief role (which Pittsburgh plans to use him in) and the cost is right.
Plus,I have always liked the entertaining throwing motion as well.

The Cleveland Browns chose not to take my advice on Jamal Lewis and signed him to a three year,17 million dollar deal.
The Browns will say that only 6 or 7 is guaranteed payout to Lewis and money out of pocket wise that is true.
But all the money counts towards the cap,if Lewis is a Brown in three years or not.
I question the length of this deal,but time will tell the tale.

In a move that I do agree with the Seahawks used their franchise player tag on Pro Bowl cornerback Marcus Trufant.
Marcus had a terrific season and appears to have plenty left in the tank.
Good shutdown corners are hard to find and kudos to the Hawks for keeping Trufant in Blue.

A great article on one of our all-time favorites from the pro wrestling and college football worlds,Steve "Dr.Death" Williams from the Denver Post.
The Doctor is still recovering from his throat cancer and has moved back to his native Colorado to take care of his ailing mother.
His 1993 match vs Kenta Kobashi (remember that name for future reference) ranks as one of my top 5 matches of all time.


After the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off their deadline deal that brought two of my favorites to Cleveland in Wally Szczerbiak and Joe Smith,I actually wanted to watch an NBA game for a change.
Although none of the new Cavaliers played in the ESPN televised game against the Wizards all 4 were in attendance.
4 quick observations on the Cavaliers and the game.
1) This deal will help Cleveland more than anyone can imagine.
Ben Wallace to do the dirty work under the boards will allow Zydrunas Ilgauskas to play the finesse game that he is most effective at,Szczerbiak gives Cleveland a much needed jump shooter,Delonte West is the young point guard that is needed to give Eric Snow less time and Joe Smith should be able to replace Drew Gooden's numbers.
2)I like and will miss Drew Gooden. The rest of the traded players can go with good riddance.
And includes you Larry Hughes!
3)Nice to see ESPN find something for the classy and professional Heather Cox to do.
Cox lends a needed sense of professionalism to the "sideline" position and deserves more time than the current ESPN favorite Erin Andrews.
4)The Wizards uniforms are horrid.
Take a hint from your sister team ,the Capitals, and go back to the old unis.

Apparently there is another Heather Cox that participated in the American Idol garbage.
This is NOT the ESPN employee.
I don't watch this stuff,so I was not aware of this person until my search for a link to the ESPN reporter.
Just an FYI note.

Devils later today vs the Islanders.

Back later with Devils and a whole bunch of Bullpen Notes on various things from the non-sports world.