Mulldog's Monday Madness

A lot going on in the world of sports, let's jump right to it:

-Oakland Raiders head coach Tom Cable is beating up his assistants. At first it was reported that Cable fractured defensive assistant Randy Hanson's jaw by punching him and was ripping into the defensive coordinator. An unnamed source said "It was cable who hit him. He never saw it coming." Now there is a rumor that he instead flipped the Hanson off a chair and his jaw hit a cabinet. Good riddance already Oakland. Stop the madness. Seriously, can they stop the circus act for one season? I realize it is the NFL and teammates (hi Steve Smith) sometimes fight...but the head coach is dropping his assistants? And Cable refusing to comment on it only makes him look like a little kid...admit what happened, say everyone is over it and move on...now the story will linger, it appears to everyone that there is turmoil on the staff and Cable is not adorning the media at all. With Detroit having taken a lot of the pressure off Oakland as being the worst franchise in the NFL by going 0-16, looks like Oak-town wants its spot back. Appear to be in for another long season in Raider land, sorry R-Mania.

-Denver star WR Brandon Marshall is again demanding a new contract or a trade.

-St. Louis Cardinals are apparently hot on the trail of John Smoltz. While most teams would only let him come out of the bullpen, given his struggles to get through a lineup multiple times in Boston..I would guess St. Louis is willing to let him start. Their offense is clicking on all cylinders since Matt Holliday came over to hit behind Albert Pujols and got white hot. They certainly could still use another starter and while I'm not sure what Smoltz has left, I'm sure the NL Central would be more forgiving to him than the AL East and at this point, why not? You could probably convince him to take up a bullpen role in the playoffs where I think he could be top-notch. The upside is high and the downside is limited.

-The Giants and Panthers played the wildest pre-season game I've ever seen last night. With just over 2 minutes left, Carolina drove 88 yards to tie the game 17-17. The Giants then went three and out and punted. Carolina, with 10 seconds left and the ball on their 18 yard line set up for a hail mary before future perennial pro-bowl Defensive Tackle Leger Douzable sacked the Lina fourth-string quarterback and forced a fumble that DE Tommie Hill caught out of the air and ran 18 yards into the endzone as time expired for the win. I won't bore anyone with my analysis of how everyone performed, but first-round WR Hakeem Nicks doesn't look as polished as I had thought/hoped. 6'6 Third round I-AA WR Ramses Barden actually looked more polished. 2nd round DE Clint Stintim got a sack and 2nd round OT William Beatty certainly held his own against the 2nd stringers. When the Giants are the new Ravens this year, with an absolute lock-down defense and struggle to score, don't say I didn't warn you and your fantasy football team.

-The Detroit Tigers made a quiet, shrewd pick-up acquiring Aubrey Huff from Baltimore. Huff has seen his numbers really slip this year, but he still has a live bat and could contribute to a lineup that currently employs Carl Thomas as its third hitter. He should at least hold value as a bat off the bench and spot starting vs right-handers. With a narrow 2 game lead on the White Sox and the Twins looming 6.5 back..any little addition could make the difference for Detroit.

-Thanks to all who voted, confirming that the Millman is in fact a pewch shortstop, perhaps Pewch Nation is not very shocked at the NV Blues disappointing conclusion to the season. 81% saw the Millman's form as being pewch, and insider knowledge confirms that in fact 2/3 of the votes for "not pewch" were the Millman himself. I'm sure the other unidentified family member was voting completely unbiased though.

-Lost in the mix with all the hype about the Strasburg signing is that the best hitter in the draft, second pick, Dustin Ackley, agreed to a deal with the Mariners worth just under 10 Mill at the last-minute as well. Third overall pick, Donovan Tate also signed with the Padres. And some high schooler for the Tigers got about 7 Mill. Ridiculous.

-Joe Mauer is quietly back up to .380...this after beating up Fransisco Liriano, who despite a good start vs KC two back, really looks like he's about to be shut down or put in the bullpen. Probably would be best..I wouldn't give up on him just yet, maybe next year he will re-gain form, but it is highly unlikely that he will ever be what he was a few years ago, and certainly will never live up to the potential everyone thought he had. Sad story.

-Quietly, Braves stud starting pitching prospect Tommy Hanson is starting to put things together at the major league level...