09/30/2008 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs picked up the option on manager Lou Piniella's contract for the 2010 season, general manager Jim Hendry announced Tuesday.
Piniella just completed his second season as Cubs manager and guided the team to its second consecutive NL Central title, as well as the best record in the National League at 97-64.
Chicago was swept by Arizona in its NL Division Series appearance last season, and on Wednesday the Cubs begin their NLDS series with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Piniella was hired in October 2006, when he signed a three-year deal with an option for a fourth. His 182-141 regular season record with the Cubs provides a better winning percentage (.563) than any other stint of his managerial career. The 65-year-old Piniella has a lifetime managing record of 1,701-1,561 and prior to the Cubs, was most recently the skipper for Tampa Bay from 2003-05. He also piloted the New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners, earning AL Manager of the Year awards with Seattle in 1995 and 2001 and a World Series title with Cincinnati in 1990.
<< Cashman to remain with Yankees through 2011
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees announced Tuesday that
they have reached an agreement with Brian Cashman to remain in his role as
senior vice president and general manager through the 2011 season.
Cashman's curre
<< NFC West: Rams unable to finish under Linehan
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Under head coach Scott Linehan, the St. Louis Rams had
trouble finishing out games. It then comes as no surprise that Linehan won't
get the chance to finish out his contract.
On Monday, one day after blowing a 14-6 halftim
<< Rams' new coach Haslett names Bulger starter
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis Rams quarterback Marc Bulger was
named the starter for the remainder of the season by new head coach Jim
Haslett on Tuesday.
The move comes one day after Haslett replaced Scott Linehan,
<< NFC South: Saints turn Deuce loose
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -- Age and a pair of serious knee injuries may have robbed
Deuce McAllister of some of the abilities that made him one of the NFL's
premier power running backs a few years ago, but the New Orleans Saints' all-
time leading rush
Phillies OF Burrell experiences back discomfort >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Pat
Burrell left batting practice on Tuesday after feeling discomfort in his lower
back during a swing.
Burrell hasn't been ruled out for Wednesday afternoon's opener
Texans S Brown done for season >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Texans safety C.C. Brown was placed
on injured reserve on Tuesday, and is out for the season after having surgery
to mend a fractured arm.
Brown suffered the injury in Sunday's 30-27 overtime loss
Kings acquire veteran O'Donnell from Ducks >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Kings added some much-
needed experience to a defense corps laden with youth, acquiring Sean
O'Donnell from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a 2009 conditional draft
choice
Report: Spurs' Ginobili out until December >>
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs will reportedly
have to play without guard Manu Ginobili until December, and possibly longer.
The San Antonio Express-News reported Tuesday that Spurs head coach Gregg
Popov
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The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.
New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).
The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.
Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.
Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.
The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.
Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.
The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.
Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.
However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).
The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.
Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.
In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.
Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.
Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.
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