Water Cooler – August 13th, 2010
Here we go with today’s sports water cooler talk. Here, you won’t just find the straight news; you’ll find the stuff everyone is talking about – the ice breakers, the Twitter Sports Picks and topics…well, basically all the stuff you discuss at the water cooler.
Enjoy!
We enter the weekend asking ourselves: will we ever see Chipper Jones play baseball again? More on that in today’s news. 
MLB news: Chipper Jones tears ACL; Cueto suspended seven games
It’s been a great career for switch hitter Chipper Jones but it may be over. Jones had already hinted at retirement multiple times this year. Now, he’s out for the season after tearing his ACL.
He suffered the injury trying to field a ground ball and the Braves said Thursday that his minimum recovery time would be sixth months.
Tom Hanks said it famously in A League of Their Own: “There’s no crying in baseball.” Apparently there’s no kicking in baseball either. Johnny Cueto has been suspended seven games by Major League Baseball for his role in “Basebrawl” – the melee between his Reds and the Cardinals – earlier this week.
Cueto went crazy when pinned against the fence behind home plate, kicking players with reckless abandon.
NFL news: JaMarcus Russell admits drug use; Brandon Marshall to NBA?
It doesn’t explain away JaMarcus Russell’s brutal play over the last few seasons but it certainly makes sense. The megabust quarterback and now-ex NFLer has admitted to using codeine.
He failed a drug test in 2007 when he tested positive for codeine he was taking on a doctor’s prescription.
He claims he later used it without a prescription. He said he stopped using codeine three years ago but was arrested for possessing the drug in July. Police found traces of the drug in a drink in Russell’s bedroom.
If we see an NFL lockout in 2011, we may still see plenty of Brandon Marshall. The star Dolphins receiver says he plans to play in the NBA in the event of an NFL work stoppage.
Marshall, who does have a 37-inch vertical jump, said the Denver Nuggets would be his first choice.
His second would (of course) be the Miami Heat. Imagine the circus if Marshall joined forces with LeBron, D-Wade and Bosh? Marshall believes he’s good enough to play in the NBA. He “played in high school” and “frequently attends NBA games.”
NHL news: Devils working to restructure Kovalchuk’s contract; Kaberle deadline
Before rumor mongers go crazy predicting that some other team will snake Ilya Kovalchuk from the Devils, know that Lou Lamoriello isn’t about to let Kovie slip through his fingers easily.
The Devils are working hard to restructure Kovalchuk’s contract so that it no longer violates the league salary cap. They’ve been negotiating with his camp all week and will have to strike a deal with a much bigger cap hit than the $6 million they’d secured on the original deal.
Mercifully, the summer of endless Tomas Kaberle rumors is almost over.
This Sunday, the window for Brian Burke to deal him closes and his no-trade clause reactivates.
You never know whether or not to take what Burke says at face value but for now he says he doesn’t quite have an acceptable offer for Kaberle.
The Leafs are seeking a top-six forward or a prospect and a high draft pick in exchange for their puck-moving rearguard.
SPORTSBOOK.COM PROMOS – JOIN and GET up to $100 FREE – 10% New Member Bonus on your first deposit. $20 Mobile Free Play – Stay on the go and in the dough with Sportsbook.com Mobile. Bet now! Join Now
