Water Cooler – August 2nd, 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!
With the MLB trade deadline passing over the weekend, there’s plenty of news to sort through today. Let’s get to it!
MLB news: Berkman, Wood to Yankees, Jackson to White Sox, Ludwick to Padres; 
several new faces to Dodgers
There were lots of deals made in the 11th hour on the weekend but we’ll stick with the most significant for now.
You didn’t think the Yankees would stay dormant forever, did ya? They landed a big fish on Friday in Lance Berkman. The Houston Astros sent their longtime slugger and five-time All-Star to the Bronx along with $4 million in exchange for reliever Mark Melancon and minor-league infielder Jimmy Paredes.
Then, the Yankees obtained a pair of players from the Cleveland Indians. Austin Kearns (acquired for a player to be named or cash) will help fill out their bench; Kerry Wood (for a player to be named later) will probably act as a bridge to Mariano Rivera in the eighth inning or at least land some short relief duty.
Meanwhile, The White Sox added one of 2010’s no-hit hurlers in Edwin Jackson and shipped pitchers Dan Hudson and David Holmberg to Arizona in return. The St. Louis Cardinals sent Ryan Ludwick to the offense-starved San Diego Padres and picked up a package that included Jake Westbrook to boost their rotation.
The Los Angeles Dodgers were the weekend’s busiest team. They picked up Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot from the Chicago Cubs for Brett Wallach and Kyle Smit. Then, they added Octavio Dotel for their bullpen for James McDonald and Andrew Lambo.
NBA news: Lorenzen Wright’s ex-wife taken into custody in murder investigation
Ex-NBA player Lorenzen Wright’s murder investigation is going deeper and becoming more complicated by the day.
Last week, Wright’s ex-wife, Sherra, revealed that she was threatened at her home by three armed men who were looking for her husband roughly six weeks ago. Wright was last seen at his ex-wife’s house in July 18; Sherra claimed she was the last person to see him. Police have taken her into custody and are examining a large bonfire started at her house the night of the disappearance. The neighbours claimed it was unusual since it came on the hottest night of the year.
NFL news: Revis holding out after all
I suppose Darrelle Revis’ situation is the reverse of Michael’s in Godfather III: Just when we thought he was in, he pulls himself back out.
Revis has had another change of heart. He’s decided to hold out for a better contract after all and hasn’t reported to training camp. Revis, widely considered the NFL’s top shutdown cornerback, was slated to make $1 million this year; he wouldn’t even be close to the highest-paid defensive back on his own team.
No word on how long he plans to hold out but it could be for a while.
PGA news: Stuart Appleby shoots 59 to win Greenbrier Classic
Yours truly steered bettors wrong last week by picking Nick Watney to win the Greenbrier Classic; he pulled out with an injury the next day. The better pick was apparently Stuart Appleby.
The fair-haired Aussie Appleby roared to victory with a PGA record-tying 59 on Sunday. The round included an eagle and nine birdies. Tough pill to swallow for Jeff Overton, whose 67 “wasn’t enough” to retain the lead.
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