- Is Vince Young's NFL career over?
- Is Dez Bryant worth it?
- MLB and PEDs
- College Football Preview
- Madden 13
RF Sports Radio: Madden 13, Dez Bryant, Vince Young, College Football, Kareem Statue
Is Vince Young's NFL Career Over?
No doubt Young has the physical talent to get back to his pro bowl form, but it seems that his work ethic remains uncertain. The thought of being cut for Tavaris Jackson seems ridiculous on paper. Why would you not want Young? It is time for VY to get football back in focus. Over the last 3 years Young has made headlines for his "dream team" comment, his nightclub brawl in Dallas, and now for being cut once again. It is time to change the tune in the jukebox.
I expect Vince to get another shot. He is too talented of a player not to. Let's hope he realizes it.
Vince Young Career Stats
Fantasy Football Picks and Sleepers
by Ryan Henry
Fantasy football season is here. I’m
here to give you a leg up on your competition. Last year was the year of the quarterbacks.
Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Tom Brady all put up insane, record-breaking
numbers, and if you were fortunate to have one of these three players on your
teams, you probably were competing for a championship. This year is going to be
more of the same. For these recommendations, I am assuming standard scoring
with 4 points per passing touchdown.
The reason why quarterbacks were so
dominant was because of a term called comparative advantage. Essentially, if
you were able to draft any one of those three quarterbacks (Rodgers, Brees or
Brady) or even to a lesser extent Cam Newton or Matthew Stafford, then you were
at least 60 points better than everyone else. This year, if you aren’t able to
get one of those 5, then you might as well wait. There is a lot of value later
in the draft. If you draft later in the first round, after Rodgers, Brady and
Brees are off the board, then wait until some of the middle rounds when you can
get Eli Manning (ADP 49.7 in Yahoo! Leagues) or Tony Romo (ADP 60).
 |
| Rodgers number 3 overall or Romo in the second round? Courtesy nfl.com |
Arian Foster is the clear number
one pick. While he does have some injury concerns, he is the focal point of an
extraordinary offense, and has shown that he known how to tear apart defenses.
He deserves a tier of his own. Running back is another position where you can
get good value a little later, but be careful about waiting too long. After
Darren McFadden (ADP 16.2), Jamaal Charles (ADP 31.7) and DeMarco Murray (ADP 27.1)
go off the board, the remaining backs have some huge question marks surrounding
them. Can Adrian Peterson (17.8) come back from an ACL tear? How many games
will Ryan Matthews (ADP 6.8, but this number is artificially low because a lot
of drafts took place before he broke his shoulder) play this season? Can
Marshawn Lynch (ADP 23.9) avoid drinking and driving? Questions like these
plague the running backs that have been going in the middle of the draft.
 |
| Can McFadden stay healthy? Courtesy nfl.com |
Trent Richardson (ADP 14.7) is the
big question mark at running back. He has a lot of potential. He was a beast at
Alabama, and will be the featured back in the burgeoning Cleveland offense.
However, he has already had two knee surgeries and he hasn’t played a single
down. If he slips into the third round
or late into the second, then grab him; otherwise, I prefer a little less risk
than that with my first round draft pick.
 |
| Trent Richardson hopes to be a major factor in the Cleveland offense. Courtesy nfl.com |
If you want good value, especially
if you are in a PPR league, then look no further than Darren Sproles (ADP 53.5).
He is benefits the most from switching to this scoring method. ESPN has him as
the 21st best player in PPR formats, while 42nd in
standard scoring.
The real position to watch, though,
is tight end. Contrary to every other year, if you have a later pick in the
first round, then you should take a good long look at Rob Gronkowski (ADP 16.7)
or Jimmy Graham (ADP 16.2). These two tight ends put up wide receiver-esque
numbers and can put you 5-10 points ahead of your opponent every week. However,
waiting can also give you some good returns. Jared Cook (ADP 132), Coby Fleemer
(ADP 130.8) and Jacob Tamme (ADP 110.6) are all players that should be
available later that could have breakout seasons. Cook has great hands and in
the preseason has looked impressive. Fleemer is reunited with his quarterback
from college, Andrew Luck (ADP 117.6), and hopes to continue to keep the mojo
going where they were one of the most prolific duo in college football. Tamme
benefits from having Peyton Manning (ADP 51) at the helm, who favored his tight
end in Indianapolis, Dallas Clark (ADP 133.6).
 |
| Gronkowski is a touchdown machine. Courtesy nfl.com |
Titus Young (ADP 120.7), Antonio
Brown (ADP 62.2), Cedric Benson (ADP 116) and Kevin Smith (ADP 117.7) are my
sleepers for this season. Young will
benefit from Matthew Stafford (ADP 17.4) having completed an entire season last
year and Calvin Johnson (ADP 5.8) needs to be double teamed every time he is on
the field. Young showed growth last year, and I expect him to have a breakout
season. Benson is the number one running back in the number one offense. That
fact alone should be enough of a reason to give him a long look. The only
problem is that we don’t know how many touches he will get. Brown had a good
end of season last and was a monster in PPR leagues. Much like Young, Brown
should build upon last season. Mike Wallace (ADP 32) was embroiled in a
contract holdout throughout much of training camp, and Brown looks to benefit
the most from that.
 |
| Brown looks to have another successful season. Courtesy nfl.com |
While Demaryius Thomas (ADP 41) is
the official number one wide receiver in Denver, Eric Decker (ADP 70.2) looks
like he has the better rapport with Peyton Manning coming out of training camp.
Manning liked to spread the ball around in Indianapolis, and you can expect he
will do the same in Denver.
Baseball and PEDs: Further Down the Rabbit Hole
by Ryan Henry
After Melky Cabrera, San Francisco didn’t
just lose their best hitter and the only person who could cover for Buster
Posey in their lineup. They also lost a legitimate MVP candidate. Baseball also
came face-to-face with performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) yet again. Not even
two weeks later, Oakland A’s ace Bartolo Colon tested positive for PEDs. Their punishment?
Each was suspended for 50 games. This seems almost too fitting as Barry Bonds,
Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Roger Clemens all become eligible for the Hall of
Fame. Eventually, baseball is going to have to admit that PEDs are a problem
and that putting a stop to their use is more important than losing one of their
stars.
 |
| Cabrera before his suspension. Courtesy of mlb.com |
First of all, 50 games for a first
offense is simply not enough of a penalty to actually cut down on PED use. During
a radio interview with ESPN Radio New York, Victor Conte, the founder of
BALCO, said that “as much as 50 percent” of MLB players currently use PEDs. While
the actual numbers are probably lower, that does not mean that PEDs are not an
epidemic that is plaguing baseball. These players are essentially committing fraud
against the paying public. Both Cabrera and Colon are important pieces on
contending teams. That does not even count Ryan Braun who was almost suspended
during the off season, but escaped penalty due to a technicality. Braun is the
reigning NL MVP and it was the first time that a suspension for PED use had
been overturned.
 |
| Braun narrowly avoided his own suspension. Courtesy of mlb.com |
Baseball’s drug testing policy is
flawed. It doesn't catch enough people, and even when it works, the punishment isn't severe enough. Some of the proposed solutions range from making a first offense
a year-long suspension to holding a player’s salary in escrow until a player
passes drug tests to a team forfeiting wins for artificially winning games as a
result of PEDs. After all, Cabrera’s .346 batting average or Colon’s 3.43 ERA
are largely owed to their use steroids.
 |
| Colon was suspended 50 games for testing positive for testosterone. Courtesy mlb.com |
So in light of the revelation that
steroid use is still rampant throughout baseball that means that the steroid era
is far from over, despite what MLB wants us to believe. With the first of the
so-called steroid era becoming Hall of Fame eligible, what should baseball do?
Let them in. Steroid detection began in 2006 when MLB adopted the Joint Drug
Prevention and Treatment Program. Since then there have been only 37 players suspended
by this policy, and of those 37 only one (other than the 2 this year) have been
notable plays: Manny Ramirez, twice. Those 37 players were suspended for a
variety of reasons ranging from failure to comply with treatment programs to steroid
use. The most troubling of these suspensions is that of Ramirez. He was suspended
twice, once in 2009 and he served a 100 game suspension in 2011. The allure of
steroids was so captivating that not even a 100 game suspension would dissuade
him.
 |
| Ramirez was suspended for 100 games while with the Dodgers. Courtesy mlb.com |
Since baseball cannot develop tests
fast enough to test accurately for steroids and is either unwilling or unable
to punish players sufficiently to get them to stop using then, it is time for
baseball to begin to accept it. I don’t think that the MLB should stop trying
to catch people who defraud baseball by using steroids, but they also shouldn't deny Bonds and company their deserved trip to Cooperstown simply because they
did what everyone else was doing at the time. Baseball also cannot be certain how
deep the proverbial rabbit hole goes. Where do the voters draw the line? They only
admit people that are perfectly clean, i.e. have never been suspected of PED
use? What about people that have been suspected but later cleared? What about
pitchers who pitched in a World Series while wearing a bloody sock that has
already fended off perjury allegations in front of a grand jury? These are all
impossible questions. There is no correct arbitrary line. Don’t vote a player
in if he was convicted of steroid use. That is a pretty clear line in the sand,
but denying deserving players based on hearsay and suspicion isn’t right. After
all, they are innocent until proven guilty.
Join our 2012-13 Fantasy Football League: Draft is Sept. 1st
CLICK HERE TO JOIN
Podcast: NFL Preseason, Augusta National, Mark Cuban, Fantasy Football
10:30pm CST: Don't miss our show tonight! All sports talk from a fan's perspective! Join the debate.CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Charles Hatley loses to Lanardo Tyner for WBC belt; Tyner promised knockout and delivered
In shocking fashion, Dallas hometown favorite Charles Hatley, suffers his first boxing defeat by first round knockout. Tyner followed up on his promise to knock him out made at Friday's weigh-in at the Fairmount Hotel downtown. Hatley via twitter has confirmed a rematch set for October.
Asylum Football Podcast 56- The Pickens Are Slim
Podcast 56- The Pickens Are Slim
It's a Saturday Night Special as The Asylum broadcasts live
from The Fantasy Football Fest in Atlantic City. Tonight, we break down the
Executive Experts League that includes such dignitaries as Fantasy Taz, Allie
Fontana, the Roto Experts, Dennis Farrell, Corey Parson, and your boys at the
Asylum. Listen to see how you should plan your draft and develop the plan you
need to dominate.
Playing in the Red: The New NBA
The new agreement was supposed to level the playing field by requiring a much higher luxury tax for teams over the salary cap. What has happened is the plane between contender and non-contender has grown exponentially. At the start of the 2012-13 season, the number of teams with a legitimate chance of winning it all is few and far between. Struggling franchises are finding it hard to attract top free agents and additional revenue streams to compensate for increasing their payroll. The original thought that low salary cap teams will be the go-to destination if a superstar wants to make big money was totally wrong. Lebron is not going back to Cleveland, Dwight is not going to Charlotte, and Chris Paul is not requesting a trade to Milwaukee. The NBAPA forgot that teams have low salaries for a reason; the owners don't want to spend the money.
The league on the other hand is different situation. David Stern and company have decided to help the big market teams get bigger. Recently, the league office allowed teams to place advertisements on game jerseys. An ad on a Knicks or Lakers jersey will be quadruple the price of an ad on a Timberwolves jersey. The Knicks and Lakers also have local TV deals that help balance financial spreadsheets. They also have merchandise sales blow smaller market teams out of the water. The bigger the market, the bigger luxury tax you can afford to pay.
To Mark Cuban's credit he knew this was going to happen before the new agreement was signed. There are reports that he wanted to have a hard cap, meaning that a team can't go over the cap and pay a luxury tax. Imagine the parity of the NBA if that was true. Instead of 5 teams with a chance to win, there would be 20. Cuban has made a good decision to let the dust settle. For the first time his franchise will operate under the cap which gives him great flexibility to do anything. His new challenge is to play the cap game and win another title using the flexibility to his advantage. He already has proven the other way works.
Special Guest: Charles Hatley talks about his WBC title fight, Melky Cabrera, Sanchez vs Tebow, Cowboys injuries
10:30pm CST: Don't miss our special guest tonight pro boxer Charles Hatley! Plus your calls and comments!CLICK HERE TO LISTEN or CALL 323-927-2906
MAVERICKS ANNOUNCE 2012 PRESEASON SCHEDULE
DALLAS – The Dallas Mavericks announced their 2012 preseason schedule today, which includes an exhibition game to be played in Berlin and another to be held in Barcelona.
The Mavericks will tip-off their 2012 preseason by traveling to Dirk Nowitzki’s home country of Germany for a matchup with eight-time German Champions Alba Berlin on Saturday, Oct. 6. The game will be played at the O2 World in Berlin, Germany. The Mavericks will then travel to Barcelona, Spain for a meeting with 17-time Spanish Champions FC Barcelona Regal of the Euroleague on Oct. 9 at the Palau Sant Jordi. The pair of preseason games played internationally will be a part of NBA Europe Live 2012 and will be telecast on NBATV.
Following their two preseason contests played in Europe, the Mavericks will return to Dallas for consecutive home games against Houston on Oct. 15 and Phoenix on Oct. 17. Dallas will then play at Atlanta on Oct. 20 and against New Orleans on Oct. 22. The Mavericks will meet the defending Western Conference Champion Oklahoma City Thunder for a game at INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, Kan. on Oct. 24, before concluding their eight-game exhibition season with a matchup with Charlotte at American Airlines Center on Oct. 26.
All of the preseason games played in the United States can be heard on ESPN 103.3 FM and in Spanish on KFLC (1270 AM). Local television coverage will be announced at a later date.
Tickets for Mavericks preseason home games scheduled for the American Airlines Center will go on sale Monday, Sept. 17. For more information, call 214-747-MAVS or visit mavs.com.
Following preseason play, Dallas tips off the 2012-13 regular season at the L.A. Lakers on Tuesday, Oct. 30. The season opener can be seen live on TNT at 9:30 p.m. CT.
2012 Dallas Mavericks Preseason Schedule (All Times Central)
| Date | Time | Opponent | Location | Venue |
| Oct. 6 | 1:00 p.m. | @ Alba Berlin | Berlin, Germany | O2 World |
| Oct. 9 | 2:00 p.m. | @ FC Barcelona | Barcelona, Spain | Palau Sant Jordi |
| Oct. 15 | 7:30 p.m. | Houston | Dallas | American Airlines Center |
| Oct. 17 | 7:30 p.m. | Phoenix | Dallas | American Airlines Center |
| Oct. 20 | 6:00 p.m. | @ Atlanta | Atlanta | Philips Arena |
| Oct. 22 | 7:30 p.m. | New Orleans | Dallas | American Airlines Center |
| Oct. 24 | 7:00 p.m. | @ Oklahoma City | Wichita, Kansas | INTRUST Bank Arena |
| Oct. 26 | 7:30 p.m. | Charlotte | Dallas | American Airlines Center |
© 2012 Dallas Mavericks
Giants losing Melky Cabrera is apt five years after Barry Bonds ended his PEDs-fueled reign by Steve Henson of Yahoo! Sports
CLICK HERE FOR FULL READ
Video: Philadelphia 76ers introduce Andrew Bynum
Andrew Bynum gets formally introduced to 76er media and fans today. Show: Dwight Howard, Chad Johnson, Team USA, 2012 Olympics Wrap-up, NFL Preseason, Dallas Cowboys
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
- The Dwight Howard trade
- Chad Johnson
- NFL Preseason talk
- Dallas Cowboys
- Olympic Wrap-up
- Team USA
Plus your calls and comments!
Podcast 55- A Sirius Discussion
Podcast 55- A Sirius Discussion
It's time for the Tuesday Night Blitz. Tonight, The Asylum is joined by Corey Parson, producer of RotoExperts in the Morning on Sirius/XM Radio. Corey answers 10 burning listener questions about AP, Jamaal Charles, The Holy Trinty and many more. Also, we introduce the All Star lineup of the all new Blitz on Blog Talk Radio. Check out Blitz to dominate your league.
It's time for the Tuesday Night Blitz. Tonight, The Asylum is joined by Corey Parson, producer of RotoExperts in the Morning on Sirius/XM Radio. Corey answers 10 burning listener questions about AP, Jamaal Charles, The Holy Trinty and many more. Also, we introduce the All Star lineup of the all new Blitz on Blog Talk Radio. Check out Blitz to dominate your league.
Five Things to Watch: Dallas Cowboys vs Oakland Raiders
1. Tony Romo - will he start the preseason with the same urgency has Jerry Jones has stated he has to win now.
2. Rob Ryan's Defense - in his second year with new players, will we finally see why he is a good defensive coordinator.
3. Offensive Line - can Romo be protected.
4. Wide Receivers - with no Bryant and Austin, who will make a strong case to be the 3rd option.
5. Running Game - is Murray really the answer.
Dolphin's break ties with Chad Johnson
The Miami Dolphins release wide receiver Chad Johnson after he posted bail after spending the night in jail for domestic violence against his wife. Police were called to the couples house after Chad head butted his wife during a discussion over her finding a receipt for condoms.No comments were made by either Chad or his wife.The Mind of Mattman: Dwight Howard Becomes A Laker: Mitch Kupchak Drea...
The Mind of Mattman: Dwight Howard Becomes A Laker: Mitch Kupchak Drea...: It took me a full 24 hours to fully digest and comprehend the impact of Dwight Howard's departure out of Orlando (partially because I was w...
"In the Net W/ Mattman" 08/11/12
The second edition of "In the Net W/ Mattman," a completely unfiltered, unedited, and unscripted NBA talk show hosted by yours truly!
You're silly if you don't listen:
You're silly if you don't listen:
Listen to internet radio with The OpinioNation Network on Blog Talk Radio
AL and NL MVP Races Heat Up
By Ryan Henry
It’s getting close to the end of the season, which means
that it is time to look at those in the running for MVP honors. In both the AL
and NL there are two that distill to the top and a few that are fighting to
stay in the conversation. First, let’s
take a look at the AL race.
American League
1.
The first person you have to talk about when
considering the AL MVP is the Angels’ Mike Trout. He currently leads the league
in four statistical categories: batting average at .346, stolen bases (33),
runs (86) and OPS+ (182). On top of that, he is sitting at an absurd 6.7
wins-above-replacement (WAR) according
to Fangraphs.com. He is playing for a contender, and could very well be the
third player to win both rookie of the year honors to go alongside his MVP
trophy, which would also go nicely alongside his likely Gold Glove.
 |
| photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Angels |
2.
Next up is Robinson Cano. He was a finalist for
this award last year, and would have won it had Josh Hamilton not had the
monster year he did. Unfortunately for Cano, it looks like he will fall victim
a second time to somebody having a career year, and the distinct anti-Yankee
culture that pervades MVP voters. Cano is sitting at 5.1 WAR, currently second
behind the aforementioned Mike Trout. Additionally he is hitting .313 (tops among
second basemen), 24 home runs (also tops among second basemen) and 64 RBIs
(second among second basemen). Cano also has the advantage that his team will
probably be playing in the postseason, while it remains to be determined if the
Halos will even be there.
3.
If Trout doesn’t make the playoffs and the
voters really hate the Yankees as much as it seems, then Miguel Cabrera could
find himself hoisting MVP honors. He has been on an absolute tear this year
batting .325 with 27 HRs and 91 RBIs. He currently site second in the AL in
batting average, first in RBIs and third in slugging percentage. He is also third
in AL in WAR at 4.8. Despite all this, voters may be turned off by the fact
that he may not even be the MVP of his own team, as Austin Jackson is having a
similarly ridiculous statistical season.
National League
 |
| photo courtesy of the Detroit Tigers |
National League
1.
Ryan Braun is an absolute beast. He leads the NL
in HRs with 29 and is tied for third in RBIs with 74. He is putting these
numbers up while playing for a Brewers team that has very little going for
them. However, the reigning NL MVP was the subject of some controversy
regarding performance enhancing drugs in the offseason. These allegations
coupled with the fact that Braun isn’t on a contending team (the Brewers are 8
games under .500) could be the perfect storm to ensure that he doesn’t repeat.
2.
The biggest threat to Braun (other than the PED
allegations) is Andrew McCutchen. He is hitting an out of this world .373 for
the season, a full 25 percentage points ahead of rookie phenom Trout. McCutchen
gets on base 43.1% of the time, trailing only the injured Joey Votto in that
category and leads the majors in slugging percentage at .628. To top it all
off, he leads the NL in WAR at 6.1. He has made the Pirates a contender. The
only reason I rank Braun above McCutchen is because he has had some help in the
form of Garrett Jones, Neil Walker, Pedro Alvarez and the recently acquired
Travis Snider. This looks like the year that the Pirates end their playoff
drought, and McCutchen should benefit from it.
 |
| photo courtesy of the Pittsburgh Pirates |
3.
Melky Cabrera hits singles. He hits a lot of
singles. He is hitting .348 but only has 10 HRs. His OPS is a ridiculous .998,
while his wOBA (weighted on-base average) sites 8th in the National
League at .396. He is an offensive equivalent of a Rolex watch. You can count
on him getting to first base two to three times a game. The problem is that he
may not even be the best offensive player on his team. If McCutchen gets points
taken off because he has help, then Cabrera is in trouble. Buster Posey is also
having a career year, and is one of the reasons that opponents can’t pitch
around Cabrera. And, while Cabrera is doing exceptionally well getting on-base,
he doesn’t do as good of a job as either of the other two in this list.
If the voting ended tomorrow, I would give it to Trout and
McCutchen. Trout is having a one-of-a-kind type season and the allegations of
Ryan Braun are too severe to justify giving him an MVP, especially since
baseball likes to shy away from controversy. Any of these six candidates are
deserving of the award, and the last quarter of this baseball season promises
to be an exciting one either way.
Usain Bolt, Barry Bonds, NFL Training Camp, T.O. a Seahawk, Olympic boxing
10:30pm CST: Join us for more sports talk from a Fan's perspective! Joining us tonight Ryan Henry, our newest member of the team.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVE
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVE
Podcast 53- Quality Time Spent
The Asylum is back with a special Tuesday matinee. Tonight, we reveal our booms and busts, talk TO, and answer your tweets. Plus, we shout out to our 700th Twitter follower, @GridironExperts. Finally, we announce the winners of the free roll spots in @zbullsmoke's 20 team Toilet Bowl League. Don't miss it!
Barry Bonds on Hall of Fame, "If you want to keep me out, that's your business."
Barry Bonds feels that he should be in the Hall of Fame. After all, he is the home run leader which is the record of all sports records. What do you think?CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLE
"In the Net With Mattman" NBA Podcast 08/04/12
Hosted by the Mattman (@mindofmattman), who writes, edits, and produces his own content on www.mindofmattman.com, "In the Net With Mattman" is a weekly sports show that is powered by an incurable basketball fever, and is dedicated to everything basketball including the NBA, Euroleague, the Olympics, and NCAAB.
Make sure to take a peek at Matt's website, and take a listen below.
Enjoy:
Make sure to take a peek at Matt's website, and take a listen below.
Enjoy:
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