NFL QB Shake-up

The Cleveland Browns today announced that 2007 first round pick Brady Quinn will be the starting quarterback for the Browns week 10 match-up against the Denver Broncos. Quinn will replace two year starter Derek Anderson, who threw a costly interception late in Cleveland's week 9 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Elsewhere in the NFL, the Chicago Bears announced that starting quarterback Kyle Orton will be out 2-4 weeks due to a high ankle sprain. Rex Grossman, who led the Bears to a Superbowl appearance in 2007, will get a chance to regain the starting job this week against the undefeated Tennessee Titans.

In a minor move today the Detroit Lions signed previously retired QB Daunte Culpepper to a two year contract. The Lions lost previous starters Jon Kitna and Dan Orlovsky due to injury. Culpepper will battle Drew Stanton in practice this week for the starting job for game 10.

NBA Blockbuster!

A huge trade went down in the NBA today as the Detroit Pistons acquired former MVP guard Alan Iverson from the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess, and Cheikh Samb.

Iverson, who is in the final year of his contract, set to make $20.8 million this season, could make his debut with the Pistons on Wednesday night in Toronto. The nine time all star will add a nice scoring weapon to a team who has been known more for their defense in years past than offense.

Billups, a three time all star in his own right, will add a new dynamic to the Nuggets offense. While both Iverson and star Carmelo Anthony are great scorers, Billups ability to spread the ball around as well as score makes Denver a strong playoff contender.

This move certainly shakes things up in both conferences. It will be interesting to see how these two stars adapt to their new environments. Both will have opportunities to add a lift to each each.

Lakers Extend Bynum

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that the Los Angeles Lakers has signed center Andrew Bynum to a four year contract extension worth $58 million. The move would keep Bynum in a Laker uniform through the 2012-13 season.

This is a great move for the Lakers as good young bigmen are hard to come by. Bynum missed much of the second half of last season due to injury. With the inside force of Bynum paired up with all world talent Kobe Bryant, the Lakers will be a force in the Western Conference for a long time to come.

MLB Hot Stove Heating Up

Its been less than 24 hours since the Philadelphia Phillies claimed the 2008 World Series Title but already the MLB hot stove is heating up.

The Milwaukee Brewers today announced that former Oakland A's manager Ken Macha will be taking over for interim manager Dale Sveum as their next manager. Macha, who led the A's to two AL West titles was one of three candidates considered for the job; the other two being former Mets manager Willie Randolph and former Dbacks manager Bob Brenly.

Also today the first trade of the offseason was completed between the Kansas City Royals and Florida Marlins. Florida will send slugging first basemen Mike Jacobs to the Royals in exchange for right handed relief pitcher Leo Nunez. The financially strapped Marlins were shopping Jacobs because he was due a big raise this off season in arbitration. Jacobs hit 32 home runs and knocked in 93 runs last season, both career bests. Nunez was 4-1 last year with a 2.98 ERA in 45 relief appearances.

Be sure to check WAY Back Sports for the latest happenings and hot stove news all winter!

Phillies are 2008 World Series Champs

The Philadelphia Phillies claimed the 2008 World Series title on Wednesday night, defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 in game five of the best of seven series. The win marks the first time in twenty-five years the city of Philadelphia will get to celebrate a Championship.

Game 5 was about as bizzar a game as you would see. Originally scheduled to take place on Monday, they were only able to get 5 1/2 innings in before having to suspend play due to heavy rain with the score tied 2-2. Field conditions prohibited the two teams from playing the final three innings on Tuesday. Finally on Wednesday mother nature cooperated, allowing for the game to be completed.

A Jason Werth RBI single in the bottom of the sixth, the first inning on play Wednesday, gave the Phillies a 3-2 lead. Rocco Baldelli answered in the seventh for the Rays evening the score at 3-3, but that would not last as in the bottom of the same inning a Pat Burrell double followed by a Pedro Feliz single gave the Phillies the final run they would need.

Phillies' closer Brad Lidge picked up the final two outs of the game, including a strikeout of Eric Hinske to end it. Lidge finished the year a perfect 48 for 48 in save situations, unheard of for closers in today's game.

Following the game Phillies' pitcher Cole Hamels was named World Series MVP. He started games 1 and 5 of the series, both games that Philly went on to win. He finished the playoffs 4-0 with a 1.88ERA in five starts. Not too shabby for a guy who is only 24 years old and just getting into the prime of his career.

"I think when we come back, when we’re all old and retired and we come back and they still stand up and give us a standing ovation, just like they did to all the guys of the 1980 World Series," Hamels said. "We’ve got to witness that, and knowing that and seeing the city and the excitement throughout the first game of the season this year, throughout the multiple sellouts and of course the playoff excitement was just really huge. I really think the fans stepped up. They could taste it just as much as we could. And they added to our confidence to go out there and win."

Congratulationsto the Philadelphia Phillies: 2008 World Series Champions.

WAY Back Sports Presents: Your 2008-2009 NBA Preview

This is the beauty of sports. Just when one league is ending its season, another one is just to begin. As we wave good-bye to baseball for the winter, basketball is getting ready to tip off. The Boston Celtics look to defend their 17th championship and the Lakers will try to preserve their Western Conference title. Who has a chance to reach the promise land? Here is the breakdown: The WAY Back Sports NBA Preview.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

1) Boston Celtics. James Poesy may be gone, but does it really matter if the Big Three are still there? Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins both have another year under them, making the C's the team to beat in the east.

2) Detroit Pistons. Yes, they are getting older, but the talent level is still high with Chauncy Billups and Rip Hamilton. Youngsters Jason Maxielle and Rodney Stuckey both grew up a lot in the playoffs too.

3) Philadelphia 76ers. There is reason for Philly fans to get excited over the basketball team again. This is the best they've been since the departure of A.I., bringing in Elton Brand in the off-season. Andre Miller is an underrated PG, and the other A.I., Andre Iguodala is a threat.

4) Orlando Magic. As long as Dwight Howard keeps playing like Superman (and he will), the Magic will be in the mix. Rashard Lewis needs to be more consistent, and Jameer Nelson will need to prove that he can run the point.

5) Cleavland Cavilers. Two Words....LeBron James.

6) Atlanta Hawks. They almost shocked the Celtics. Almost. Though Josh Childress is gone, Josh Smith is an awesome scorer and Joe Johnson provides leadership along side Mike Bibby.

7) Toronto Raptors. The Raptors are revamped after bringing in Jermaine O'Neal this offseason. Jose Calderon will surprise people with his play, and an O'Neal-Chris Bosh frontcourt is scary.

8) Miami Heat. Dwayne Wade+Shawn Marion+Michale Beasley=a solid three-headed monster on South Beach

The Rest

9) Chicago Bulls. Home-town hero Derek Rose will revive basketball in Chicago.

10) Washington Wizards. They could jump up to top 8, depending on when Gilbert Arenas gets back.

11) Milwaukee Bucks. There's talent, but all on offense.

12) Charlotte Bobcats. How much longer will the excuse of "they're young" last? Lets see what Larry Brown can do with them.

13) Indiana Pacers. What did Larry Bird do to this team?

14) New York Knicks. Mike D'Antoni has his work cut out for him cleaning up after Isaiah.

15) New Jersey Nets. How long 'till LeBron comes? They cleared out the cap space for him.


WESTERN CONFERENCE

1) Los Angeles Lakers. Andrew Bynum is healthy again, so it will be fun to see what he can do with Pau. Oh yeah, they have Kobe too.

2) New Orleans Hornets. Chris Paul might be the best PG in the league. Add Posey in off the bench, combined with a very hungry team and you've got yourself a contender.

3) Houston Rockets. Ah, the double edge sword of Ron Artest. If he keeps his cool on the court, he, Tracy McGrady, and Yao will be blasting off.

4) Utah Jazz. Know why Chris Paul MIGHT be the best PG in the league? Deron Williams of the Jazz. Carlos Boozer will bang down low and Andrei Kirilenko will be an inside/outside threat.

5) San Antonio Spurs. The old stand byes are still here, and with Tony Parker and Tim Duncan healthy, they will be. They will need to wait a while to get Manu back after surgery in the offseason.

6) Phoenix Suns. Steve Nash is still Steve Nash, and Shaq is there to teach Amare' Stoudemire how to play in the post. The question will be if they can still run and gun.

7) Dallas Mavericks. Will this just be a team that looks good on paper, or will they produce on the court? But it's hard to count out a team with Dirk and Jason Kidd.

8) Portland Trail Blazers. A LeMarcus Aldridge-Greg Oden frontcourt along with Brandon Roy in the backcourt will get this team a playoff birth.

The Rest

9) Denver Nuggets. The best paper team money can buy. They'll produce on the court, but A.I. and Carmello Anthony will just miss the promise land this year.

10) Los Angeles Clippers. WWBD=What Will Baron Do? This may be one of those 50 win teams that doesn't get in the playoffs.

11) Golden State Warriors. Monta Ellis is the the goat in Golden State after an offseason mo-ped crash. Free agent Corey Maggette will need to provide the scoring for the Warriors this season.

12) Minnesota Timberwolves. Al Jefferson will need to put this team on his back for them not to slip further down in the west. He'll shoulder some of the load, but not much more.

13) Memphis Grizzlies. O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay are bright spots on a dark team. When Darko is starting, you need bright spots.

14) Sacramento Kings. Name one player on the Kings. It's not that easy.

15) Oklahoma City Thunder. Good luck, Kevin Durant.


Welcome back NBA!

All But Over?

For the first time in twenty-eight seasons the Philadelphia Phillies will become World Champions tonight. After beating the Tampa Bay Rays in game four for the 2008 World Series last night, it seems like an almost certainty that the streets of Philadelphia will be filled with maniac fans who have had nothing to celebrate of this magnitude in 20+ years.

Wait, they have another game to play, right? So why are we handing the Championship over to the Phillies with games left to play? Its not over it its over, right? Wrong. Anyone who saw last night's game will agree, this series is over.

The Philly bats overwhelmed Tampa pitching to the tune of 10-2 in game four. Even starting pitcher Joe Blanton got in on the offense last night chipping in with a solo homer to go along with his 6 solid innings of work on the mound. You know things are going bad then the opposing pitcher it taking you yard. More bad news for the Rays: Phillies' slugger Ryan Howard looks as locked in at the plate as he has all season, as he demonstrated by hitting two homeruns in the game, one to each side of the park. Any baseball "expert" would tell you that when a powerhitter like Howard is locked in they will hit with power to all fields. A locked in Ryan Howard spells doom for the Ray.

Game five brings us a rematch of game one starters as Cole Hamels will try to close out the Phillies' second Series title on Monday night against Scott Kazmir. Hamels (4-0) is trying to become the first pitcher to win five postseason starts in one year. Josh Beckett won four last year with the Boston Red Sox.

Even more good news is that Hamels loves the spot light. He has been known as a big game pitcher in his short time in the big leagues. They certainly get no bigger than game 5 of the World Series at home with a chance to bring a championship to a city that has not seen one is twenty years.

"Cole looks for these moments. I call him Hollywood, because when the lights are on, that's when he's at his best, and tomorrow night the lights will definitely be on," said Phillies short-stop Jimmy Rollins.

The World has been counting out the Rays all season, and all season they have somehow stepped it up to another level and proved us all wrong. 42 times in World Series history a team has held a 3-1 advantage. Of those 42 instances, 6 times a team has come back to win the series, prove that it is not impossible, however is unlikely.

This series is over. The Phillies will not lose at home; Cole Hamels will not let that happen. Tampa has had a story book season, unfortunately for them, this story does not have a happy ending.

Tampa Strikes Back in Game Two

The Tampa Bay Rays did on Thursday what few have been able to do against the Phillies all season: shut down a high powered offense and play a little small ball en route to victory.

James Shields struck out four in six shutout innings giving the Rays the solid pitching outing they were missing in game one as Tampa even the series to one game a piece. Rare for both teams was the lack of the long ball as both teams were held homer-less in this game. Instead it was the small ball, moving runners along and sacrificing to score runs, that got the job done in game two.

One major problem for Philadelphia has been their lack of timely hitting thus far in the World Series. After Thursday's performance the Phillies are batting 1 for 28 with runners in scoring position over the first two games. Proof that they are not struggling to get runners on base, they simply cannot get them home.

"That might be one of our sloppiest games all year," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "I'm concerned about us hitting with guys on base, because it looks like at times we might be trying a little too hard. But we can fix that."

Heading back to Philly it will be interesting to see which teams show up; the high scoring offenses or the the low scoring games that we have seen so far. Either way it is bound to be an exciting finish to the 2008 World Series.

Coaching Legand Calls It Quits

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- Arizona had won one conference title in the 29 seasons before Lute Olson arrived from Iowa in 1983.

It didn't take long for Olson to build a powerhouse in the desert. The 74-year-old Olson, who announced his retirement on Thursday, went 589-187 in 24 seasons at Arizona and led the Wildcats to the 1997 national championship and four Final Fours, most recently in 2001.

His program turned into an assembly line of NBA talent, producing 13 first-round draft picks, including Sean Elliott, Mike Bibby and Richard Jefferson.

"Lute Olson transformed the UA and Tucson into premier basketball country," university president Robert N. Shelton said in a statement. "Arizona now stands in the company of great college basketball programs, and we have Lute to thank for that. We will sorely miss his brilliance as our head coach, but we will benefit from the legacy he leaves for decades to come."

It is rare in sports to see one individual transform an organization from a league doormat to a perennial championship contender. Arizona is one of a handful of schools that can call themselves a NCAA basketball powerhouse; all that credit belongs to Lute Olson. His 589 wins speak for them self. Arizona now has some huge shoes to fill. College basketball will miss a coaching talent like Olson.

Phillies Take Game 1

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Tampa Bay Rays certainly is not a match-up that you would expect to see in a World Series, but the two team have impressed thus far in postseason and met last night in Tampa for game one of the World Series.

The appearance for Tampa is the first in franchise history. A first in a year of first for the organization. This season marked the first with a winning record, the first division title, the first playoff appearance, and first playoff series win in both the ALCS and ALCS.

The Phillies last made a World Series appearance in 1993 losing to the Toronto Blue Jays on Joe Carter's memorable walk off homerun to win the series. The last time Philadelphia won the World Series was back in 1980.

As for the game...

Cole Hamels went seven innings allowing just two runs en route to picking up his fourth win of the playoffs. Hamels playoff line now stands at 4-0 with a 1.55 ERA this postseason. It was not his strongest outing of the playoffs, but he was effective cooling off the hot bats of BJ Upton and Evan Longoria, both of whom have been tearing the cover off the ball as of late. The heart of the Rays' lineup (Upton, Longoria, and Carlos Pena) went a combine 0 for 12 in the game.

Hamels counterpart, Scott Kazmir, who was selected two spots ahead of Hamels in the 2002 draft, struggled with his control for much of the game. Kazmir gave up a Chase Utley homer in the first inning putting Tampa in a 0-2 hole.

The first game of a series is a big one. It sets the tone for things to come and can get momentum swinging in your direction if you come away victorious. The Phillies were able to do that in game one. We will see how it plays out going forward.

''It's huge,'' Phillies closer Brad Lidge said. ''You try and downplay it, but obviously you're coming into a place like this, you want to make sure you get the first game, especially because you got your ace on the mound. It's really important to do that.''