A lot of great sports stories came and went, in all 4 major professional sports, during the month when Rayonsports.com was on hiatus battling technical issues with WordPress. Here are some random thoughts on those stories:
* The off-season in major league baseball was very interesting, as a couple of high-profile free agents, both power hitters in their prime, hit the market, and for the first time in years, the usual high rollers, most notably the New York Yankees, weren’t major players. Albert Pujols, probably the best hitter active in the majors right now, signed with Anaheim, making the Angels a top favorite to represent the American League in the World Series this year. Then Prince Fielder, surprisingly, signed with his dad’s old team, the Detroit Tigers, making an already top contending AL team that much more of a power. It seems as though the Yankees weren’t factors in pursuing either player – for a couple of reasons – one being that offense really isn’t something the Yanks need, their problem is pitching – and the other being that Hal Steinbrenner appears to be taking a different approach than his father. He has made statements that he believes the team can win by building from within, with a much lower payroll than in the past.
* The Buffalo Sabres made a trade at the NHL deadline in which both the Sabres and their trading partners, the Vancouver Canucks, looked like they were giving up on former high first round draft picks. Buffalo, in dire need of help at the center position, got young Cody Hodgson in exchange for winger Zack Kassian, and also gave up Marc-Andre Gragnani, who was supposed to be an up-and-coming defenseman in their system, for a throw-in – Alex Sulzer. In dealing Kassian and Paul Gaustad, the Sabres, who are constantly criticized for a lack of character and soft play, traded away two players whose main contributions are in those areas. Hodgson did next to nothing for 10 games, and Sulzer actually made more of a positive contribution, although the deal has looked better lately as Hodgson has begun to find his mark. Getting a first round pick for Gaustad, in my opinion, is a steal. Then again, if they pick another Kassian with the choice, a player who they decide isn’t a fit a couple years later, then it’s not such a great deal. The best thing to happen out of the trade of Gaustad and Kassian is the promotion of young Marcus Foligno from Rochester, who has added some much-needed offense to a team that had become stale, and has become, along with linemates Tyler Ennis and Drew Stafford, the main reason Buffalo is still in playoff contention.
* The NBA salvaged a shortened season after their bitter lockout, and a big story so far has been the emergence of Jeremy Lin, point guard for the New York Knicks who kicked around the league for a couple of seasons before getting his big chance this season in New York. “Linsanity” has cooled off recently, but after a coaching change, the Knicks are winning again, and could do some damage in the playoffs if they can qualify.
* After making the second-biggest splash in NFL free agency by signing Mario Williams (yes, Peyton Manning to Denver is a bigger story), the Buffalo Bills made a couple of less-publicized, but just as important, moves to improve their defense. The signing of Mark Anderson, who played for New England last year, is another boost to the team’s pass rush. At 6’4, 255 lbs., Anderson, to me, is mostly a situational pass rusher, a little too light to be an every down defensive end. However, the Bills seem to think he’s an every down guy. At any rate, he had 10 sacks for the Pats last season. This comparison says it all – Marcell Dareus led the Bills with 5.5 sacks in 2011; Anderson had 2.5 sacks in 3 playoff games alone for New England. The other move was re-signing veteran safety Bryan Scott, a key member of the secondary who adds a lot of depth and versatility. At 31 years old, he struggled at times in coverage, especially against big tight ends like Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Gates, but also has shown a knack for making big plays at key times.