The Washington Nationals have recently updated three players on their injury list. Brad Lidge, Michael Morse, and Mark DeRosa are all making strides in their journeys back to the playing field.
Outfielder Michael Morse will participate in his first extended spring training game since Aprill 11th when he was shut down for six weeks following a torn lat muscle.
Morse is expected to return by June 8th. However, the Nationals are very confident that Morse will return before then. He has been participating in hitting and throwing drills daily and the trainers are pleased with his progress.
For the first time since May 1st, closer Brad Lidge threw off of a mound on Wednesday. Lidge has been sidelined with a sports hernia which he had surgery on to repair.
According to Lidge, he is expected to return June 12th or 13th.
Finally, do-it-aller Mark DeRosa has been slowed by a strained oblique muscle as well as family concerns.
DeRosa has been balancing spending time with his family and rehab and is hoping to return to Viera, Florida to begin rehab soon.
Keep DeRosa in your thoughts. His father has been diagnosed with cancer and he has been trying to balance rehab with family time.
While many of us only see the baseball player on the field, they do have a personally life that can get quite difficult especially when a loved one is diagnosed with a serious illness.
UPDATE: According to multiple sources, Michael Morse will be starting his minor league rehab this Monday with the Class A Potomac Nationals.
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Friday, May 25, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Super Court: NFL vs NFLPA
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| Roger Goodell, left, and DeMaurice Smith, right, are once again in a legal battle. (Photo: sportstvjobs.com) |
The NFLPA is claiming that the NFL and the owners went behind their back in 2010 and created a secret salary cap during an uncapped year.
Let's do a little recap...shall we?
Back in March, the Redskins and the Cowboys were both handed salary cap reductions that added up to be $46 million for overloading contracts during the 2010 uncapped NFL year. The Redskins lost $36 million over the next two years and the Cowboys have lost $10 million over the same period.
Yesterday, the Redskins and Cowboys appeals were heard by an arbitrator that went on to throw out both claims and in doing so let the ruling and the penalties stand.
Today, the NFLPA filed a lawsuit against the NFL and the owners stating that they had a secret salary cap in place for the 2010 NFL season. Originally, that year is believed to been an uncapped year. Today, however, the NFLPA claims that the owners and the NFL had a secret cap of $123 million.
The biggest problem with this is the fact the owners and the NFL went beyond the restrictions with the NFLPA. 2010 was supposed to be an uncapped year. Instead, without letting the NFLPA know, the NFL and the owners instituted a salary cap of $123 million.
The lawsuit is for collusion and conspiracy against the NFL and the owners for the secret cap of 2010. The NFLPA is looking for $1-3 billion in damages.
The timing of this directly correlates to the decision to uphold to rulings to the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys. If 2010 was truly an uncapped year, there should have been no penalties handed down to them due to a salary cap violation.
When the violations were first issued back in March, the two franchises were essentially cited for spending too much money. If there was no limit on the money they could spend...how did they spend too much?
At the time when the NFL handed down the violations, the NFLPA first learned that there might have been something fishy with the salary cap of the 2010 year. They waited and once the NFL upheld their ruling yesterday, they attacked.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello threw another loop in this already tangled mess with the following statement.
"The filing of these claims is prohibited by the Collective Bargaining Agreement and separately by an agreement signed by the players' attorneys last August. The claims have absolutely no merit and we fully expect them to be dismissed."I'm no CBA expert, but if what he said is true, the NFLPA has no leg to stand on. Aiello basically told the NFLPA that, even if these claims are true, filing a lawsuit about them is against the CBA.
There are a lot of signs that point to the NFLPA actually making a case for a secret 2010 salary cap. The NFL tipped it's hand when the NFL...and the owners...cited the Redskins and the Cowboys for overspending during the 2010 "uncapped" year. If it was uncapped, the Redskins and Cowboys never should have gotten in trouble.
However, after hearing Aiello's statement, I see no reason how the NFLPA can come out on top in this one. There are two written documents stating that what they are doing is against the CBA and will be dismissed shortly.
Redskins, Cowboys Lose in Arbitration
Yesterday, the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys appeals of their salary-cap penalties were dismissed by special master Stephen Burbank.
A couple months ago, the Redskins and the Cowboys were both docked a sum of their salary caps due to overloading contracts in the uncapped 2010 year.
The NFL claimed that they verbally warned the Redskins and the Cowboys that doing so might result in some sort of penalty. According to all reports, a written statement was never issued to either team.
Neither the Redskins/Cowboys nor NFL won in this situation. Simply put, Burbank heard all sides and decided just to drop the whole mess and force everyone to move on.
Personally, I think the whole thing was organized chaos. Before the teams had even heard about the penalties, several media outlets had already reported of them. That's how the Redskins and Cowboys heard about them...through the media.
The fact that they were penalized for what could be labeled a "salary violation" in an uncapped year is ridiculous. In theory, teams should have been more than allowed the ability to load contracts like both sides did.
The NFL's argument to make their side safe was that they warned the teams that something bad could happen if they overloaded contracts. Nothing was ever submitted to either team in writing. If that's the case, no disciplinary action should have ever been taken.
Arguably the two best businessmen in the NFL, Dan Snyder and Jerry Jones, outsmarted the NFL. They took an uncapped year and designed contracts accordingly. The NFL got upset and took action to make sure that the league knew they weren't ever going to be outsmarted again.
Now that this whole mess is over with, it's time for both sides to look ahead and plan out their salary strategies around the cap penalties.
The Redskins have been docked a total of $36 million over the next two years and the Cowboys have lost $10 million over the same time period.
Follow me on Twitter @SkinnyOnSports and don't forget to look the blog up on Facebook: The Skinny on Sports!
A couple months ago, the Redskins and the Cowboys were both docked a sum of their salary caps due to overloading contracts in the uncapped 2010 year.
The NFL claimed that they verbally warned the Redskins and the Cowboys that doing so might result in some sort of penalty. According to all reports, a written statement was never issued to either team.
Neither the Redskins/Cowboys nor NFL won in this situation. Simply put, Burbank heard all sides and decided just to drop the whole mess and force everyone to move on.
Personally, I think the whole thing was organized chaos. Before the teams had even heard about the penalties, several media outlets had already reported of them. That's how the Redskins and Cowboys heard about them...through the media.
The fact that they were penalized for what could be labeled a "salary violation" in an uncapped year is ridiculous. In theory, teams should have been more than allowed the ability to load contracts like both sides did.
The NFL's argument to make their side safe was that they warned the teams that something bad could happen if they overloaded contracts. Nothing was ever submitted to either team in writing. If that's the case, no disciplinary action should have ever been taken.
Arguably the two best businessmen in the NFL, Dan Snyder and Jerry Jones, outsmarted the NFL. They took an uncapped year and designed contracts accordingly. The NFL got upset and took action to make sure that the league knew they weren't ever going to be outsmarted again.
Now that this whole mess is over with, it's time for both sides to look ahead and plan out their salary strategies around the cap penalties.
The Redskins have been docked a total of $36 million over the next two years and the Cowboys have lost $10 million over the same time period.
Follow me on Twitter @SkinnyOnSports and don't forget to look the blog up on Facebook: The Skinny on Sports!
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Wang Activated
CSN Washington has reported this afternoon that Nationals pitcher Chien-Ming Wang has been activated from the DL and will be available for tonight's game against the Phillies. This move comes on the heels of the club sending reliever Ryan Mattheus to the 15-day DL due to a partial tear of his plantar fascia.
Mattheus has been bothered by this condition for a few weeks now. His foot has gotten so bad that he needed to see a specialist in Baltimore about it. According to the report, even if he needs surgery, he'll only be out for no more than two weeks.
Wang has been out of the majors since March 30th when he pulled his hamstring. Wang had an ERA of just over 4.00 throughout his starts in the minor leagues.
Tonight, he will take over an unfamiliar role. He will be used solely out of the bullpen. Since three days ago he started on the mound for AAA Syracuse, Wang will only pitch one inning if he is needed.
Don't expect Wang to get back in the starting rotation this season. Nationals manager Davey Johnson has stated before that he is not going to break up the majors best starting five. Wang will take on a long relief role and will be used incase someone gets the hook early in their start.
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Mattheus has been bothered by this condition for a few weeks now. His foot has gotten so bad that he needed to see a specialist in Baltimore about it. According to the report, even if he needs surgery, he'll only be out for no more than two weeks.
Wang has been out of the majors since March 30th when he pulled his hamstring. Wang had an ERA of just over 4.00 throughout his starts in the minor leagues.
Tonight, he will take over an unfamiliar role. He will be used solely out of the bullpen. Since three days ago he started on the mound for AAA Syracuse, Wang will only pitch one inning if he is needed.
Don't expect Wang to get back in the starting rotation this season. Nationals manager Davey Johnson has stated before that he is not going to break up the majors best starting five. Wang will take on a long relief role and will be used incase someone gets the hook early in their start.
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Monday, May 21, 2012
What Are OTAs?
Yesterday, the Washington Redskins began their 10-day stretch of Organized Team Activities (OTAs). Which may lead many to think...what exactly are OTAs?
Organized Team Activities are basically the NFL's version of NCAA spring practice. For the next ten days, nine NFL teams, including the Redskins, will be implementing the early workings of their offenses and defenses.
Under the new CBA, there are restrictions and guidelines about how and when teams can practice.
As stated before, teams can only practice for ten straight days. Practices must be helmet only. Players are not allowed to wear shoulder/pant pads. And there are to be no full contact practices. It is strictly ten days of walk throughs and teaching.
OTAs are voluntary. Players and teams do not have to participate or conduct them. It is solely up to the coaches and ownership. Only nine teams are currently conducting OTAs.
For a team coming off of a bad season or that is in the rebuilding stage, OTAs can be very beneficial. It gives new players a chance to come in and get a leg up on the veterans that are not attending the practices. They will learn the playbook and even get reps with their new teammates.
For teams that are switching to a new defensive/offensive coordinator, this is also a chance for the players to begin to learn the new system. There is a lot of language and formations involved with each and every system and all are different. Learning them early will provide and added boost heading into training camp.
In the case of the Redskins, rookie Robert Griffin III has been declared the starting quarterback. The first time he ever saw the playbook was a few weeks ago. In the style of offense that the Redskins run, it is very complex and hard to learn just by reading the book.
For RG3, OTAs are an extremely important key to his success. If he focuses and takes them seriously, which he has, then when training camp arrives, he won't be making silly mistakes such as forgetting a signal and mistaking what a certain word or phrase means.
Organized Team Activities are an extremely important, and often underrated, part of the NFL year. A successful OTA program can ultimately lead to success in the regular season.
Follow me on Twitter @SkinnyOnSports and don't forget to look the blog up on Facebook: The Skinny on Sports!
Organized Team Activities are basically the NFL's version of NCAA spring practice. For the next ten days, nine NFL teams, including the Redskins, will be implementing the early workings of their offenses and defenses.
Under the new CBA, there are restrictions and guidelines about how and when teams can practice.
As stated before, teams can only practice for ten straight days. Practices must be helmet only. Players are not allowed to wear shoulder/pant pads. And there are to be no full contact practices. It is strictly ten days of walk throughs and teaching.
OTAs are voluntary. Players and teams do not have to participate or conduct them. It is solely up to the coaches and ownership. Only nine teams are currently conducting OTAs.
For a team coming off of a bad season or that is in the rebuilding stage, OTAs can be very beneficial. It gives new players a chance to come in and get a leg up on the veterans that are not attending the practices. They will learn the playbook and even get reps with their new teammates.
For teams that are switching to a new defensive/offensive coordinator, this is also a chance for the players to begin to learn the new system. There is a lot of language and formations involved with each and every system and all are different. Learning them early will provide and added boost heading into training camp.
In the case of the Redskins, rookie Robert Griffin III has been declared the starting quarterback. The first time he ever saw the playbook was a few weeks ago. In the style of offense that the Redskins run, it is very complex and hard to learn just by reading the book.
For RG3, OTAs are an extremely important key to his success. If he focuses and takes them seriously, which he has, then when training camp arrives, he won't be making silly mistakes such as forgetting a signal and mistaking what a certain word or phrase means.
Organized Team Activities are an extremely important, and often underrated, part of the NFL year. A successful OTA program can ultimately lead to success in the regular season.
Follow me on Twitter @SkinnyOnSports and don't forget to look the blog up on Facebook: The Skinny on Sports!
Strasburg, Johnson Not Concerned
Following yesterday's game against the Orioles, a game in which Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg only went five innings, Nationals Manager Davey Johnson said that Strasburg got the hook early due to arm tightness.
Johnson went on to say in the post-game press conference that he merely lifted him early just to be on the safe side. The Nationals had a lead and with the bullpen that the Nationals have, he had more than enough confidence turning it over to them.
Neither Johnson or Strasburg seemed too concerned about the tightness in his throwing arm. Johnson stated in the post-game press conference that it was his bicep that was experiencing the tightness.
I, too, don't see a reason to be concerned about Strasburg's bicep getting tight. If it was his elbow or forearm that was experiencing any sort of discomfort, then there would be cause for concern.
Tommy Johns Surgery is nowhere in the future of Stephen Strasburg. That kind of procedure is mainly used to repair damage to the tendons and ligaments of the elbow. What Strasburg is dealing with is a muscle.
It was getting close to time to pull Strasburg anyways. Strasburg was already up to 90 pitches after five innings. Just three times this year has he gone over 100 pitches in an outing. Usually, Strasburg goes around 85-95 pitches before getting the hook.
There really is no need for concern in D.C. Strasburg himself said after the game that bicep soreness was an expected experience following Tommy Johns surgery.
Five days from now, when Strasburg takes the hill again, expect him to be just as dominant as usual. If the Nationals want to be extra careful, they may push his start back one day. However, I don't think that will be necessary. Expect Strasburg to recover fully from this tightness in his right bicep.
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Johnson went on to say in the post-game press conference that he merely lifted him early just to be on the safe side. The Nationals had a lead and with the bullpen that the Nationals have, he had more than enough confidence turning it over to them.
Neither Johnson or Strasburg seemed too concerned about the tightness in his throwing arm. Johnson stated in the post-game press conference that it was his bicep that was experiencing the tightness.
I, too, don't see a reason to be concerned about Strasburg's bicep getting tight. If it was his elbow or forearm that was experiencing any sort of discomfort, then there would be cause for concern.
Tommy Johns Surgery is nowhere in the future of Stephen Strasburg. That kind of procedure is mainly used to repair damage to the tendons and ligaments of the elbow. What Strasburg is dealing with is a muscle.
It was getting close to time to pull Strasburg anyways. Strasburg was already up to 90 pitches after five innings. Just three times this year has he gone over 100 pitches in an outing. Usually, Strasburg goes around 85-95 pitches before getting the hook.
There really is no need for concern in D.C. Strasburg himself said after the game that bicep soreness was an expected experience following Tommy Johns surgery.
Five days from now, when Strasburg takes the hill again, expect him to be just as dominant as usual. If the Nationals want to be extra careful, they may push his start back one day. However, I don't think that will be necessary. Expect Strasburg to recover fully from this tightness in his right bicep.
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Morse To Start Rehab
Today, Nationals outfielder Michael Morse begins his rehab in Viera, Florida.
Morse is still recovering from a strained lat muscle in spring training that was eventually torn in a previous rehab game in Hagerstown, Maryland.
Viera is home to the clubs minor league headquarters. While he's there, he is expected to take a number of at-bats and take part in throwing drills regularly. He will not be immediately activated for minor league availability, however. But expect him to be activated within the next two weeks.
As we stand right now, Morse is expected to return June 8th. Nationals Manager Davey Johnson, however, is optimistic that he could return even sooner.
"I know he's chomping at the bit," Johnson said in an interview with Gene Wang of the Washington Post. Johnson went on to say that Morse was just looking for something that the medical staff would let him do.
Last season, Morse was one of the teams leading hitters the whole way through. He had a batting average of .303 with a slugging percentage of .550. He hit 31 home runs with 95 RBI.
The absence of Morse's bat has certainly been evident. The Nationals are near the bottom of the league in batting average with runners in scoring position. Adam LaRoche has been able to pick up some slack, but especially now that Jayson Werth is out, the Nationals need another big bat.
If everything goes according to plan, Michael Morse could return to the Nationals well before June 8th.
Before last Saturday's game against the Orioles, he was running around the outfield catching fly balls during pre-game batting practice. His arm looked strong as he had little trouble throwing the ball.
Follow me on Twitter @SkinnyOnSports and don't forget to look the blog up on Facebook: The Skinny on Sports!
Morse is still recovering from a strained lat muscle in spring training that was eventually torn in a previous rehab game in Hagerstown, Maryland.
Viera is home to the clubs minor league headquarters. While he's there, he is expected to take a number of at-bats and take part in throwing drills regularly. He will not be immediately activated for minor league availability, however. But expect him to be activated within the next two weeks.
As we stand right now, Morse is expected to return June 8th. Nationals Manager Davey Johnson, however, is optimistic that he could return even sooner.
"I know he's chomping at the bit," Johnson said in an interview with Gene Wang of the Washington Post. Johnson went on to say that Morse was just looking for something that the medical staff would let him do.
Last season, Morse was one of the teams leading hitters the whole way through. He had a batting average of .303 with a slugging percentage of .550. He hit 31 home runs with 95 RBI.
The absence of Morse's bat has certainly been evident. The Nationals are near the bottom of the league in batting average with runners in scoring position. Adam LaRoche has been able to pick up some slack, but especially now that Jayson Werth is out, the Nationals need another big bat.
If everything goes according to plan, Michael Morse could return to the Nationals well before June 8th.
Before last Saturday's game against the Orioles, he was running around the outfield catching fly balls during pre-game batting practice. His arm looked strong as he had little trouble throwing the ball.
Follow me on Twitter @SkinnyOnSports and don't forget to look the blog up on Facebook: The Skinny on Sports!
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