Braves close to acquiring a RH Bat, Heyward to the Minors?

The Major League baseball trade deadline is 11 days away and if you have been following the Atlanta Braves at all you know they need offense. Most notably in the outfield where the trio of Jason Heyward, Nate McLouth, and Jordan Schafer has been one of the worst in the majors in terms of production. Also all three of those guys hit left handed and the Braves are looking for more right handed power production.

The first bomb of a potential deal came from David O'Brien's Twitter Feed:

Sounds as if the #Braves could be close to making a deal for a RH bat

If it's strictly a RH bat then that eliminates the Met's Carlos Beltran. Yes he is a switch hitter but he doesn't hit lefties well and most of his power comes from the left side. Possibilities could be Hunter Pence, Ryan Ludwick, Carlos Quentin, Josh Willingham, Michael Cuddyer and wait for it....wait for it...my personal favorite...Matt Kemp.

Kemp is a dream acquisition for myself and the Braves organization. He would fit in perfectly and could play centerfield for the next 5 seasons. He's a potential 40/40 guy and he is a superstar. But right now he plays on a franchise that is in financial shambles and if the Braves were going to get him they would have to give up Heyward, a top prospect pitcher (Minor, Teheran, Delgado, or Vizcaino) as well as a B prospect. Probably not going to happen with the rumors floating from Brave's Mark Bowman that opposing scouts have concerns about Heyward's swing and that he should probably be sent down to Gwinnett to work on it. Right now he is working with his personal hitting coach. Some guy named C.J. Stewart. You may have heard of him. Tonight he will be batting 5th in Denver. That seems appropriate considering how well he has been hitting the ball lately.

Ok enough of the sarcasm.

Heyward's trade value is considerably low right now even with his young age. He sits out too many games with various injuries and has even pulled himself out of the lineup which has sent off major red flags within the Braves organization. If the Braves could pull off a Heyward/Minor/and a B level prospect for Kemp then you have to do it. The problem is the Dodgers would probably not do it. They would want Teheran or a Beachy and the Braves aren't going to trade either one in my opinion.

So the Kemp trade is a pipe dream. But what about for Pence? Hunter is the most awkward looking outfielder I have ever seen play in the majors but you can't argue with his production and his hustle. He's a fan favorite in Houston and it would probably take a good haul to get him away from the Astros. I would trade Minor and some other prospect not named Teheran for him but I'm not willing to give up Heyward for Pence by any means.

I would definitely be open to getting Quentin. I'm not sure what the White Sox would want for him but I think you could get him for less than what the Astros would want for Pence. I'm not a huge fan of Ludwick, Willingham, or Cuddyer because I don't think they would bring considerable more production than what Heyward or McClouth bring right now.

So in conclusion if the Braves do make a trade which sounds imminent for a right handed bat the #1 guy would be Matt Kemp followed by Pence, Quentin, Ludwick, Willingham, and Cuddyer.

What do you think? Should the Braves still try to get Beltran and send Heyward down to work on his swing? Or should they shoot for the stars and get a Kemp or a Pence?

This guy at the Mike Leach Book Signing has to be a SportsCrack Fan

College football fan: check

Hasn't showered in weeks: check

Laughs at himself: check

Wears a Mike Leach Pirate shirt while waiting in line to get multiple autographs of his book which are mostly for himself: check


Yeah this guy is definitely our core target market here at SportsCrack.com. The only thing he is missing is the Natty and some urine stains on his shorts.

Via Dr. Saturday

Hope Solo Song by Huey Mack

Seriously where is the Alex Morgan love? If you are Hope Solo you embrace this song by Huey Mack. Because make no mistake the US Women's Soccer Teams 15 minutes of fame runs out this weekend. I mean I've pretty much avoided talking about them and the way they choked against Japan in the Final. So now you got to use what God gave you Hope Solo. Nobody is going to be making songs for Abby Wambach even though she was the real star of the World Cup.

Next career move for Solo? Date a famous person. Then you know what's next: sex tape. It's Celebrity 101.

BTW there is no way I get this song out of my head all day.

I kind of like this Huey Mack kid. Any guy who will admit he enjoys the Natty Light is ok in my books...

The Longhorn Network Will Take over the College Football World...Not Really

If you are wondering why Nebraska and Colorado jumped ship from the Big 12 for greener pastures besides money then you might need to look at some of the details in regards to the new Longhorn Network which is set to take over the Big 12 starting August 26th. According to SportsByBrooks that is the date in which the Longhorn Network, run by ESPN programming VP Dave Brown, will start televising high school football games in Texas and other states with specific Longhorn recruits in them. If you got your panties in a bunch when Notre Dame signed a deal with NBC a while back you should be screaming bloody murder over the recruiting advantage and major influence Texas will now have by televising their recruits games on "The Longhorn Network."

Brown did an interview with an ESPN Austin radio station and revealed his master plan for Texas to rule the college football recruiting landscape:

“We’re going to follow the great [high school] players in the state. Obviously a kid like [unsigned Texas verbal commit] Johnathan Gray. I know people [Longhorn Network subscribers] are going to want to see Johnathan Gray, I can’t wait to see Johnathan Gray.

“Feedback from our audience is they just want to see Johnathan Gray run whether it’s 45-0 or not, they want to see more Johnathan Gray. So we’re going to do our best to accomodate them [Longhorn Network subscribers] and follow the kids who are being recruited by a lot of the Division I schools. Certainly some of the kids Texas has recruited and is recruiting and everyone else the Big 12 is recruiting.

“One other thing, you may see us, I know there’s a kid [unsigned Texas verbal commit] Connor Brewer from Chapparal high school in Arizona. We may try to get on one or two of their games as well so people [Longhorn Network subscribers] can see an incoming quarterback that’ll be part of the scene in Austin.“

So you may be asking yourself "what's the big fucking deal?" The big fucking deal is that it gives the Longhorns major influence over recruits decisions into which school they choose. In a way the Longhorn Network is a big bad booster who is giving cash to these high schools to broadcast their games. The Longhorn Network is essentially paying the high school to televise their football program on their network and the sidelines will be decorated in burnt orange. Sorry Oklahoma. Sorry Texas A&M. You guys could be fucked. The coaches of these high school programs will now encourage their kids to go to Texas in order to get their football team on The Longhorn Network.

In conclusion: Texas and coaches like Mack Brown don't need to recruit as heavily as they once did. They got ESPN and The Longhorn Network doing their dirty work. If you are Texas A&M the next move is to jump ship to the SEC Conference. As for Oklahoma a Sooner Network might be the best way to battle back.

The rest of the Big 12 woke up this morning singing this ditty in their head with the thoughts of Texas dominating the recruiting world....



Via SportsByBrooks