While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.
First up, from Chris Pokorny at Dawgs By Nature, we get a scouting report of the San Diego Chargers and, specifically here, quarterback Phillip Rivers, “For the first seven years of his career, he was able to limit his amount of turnovers low. That hasn’t been the case the past two seasons, though, and it has cost the Chargers dearly. In 2011, Rivers threw a career-high 20 interceptions as San Diego failed to make the playoffs. Two weeks ago against the Broncos, the Chargers had a 24-0 lead and were well on their way to taking control of the AFC West. Rivers responded with five second-half turnovers — three interceptions and two fumbles — en route to a 35-24 collapse. Rivers now has nine interceptions on the season. He also is not a threat in the least at scrambling like Andrew Luck did twice for a touchdown last week against Cleveland’s defense.” [Dawgs By Nature]
Also, from Dawgs By Nature, Chris takes a trip down memory lane (and likely, your jersey closet) at former Browns offensive weapons trying to hold on elsewhere. For instance, running back Peyton Hillis, now with the Chiefs, “Hillis signed a 1-year, $3 million deal with the Chiefs. He was expected to play a significant role in the offense, as he was reunited with former Browns offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. Hillis has played in three games and only has 21 carries for 93 yards. Then, Hillis suffered a high ankle sprain and has been out since. He returned to practice this week, though, and the idea is for him to factor into the Chiefs’ offensive gameplan again.” [Dawgs By Nature]
The OKC Thunder dropped a bombshell blockbuster on the association last night when they traded star player James Harden to the Houston Rockets for a very lucrative package after Harden refused to give them the hometown discount his teammates had. Bill Nagel at Stepien Rules has already weighed in on the trade, “This must feel awful for OKC fans right now BUT, once the decision was made that they weren’t going to pay him, you could argue their haul for James Harden was comparable to ORL’s for Dwight Howard. They brought in a solid bench scoring option on an expiring deal in Kevin Martin. They added a talented young wing player Jeremy Lamb who was at his best when playing second fiddle at UCONN and looked uncomfortable when asked to be “the man.” They’ll also be in a rare position in the NBA: A title contender with chances to add in the draft as they also squeezed out two first round picks with one being lottery guaranteed.” [Stepien Rules]
MLB economics are rarely a fun topic when you’re an Indians fan. Today is no different as Al at The DiaTribe digs into the disadvantage that Cleveland has, “Cost certainty is a theme that’s been pushed by the Indians front office since the negotiations with C.C. Sabathia. It’s a theme that was re-enforced after the Hafner contract, and as you’ll see later in this article, it’s a theme that the club continues to stress to this day. It’s something that the Indians just don’t have, because they have neither a large generational fan base nor significant dollars flowing in from media rights. And when you compare the Indians to some of the teams that have both of those inherent advantages, it helps illustrate why the team simply can’t compete in the free agent market. It puts the onus squarely on amateur talent acquisition, and all but requires the team to be leaders in the international market as well as the Rule 4 draft.” [The DiaTribe]
Finally, it’s a little tangential from sports itself, but Chris and the late Stefanie Spielman’s oldest daughter Maddie has been getting very involved in her mother’s cause since coming to Ohio State. Here is her story from the Columbus Dispatch that is definitely worth a read during Breast Cancer Awareness Month as we watch our Buckeyes and Browns accented with pink gloves and towels. [The Columbus Dispatch]
