9/1: Masoli, Ingram, Braves, etc.

Greetings...

• Jeremiah Masoli ruled ineligibile at Ole Miss... kind of a significant blow to them... and I'll go ahead and take a raincheck on my season preview post that gave them 9 wins... whoops... Masoli is one of the most talented QBs in the nation, and while they're appealing, I don't see it... the tough part is that they gave him starter reps in all of practice...
  
• Marc Ingram out for the opener and likely the Penn State game... what does it mean? #1 - Any talk that Alabama "won't miss" Ingram is absolutely nuts... yes, they have significant running back depth... but the guy won the Heisman trophy last year... stop it already... and #2 - I think Penn State is taking a step back in 2010 and Bama is a significant favorite even without him... so at any rate, if he's healthy before SEC play, they'll be fine
• David Ross led the charge with a 5th inning grand slam last night to beat the Mets... I was in the house (thanks Dome), and had some significant thoughts... 1) Jerry Manuel was asleep at the wheel... through the entire 5th inning meltdown (culminating in the Ross grand slam), he left a visibly shaken Jon Niese out there to face righty after righty... and before they left him in to face Ross, we were yelling about how ludicrous it was to leave him in... and boom... 2) Mike Minor has juicy stuff against lefties... he buckled Ike Davis a couple of times, and while he wasn't dominant, he pitched out of jams and showed poise... 3) Bobby made a ton of moves last night... preview of September? There were 4-5 lineup/position switches in the first 5-6 innings... 4) Matt Diaz is a trainwreck in left field... it's funnier to watch in person because you can see the way he breaks (or doesn't break) on balls... and 5) Derrek Lee is coming...
  
• Hawks talk... Jamal Crawford on the market? Hmm... well, I'm on record in wanting to trade him... but it's not for on-court reasons... Crawford is on the last year of his deal (making 10 million) and Al Horford is up for an extension... because I know for a fact that the Hawks can't afford to pay Crawford market value AND pay Horford... I'm on board for shipping Jamal away... if you let him go for nothing at the end of the year? You can't come close to replacing his production because of the refusal to go into the luxury tax... In the end? I don't see them trading him because it would be logical and anti-Hawks... they'll either 1) Sign him to an extension that is completely absurd for an aging(-ish) 2-guard that does nothing else outside of scoring, with Joe Johnson overpaid in the future or 2) Let him walk for nothing at the end of the year and bank on unproven Jordan Crawford to replace him ineffectively... It's too early to be ranting on the Hawks... but this is a pivotal issue.. esp. when concerning not letting Horford get away

What to watch for...

• FIBA Hoops - USA/Iran - Noon ESPN - Iran isn't really an opponent that scares anyone... but alas...
• Pirates/Cubs - 2:20 WGN - McDonald vs. Gorzelanny
• Braves/Mets - 7:00 Peachtree TV - Pelfrey/Hanson... Would be nice to lock up the series win with Hudson/Santana looming on Thursday
• Yankees/A's - 7:00 ESPN - Burnett/Anderson - Chance to see A's stud Brett Anderson...
  

Enjoy...