Basisphilosophie » ckett, and Ike Davis

Free agency is fascinating in North American sports. 2010 and 2014 may be remembered by many as World Cup years but if you are an NBA fan both summers will be forever linked by the decisions made by LeBron James. One was a full on farcical television special and another was a magazine exclusive. Big business. In the NHL many of the top players are signed the day they are available. July 1. Happy Canada Day hockey fans! It is very unusual for a star player to have not found a team by the second day of the month. Major League Baseball takes more time and is currently in the middle of free agent frenzy, a period that starts five days following the World Series and usually runs to some point in January. Occasionally, for some, it continues much longer if they have been extended a qualifying offer, which is linked to a draft pick by their former team that they turned down. For baseball fans the excitement of seeing so many different players linked to different teams is a way to get through the dark days of winter before the magical words pitchers and catchers report to spring training hit the newswire. In the Premier League there is no such fuss. English football is still coming to terms with the idea that an employee can become unattached and free away from its club once the contract ends, something that only became possible in 1995 with the Bosman ruling. There are many differences between the ways the players look at their contracts in English football than in North American sports. Far fewer high-profile footballers go into their final year of a contract and even fewer see it run out completely and those that do can begin to open negotiations with other teams once the January transfer window is open. It is certainly an unusual process. It would be hard to imagine the San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval playing for them in the recent World Series having already agreed to join the Boston Red Sox next season, for example. One thing free agents in any sport have in common is leverage and an ability to get more money than they normally would. In the Premier League, where amounts are given to clubs to purchase players on top of wages, it is clear a players agent can ask for more money per week for his client because they know the club doesnt have to pay a fee for their services. For clubs, though, this can still be a process of bargain buying, so as many shoppers head out around the Black Friday weekend in North America here are five players in the league that could be had for nothing in the next few months. Steven Gerrard – Easily the biggest name available, the Liverpool skipper, much like his club, is having a difficult season. Despite playing every minute of the Premier League season so far questions have arisen about where he is best suited on the field and it looks like its another year of chasing trophies, rather than winning them, for the midfielder. Liverpool fans, of course, want him back and want him to finish his career with one club, but what about Gerrard? His next contract could well be his last and he may decide the time is now to move on. He is a player who could still excel with superior players around him who can take the pressure off and reduce the amount of minutes he plays. Best destination if he leaves – Bayern Munich Why? – Gerrard will not want to play for another Premier League club, being so tied to Liverpool as a club and a community but his legacy on Merseyside would not be altered at all if he moved to Europe for a couple of years to play for a super power like Bayern Munich. The German giants could easily rely on Gerrard to play at a high level against many teams domestically and use him periodically in European matches. Winston Reid – The West Ham centre-back is likely on his way from West Ham having failed to come to terms on a new deal with the club. His performances under Sam Allardyce have caught the attention of many teams and in an era where it is very difficult to get a return on a heavy investment on a defender it is not hard to see why teams are interested in one who is a consistent Premier League performer and will soon be a free agent. Best destination if he leaves – Arsenal Why? – Reid is very comfortable in London and staying in the capital while moving to a higher level with the Gunners would be ideal. Arsene Wengers team badly need depth in that position and finding a player of Reids talent without spending money on a large transfer fee is exactly the type of business the club believes in. Ron Vlaar – The Dutchmans stock rose significantly at the World Cup when he was exceptional in a back three and a back four for a side that finished third in Brazil. Vlaar knows, at 29, that the time is now for him to use that to his advantage and move away from Aston Villa, a team that continues to struggle in the bottom half. Despite their struggles, Villa may be wise to take advantage of many teams needing a central defender and sell him for a fee in January instead of losing him for nothing in the summer. Best destination if he leaves – Manchester United Why? – Reunion is the word for Vlaar, which is why he was linked with old boss Ronald Koeman at Southampton last summer but a link up with former national team boss Louis Van Gaal makes more sense. United should be in the market for players better than Vlaar but as they transition towards trying to become a force in European football again a three-year deal would make sense as he is good enough to start for them for the next couple of years and brings leadership qualities the Old Trafford backline certainly misses at the moment. Fabian Delph – Vlaar wont be the only player leaving Villa Park on a free at the end of the season with the English midfielder likely departing in the same manner. Villa fans have seen Delph progress to another level in the past two seasons but having been picked for England that is no longer a secret. Delph, currently out with a shoulder injury, is a big part of the penetration needed in Villas stagnant midfield as he is aggressive and ambitious in his runs with the ball. Best destination if he leaves – Tottenham Why? – A major overhaul is coming at White Hart Lane as new boss Mauricio Pocchetino makes his mark. Currently many big name midfielders are frozen out and young Ryan Mason has been preferred ahead of them but next summer Delph would represent an upgrade over Mason as the likes of Paulinho, Mousa Dembele and Etienne Capoue possibly move on. James Milner – The next few weeks will be very important for the future of the England international. It appears he is now ready to talk about an extension with Manchester City after playing more this season than last but he should think carefully before signing. City are an ambitious club with problems at the moment and if they look to make changes Milner could soon be back out of favour with or without a new contract. Best destination if he leaves – Liverpool Why? – The Reds are usually first in line to purchase English talent and Milner would bring a much-needed work rate to a club that is one of the few teams in England that could get close to the wages he is on at City. Milner is an underrated player who rarely has a bad game but his talent may not be in line with the level his current club wants to reach. Corey Linsley Jersey . -- Aaron Rodgers looked fine on the practice field Thursday. Paul Hornung Jersey . Huntelaar also had a penalty saved by Wolfsburg goalkeeper Diego Benaglio. The two goals brought Huntelaars total for the season to 18, level with Bayern Munichs Mario Gomez for most in the league. http://www.officialgreenbaypackersfootball.com/authentic-muhammad-wilkerson-jersey-womens . Lack made 20 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the first post-Olympic game for both teams night. Aaron Rodgers Jersey . Liriano pitched in and out of trouble in his duel with Josh Beckett, and Ike Davis homered to help the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 Friday night. Marquez Valdes-Scantling Jersey . Both of Padakins goals came in the second period while Zane Jones added a single in the first period for Calgary (13-6-4). Hitmen goaltender Chris Driedger finished with 30 saves for the shutout. CHICAGO -- Gordon Beckham was struggling and the Chicago White Sox are banged up. That didnt stop them from completing a sweep of the rival Chicago Cubs. Beckhams tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning helped the White Sox beat the rival Cubs 5-1 on Tuesday night. Beckham was 1 for 6 in the White Soxs 3-1, 12-inning win Monday over the Cubs, but he matched a career high with four hits Tuesday. The fourth one, on a 1-2 pitch with two outs from Neil Ramirez (0-1), gave Beckham his first homer of the season and the White Sox the lead, one they held to sweep the two-game series at Wrigley Field before the teams start a two-game set Wednesday across town at U.S. Cellular Field. Entering Tuesday, Beckham was 3 for his last 17 and hitting just .167 on the season. But he took extended batting practice earlier in the day, and that paid off later. "It was great. I mean great night, completely blessed to have it and definitely comes at a good time," Beckham said. "Good win." The sweep was made more impressive by what the White Sox have been battling. Their best pitcher, starting third baseman, centre fielder and right fielder are all injured, and Adam Dunn was a late scratch and replaced in the lineup by Moises Sierra. Sierra had four hits, and the White Sox had their third straight win. "Theyre scrapping and finding a way to do it. Especially with all the injuries of guys going down you just kind of have to find your way sometimes and scratch and claw and take what you can get," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "Theyve been doing that, which is good." Theyve also been pitching well against the Cubs, who lost their third straight. Zach Putnam (1-0) had an 18.90 ERA in five games for the Cubs last season but threw two scoreless innings for the White Sox, who have won consecutive games against the North Siders for the first time since taking three in a row in 2012. The White Soxs starter had another good night but wasnt the beneficiary of Beckhams home run and the three ninth-inning insurance runs -- capped by pinch-hitter Jordan Danks two-run double off Pedro Strop -- that also gave the White Sox their third straight win after a four-game skid. Hector Noesi gave the White Sox their second straiight strong start against their crosstown rivals.dddddddddddd. One day after Jose Quintana took a no-hitter into the sixth, Noesi went five innings and allowed one run while striking out six. "Not very good (the past two nights)," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said. It was also a departure from Noesis first start of the season, when he lasted just 3 2-3 innings and allowed four runs in an April 30 loss to Detroit. "I really would like to be a starter," Noesi said. "I feel comfortable." Like Noesi, Cubs starter Edwin Jackson saw one of his better outings end up in a no-decision. Jackson entered with a 5.24 ERA but went seven innings and gave up one run while striking out a season-high nine, following up Jeff Samardzijas nine-inning, one-run outing Monday. "That game yesterday ... Samardzija threw a hell of a game," Jackson said. "I cant lie and say that didnt give me some extra motivation today to come out and follow up that performance with a strong outing." The White Sox did, too, and finished a two-game sweep of the Cubs. "Its good. I mean we need to keep, no matter who it is, keep grinding out and getting some wins. Last three games has been good," Beckham said. "Weve found a way to win in some tight games and obviously pulled a bit today but its good team-building stuff." NOTES: Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said there have been no trade talks yet. "Teams have to have a sense that they cant fill a hole internally," he said. "People dont usually come to that conclusion in May." ... White Sox manager Robin Ventura said LHP Chris Sale (left arm) was feeling "good" one day after a 40-pitch bullpen session and that hell have another session "in the near future." ... Cubs RHP Jose Veras, on the disabled list since April 26 with a strained left oblique, threw a scoreless inning Tuesday during a rehab stint for Double-A Tennessee. ... White Sox 3B Conor Gillaspie (left hand) is eligible to come off the DL Wednesday, and Ventura said "youre hoping that hes back pretty soon." ... The Cubs will play a day-night doubleheader at Cincinnati on July 8 to make up the game from April 28, which was postponed due to rain. 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