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Alright, I have a lot of making up to do in the world of sports.

Let me start off by saying I really like the Shaq trade for the Cavs. First off, I think he will be coming to down more motivated than ever to win another title. Kobe just won another ring and you know that Shaq wants one more. Also, the Cavs virtually gave up nothing to get Shaq. They gave up Sasha Pavlovic and Ben Wallace, two players who didn't contribute largely to the Cavs success, and also a second round pick. Cleveland was a very good team without Shaq and can only get better with him. His numbers will clearly be better than the contributions that Sasha and Ben gave. He also provides a big man who can guard the likes of Dwight Howard. Shaq gives the Cavs another all-star prescence, while posing as another offensive threat for Cleveland. He can split time with Z and I really do believe it can be a great combo. However, this CANNOT be the only move the Cavs make. They MUST find another player who can shoot, and is length, who can play the 4. I'm not in favor of resigning Anderson Varejao. I'd rather see the Cavs go after someone such as Carlos Boozer or Rasheed Wallace. Varejao does not provide the offensive fire power we need. While he plays with a lot of heart and passion on the defensive end, he is a one dimensional player.
Grade: A-

Now to the Vince Carter trade .... I've thought a lot about this one and have gone back and forth with my opinion on the trade. For one, I believe this was a panic move on Orlando's part and they gave up way too much for him. Courtney Lee will be a star in this league, and like many experts have been saying, I, too, would not have even traded Lee for Carter straight up. They also gave up Alston, who was a BIG reason why the Magic made it to the Finals in the first place. Also with this move, they cut ties with Hedo Turkoglu. You knew what you were going to get with Turkoglu and he also provided so many mismatches on both sides of the ball because of his size. Carter is a lot shorter than Hedo and he may actually match up BETTER with players in the East. With the game on the line, the ball would be in Turkoglu's hands and he was solid. With Carter, it's more of an unknown what you're going to get. Everywhere Vince Carter has went, he's been labeled as a "cancer" in the team's locker room and has not been able to lead a team to the promise lands. Orlando gave up depth, something that you need in the East. However, Carter still can pose as a great offensive threat and gives Orlando many shooting options when "Superman" is double teamed.
Grade: B+

A trade that hasn't been receiving as much attention as the other is the Richard Jefferson trade to the Spurs. If it's one trade that will make the biggest impact, this is the one. Now, if Manu can stay healthy, you'll have a dangerous combo with Parker, Manu, Duncan, and Jefferson. This trade moves the Spurs back to the two or three seed in the West. The Lakers are still clearly the best team in the West... and in the league.
Grade: A+

On to baseball.

With the Tribe sinking lower and lower of late, I am calling, now more than ever, for skipper Eric Wedge to be fired. I have great respect for the man, but he is not the man who can lead this team to where we want it. I'd rather see this move done in the off-season though because firing him now will not accomplish anything. No interim manager we find will be better than what we have now and will not suddenly lead the Tribe to the playoffs.

The bullpen must be cleaned out following the season. As far as I'm concerned, we can just start fresh. Our hitting has shown signs of life lately, which is encouraging. We're starting to get guys healthy and getting a true sense of how we should have been performing all year.

Some players I've been encouraged with this season include: Cliff Lee, Asdrubal Cabrera, Mark DeRosa, Victor Martinez, and Shin-Soo Choo.

Some players I haven't been encouraged with include: Kelly Shoppach, the bullpen, Carl Pavano, Jeremy Sowers, Ben Francisco, and Jhonny Peralta.
Team Grade: D

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