Moss Traded to Vikings, Halladay No-Hits Reds, & Other Headline Truths

TheDailySportsHerald.com presents our quick truths on today's top headlines in the world of sports. The truth shall set you free . . .

#5
HEADLINE: Patriots Trade Randy Moss to the Minnesota Vikings
TRUTH: New England can kiss this year's Super Bowl hopes goodbye.

As for the 1-2 Vikes, their Super Bowl dream is firmly back on track for the low price of a mere third round pick. There was no guarantee that receiver Sidney Rice would come back this year at 100 percent, and even a healthy Rice is still inferior to Moss.

Now with Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson, Percy Harvin, and Moss, Minnesota has perhaps the best skill-position talent in the NFL. Harvin should particularly benefit from the deal, as Moss' vertical routes will allow him to flourish again as the number two option in the slot.


#4
HEADLINE: Rangers Defeat Rays To Take 1-0 Series Lead
TRUTH: The Rangers management is looking brilliant right now for their bold midseason trade for ace Cliff Lee. Lee once again came through in an important playoff game, as he dominated Tampa Bay with 10 strikeouts and no walks over 7 innings, retiring 12 consecutive batters at one point. With the win, Lee improved to 5-0 with a 1.52 ERA in his postseason career.

The Texas bullpen, which consistently performed well during the regular season, also held the Rays scoreless over the final two innings with Feliz striking out 2 in the ninth. It all spells trouble for Tampa, as they will likely have to face a red-hot Lee one more time in this short series.


#3
HEADLINE: Yanks Beat Twins 6-4 To Take Game 1
TRUTH: Even though it was a road game, this was a win the Yankees had to have. With all the questions surrounding their starting rotation, the lone constant this year for New York has been ace C.C. Sabathia. Had Sabathia lost Game 1, the Yankees would have been forced to rely on a collection of inconsistent and banged-up arms.

Sabathia was not great yesterday -- he gave up 4 runs over 6 innings -- but managed to keep the Yanks in the game until Mark Texeira could blast a tie-breaking two-run bomb in the seventh. Mariano Rivera then closed out the final 1 and 1/3 for his 40th postseason save.

With Games 3 and 4 in the Bronx and Sabathia scheduled to pitch in Game 4, the Yanks are sitting pretty.

#2
HEADLINE: NBA GM's Predict Lakers Championship and Durant MVP
TRUTH: The NBA's annual poll of the league's general managers is always interesting because presumably they are some of the league's most informed observers.

Most of the GM's predicted John Wall to win Rookie of the Year and the Lakers to win the title (63%). They also found Phil Jackson (39.3%) to be the best coach, and Kobe Bryant (78.6%) to overwhelmingly be the player they would want to take the last shot with the game on the line.

While rational minds may disagree, all of the above results are reasonable and not out of the question. What may be a bit more questionable is Kevin Durant getting (66.7%) of the MVP vote.

Durant may very well get the media's MVP vote this year, and in that sense, the poll results would be correct. But is he really worthy of such consideration at this time?

During the course of this season, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and arguably Carmelo Anthony, will all be better, more advanced individual talents than the still-developing Durant.

Durant could very well put up bigger numbers, but he will also get more touches than those other players, who play on loaded, veteran teams. Durant's upside and evolving game eventually will make him the league's premiere player down the road, but at this point he is not the league's most outstanding player.

It is time for the voters to get away from the Dirk Nowitzki voting debacle of a few years ago, where the criteria for MVP simply amounted to being the top player on the team with the best record.

Nor should the press place an excessive amount of weight on the "valuable" aspect of the MVP award, as too often the media is quick to assume that certain stars "make their teammates better" merely because they have fewer talented pieces around them.

A return to a more MOP-oriented approach would bring some sense to the voting, and would not necessarily disregard a player's ability to enhance the play of his teammates. Under such wiser standards, a young, still learning Durant probably would not win.


#1
HEADLINE: Philadelphia's Roy Halladay Throws Second No-Hitter in Postseason History In 4-0 Game 1 Win
TRUTH: Anyone else still doubt that the Philadelphia Phillies are the favorites to win it all?

Roy Halladay's 104-pitch, 1-walk, 8-strikeout, complete game masterpiece set the postseason tone for the Phillies, and had to deflate an optimistic Reds team returning to the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. Halladay was so dominant that even his impressive pitching line failed to properly convey the superior manner in which he performed.

In his first career postseason performance, Halladay threw first pitch strikes to 25 of the 28 batters he faced, and went to a 3-ball count on only three occasions. Moreover, it was his second no-hitter this season. Halladay also added an RBI single in the second inning for good measure.

With Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels -- two other number-one caliber starters -- scheduled to pitch Games 2 and 3 respectively, this series could likely end up in a Phillies sweep.

By Mike Elliott
Staff Editor for TheDailySportsHerald.com