Casual Sunday: A Rather Weak Week

It wasn't the best week to be a sports fan. Football training camps got off to a start, which made me miss football that much more. Baseball's trade deadline saw its typical flurry of action, but with no real blockbuster, read-about-it-all-day-in-the-papers deals.

Anyhow, here are this week's winners and losers.

Winners


Philadelphia Phillies - The Philadelphia Phillies pulled off the biggest deal of the week. I'm not so impressed by who they got (Roy Oswalt, who lost his first start to the NATIONALS), but I am impressed by how they got him. The Astros not only shipped Oswalt up to Philly, they also sent $11 million to the city of brotherly love. Quite a price to pay to get rid of your best player.

Ole Miss - Jeremiah Masoli announced today that he would walk on at Ole Miss. He might be a troublemaker, but he sure can play. Oregon will miss him this season; Ole Miss will reap the rewards.

Terrell Owens - I hate this guy. I think he's way past his prime and more trouble than he's worth. But for the first time since, well, maybe never, he'll be playing in a place that's built for him to succeed. The Bengals have the perfect environment for Owens - a skilled veteran quarterback who knows what he's doing, a solid passing offense, and another crazy WR to match Owens' personality. I still don't think he'll succeed, but he certainly should.

Losers


Denver Broncos - The Broncos sure have had their running back woes in the past. We all remember two years ago when it was almost at the point of hilarity - they were somewhere in the realm of a seventh stringer. Well, today didn't get off to a great start. Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter both got hurt during day 1 of training camp. The Broncos don't know-shon when they'll return. (Too easy?)

Boston Red Sox - When every team still in a divisional race was scrambling around to make pre-deadline moves, the Red Sox were doing the same. But you wouldn't know it. The Sox got virtually nothing at the trade deadline, failing to fill a noticeable void in the bullpen or bring a guy to alleviate outfield injury woes.

Albert Haynesworth - Ha. This story has gone from bad to worse to near-hilarious. Haynesworth gained a reputation as the highest paid spoiled brat in football after turning on the Redskins. Now, Mike Shanahan is set out to embarrass him. The big DT has failed an overly harsh conditioning test twice and then fell victim to a knee injury. I can't decide how I want this story to end, but for now the disaster continues.