If Derek Jeter was indeed using HGH...

By: Joseph Landini

Yankees longtime captain Derek Jeter has been having one of the best years of his career in 2012. Sporting a .324 average with 13 HR and 43 RBIs in his 17th season, Jeter is leading the Yankees to another postseason. At the age of 38 though, a question has arisen whether or not Jeter is clean.

On August 22nd on ESPN2's program First Take, analyst Skip Bayless questioned Jeter's cleanliness by saying, "I would have to be sight and hearing impaired not to at least wonder, because there is no HGH (human growth hormone) test in the sport of baseball. How could I not wonder is he using something." Since these comments it has come into question whether or not baseball's golden boy is indeed all pure. It also makes you wonder what if Bayless' comments were true.

First and foremost, what would it mean to the New York Yankees as an organization if Jeter was doping? Jeter already is a Yankee great, and basically has a spot ready for him in the pinstripes legendary Monument Park. He has never played a game in any other Major League uniform, and is at the top of most Yankee offensive categories all time. In the most decorated franchise in baseball, with 27 World Series championships, the Yankees biggest tragedy ever would boil down to Jeter cheating. New York has had players test positive before, such as Alex Rodriguez, but no Yankee has been loved as much as Jeter.

For the game of baseball, a positive test for Jeter does two major things. Ruin the image of the game for certain and question it's future as a whole. Without a shadow of a doubt Derek Jeter is an ultimate icon in baseball because of his image. Jeter is a solid star on the field, and the ultimate citizen off. He is never in the news for anything bad off the field, which makes him so valuable to the sport. The image of baseball, which has been tarnished already by players such as Rodriguez, Sosa, McGwire, and Clemens, could be thrown over the edge if the acqusation is true.

The future of the game could also be thrown into flux, if it is proven that Jeter was using HGH. With no tests in place for HGH, only one could assume something could be done regarding this. A new war could be started between the owners and players could be started over this , which could eventutally throw the league into a lockout phase, just like the NBA, NFL, and soon to be NHL. The image and future of America's game would be in heavy jeapordy.

For all the sports world knows, Skip Bayless may be just throwing another wrench for no reason at all but to bring attention to himself. Bayless has been known to go after sports stars like Chad Johnson (Ochocinco), Terrell Suggs, and Lebron James. Despite success of players, Bayless has always been the analyst who will never give credit where it is due, unless of course it is to one of his "favorites." This could easily be a media ploy for more ratings and more attention to go Bayless' way.

In the past twenty years the game has not seen a player play with more intensity, quality, and hustle. Derek Jeter is an icon on and off the field and a player that children have been taught to grow up to be like. My personal feeling is that Derek Jeter is as clean as they come, but if not the game of baseball will be in its biggest trouble yet.

A Closer Look At The NFL Referee's Lockout

An official or referee for any one of the major sports may be one of the most difficult positions in the working world. The amount of chaos and detail they need to analyze in a split second often calls for second guessing, or anger from the given stadium or park that they are working in. Ask Jim Joyce about how difficult it is to make even the simplest out call in a game when the pressure on the field is so high you can cut it with a proverbial knife. For those of you who do not know Jim Joyce blew a very easy out call at first base for the final out of what would have been a perfect game. So how do these men and women not get the same respect as the players when it comes to lock out negotiations?

Officiate: To perform the duties and functions of an office or a position of authority. Certainly reads like a full time job when looked up on Webster’s Dictionary.com, so why is it that these officials in the NFL are treated as a part time employee? Would you consider Tom Brady, Mark Sanchez and Michael Vick part time employees? They participate in their field the same amount of time as officials yet the players are held to higher standard and regard than the officials. Now before we jump off the deep end and start making those comparisons with pay and benefits lets just keep in mind they perform in the same amount of games.

Like in every lock out both sides, the officials and the league, want to feel like their coming out the “winners” what they fight for in the long term they seem to forget in the short term, the impact this is having on the football being played right now in August. I was in attendance Monday night for the Patriots-Eagles game and witnessed 10 first half penalties against just the Eagles alone, and this was a team playing their entire first-string talent. This is mostly alarming because the Eagles as a team averaged just over six penalties a game last year and had three roughing the passer penalties alone on Monday. That is not the only situation that has raised eyebrows with these “replacement refs” several of them have been quick to call the wrong penalty or mark off the wrong amount of yardage for the penalty this pre season.

So lets get down to it, what do the officials want and what would the league like to see? Officials are on record as saying that they would like to collect a full pension at the end of their career and would like to be treated as a full time employee of the National Football League. The league on the other hand would like to add more full time referees to dilute the commitment of their current referees and minimize them to remaining part time employees.

So what exactly is the difference and how much would it cost to close the gap between the two and get Ed Hocculi and his fellow professionals back on the field for Week One? It has been speculated by Sports Illustrated writer Peter King that it could cost as little as $60,000 more per team to make sure that these referees are taken care of and the demands can at least be met to some degree. This would allow the current referees to maintain full time status and give them a bump in their current pension plans. Other things that could bring the two closer to an agreement is to make the current professionals full time, while also adding some additional part time referees. This would allow the current refs to collect a full pension, feel like they have one while also keeping their workload down, which is what the league ultimately wants given the fact that referees are paid on a union mandated per game pay schedule (which makes playoff games and super bowls a true compliment to their individual craft).

At the end of the day there is no reason these two sides cant come to an agreement that will allow both sides to come away winners, if the owners are really not willing to concede that money to make sure the level of play is up to par then they can not be considered someone who has the interest of the league at heart. Things like having just one professional referee on the field and making calls from a TV booth high above the stadium is not something that will make their fan base happy. These replacement referees are drawing attention to themselves in each and every game, going above and beyond the level of human error that is to be expected in today’s game. While we have become accustom to some level of human error in the sports world, lets make sure it’s the human error on the field were concerned about come week one, and not the human error in the Owners Box.

Vick hurt again, can Eagles survive?

By: Joseph Landini

After two preseason games the Philadelphia Eagles already have to worry about their $100 million dollar injury prone Quarterback Michael Vick.

In week one of the preseason, Vick had to leave after hitting his hand on his own center's helmet following through on a pass. X-Rays were negative, he was able to practice and be ready for a Monday night preseason showdown with the Patriots. On Monday night, Vick was back in action for the Eagles continuing to prep for what seems to be a promising season. The Eagles organization and fans had to gasp for air again though, when Patriot Jermaine Cunningham made a hard hit on Vick, and left him laying on the ground. Vick once again left the game, leaving the Eagles with uncertainty.

Ever since last off-season, the Eagles have been the main hype of the NFL, with their speedy talent and flashy play. Unfortunately, that was all it was last year in an 8-8 no playoff year, hype. Many analyst and experts have the Eagles slated to once again go deep into the playoffs, but that will only happen if their main attraction under center is healthy. Plain and simple, the Eagles will live and die on the legs and left arm of Michael Vick.

Last season the Eagles started off slow and struggled with consistency the entire year. Vick dealt with injuries, which seemed to come almost every week. In Week 2 against the Falcons last season, Vick suffered a helmet to helmet blow and had to sit the rest of the game with a concussion. He followed up in Week 3 against the Giants by getting hit to the ground again, this time suffering a hand injury. He did not finish that game either. A few weeks later against the Redskins, Vick suffered another helmet to helmet. Despite coming up wobbly and missing a few plays, Vick finished the game this time. Week 10 against the Cardinals was not necessarily ideal, as Vick broke two ribs on the second play of the game. Despite the injury, Vick fought through to finish this contest as well.

With Vick coming on and off the field so constantly last season, inconsistency from the Eagles was bound to occur. The other trouble on the team, Desean Jackson, was directly affected by Vick's constant injury play. Jackson was vocally upset about the team, the organization, and his contract. With Vick, a vertical passer, out of the lineup, Jackson's role was diminished for most the season. Days ago, Jackson came out and said that did not give it his all last season, which of course is a major red flag. After finally getting his contract (5 years, $51 million), the Eagles need Jackson to be explosive on the field, which will also lie on the left arm of Vick. If Vick is on the field, Jackson gets the ball and can use his speed. If Vick is hurt, Jackson will again be minimized, and may once again become vocally upset.

It has become apparent that the two issues with Vick's health is that he does not protect himself, and that his offensive line has not been able to keep the $100 million dollar investment safe. If Vick can be knowledgeable enough to save himself pain on plays, it may do wonders for the Eagles season. The offensive line will also have to block a lot better despite the speed Vick can bring in the scramble game. If Vick does get injured seriously, the lack of a back up battle tested Quarterback could easily end the Eagles chances at the playoffs. With Vince Young now backing up Ryan Fitzpatrick in Buffalo, Mike Kafka (4 career games) better be ready at any moment.

The Philadelphia Eagles have a lot of talent in their prime, with a lot of money invested in those players. A Super Bowl is absolutely in the cards for this team if they can stay on the field and put the talent together. The main trigger to this wheel though is Vick. If healthy and effective Vick is the most dangerous QB in the game and the Eagles will be bound for at least the post season. If not healthy though, the Eagles can expect another let down non playoff season.

Vick's scheduled to have an MRI and CT scan on his ribs today came back negative. The Eagles next preseason contest will be Friday (8/24) against the Cleveland Browns. Michael Vick may sit out the rest of the <strike><strike></strike></strike>preseason so he is ready for Week 1.

QuarterBack Competitions

One of the most exciting elements of preseason and training camp in the NFL is the quarterback competitions.  The most interesting story line this year is that of the Seattle Seahawks. It seemed that with the signing of Matt Flynn that he would be the clear cut starter but with Russell Wilson playing so well this pre season Flynn may have a run for his money. It only makes sense for the Seahawks to way out the options here; Flynn has only played in 2 NFL games. Though he did put up jaw dropping numbers it was only two games and from what we’ve seen from Wilson thus far shows there is definitely some competition there.            

Wilson has completed around 65% of his passes this season, shown an ability to throw the ball down field and has been great with his legs. The question is can he do it against first team NFL defenses? He did throw a terrible looking interception against the Titans in game 1 and it seems that him being undersized could lead to him getting hurt quite a bit. We’ve seen some flashes of really quality quarterback play out of Wilson but it is yet to be determined how long he can sustain that play.

Flynn in the preseason has yet to really impress, but we have to keep this in mind; he is with a new team and his sample size isn’t as large as Wilson because right now he is only playing a few drives a game. Overall I believe this will and should be Flynn’s job to lose. This off season the Seahawks signed Flynn to a three year 26 million dollar contract, 10 of which is guaranteed, even though he only played 2 games. He played very well in those games and one has to believe he has learned a thing or two from playing behind Aaron Rodgers for the past 4 years but that is a lot of money for unproven guy. The fact that the Seahawks invested that much money into Flynn is the reason that he is number one on the depth chart and will more likely be the week 1 starter.

Arizona and Jacksonville are two of the clearer cut competitions going on right now. With Kolb looking pretty bad thus far, seems that Skelton is coming up for that spot in Arizona. After a poor outing against Oakland, Kolb was called out by Raiders Defensive Tackle Tommy Kelley for looking scarred in the pocket and it is now Skelton taking the snaps with the first team offense. Neither has really been consistent for the Cards. Kolb his whole career has constantly been injured and last season when he was healthy he was not spectacular. He threw the ball fairly well completing 58% of his passes but with Kolb it is the turnovers. He had eight interceptions and seven lost fumbles in just nine games last season and in his career he has 22 Interceptions and 14 lost fumbles to just 20 touchdowns. Kolb’s injuries and turnover problems are what lost him his job in Philly and those may continue to haunt him as Skelton is creeping in on his job in Arizona.

Skelton did not throw the ball as well as Kolb did in 2011 but he did turn the ball over less. He played in 8 games last season and threw 11 touchdowns to 13 interceptions, but his mobility allowed him to evade sacks better and hang on to the ball with only 1 fumble. It is hard to say who the better choice is at this point because neither has played a full season. But with the time both have played neither has been great. The Cards traded for Kolb to be their started so anticipate that he will until otherwise stated.

Jacksonville is in a bit of a different situation they have the young QB of the future in Blaine Gabbert but he was god awful last season with a 65.4 QB rating and 15 total turnovers. First of all the Jags just threw Gabbert out there with his only weapon being Maurice Jones-Drew. They did help by drafting Justin Blackmon but it seems they took a step forward and 100 steps back now that MJD might be feeling to hold out the entire season. To top it all off the Jags signed former Dolphins QB Chad Henne. Henne is no superstar but he started for the Dolphins in a tough division and has had pretty solid career. He is another guy who tends to turn the ball over more than he should with 37 career interceptions to 31 career touchdowns.  Jacksonville will probably stick to their young guy to try and develop him better but don’t be surprised if you see Henne taking some snaps this season. Gabbert has the big frame and the big arm with some weapons around him he could develop but only time can tell.

The Dolphins are a team that is believed to have a three way competition going on but just yesterday they named rookie Ryan Tannenhill their starter. There was some speculation that Moore or David Garrard had been in the discussion, but Garrard has been out of football for a year and now has to get knee surgery after getting back surgery last year and Moore just seems like a better back up option as the Dolphins are clearly trying to go younger. Moore was a pretty solid guy for the phins last season though completing 60% of his passes with 16 touchdowns and only 9 interceptions. They did only have a 6-7 record with Moore under center and the win lose column is what Miami wants to change. Tannenhill is their Quarterback of the future and they are bringing the future now. Tannenhill has looked good this pre season, he has yet to turn the ball over and has led the Dolphins on three scoring drives.

The Tennessee Titans going into camp had a competition on their hands between 14 year vet Matt Hasselbeck and second year quarterback Jake Locker. That competition is over as the Titans released a press conference two days ago stating that Locker will in fact be the starter opening day against the New England Patriots.

This decision is good one for the Titans; Locker was very impressive in the 5 games he played for the Titans last season, two of which he started. He posted a QB rating of 99.4, completed over 50% of his passes, and has thrown 4 touchdowns without having recorded a turnover.  The Titans have decided to move on with their young players in this organization. If Chris Johnson can stay healthy and get back to his form of two years ago, Tennessee could have a playoff contending team.

For those of you reading this and asking what about the Jets?! Well sorry folks no Tebow vs Sanchez battle there. Sanchez is the starter for the Jets and as much as I love Tebow I don’t see that changing any time soon. There is no competition there just packages for Tebow to play in.

Most of these QB competitions are going to come down to the wire, to the last day of preseason for some. Looking forward to see how the contests play out.

Welcome Back

After a long hiatus things have settled down for the cast of High Heat Network, and we are going back to work to bring you intense sports debate and opinions. Things are going to run a little differently than before, we have done away with the day to day articles and have been brainstorming the best way to bring you the news and information at the highest quality you deserve.

The new format will be run a little more candidly with the contributors posting at a minimum of once a week allowing us to cover the main articles and topics out there in the sports world while also making sure that the quality of work is at its finest.

For those of you who were disappointed in our quality of work and hiatus we apologize and believe me we are disappointed to which is why we decided to take that break and come back stronger than ever. Our ultimate goal is to provide you the readers with a multifaceted sports network that will include in a steady mix of internet, radio, and social media. Over the next few weeks we will begin things slowly by opening back up with the blog that can be found here while also maintaining a Facebook page (link below) and Twitter that will be able to provide you with some of the headlines in today's sports world, we may not get to everything, so if there is something we miss or something you would like to hear our opinion on please don't hesitate to reach us here in the comment lines or through Facebook/Twitter.

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