CLEVELAND (AP) -LeBron James' decision to abandon Cleveland is drawing comparisons to Art Modell. But the man who moved the Browns to Baltimore in 1995 says the situations are different.
Modell tells Cleveland radio station WTAM that ``you can't equate the two.'' He also says he feels sympathy for the Cavaliers and owner Dan Gilbert, who will have to get by without their star.
In another interview, with The Morning Journal of Lorain in northern Ohio, the 85-year-old Modell said if there is a title of ``most hated man in Cleveland,'' he expects to hold on to it and not lose it to James. He says Cavaliers fans will carry on.
Modell says he wishes both Cleveland and James well.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Mavs lock up C Haywood
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Mavericks reportedly agreed to terms
with center Brendan Haywood on a multi-year contract.
According to multiple reports, the deal is worth $55 million over six years.
The 29-year-old started the 20
<< Clippers add Foye, Gomes
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Clippers have come to terms
on contracts with forward Ryan Gomes and guard Randy Foye.
The Los Angeles Times reports Foye's deal is for two years and more than $8
million. Gomes' deal is
<< Report: Heat clear more cap space, send Beasley to Minnesota
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat have apparently sent the No. 2
overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, Michael Beasley, to the Minnesota
Timberwolves for a 2011 second-round pick and a swap of future first-round
picks.
<< A-Rod's hit in ninth lifts Yankees over Mariners
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rodriguez plated Derek Jeter and Nick
Swisher with a seeing-eye single to right in the ninth inning, sending the
Yankees to a 3-1 victory over the Mariners.
David Aardsma (0-6) yielded a one-ou
<< Kershaw, Furcal carry Dodgers past Cubs
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Clayton Kershaw struck out a season-high 12
batters over eight innings and Rafael Furcal delivered three hits, including
the go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning, lifting the Los Angeles
Dodgers
Report: Yankees close to acquiring Lee >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees are reportedly close to
acquiring pitcher Cliff Lee from the Seattle Mariners.
According to the New York Post, the Yankees would send prized catching
prospect Jesus Montero to Se
Too Many NBA GM's Score Low Grades In FA Class >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - I'm wondering how many general managers did
their homework in preparation for the greatest free agent class in NBA history,
considering how many ludicrous contracts were given out. Apparently the inmates
are runn
Calling Canuck fans everywhere >>
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The word "frenzy" is often used to describe
the NHL's free agency period, but sitting here today on July 9th, the word
"flop" might be more appropriate in describing the excitement level amongst
hockey fans.
Coroner: Turpin died of self-inflicted gunshot >>
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -A coroner's report says former Kentucky basketball star Melvin Turpin died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.The report Friday gave no other information about the investigation, including whether Turpin left a suicide note. Faye
Bruins sign Stuart to one-year deal >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins have signed defenseman Mark
Stuart to a one-year contract.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
Stuart has spent his entire career with the Bruins, who made the Rochester,
Minnesota nat
FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million
Football Betting
In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.
And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.
Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.
So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.
Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)
The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.
As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.
The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.
In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.
Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.
And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.
So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.
There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.
So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.
And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.
There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)
Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.
Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.
So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.
NFL Betting Lines
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.