Niemi became a UFA just a couple of weeks ago after the Chicago Blackhawks walked away from his arbitration award due to their lack of cap space.

Niemi proved he was a legitimate NHL starter last season as he had 7 shutouts and won 26 games in just 39 starts during the regular season.

In the playoffs you could say Niemi was even better as he posted a record of 16-6 and made a fair share of big time saves in clutch situations.

In San Jose Niemi will likely get the majority of the starts but will not start as many games as a Ryan Miller or Henrik Lundqvist as the Sharks are quite content with Antero Niittymaki.

The deal between Niemi and the Sharks is expected to be a one-year deal worth approximately two million dollars.

If you have any questions or comments about anything (news, rumors, etc...), feel free to email me at NHLToddCordell@Gmail.com anytime, thanks.

This article can also be found at MTRMedia.com and Sportshaze.com

Follow me on twitter for the latest news and rumors @ToddNHL

Read more San Jose Sharks news on BleacherReport.com

Antonio Gates will likely lead the Chargers in targets, but Floyd will be counted on to use his big frame (6’5″, 225 lbs) similar to the way Vincent Jackson did.

Floyd showed big play potential last year catching 45 passes for 776 yards (17.2 yards per catch). His career ypc is 16.5. He’ll have to improve on his one TD though. However, with Vincent Jackson (6’5″, 230) out of the mix, Floyd will be more likely to get them. Legedu Naanee (6/2″, 220) just doesn’t have the size Floyd does.

Assuming V-Jax doesn’t play for the Chargers Floyd could be a steal in fantasy drafts. His current Mock Draft Central ADP is 69th (25th WR). It’s a little bit of a risk going with a somewhat unknown commodity, but sometimes you need to take risks to win. In all likelihood you can get the number one WR on a pass-first team as a WR3. What’s not to like about that scenario?

What are your thoughts on Malcom Floyd? Would you want him as your WR3?



Also check out:

- 2010 Top 30 Fantasy QB Rankings
- 2010 Top 50 Fantasy RB Rankings
- 2010 Top 60 Fantasy WR Rankings
- 2010 Top 25 Fantasy TE Rankings
- 2010 Top 25 Fantasy Team Defense Rankings
- 2010 Top 25 Fantasy IDP Rankings
- 2010 Top 15 Fantasy K Rankings

Read more San Diego Chargers news on BleacherReport.com

According to the team's website, Los Angeles isn't expected to call up any top prospects for the remainder of the season, however they will recall catcher A.J. Ellis and one unnamed infielder on Friday. The Dodgers may also opt to call in one arm for the bullpen at some juncture, but they plan to leave the normal starting rotation intact down the final stretch of the season.

"At this point it doesn't look like we're going to bring up a starter," manager Joe Torre said on Wednesday.

If not offered arbitration by the Dodgers this winter, Vicente Padilla, Hiroki Kuroda, and Ted Lilly, all members of the current rotation, may be lost to free agency.

With ownership of the team in question, it's difficult to speculate the budget parameters for 2011. And with the possibility of this year's rotation being dismantled, now would be the perfect time to see if John Ely really has what it takes to pitch in the bigs, or if Charlie Haeger has finally rediscovered his knuckle ball.

The Dodgers infield could also use a taste of youth for the sake of looking toward the future. The current infield of James Loney (26-years-old), Ryan Theriot (31), Jamey Carroll (36), Casey Blake (37), and Rod Barajas (35) isn't getting any younger, yet there are several players on the Dodgers' farm who seem to be ready to make an immediate impact. 

Russ Mitchell, who was the Albuquerque Isotopes' (Triple-A) 2010 Player of the Year, is having the most productive campaign of his career. In 122 games this season, Mitchell has a .322 average, 23 home runs, 86 RBI, 37 doubles, and 95 runs scored. At only 25 years of age Mitchell's primary spot is third base, but he also has the ability to cover at second base and first base if needed.

Shortstop Chin-lung Hu, second baseman Ivan De Jesus, and first baseman John Lindsey round out the list of infielders on the Isotopes' squad who may be key contributors to the Dodgers in the future.

Shortstop Dee Gordon and first baseman Jerry Sands, both members of the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts, could possibly benefit from a few games of Major League service as well.

In the outfield, Albuquerque's Xavier Paul and Jamie Hoffmann are very much Major League ready, and Chattanooga center fielder Trayvon Robinson is easily the most gifted pure athlete in the Dodgers' entire farm system.

Seemingly the most troubling dilemma for Los Angeles in calling up any of these players is meeting the salary requirements. Depending on when the player is activated, each player's salary is calculated at the League minimum, but it's also prorated based on the number of games while actually on the Dodgers' roster.

With the budget cuts in regards to payroll, a very expensive 2010 draft, and the questionable money managing of owner Frank McCourt, it's difficult to imagine there's much left to spend on player development for the remainder of the season. 

Most of the players named above will play for the Phoenix Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League in October, yet there's no comparable or more beneficial experience comparable to Major League service.

Coincidentally, the Desert Dogs will be managed by current Dodgers batting coach Don Mattingly.

Nevertheless, considering the number of players that seem able to perform at the big league level, the Dodgers may be shooting themselves in the foot by not providing these future stars the opportunities to develop their skills.

Depending on what transpires in the courtroom over the next month between owner Frank McCourt and his wife, Jamie, the top names in the farm system may be a large part of the roster in 2011.

Read more Los Angeles Dodgers news on BleacherReport.com

I've been in a similar situation as a high school coach, but not with the same ramifications. The players I cut were not trying to feed their family with a job in football, and they were merely relegated to the junior varsity. They still had a chance to play and compete.

The stakes are much higher in this case, and I do not envy Cable one, little bit.

Several Raiders have already been cut. Fullback Chane Moline, wide receiver Paul Hubbard, offensive guard Allen Smith, and tight ends Tony Stewart and Eric Butler were all released earlier this week. However, this will not be the end of roster cuts.

There will be more. Many more—21 more to be precise.

Following the most recent cuts, there are currently 74 players listed on the Raiders' official website. The league requires that every team have only 53 players on the active roster when the regular season starts.

Some of the released players will be picked up by other teams, some will be signed to the eight man practice squad, and some will be out of work altogether.

Let's begin with some preliminaries...

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• The Giants' starting pitching is back to doing what it does best: win games. The Giants' starters have had four consecutive quality starts, giving up just 6 ER in 28.1 IP (ERA: 1.92); Tomorrow Barry Zito will try to continue the quality start streak. 
• Freddy Sanchez refuses to cool down: he was 2 for 4, and is now riding a nine game hit streak. During that span, he's 20 for his last 36 (.555 average). 

Tomorrow: Giants get to rest. And maybe enjoy a Phillies loss (Joe Blanton pitching at Coors Field).

Read more San Francisco Giants news on BleacherReport.com

The Giants dipped all the way down to Double-A Richmond to recall 24 year-old outfielder Darren Ford when rosters expanded Wednesday. Ford only batted .256 with a .680 OPS for the Flying Squirrels, but he stole 37 bases and the club remembered his sparkling effort in spring training.

(For an explanation of OPS visit: http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/4-18-2001-3026.asp)

General manager Brian Sabean OK'd the call to a kid without a single day of big league experience, then field manager Bruce Bochy utilized Ford's wheels the minute the kid showed up in the dugout.

Sabean thought outside the box. Bochy did the same, and most importantly, put a completely unproven kid in a pressure spot. (Bochy doesn't typicall use young players, remember?)

With the game tied 1-1 in the eighth, Mike Fontenot drew a walk. Fontenot runs fine. Ford, however, might be one of the fastest guys on any big league roster. Ford ran for Fontenot and broke for second, and was standing on the bag, when Colorado's Ubaldo Jimenez fielded Tim Lincecum's quite average sacrifice bunt.

Bochy wouldn't bunt-and-run with many Giants, but he was confident that Ford could steal the bag if LIncecum failed and bunted through the ball.

Guys who run like Ford are bold and, boy, can they read pitches in the dirt.

With Andres Torres at bat, Jimenez threw a pitch that bounced six or eight feet to the left of catcher Miguel Olivo and Ford was off for third as soon as he saw the pitch headed for the dirt. Then, he was streaking to the plate when he saw Olivo's desperate throw to third base sail into left field.

It's hard to imagine many Giants who'd have even broken for third on that pitch. Torres, sure, and maybe Nate Schierholtz. but neither would've reached third as quickly as Ford did.

Giants 2, Rockies 1. And, the Giants are three games behind the struggling San Diego Padres in the West and just one and a half games back of the Philadelphia Phillies in the wild-card race.

How stunning was the move to call up Ford, then watch him steal a victory? Well, it overshadowed a sterling, 8-inning outing by Tim Lincecum.

While Giants fans and the media were trying to figure out how Lincecum had slumped so terribly, he quietly struck out nine, walked one and yielded just five hits against a strong Rockies lineup. Only streaking Carlos Gonzalez hit a home run off him to account for the only Colorado run.

Lincecum might be back in the groove, but the story in Wednesday's game was Darren Ford and the fact that the generally conservative, by-the-book Giants used his incredible speed in a way they've never used a player like him before.

Sabean's worst critics must give him credit for going along with recalling Ford when, really, most expected his infusion of speed to be the recall of Eugenio Velez. Even those who want Bochy to be fired have to admit  he called on an utterly unproven speed-burner to bunt-and-run and is celebrating a victory as a result.

Sabean and Bochy just did something that makes incredibly good sense, though, and that's what they are supposed to do.

Ford spent all day in the air and in airports, arrived in the middle of the game—and delivered the victory.

Let's not forget Lincecum either. If he pitches like that down the stretch, Ford might have more opportunities to steal wins with his wheels.

Ted Sillanpaa is a Northern California sports writer and columnist. Reach Ted at tsillanpaa1956@gmail.com

Read more San Francisco Giants news on BleacherReport.com

After Niemi was awarded $2.75 million in arbitration, the Blackhawks released him and signed former Dallas Star Marty Turco for $1.3 million. It's interesting that San Jose showed interest in signing Niemi because they had already committed $2 million dollars  to Antero Niittymaki on the first day of free agency.

There are many misperceptions about Niemi, with the biggest being that he is a “proven” winner. He may have a ring on his finger, but he is still far from proven. He started last year as a clear back-up (and a rookie at that) to Cristobal Huet, a multi-million dollar starter who was thought to be THE guy in goal in Chicago. Huet’s continued struggles were the only reason Niemi saw significant playing time as the season progressed.

He may have played admirably in the playoffs and helped the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup, but he was not a Vezina, Conn Smythe, or even Calder Trophy winner. He played in only 61 games combined between the regular season and playoffs, and while he was solid in save percentage and goals against, both categories were similar to the numbers posted by Evgeni Nabokov.

Furthermore, Niemi had better defensive support. Brian Campbell, Duncan Keith, Brent Sopel, Niklas Hjalmarsson, and company are a much stronger group from top to bottom than the pairings the Sharks were able to field, even before they lost Rob Blake. Niemi has shown nothing to prove he can repeat his 2010 magic, especially if he has to play behind a depleted-by-comparison defense.

The signing also potentially creates a major financial obligation in net, negating the benefit of allowing Nabokov and his $6 million-plus contract to walk, and limiting the Sharks’ options for bolstering the previously-mentioned defensive unit.

Unless Sharks general manager Doug Wilson knows something few others do, and Niittymaki has some trade value carrying a $4 million contract, this signing could put the Sharks in a major bind. The urgency with which Wilson pursued Niittymaki could suggest there was other interest, but the consensus overage in salary for the to-date mediocre NHL goaltender would feasibly drastically limit his trade value.

Trading or releasing Thomas Griess would do nothing to alleviate the salary cap hit, so the only other scenario that could make sense would be a sign-and-trade.

Could Doug Wilson have inside information that another team is willing to deal a top-flight defenseman for Niemi in the $2 million range? It is a possibility that such a team might not pursue Niemi directly due to the lack of cap room, but could be amenable to acquiring him through a sign-and-trade.

How large a possibility is anyone’s guess.

If these rumors prove to be true and the Sharks retain Niittymaki and Niemi, they could find themselves in hot water. Time will tell how this plays out.

Keep the Faith!

Read more San Jose Sharks news on BleacherReport.com

I've reached a stage this baseball season where I could care less about the Dodgers.

Its not the players.

Its not even the coaching staff.

The once proud franchise of the Los Angeles Dodgers has been ruined by the ownership of the McCourt family in their dragged-out divorce.

The team's potential to compete as a contender has been reduced to nothing.

Its not even the fact that they have a horrible record, because they don't. Its the fact that with the necessary acquisitions of an ace pitcher, a reliever, and another big bat in the lineup, this team had the talent to win another division and make a serious run in the playoffs.

Instead, they are six and a half games and falling in the Wild Card race and things are only getting worse.

This is a team that had a real chance to contend for a World Series with a young core of Clayton Kershaw, Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, and James Loney. All they had to do in the offseason was part with Billingsley and some prospect by trading for Roy Halladay or Cliff Lee (who were being dangled the entire offseason by their respective teams) and get that Number One Ace for the pitching staff.

What did they do instead? They offered minor league contracts to washouts Russ Ortiz, Ramon Ortiz, who did completely nothing. (Shocker I know)

They spend a little less than $2 million on old bench players in the entire offseason, and raise the ticket prices!

The opportunities were there to attain an ace, and because of the "need" to pay for lawyers for the divorce between Jamie and Frank, this was never accomplished.

I'll always look back on the 2010 season for the Dodgers and refer to it as "The Lost Season." It was a year when they could have accomplished something big and exciting but never did.

So I challenge you to ask yourself. Do you even care about the Dodgers anymore?

I don't.

Get back to me when the name McCourt is no longer associated with the Dodgers organization.

Read more Los Angeles Dodgers news on BleacherReport.com

“We’ve given up way too many early goals this year,” Galaxy midfielder Chris Klein said after Saturday’s 2-0 loss to the Kansas City Wizards. “What that does to us is it ends up making us chase the game and allowing teams to sit in and counter against us.”

Los Angeles is 0-5-1 when they allow the first goal this season. All of the six first-half goals allowed this season came in the first 20 minutes of each game.

Galaxy defender Todd Dunivant gave a concise explanation regarding the goals given up early.

“A lot of it’s coming from the midfield, we’re up and they’re breaking on us and it’s some freak play in behind,” Dunivant said. “It’s not like [opponents] are getting in behind and breaking us down so we need to adjust to that. It is the common theme.”

For Klein, Los Angeles's nasty habit of chasing the game is simply unacceptable.

“It’s more indicative of our style of play and when we go down early and we have to chase the game and chase the game and chase the game, it allows teams to sit in and be tight against us,” Klein said on Saturday. “Usually teams have to come out and spread themselves out and that’s when we can catch them.

"When you give up that early goal you’re not able to do that.”

Midfielder Landon Donovan was quick to note that the difficulty for teams to come from behind after getting scored on early was a common theme in Major League Soccer.

“In this league, it’s hard to chase any game because we don’t have enough talented players,” Donovan said. “There aren’t enough talented players around the league to do the things to make plays when the other team has 10 guys behind the ball.

"When you see Chelsea or Man U or Arsenal or Barcelona play, they have enough quality players where they can play against 10 guys behind the ball and still create really good chances. That’s always going to be hard for us. We need to get back to the things we’re good at and if we do that, we’ll win.”

Los Angeles is 13-0-0 when they score first. They will look to make it 14-0-0 when they take on the Fire.

Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. PT and will be televised by Fox Sports Prime Ticket and TeleFutura.

INS & OUTS

Solving the complacency dilemma:

“I wish there was a simple answer,” Donovan said during training this week regarding Los Angeles's complacency issues. “If there was, we’d have figured it out. We’re doing our best to get back to basic things again.”

After a 11-1-3 start, LA's skid has hit a decrepit 2-4-1, with consecutive defeats for the first time in what has been a forgettable couple of months.

“We have to figure out who we are and what we’re all about and if we can do that we’ll have a chance,” Dunivant said. “If not, and we continue getting through these games like this, we’re not going to win the championship—and that’s obviously our goal this year.

“We haven’t responded well enough," he said. "I think that’s something we did very well last year, coming back. Especially in a lot of the early results, we were coming back and getting draws, fighting and scrapping. Our mentality has to change a little bit. We have to be more of a scrappy team. We have to be more of blue-collar team.

“Maybe we’ve listened to too much of the hype about being in first place and gotten a little complacent and thought maybe we could change our style of play or whatever. All that feeds into your mentality and you’re seeing the results and it’s not good.”

Donovan knows this all too well.

“There’s a natural tendency in sports when you get a big lead to take your foot off the gas a bit,” Donovan added. “We’re certainly at fault for that. But now, we’re right in the thick of it.

"Now, that doesn’t mean we’re not going to be in the playoffs, it doesn’t mean that we’re still not going to have a good year, but if we’re going to be as good as we can be, we need to be a lot better.”

And if it starts with the first match in September, more power to both Donovan and Dunivant. So the story goes.

Read more Los Angeles Galaxy news on BleacherReport.com

The 2010-11 Miami Heat, for example, are either destined to fulfill all the promise of their talented roster and ride their big three to playoff greatness, or be relegated as one of the most over-hyped and disappointing teams ever assembled.

There really is no middle ground in Miami.

Let's face it: We've all seen teams who failed to meet expectations. The Vegas Odds picked them as the favorites, their fans had stocked up on season tickets and league passes so as not to miss a single game and every Sportscenter analyst was glowing about how far ahead of the pack they were.

But the team comes out, faces a team that doesn't believe the hype and that favorite is sent crashing back down to earth with a decisive thud, deemed by NBA historians in the year's that follow as an also-ran.

These are the clubs whose hype never quite matched their games.

Here are the most disappointing NBA teams of all time.

Miami Heat, you all may want to take notes.

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