Ryan Parker puts out another great Bengals' song...

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The rich get richer. On Friday night the Philadelphia Phillies acquired the top remaining bat on the trade market, landing outfielder Hunter Pence in multi-player deal.

Already boasting one of the best starting rotations in the history of baseball, the Phillies are now the clear favorites to win the National League and the likely frontrunners to win this year’s World Series.

For Pence he’s going from the worst team in baseball to the best. He gained 31.5 games in the standings over night.

He should provide immediate relief for an offense that has struggled. Entering Friday, Pence was hitting 72 points higher and slugging 74 points higher than Phillies right fielders. He also hits from the right side of the plate and the Phillies as a team have struggled against lefties this season.

MORE TRADE NEWS (MLBTradeRumors.com)

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Yahoo Sports! looks at the best five MLB Trade Deadline Deals of all-time:

1. Detroit Tigers Trade John Smoltz to the Atlanta Braves for Doyle Alexander: 1987
The reason is the best trade deadline deal ever is because it truly helped both teams. Most pundits criticize this trade deadline move they feel it benefited the Braves more than the Tigers. While that may be true, many people do not realize that Alexander gave the Tigers exactly what they wanted in the trade. With Detroit, Doyle Alexander compiled a perfect 9-0 record and a miniscule 1.53 ERA in helping the Tigers win the AL East. Of course, Smoltz's career speaks for itself. In 20 seasons with Atlanta, John Smoltz was 210-147 and racked up 154 saves. But a great trade helps both teams, which is why this is the best trade deadline deal ever.

COMPLETE LIST (Yahoo.com)

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The Bengals traded disgruntled wide receiver Chad Ochocinco to the New England Patriots on Thursday for a pair of late round picks over the next couple of seasons.

His departure came with mixed reviews in the Queen City, but like him or hate him, you cannot argue with the fact that he definitely left his mark on the franchise and its fan base.

Check out some of these numbers:
--Team’s all-time leader in receptions (751), receiving yards (10,783) and ReTD (66)
--Six Pro Bowl appearances
--5 straight seasons of 87+ receptions (2003-07)
--Broke the 1000-yard receiving mark in 7 of 10 seasons with team
--Seventh most receptions of any active player

More than his numbers though, Chad's mark was left with his mouth and his infamous touchdown celebrations...

COMPLETE STATS (Pro-Football-Reference.com)

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The Tennessee Titans have turned the page on Vince Young officially this offseason by drafting Jake Locker in the first round of the draft and signing veteran Matt Hasselbeck in free agency this week. The signing of the former Seahawk will leave its fair share of fantasy ripples:

MATT HASSELBECK – At 35 he’s far from his prime, but Hasselbeck could still prove to be a nice fantasy backup in nearly any format. With a pass-catching playmaker like Chris Johnson in the backfield he could rack up a ton of fantasy points on 2-yard screen passes. He’s still not a top 15 option, but don’t be afraid to fire a late-round pick on Tennessee’s new starter.

CHRIS JOHNSON – Aside from the talks of a potential holdout, Johnson gets the biggest boost in the move. Towards the end of last season Johnson struggled to find the open running lanes that make him such a dangerous weapon as the Titans’ passing game was a non-factor. Hasselbeck will keep defenses more honest and allow CJ200K. Already a top three pick in any format, Johnson can once again be considered a potential No. 1 overall pick.

KENNY BRITT – Despite an off-the-field issues fantasy owners have to view Britt’s stock on the rise. Entering the highly-touted third year for a receiver, Britt should build on his 9 TD’s in 12 games from last season if he can stay on the field.

JARED COOK – Tight end is as deep as ever in fantasy football this season, but count on Cook as being one my deep sleepers. He came on late last season and gets a boot with a proven quarterback under center.

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from official press release...

Cincinnati Reds President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Walt Jocketty today announced the acquisition of minor league LHP Chris Manno and OF Bill Rhinehart from the Washington Nationals in exchange for OF Jonny Gomes and cash considerations.

1B/OF Yonder Alonso (#23) was recalled from Class AAA Louisville to replace Gomes on the Reds' roster. He will be in uniform for tonight's game against the New York Mets at Great American Ball Park.

Gomes, 30, this season for the Reds hit .211 with 11 HR and 31 RBI in 77 appearances and 59 starts.

Alonso, 24, this season is an International League All-Star at Louisville and hit .296 with 24 doubles, 4 triples, 12 HR, 56 RBI and 6 stolen bases in 91 games. He made 21 appearances for the Bats at first base and 62 appearances in the outfield.

In each of the last 2 years, Alonso played for the World Team in Major League Baseball's prestigious XM All-Star Futures Game and this season was rated by Baseball America as the 73rd-best prospect in all of baseball. He made his Major League debut last season with 22 appearances and 3 starts for the Reds.

Manno, 22, went 1-3 with a 1.04 ERA and 12 saves in 13 opportunities at Class A Hagerstown (43.1ip, 20h, 15bb, 69k, 1hr, .135 opponents' BA). He was selected by the Nationals out of Duke University in the 26th round of last year's June first-year player draft.

Rhinehart, 26, has spent the 2011 season at Class AA Harrisburg, where in 89 appearances he hit .283 with 21 HR and 59 RBI in 89 games. He was selected by Washington in the 11th round of the June 2007 first-year player draft and was a minor league All-Star that season and again in 2008.

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In over two decades of running the franchise, Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown has displayed many acts of ignorance and stubbornness. His refusal to trade quarterback Carson Palmer, who is opting to retire than ever playing for the team again, is perhaps his worst mistake yet.

In a an interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer's Joe Reedy on Tuesday Brown insisted to stay the course and said he felt Palmer was a 'good person'.

“I’m not expecting [Carson Palmer] to be back. Carson signed a contract, he made a commitment,” he said. “He gave us his word. We relied on his word and his commitment. We expected him to perform here. If he is going to walk away from his commitment we aren’t going to reward him for doing it,”

Palmer is opting out of over $40 million of guaranteed money to play for Cincinnati and choosing to sit on his couch. The market is definitely there for a quarterback with as many as 10 teams needing a veteran starting option. Worse-case scenario Palmer gets you a 3rd Round Pick in 2012. It is better than nothing and the rest of the locker room can turn the page.

Though Palmer could force the issue, this sitatuion doesn't appear to be getting resolved anytime soon.

MY TAKE: The only reason Brown insists that he needs to stand up to Palmer and set a precedent is because he’s afraid it will open a door for a flood of other players wanting to flee the poorly-run organization.  Rather than proving a point, Brown needs to exert that energy and effort into fixing the reason Palmer wants to leave in the first place.  The organization is a joke and despite losing more games than its won in 19 of the last 21 seasons Brown still doesn’t realize that he is the problem. For the record, Palmer is a shell of his formerself and even if he didn't make the first move, it was already time for the team to begin thinking about the future under center.

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Here's a look at the strength of schedule for the upcoming NFL season (based on opponents' 2010 record)...

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Actress Zoe Saldana is the perfect remedy to heat up a winter day...

MORE PICS (AskMen.com)

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Despite the lockout, I still give a take at initially ranking the Class of 2011…

1. Andy Dalton (CIN) –Dalton will get a chance sooner rather than later with Carson Palmer likely done as a Bengal,. He’ll have plenty of weapons to throw to and has a good enough arm and field smarts to keep defenses honest. If Cedric Benson returns as expected in Cincinnati’s backfield it will help take pressure off of Dalton early on.

2. Christian Ponder (MIN) – With the Brett Favre and Tavaris Jackson-eras over in Minnesota the Vikings surprised many by grabbing Ponder with the 12th overall pick. Obviously Leslie Frazier and his staff covet him and though I don’t think he was the 12th best player in the draft I think he’s good enough to take advantage of his opportunity.

3. Cam Newton (CAR) – While the upside is there with Newton’s size, arm and athletic ability, he’s just too raw to guarantee early success in the NFL. It is unclear how soon Newton will see the field in Carolina, but the team will have plenty of money invested. Long-term he could be a factor, but it could be slim pickings in 2011.

4. Blaine Gabbert (JCK) – By grabbing Gabbert in the top 10 picks, the Jaguars officially put a number of incumbent starter David Garrard’s days in Jacksonville. Still the exodus may not come quickly enough to give Gabbert much value in the season a head. Not a bad stash in dynasty formats though.

5. Colin Kaepernick (SF) – Another dynasty stash, Kaepernick has the potential to be the best option on this list when it’s all said and done. Jim Harbaugh is known for maturing young quarterbacks and the new 49ers’ coach is crazy for Kaepernick. Temper you expectations for this season though until we see how the depth chart pans out in San Fran.

6. Jake Locker (TEN) – I’m not a big fan of Locker, but he’s still an upgrade over Vince Young. The Titans’ passing offense lacks elite weapons and that won’t help his chances in the near future. He has a clearer path than a couple of names ranked higher here, but lacks the upside.

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