Have you noticed her last name is Mara? Yep, that’s right she’s part of the Mara family that owns the New York Football Giants. She’s the great-granddaughter of Giants founder Tim Mara. Wait though, I’m not done. Her mother is part of the Rooney family. So her great-grandfather on her mother’s side is Pittsburgh Steelers founder Art Rooney, Sr.

Here’s your sports links and then enjoy all the photos of this beauty.

Outside the Boxscore – Asian variety show contestant dresses up like Jeremy Lin (Video)
Ball Junkie – No Faith: Broncos Were Quietly Trying To Trade Tim Tebow Back In February
Camel Clutch Blog – WrestleMania XXVII – A Portrait in Wrestling History
Rant Sports – Video: Al Trautwig Reports Amare Stoudemire Is Out With Bulging Dick

Unathletic Mag – Cowboy Cheerleaders Model New Outfits for Dance
Complex Mag – John Grant, Jr. Scores What Could Be The Lacrosse Goal of the Year (Video)
Gunaxin – Batman Doesn’t Let Police Stop Him From Visiting Children in Hospital
No Guts, No Glory – Meanwhile in Brazil, police dogs are biting soccer players who argue with the referee

Black Sports Online – ESPN Reverses Course..Allows Employees To Speak on Trayvon Martin Tragedy
Guyism – 10 comic book superheroes who need their own movie
The Nosebleeds – The Bruins will star in a 1980s-themed sitcom entitled “The Bear & the Gang”
Sharapova’s Thigh – Video of the Marlins’ home run sculpture in action (WARNING: DO NOT WATCH ON SHROOMS)

The Miami Herald reports that the Marlins are already painting the apple green colored backdrop to the traditional black. They also report that various members of the team thinks the home run sculpture could distract hitters.

According to Marlins players, the psychedelic home run sculpture in deep left-center could pose a problem for some hitters, specifically left-handed batters facing right-hand pitchers with sidearm deliveries.

“If it is an issue, it can no longer be there,” warned Marlins utility player Greg Dobbs. “I won’t be the only left-handed hitter saying something. If other teams have a problem with it, they’re definitely going to voice their concern to the league.” (Miami Herald)

Others like catcher John Buck aren’t sure if the sculpture is a distraction but do think there’s the potential.

“It’s kind of my job to scope those things out,’’ Buck said. “It might be close. It might be all right. I don’t know. We’ll see. I think for left-handed batters it might be trouble.” (Miami Herald)

There shouldn’t be any surprise but Marlins officials are fighting the distraction label harder then they did for a new stadium. Team president David Samson told the Herald, “Major League Baseball officials gave the ballpark a thorough going-over Thursday to make sure it conformed to standards that include the batter’s ability to pick up a baseball as it leaves the pitcher’s hand.”

What’s even less of a surprise is pitchers think the backdrop and sculpture will help them out. One who is excited about the opportunities to pitch in front of it is Steve Cishek.

One Marlin who isn’t complaining is right-handed reliever Steve Cishek, who not only throws with a near sidearm delivery but also stands on the side of the rubber closest to third base.

He said he welcomes any advantage he can get. If his pitches look to left-handed hitters like they’re eggs popping out of one of the pink flamingos painted on the sculpture, he’s not going to protest.

“Fine with me,’’ Cishek said, “as long as the catcher can see it.” (Miami Herald)

Here’s a picture of the sculpture as well as a video of it in action. You tell me what you think, will this be a distraction?

Again what are your thoughts?

@Buster_ESPN: The Marlins could make an offer to Cespedes today. Meanwhile, the Orioles are assessing their level of interest.

Buster’s source is Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports – School of Roch. Kubatko is reporting that Fred Ferreira, the Orioles executive director of international scouting, will be taking a trip to the Dominican Republic within the next ten days to scout Cespedes. If he likes what he says one could presumably expect an offer to follow.

Ferreira will head to the Dominican Republic in about 10 days to watch Cespedes work out. This will be his first look at the 26-year-old Cuban defector since shortly after the Winter Meetings in December.

Ferreira has been reading reports provided by a few of his scouts during the Dominican Winter League. (MASN Sports – School of Roch)

Here’s my thoughts and get ready for a couple if statements. If the Marlins are unable to close the deal and if Ferreira likes what he sees then I think the Orioles have to pull the trigger here.

The only other free agent outfielder being mentioned with Baltimore right now is Manny Ramirez and one would have to assume Cespedes is the better option. Even if the guy winds up being a flop I’d rather give him a chance then someone who is going to have to sit out a third of the season.

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While in the Dominican, Ferreira is also going to take a look at another prospect, 19-year old Jorge Soler. He’s not going to cost the team who signs him much money at all as he’s far away from the big leagues. He’ll most likely have to start his career in Single-A so he’d be your normal pluck a kid from the Caribbean and hope he works out.

@Ken_Rosenthal: Sources: Saunders receiving one-year and multi-year offers. Three-year deal possible. #Tigers, #Marlins among logical fits. #MLB

Some will argue that Saunders doesn’t deserve a multi-year deal, me I’m not against it if it’s at the right price. Saunders actually stayed healthy for the entire 2011 season, throwing a career high 212 innings over 33 starts. His ERA of 3.69 was also the second lowest of his career.

His career ERA is slightly over four and he does tend to give up the long ball at a high rate. So if I were say the Tigers or Marlins I’d say it’s buyer beware. For a contender he’s not a bad choice to put in the middle to back end of your rotation, they just have to judge how much they want to risk in hopes of a repeat performance.

@Ken_Rosenthal: Source: #Twins also on Buehrle, joining #Nationals, #Marlins, #Rangers. Offer not as strong. Others believed 3 yrs in $36-39M range. #MLB

If Rosenthal’s information is correct then I’m a little surprised at the dollar value but they’re very fair offers. I expected more of a $14-15 million per salary, but $12-13 isn’t bad at all. Especially when you look at his age, 32 and the amount of innings he’s thrown.

My thinking is if all teams are within the same salary range then it will come down to what team gives him a better chance to win another championship by the time he retires. Does he go with the Rangers who’ve been to the last two World Series, a team that he’d actually be an ace for right now if they don’t re-sign C.J. Wilson.

Or does he go with the Marlins a team who is spending like madmen this winter as they get ready to move into their new stadium. They’ve already signed Heath Bell and Jose Reyes but said there’s still money left in the bank to upgrade the rotation.

Or does he join the Nationals who are a young up and coming team in a very competitive division. They might be the furthest away from championship contention but boy do they have a nice nucleus. Does Buehrle want to join a team that he may not really be able to win with till the end of that contract?

The Twins, I don’t think will play a part if their offer isn’t close to the other guys.

Should be interesting to see who he picks, he can’t go wrong either way.

@SI_JonHeyman: according to @enrique_rojas1, marlins offer to reyes is up to $111M for 6 yrs, me: very unlikely mets or brewers play at that level

Jon is pretty spot on in what he says here about the New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers unlikely to play at that level. It’s the exact reason why I think that a deal will be completed very shortly if this rumored increase is true, even with Reyes upcoming visit with the Brewers.

Reyes is scheduled to meet with Brewers general manager Doug Melvin but I don’t see the point. If the Brewers are unwilling to spend $120 million over six years to keep a bonafide slugger like Prince Fielder then why would they pay $111 over six for an injury prone shortstop?

When it comes to the Mets it’s just too damn money. Rumors have had them to be around $80 million over five years. With the Marlins looking like contenders in a new stadium I don’t see why Reyes would leave so much money on the table to stay in the New York. It would be just well umm stupid.

I’d expect a deal done by the end of the Winter Meetings.

Free agent left-hander Mark Buehrle toured the new Marlins ballpark Tuesday and caught up with an old friend, manager Ozzie Guillen, during a daylong visit with the team.

The Marlins are the first club to meet with Buehrle, who pitched for Guillen throughout the manager’s eight seasons with the Chicago White Sox. (Palm Beach Post)

While this was an official visit with another team I wouldn’t look into it too much, at least not yet. I think it was more of Buehrle going in and meeting with someone he feels comfortable with before heading out to see the big spenders. He’s sure to have visits with the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals and who knows who the hell else.

He’s one of the top three starters on the market and he’s going to have plenty of options. There is no way a deal gets done soon but it’s got to be encouraging for Marlins’ fans to see their team in consideration. I’m quite sure having his former manager, Ozzie helps.

Early projections are that Buehrle will look for a four year deal worth about $16 million annually. That’s a deal that makes sense considering the amount of innings he can eat and how he performs at a high level. It would also be a slight raise over his previous contract.

In the past a contract would scare the crap out of the Marlins but with them entering a new stadium they’ve got the money to burn. Are they serious contenders, I’m not sure but if they did add him they’d have a hell of a top two, with Josh Johnson and Mark.

Johnson’s weighed in with the Post and gave his thoughts, it’s safe to say he’s pretty excited at the possibilities.

“It would be great for the team as a whole. He’s a leader in the clubhouse and would really help out the rotation,’ Johnson said Tuesday in a text message. (Palm Beach Post)

he Marlins have interest in acquiring pitcher Carlos Zambrano – whom the Cubs want to trade – if Chicago picks up a large chunk of his $18 million salary for 2012 and doesn’t expect a lot in return. (Miami Herald)

We all know the Cubs will be actively shopping Zambrano this off season, they pretty much have to after how the 2011 season ended. If you forgot, Big Z spent the last four weeks of the season on the disqualified list due to another emotional outburst. After all that there’s just no way he’s on their 2012 roster.

The problem for the Cubs and every team in the league knows this is they have no leverage. Typically if a team takes on a large salary they don’t give any players worth a shit back. If they give decent players then the sending team will eat some salary.

Unfortunately for the Cubs, I don’t see any team willing to pay that salary or give a decent player back. So they’re pretty much going to have to eat some salary and take back marginal prospects at best. If they bend and decide to accept that fact you better believe the Marlins will jump into the Big Z sweepstakes.

According to Zambrano, he and Ozzie talk almost daily. They’re both natives of Venezuela and have obviously become close. If there is any manager that could handle Big Z’s temper it would be Guillen as he’s got a temper of his own. Do you think Carlos would be blow up at Ozzie like that? Eh, I’m not so sure, that would lead to an EPIC fight.

Carlos would be a huge addition to the Marlins rotation, if he were indeed traded. In 2011, he only went 9-7 with a 4.82 ERA but there were a lot of issues in play. Over the last four seasons his ERA is a solid 3.96 with a 43-26 record. Add him to a rotation with Josh Johnson, Anibal Sanchez, Javier Vazquez and Ricky Nolasco and you’ve got a solid rotation.

On top of that the Miami Herald reports the Marlins look to have a payroll between 80-90 million, that’s reminiscent of the years they won the title. What that says is there willing to add payroll and make a big splash in their new stadium. Apparently pitchers Mark Buehrle and CJ Wilson are also on their radar.

It will be interesting to see what the Marlins do, especially regarding Carlos Zambrano. Personally, I think he’ll wind up there, how much do the Marlins give up thou is the wild card.

@nickcafardo: #Milwaukee and #Washington out front in Carl Pavano sweepstakes

You got it, he says the Brewers and Nationals are leading the pack. That kind of surprises me. I figured both teams would be in on Pavano; as they are both looking for starting pitching but favorites?

I expected to hear him say someone like the Florida Marlins or his former team the Minnesota Twins. Thanks to Ken Rosenthal we know the Twins are “making a strong push” for his services and we know that the Marlins are very interested in bringing Pavano back to Miami.

Now that I think about it if everyone is talking about the Twins and Marlins, then maybe that’s why Cafardo mentions the Brewers and Nationals. He’s going a different route, could be for attention or could he be on to something? We’ve seen this fall that baseball GM’s have been doing the unexpected.

- Florida traded Dan Uggla to the divisional rival Atlanta Braves while many expected a team like the Blue Jays to be favorites.
- The Diamondbacks dropped a bombshell saying they’re actively shopping Justin Upton.
- Oakland made a quick strike trade with the Royals, acquiring David DeJesus.

So yea, GM’s have been doing unexpected things this year, so who knows maybe the front office of either the Nats or Brewers have been sweet talking Pavano behind everyone’s backs.

The point of all this thou is it’s too early for favorites. Pavano has made it known that he is going to test this free agent process which doesn’t surprise me. At this point in his career he’s going to look for that payday, I’m sorry I’m still a bitter Yankees fan about this and will say this guy is about nothing but the money. He’s going to take his time and see what kind of payday he can get.

If Pavano doesn’t get a Ted Lilly three year, $33 million type offer, then I can see him turning to sentimental favorites (Twins & Marlins). Although, with the thin free agent market I can almost guarantee he’ll get that kind of money, maybe even more. So, the favorite will be whatever team offers the biggest check.

@Buster_ESPN: Heard this: Two rival executives cast Toronto as the favorite to land Dan Uggla, assuming the Marlins follow through on trade talks.

Like Olney says, IF “the Marlins follow through on trade talks” it actually makes sense that the Blue Jays would be the favorites. There’s three main things a team needs to land Uggla, a need, money and prospects. They’ve got them all.

Need – The Blue Jays have an opening at third base that Uggla could fill. Yes, he’s a second baseman but scouts question his defense at second, many saying he’s below average. There’s no way he’ll replace Aaron Hill, so shifting him to third will hide his limited defensive skills.

Money – Toronto has money and they’re never afraid to spend it. They play in the American League East, if you want to compete then you got to keep up with the joneses, Boston and New York so yea they’re willing to spend what they got. They also don’t mind paying for one year rentals.

Prospects – They’ve got some guys in the system that they could use, remember they did just get a nice haul from the Philadelphia Phillies for Doc Halladay. I could easily see a Kyle Drabek being moved for Uggla.

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Another reason I think the Jays will really push for Uggla is his hitting, that’s his strength. He’s an above average hitting second baseman, especially when it comes to the power numbers. He’s averaged 30+ homeruns a year over the past four seasons, those are numbers that would fit in quite nicely in Toronto.

If you team Uggla, with Jose Bautista, Aaron Hill, Vernon Wells and Adam Lind, then you’ve got one powerful, very powerful lineup. That lineup in itself is pretty damn scary but if Uggla has an up tick in homers playing at the Rogers Centre then it becomes even more lethal.

Combine that lineup with a good pitching staff and they could easily threaten the big boys of the division, remember this is a team that went 85-77. They’re a pretty good team so one or two players, like an Uggla, could easily push them into playoff contention.

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Even if Olney’s isn’t totally correct with his tweet, I’d have to say the Blue Jays are indeed the favorite. They’re too good of a team to not make a run at the playoffs so I firmly believe they’ll do whatever it takes to get Uggla.