Cinco de Mayo

Whatever happened to Geddy Lee at Toronto Blue Jay games? Maybe he's one of the average of 6,428 fewer fans attending Jays games on average this season, the third biggest decline in baseball...and what about the voice of Geddy Lee, how did it get so high? I wonder if he speaks like an ordinary guy?...a pair of hat-tricks from Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin in a series that so far is living up to the hype. The Caps managed another goal, however, and held serve at home to lead the series 2-0. Hilites below. Those lit UPS ads on the the rinks boards in Washington and elsewhere have to go...anybody figure the KC Royals would be first in the AL Central in May? Granted, hardly the best division but still. Zach Greinke is now 6-0 with another complete game shutout registered...Buster Olney, maybe the most informed voice in baseball in my opinion, was on ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike Show yesterday and called most of the evidence in Selena Roberts book "A-Rod" "circumstantial" at best, and notes he knows plenty of guys who gain 25lbs in a year in high school, as I'm sure most do. Doug Mientkiewicz, a high school teammate of A-Rod's, said there it was "99.9% impossible" he used then without D.M. being aware of it. Olney said there is absolutely no smoking gun telling us any more than what we've already had confirmed. He called the book "wanting, badly" and lacking in attribution of even the simplest details. On pitch tipping, Olney said what was presented was a hypothetical and that when his former teammate and second baseman Michael Young says the allegation is "ridiculous", you have to believe that. His manager at the time - Buck Showalter - also said there was no way he tipped pitches, and if he had, it would have been addressed immediately in the dugout. Showalter is a hardass, if you didn't know. But at least Roberts had named sources for the notion he only tips 15% at Hooters, which puts him about 15% ahead of Tiger Woods and Scottie "No Tippin'" Pippen. Ought to get interesting this weekend when A-Rod returns. He'll get booed, sure, but he'll resume slamming the ball off walls and out of the yard, same as always...Megan Fox video. Enough said. I swear to you it is the real deal or may my Yankees never win another game...SI.com's Jon Heyman looks at the contenders and pretenders among the early season surprises. Jays fans - don't expect to be impressed...New York Yankee pitcher AJ Burnett must be some kind of movie buff. How else do you explain this swank theatre in his home? Scroll down for more pics here at the right of the page. Burnett's Yankees have got a load of pressure on them tonight as they try not to get swept in a two-game series at home that would leave them 0-5 against Boston on the year after last night's 6-4 loss...hands up, who had the LA Lakers losing Game 1 at home to Houston and the Boston Celtics losing at home to Orlando?...the latest on RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie is he's looking to bring an NHL team to Burlington. Burlington?...Arsenal hosts Manchester United today in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final. United won their home leg 1-0 last week, and can advance with a win or tie of any score. A 1-0 loss and the game head's to overtime. My bet is United advance whatever the case, they simply won't be shut out today and with Rio Ferdinand healthy, their defence will be strong. Can't wait for this one...RMer J.C. asks what's the most shocking Tampa Bay Ray stat: Carl Crawford has 18 steals, Evan Longoria has 31 RBI, Carlos Pena has 11 HR, or that Tampa is 11-16?...back with your PTP later.


Caps vs. Pens hilites...

Don't ya wanna see how it ends?

Seldom have I seen such a swell of emails as came last night the hotter Game 6 in the incredible Chicago Bulls/Boston Celtics series. Yet another overtime game, the fourth in the series - this one a triple affair - that saw the Bulls escape with a 128-127 win despite Ray Allen's 51. If you haven't seen hilites, they're below. Expect to be hearing about this one 'round the water cooler today. Game 7 goes tomorrow...the Vancouver Canucks nearly blew a 3-0 lead in game one of their series last night, but Sammy Salo put them ahead for good and they downed the Chicago Black Hawks 5-3 to remain unbeaten in the playoffs...now comes word that Brett Favre has hired a personal trainer to get him fit. Seriously, I know the world is fearing Swine Flu, terrorism and a collapsed economy, but I'd be most impressed if President Obama put an end to the joke that is Favre and tossed him in Guantanamo Bay or something. I'm betting there are more than a few Minnesota Vikings fans that agree too...Jaromir Jagr is still entertaining the idea of returning to the NHL and the Edmonton Oilers are his preferred destination. I'm expecting some comment from Bukkake on this one...speaking of Obama, found it odd yesterday to get an email from a guy I work with who has in his signature "Yes we can!" with credit to the source, especially given (1) we're in Canada and (2) nobody of the 6,000 people in my company has anything in their work email signature other than their contact information, maybe a privacy message and one about not printing the email if not needed. People are strange...the New York Rangers are interested in Martin St. Louis. Right, because they don't have enough undersized forwards...maybe it was lost in translation, or maybe it was years of (alleged) performance enhancing drugs have caused some "interal" changes, but David Ortiz said watching Pedro Martinez pitch earlier this year at the World Baseball Classic gave him "hot flashes". Suspect he meant "flashback"...guessing not too many would have pegged the Orlando Magic, minus Dwight Howard, to close out the Philadelphia 76ers last night, but they did just that, and may have saved Stan Van Jeremy (aka "The Master of Panic" as Shaq said) his job...if you haven't seen the latest Gillette ad with Tiger Woods, Derek Jeter and Roger Federer, take a peak here. Speaking of R.F., word is John McEnroe is interested in coaching him. Not sure what McEnroe - himself a great - could teach arguably the best of all the times, but it sure would be interesting. The coolest part of that is that a guy with McEnroe's resume is so willing to praise Federer. You don't see legends of any sport do that too often. Federer has not surprisingly politely declined and when I say surprising, I'm not sure if it is the politeness or the decline that is more surprising...back later with your PTP.

Scarborough Stomp

Frederico Macheda is making quite the name for himself at Manchester United. Coming on in a 1-1 game, he scored 46 seconds later for what would prove to be the winner over Sunderland. If United hangs on to take the EPL championship, the 17-year old Italian will be as responsible as anyone thanks to two game winners in a row...the Colorado Rockies starting lineup on opening day was entirely home grown. That has to be a first...the Atlanta Braves have the pleasure of being in four opening days this year...when a firing works: Pittsburgh Penguins new coach Dan Bylsma is 17-3-4. When it doesn't: Toronto Raptors new coach Jay Triano is 22-40...BJ Ryan seemed like a good idea at the time for the Toronto Blue Jays, but it is JP Ricciardi making moves so you know how that goes. A year after signing, it looked like a bad deal when his elbow unraveled. And now after coming back from Tommy John surgery and not dealing him, it looks even worse. Ryan is, for lack of a better term, finished. Anybody think he wasn't on The 2003 List?...Toronto FC dominated the first half against FC Dallas yesterday but could only manage a goal. And of course, it bit them in the end as Dallas tied it with a couple minutes to play. Greg Sutton will be lucky if he ever plays in goal again the way rookie Stefan Frei plays. The kid was stellar yesterday...it turns out that Scott Boras is indeed human...the Chicago Bulls have won 14 of 15 on the road. That there is a potential first round upset in the making...how badly do you think CBS wants Tiger Woods to make an early charge in the final round of The Masters, as unlikely as coming back from seven seems?...playing the New York Yankees today at -1.5 +117...finally the NHL playoff picture will come clear today. Amen...have a great Easter Sunday.

Ovechkin nearly decapitated

It should almost be expected that the day The Masters "tuna mint" starts that there is good weather worldwide. The media is all about Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Padraig Harrington right now, which usually means somebody other than those three rises. Except when Tiger is lurking. You'd be crazy to bet against that guy in any major, especially when it comes to The Masters...ESPN's Ric Bucher says most NBA teams have red flagged Ricky Rubio heading to the draft. Word is he's going to have a very tough time getting out of his deal with DKV Joventut Badalona...Liverpool's Rafa Benitez spent the days leading up to yesterday's Champions League tilt against Chelsea spouting off about Manchester United being afraid of Liverpool. Not sure if that is true, but if so, they'd be more afraid of Chelsea after they curb stomped Liverpool 3-1 in Liverpool to all but seal that quarterfinal. Speaking of seal, Barcelona hammered Bayern Munich 4-0 to all but assure a very interesting semi-final between those two. Liverpool will be lucky if they get a sniff of the English Premier Championship. Looks good on you, Rafa..the New York Yankees are 0-2 with a stagnant offence. And somewhere, there's people that think they don't need A-Rod. Speaking of, Bill Simmons ("The Sports Guy") has a great piece here on the galvanizing force that is A-Rod. Not bad, for a Boston Red Sox honk...NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is suspending Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch three games for off-field transgressions. In response, Terrell Owens said "don't worry about it, you don't need a running back anyways." Only the former is true...playing AJ Burnett and the New York Yankees again today at -1.5 -114, doubling up even. 0-3 to the Orioles? Could well happen, but it shouldn't. Good luck...

Washington Capital Alexander Ovechkin clearly has a death wish. Watch this. Amazing.

One Tiger Roars, Another Whimpers

Detroit Tiger Dontrelle Willis has been placed on the DL for anxiety. I guess when you've lost velocity, can't hit the plate, and have the pressure of a huge contract, you tend to get anxious...good of the Toronto Raptors to roll off four straight wins which will only serve to worsen their draft position. Of course, Jose Calderon is pumping up these four wins as being what this team is about and in typical Jose fashion, ignoring they're not exactly beating playoff bound teams because, well, they don't. They'll never win anything under that guy at the point, and yes, I say that after his 22 point 19 dime game - against Chicago...wonder if NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is working on his list of excuses he'll be using come playoff time when there are scores of empty seats in arenas league wide?...Tiger Woods did what Tiger Woods does in coming back from five shots back to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and set up the global media heading to Augusta for the Masters with the requisite "Second Coming" stories...Jason Taylor could be the next signing by the New England Patriots. Why is it that you can see one team sign older players - thinking Washington Redskins here - and you know it won't work out, but the Pats sign a guy and in this case, the same guy the Redskins signed a year prior, and you figure it will end well?...it is WrestleMania week, and you know your faithful blogger will do his best to work in some past and present wrestling stuff. Today, the Top 10 Old School Promos...the long-running joke about Playboy is that one reads it for the articles. That may not be entirely true, but their articles are absolutely top notch regardless of field. The latest issue has a great piece on Barry Bonds and the treatment he has received. It's a long one, but well worth the read...less than a week until the MLB season starts, man I'm jacked for that...have a great Monday, back later with your PTP.

Check out this creepy laugh...

Shut it, Sid

Jerry Jones once again is saying the information about Terrell Owens being released is "misinformed". Nice touch dropping a gag order on your coaching staff too, Double J. That'll do wonders for the perception Wade Phillips is merely your puppet...the Toronto Raptors must be wondering how it is possible Shawn Marion grabs 15 boards in a game. For most of them lightweights, that's a good week's worth of games...are the Oscar's done yet? After Saturday's Spirit Awards, even if Mickey Rourke won the Oscar for best actor, my bet is they changed it after seeing this incredible speech. Honestly, if award shows were like this, they'd be worth seeing. Not for young ears!...PGA ticket sales and TV ratings have been down significantly since Tiger Woods went out. Guessing the PGA and the sponsors will be glad to have Eldrick back this week...Marvin Harrison is said to be ready to ask the Indianapolis Colts for his release. This is what is commonly referred to as a "face saving measure" when you're about to be cut...the Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby feud took a great step up yesterday as a chirping Crosby received a nice wave goodbye from Ovechkin in a 5-2 Caps win. The talk continued post-game where Ovechkin, like most of the NHL it seems, cracked Crosby for his constant whining, and Crosby said he didn't like Ovechkin's style. What Alexander The Great failed to mention was that the Pittsburgh Penguins might be the first team to have the top two in scoring players on the defending conference champions to not make the playoffs the year following. That would've been real good. Shut your mouth, Sid...the off-the-record talk in Montreal says there is rampant drug use and prostitute use in the Montreal Canadiens camp, says Gabe Morency at Drive This, a guy with deep ties in Montreal...it is pretty funny that all this talk of how certain Habs - Chris Higgins and Carey Price most notably - are partying a bit much comes around when the team is struggling. One thing for certain: they are partying no more or less than they were than earlier in the year when they were tearing the league up but it becomes an issue when the team is losing and some stop turning a blind eye and look to stir the pot...still minus internet service thanks to those D-Bags at Rogers who are showing their ineptness extends beyond baseball. Fortunately, have access at the office...back later with a crucial PTP...wanna hear what senility sounds like? Check out Don Cherry on Saturday night. Interesting comment at 6:39, too...have a great Monday.

NBA deadline - so uneventful...

Tracy McGrady will need at least another year before he sees the second round of the NBA playoffs for the first time in his career - he's 0-12 - now that he's going under the knife for micro fracture surgery on his knee...Wade Phillips is still the Dallas Cowboys coach. Therefore, I'm sour...the Quebec commission that threatened to prevent UFC97 from going off in April is now relenting, and the show will go on in Montreal...UFC95 goes tomorrow from London, England and is available free on SportsNet (3pm Eastern live and 9pm tape delay). In your main event, Diego Sanchez - and how is his nickname not "Dirty"? - faces Joe "Daddy" Stevenson. Sanchez fights are always super entertaining, and this should be no different...MLB commissioner Bud Selig made more last year than the CEO's of Apple, Pepsi and Nike. Not bad for a former used car salesman...saw an ad on Fox with Summer Glau and Eliza Dushku for their shows tonight, Terminator and Dollhouse. Who's hotter? I'm leaning towards Glau, mostly because Summer's my season. That, and Dushku is a Red Sox fan...there's something to be said for MLBTraderumours.com's approach to never mentioning drug use stories, ever...not surprisingly, LA Galaxy fans are not too pleased the David Beckham is so openly trying to move to AC Milan. If they said they were surprised, that would be the real shocker...from the Department of Weird, old wrestling legend Verne Gagne - now 82 and in a living assisted community with Alzheimers - killed his 97-year old roomate. No, he didn't hit him with "the sleeper"...for those wondering why Toronto Raptors Josee Caleron was spared a skewering in this space yesterday after his performance a couple nights ago in one of the worst games you can see out of an alleged starting, $8 million plus point guard, it is a rare occasion where I thought it would just be piling on...Toronto Blue Jays stud pitcher Leroy Halladay says he wants to win, and he wants to stay in Toronto. Somebody might want to point out to Halladay that he can't have both anytime soon in Toronto, and time is wasting on his career...Tiger Woods is returning to the PGA Tour next week. With the media onslaught coming, you'll think it is Barrack Obama and Jesus H. Christ teeing off before next weekend is through...back later with your PTP. Damn you, Leafs! That's 0-3 on the year betting against them slugs...have a great Friday.

If you're a mascot, is a dunk worth it if it costs you an ACL?

An unqualified "yes" from A-Rod

Well, at least A-Rod didn't go with the tried (anagram: tired) and true "I didn't knowingly..." or try to minimize his usage of PED's to one or two times to "deal with an injury" or apologize but not speak to what he was apologizing for, or a denial, and good for him for that. I'm sure he'll take plenty regardless, but this ought to save the Roger Clemens treatment at least. Oddest quote of the day goes to A-Rod's New York Yankee teammate Jorge Posada, who when if he would be on the list of 104 that were busted in 2003, said "I hope not. I think I've done things right." Hope? Think? Maybe he's leaving some room in there for something he took from GNC that is now banned, but seems an odd quote...in discussing last the annihilation of BJ Penn and the vaseline controversy, Georges St. Pierre claimed it wasn't a factor but if Penn wanted a rematch, he'd be glad to oblige him this summer and of course, Penn responded that he's willing. No way Dana White and UFC doesn't take them up on that, considering the early returns say the fight was their best ever pay-per-view buy rate...speaking of UFC, UFC97 will be in Montreal on April 18th, with Anderson Silva facing Thales Leites, and Chuck Lidell taking on Shogun Rua. See the rest of the card - so far - here...the way the New York Rangers navigated the early part of the season when they played far more games than anyone and won the vast majority, you'd think they'd be cruising now with a lighter schedule. Instead, they don't score and are sliding down the standings...best line I've heard about Kellog's goal of "protecting children" by dumping Michael Phelps comes from Dave Ziron of ESPN: "if they want to protect children, stop making Frosted Flakes"...Big Phil Scolari is out as Chelsea manager after the side has struggled in form and results the last month. Strange timing with a crucial Champions League match with Juventus but two weeks away...frankly, I'm shocked at the beating the Toronto Raptors are taking in the poll this week. Am guessing a considerable chunk of that is about expectations, but still, for the voters to figure they'll have a worse 2009 than the Maple Leafs who are almost promising ugly results is telling...another PTP winner as the streak of winners continues to six. If you're not on board at Pinnacle yet, shame on you...does it seem like there are loads of long-term injuries of late in the NBA, or is it just me?...Charlie Axel Woods is the new name for Tiger Woods baby boy, delivered Sunday. I'm sure that kid will not have any pressure on him whatsoever...one A-Rod moment begs the question: if his yelling "ha!" was "bush", how is Jose Calderon's clapping his hands in the oppositions face when they're about to shoot not?...have a great Tuesday, back later with your PTP winner.

5:56pm UPDATE: Your pick for the night is the Cleveland Cavs -6.5 -105. Enjoy.

Friday, December 19th, 2008

The Buffalo Bills made some dubious history with last Sunday's Meltdown at the Meadowlands, becoming the first team to blow a lead in the final two minutes on a defensive touchdown since 1981. Still can't figure how the notoriously hyper conservative coach Dick Jauron goes for a passing play in that situation...have to say, didn't figure Mats Sundin would end up playing for the Vancouver Canucks, signing for the balance of the year only. Maybe he's looking to acclimatize himself for the 2010 Olympics and defending the Swedish gold?...Toronto Maple Leafs goaltending reject Scott Cleminson is having an incredible run filling in for Martin Brodeur in New Jersey. Meanwhile, notes GBVH, Curtis Joseph doesn't look like he cold stop a beachball when he's gets put in the pipes to boost NHL scoring totals...last nights 8-5 win for the Boston Bruins was the first time this year the Bruins gave up five goals...Brett Favre made the Pro Bowl? I'd have rated him third best QB in the division and if not for Trent Edwards concussion that seemed to derail his season, he might've been the fourth best...incredibly, only 8% of Tiger Woods income as a pro golfer has come from actually golfing. The rest is from endorsements...the Champions League round of 16 draw went this morning and there are a few real tantalizing matchups - no pun intended on the "real". How about Chelsea vs. Juventus, Manchester United vs. Inter Milan and Real Madrid vs. Liverpool? I'm going to suggest Juventus, Manchester United and Liverpool escape those fixtures. Can't wait to see Man U's Sir Alex Ferguson and Inter's Jose Morinho resume their war of words...the Indianapolis Colts have come back when trailing by 7 or more six times this year, and the dreaded defensive touchdown - which always seems to do in a solid cover or under play - dropped Prime Time Picks to 18-13...good of the Colts Reggie Wayne to show us his plummer impression last night...Boston Red Sox owner John Henry says they've been outbid on Mark Teixera? Who has the cash to do such a thing? Come on, Brian Cashman!...former UFC champion Randy Couture is looking at retirement - wise - and doing movies, including one he'll star in alongside Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren. What is it, Rocky 4.5? Insert your joke about working with Stallone and the very washed up Lundgren "here"...Manchester United will face Liga de Quito from South America in the Club World Cup final in Japan on Sunday...a part of me would love to see the Toronto Raptors lose to the lowely Oklahoma City Thunder tonight, just to see the hand wringing increase in Raptorland...it was a record day for RandoMango yesterday: 581 hits, blowing past the previous high of 289...tickets to the new Yankee Stadium home opener are already going for a mere $45,000+ at StubHub... have a great Friday.

Another reason why Charles Barkley rules: check out his George W. Bush impression:

Tuesday, November 25th, 2008

It took a few days, but finally found a solid picture of Ricky Hatton post-fight on Saturday with a couple fellow Mancunians who he had carry his belts in. Awesome...while General Motors and the others in the Big Three automakers are busy fighting for a U.S. government bailout - and they showed up in Washington in private jets to underscore how desperate they are - they announced they will not be renewing their endorsement deal with Tiger Woods. I'm sure Tiger is thrilled he'll no longer have to maintain the charade he's a Buick fan and he can now move on to the BMW's of the world...the Arizona Cardinals are complaining because the New York Giants listed Brandon Jacobs as probable and he didn't play? They do know that Jacobs is good, right?...the Pro Bowl looks like it'll move to the week before the Super Bowl which will only make it slightly more relevant...After Tom Brady's first 11 starts in the NFL, his completion percentage was 66.3%. Matt Cassel's over the same time frame? 66.3%...a bad idea: the Philadelphia Eagles, circling the toilet bowl, and a Thursday night Thanksgiving Day game. Expect ugliness...Michael Vick is eyeing an early release once his last charge is resolved, and will be out July 20th, 2009 or sooner it appears. It'll be interesting to see how Roger Goodell handles his status following that...Doug Flutie is being mentioned as a possible Toronto Argos coach. Maybe they can look to see if he still feels at all like playing. With their inability to get a solid QB of late, it couldn't hurt...while completing today's entry, Drew Brees passed for another 300 yards. Wonder if San Diego would like a do-over on that deal that saw them favor Phillip Rivers?...have a great Tuesday.