Saturday, August 2nd, 2008 - #99 in your program, #1 in your hearts

Something about anyone wearing #99 bothers me. It bothers me more when the guy wearing it is in L.A...UFC fighter Roger Huerta, who I don't think has ever had a dull fight, is on the record complaining about how he and his fellow fighters are compensated in UFC. Dana White could have a serious problem on his hands when one of his best young fighters is rocking the boat...the very reasonably priced lobster sub is back at SubWay. A footlong can be had for a mere $16.99...the Toronto Maple Leafs may ship Pavel Kubina to Ottawa for Antoine Vermette...Paul Pierce has declared himself the best player in the world. Memo to Pierce: No. Kobe, Lebron, the list goes on...in a week, the Olympics will be rolling, which means we're only 8 days from the inevitable "When Will Canada Medal?" headlines grabbing papers coast to coast...seriously, as great as Mariano Rivera is in a save situation, he's terrible this year when the game is tied. The Yankees lost another that he came in with the game tied in...the L.A. Angels continued their dominance of the AL East, winning their 8th straight over Boston (6-0) and New York (2-0)...the NFL pre-season...August 1st came and went and no announcement from Mats Sundin, despite that being the alleged date he'd decide if he's playing or not. Surprised? Me neither...have a great Saturday.

Friday, August 1st, 2008 - Sox Ship Manny

The Hardcore Sports Radio crew at "Drive This!" mentioned that Jim Rome at one point made $15 million a year, such was his success building his fan base. That is incredible...the Washington Nationals have been shut out 15 times this year...DC United of the MLS draws better TV ratings than said Nationals. That's a big deal, as is the news that franchise fees are up to $40 million now, where Toronto FC got in for $10 million just three years ago...the Green Bay Packers offered Brett Favre $20 million - paid over 10 years - to stay retired. If his agent has a soul or brain, he recommends he take it. Can you imagine that? You were going to shut it down with no payment, now someone is offering you $20 million to do what five months ago you said you would?...UFC is talking of a Anderson Silva vs. Rampage Jackson fight. Putting top guys like that together in short order is why UFC is so big. This, of course, assumes Rampage is of sound mind and, well, not in jail...I'm very afraid, as Derek Jeter has replaced Thierry Henry in the Gillette ads. Given the struggles that have met all the ads participants, this might hurt Jeter's ability to go to his left or hit for power. Oh, wait...LA Dodgers second baseman and long time curmudgeon Jeff Kent on his teammates: "I don't hang out with the guys — never have. I don't go out drinking, look at porn, have a girlfriend or get divorced — so I'm selfish." Wait, you mean to tell me you've got that 'stache and you don't check out porn? Lies!...the Toronto Maple Leafs couldn't get Scotty Bowman on board last year in a management role, but the Chicago Black Hawks just did. The Hawks are going to come real far, real fast in the coming seasons...remember that brawl Patrick Roy's son was in back in March? Well, he was finallly charged with assault. What took so long, a lack of evidence? The video was on, well, everywhere...there were 11 deadline deals on the day before deadline day last year, and this year, 14 total in July. Call it parity at play. Manny Ramirez landing in L.A. with the Dodgers has to be the big move, and if he can't play for Joe Torre, he just can't play. Jason Bay fills his spot in Boston which will disappoint only the media who loved the circus that is ManRam. Four prospects went to Pittsburgh in that three way dance. Winners at the deadline? The Yankees for certain (Xavier Nady, Domaso Marte, Pudge Rodriguez) and L.A. Angels of Anaheim (Mark Teixera). The Yankees also won huge because Yankee-killer ManRam is out of the division. Gonna be a great race!...have a great Friday.

Thursday, July 31st, 2008 - Trade Deadline Day

Bill Parcells, not the picture of health...true story. I wrote this bit yesterday morning for today, before the Yankees traded for Pudge Rodriguez, a move I LOVE, especially as it gets Kyle Farnsworthless outta the Bronx: For a guy who claims to not be selfish, Toronto Blue Jay catcher Gregg Zaun uses the word "I" no less than 15 times in discussing his desire to be traded. I'll say it again, has there ever been a player that has done less that has talked more? I love how he's talking of his desire to play for a contender. Newsflash, Zaun: if you aren't good enough for a "non" contender, what makes you think a contender has space? You do know you're Gregg Zaun, right, and not Pudge Rodriguez? I'm just praying the catching challenged Yankees don't get desperate and look Zaun's way. I hate that guy...for a CFL pool I'm in, I'll occasionally check out who TSN's Chris Shultz is picking. Funny part? I'd wager 90% of his picks finish right in line with the spread. For example, this week, Montreal is favored by 10. Shultz has them winning by 10. Calgary is 6 point chalk. He's got them winning by 6. I know Vegas is good, Shultz, but come on. This isn't a coincidence...Manny Ramirez was timed at 6 seconds running to first on Monday. Anything over 5 ticks is considered glacial. Speaking of Manny, the lead candidate to land him today? Florida Marlins. Seriously. If they were to pick up his option, they'd nearly double their salary outlay on one player...50 times this season the Blue Jays have scored three runs or fewer. In Roy Halladay's 8 losses, they've scored all of 13 runs. That is Roger Clemens-esque run support...Adam "No Passion" Dunn leads the majors in homers the last five years with 196, one more than A-Rod...NFL Commish Roger Goodell told the Buffalo media the Toronto experiment has been a tremendous success. Sure it has, but that doesn't mean it has been handled well. The ticket prices they're charging are criminal. That aside, I haven't talked to one friend who is opting to go to Toronto for a Bills game over going to Buffalo. The experiences will be light years apart. The Toronto side, antiseptic. The Buffalo side? Nothing but a good time...have a great Thursday.

Too good not to share...

Over at RaptorsChat, there were a few posters commenting that Madonna is looking, shall we say, weathered, of late. As if she could look anything but? Anyways, things turned to discussing A-Rod and how he could tap that so I suggested that maybe everyone's got it all wrong, and that the aged Madonna is in fact looking to adopt him. It didn't take long for someone to come up with this...

Wednesday, July 30th - Go West, Teixera

Former NBA ref Tim Donaghy earned himself 15 months in the butt farm. Frankly, I figured it would've been more...sounds like Mark Teixera will be on the move for the second July in a row, with the offensively inept Arizona Diamondbacks the likely destination...more trade rumours on this, the second last day ahead of the no-waiver trade deadline: the New York Mets are interested in ManRam. Of course they are. GM Omar Minaya has yet to see a player of Hispanic background that he hasn't loved. Wonder how Mets closer Billy Wagner feels about adding another guy that won't stand up to the media when they lose?...Blue Jays GM JP Ricciardi says "the last two months are the toughest two months for the teams that are up front." Question: how would he know?...I'm not sure there is a more entertaining guy on TV - Michael Scott of The Office aside - than Santino Mirella on Monday Night Raw...the last two nights of Sidney Ponson and Darrell Rasner should all but guarantee the Yankees finally deal for Seattle Mariner Jarrod Washburn, or someone else. I hope...while most MLB teams treat batting practice like a home run derby, the Minnesota Twins work on situational hitting, calling out situations and adjusting what they do based on that. The result? They're hitting an MLB-best .307 with runners in scoring position, says ESPN The Magazine...Mark Teixera has been dealt to the L.A. Angels of Anaheim. They've finally got another bat in that lineup, something they badly needed...LPGA legend Annika Sorenstam is questioning Michelle Wie's playing in a PGA event. What's the problem Annika, you don't love a trainwreck?...have a great Wednesday.

Tuesday, July 29th, 2008 - You're My Tuesday

Twice the Green Bay Packers have asked Brett Favre for a list of teams he'd approve a trade to, and twice he gave them nothing. Now, they Packers do know that Favre probably can't write, don't they?...Jessica Simpson wrote a song for boyfriend and Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo called "You're My Sunday". You can't make this stuff up...Jorge Posada has wisely elected to have season ending surgery for his shoulder. The thought of him as the Yankees first baseman going forward had me sweating big time. As a catcher, he's a dynamite stick. As a first baseman, he's below average. That contract could turn out real bad if he doesn't get right. Also, him staying a catcher keeps Mark Teixera in play...the Blue Jays have taken AJ Burnett off the market, and then went out and beat Tampa for only the third time in 10 tries. Great pitching matchup tonight with Roy Halladay and Matt Garza...about 10,000 tickets remain for the Pittsburgh and Buffalo NFL pre-season game at the Rogers Centre. This marks one of the few times, outside of Toronto FC, that I'm proud of Toronto sports fans...speaking of Toronto sports fans, the Fan590 has a poll at the bottom of the page here on who has the best fans in Toronto. TFC is crushing the competition, with 75% of the vote. Sorry, Leafs, you only get 18% which, oddly, is about the percentage of games the Leafs will win this year en route to losing the draft lottery...speaking of Toronto FC, not sure what was uglier, them dropping a point with minutes left, or watching a game on a field with the football lines on it like they are at the current home of Real Salt Lake at the University of Utah...it is bad when your batting average from year to year drops nearly 60 points. It is worse when you hit .222 the previous year, as Andruw Jones did. Jones is hitting .166 this year. In late July...how bad are things in the Boston Red Sox clubhouse right now when it comes to ManRam? So bad that one player told ESPN`s Peter Gammons "Say what you want about A-Rod, but he plays every day and he plays his behind off". Gammons also talked of how the players have noted which pitchers ManRam skips facing because he doesn`t feel right: Joba Chamberlain (twice), Felix Hernandez (twice), Edinson Volquez, and Justin Verlander. All power guys that can twist you into knots...every once in a while, it is great to be reminded of how completely out of his mind Mike Tyson was and is. Watch this vid for a collection of Tyson greatness...have a great Tuesday.

Monday, July 28th, 2008 - Manny Wants To Break Free

The ArenaBowl went yesterday and the Philadelphia Soul won it. I'm only mentioning Arena Football because the trophy is so ridiculously large...yesterday's win by the Baltimore Orioles was their first on a Sunday since April 15th, ending an 0-15 run. Manager Dave Trembley celebrated the win by smoking a cigar at the press conference, ending a lifetime streak of never having smoked a cigar before...Brett Favre says that the Minnesota Vikings did not tamper with him. Seriously, does anyone actually believe Brett Favre knows the meaning of "tamper"?...Manny Ramirez says he wouldn't object to getting traded, and said the Sox are sick of him and he's sick of them. And to dump kerosine on the fire, added "the Yankees are getting closer and getting stronger, while we haven't done much." I've no clue why ManRam is so stressed over his $20 million option getting picked up. He's still on pace to hit close to 40 homers and 110 RBI. Somebody will pay for that, and gladly...if you're in the Toronto area this week, prepare for an unhealthy amount of "will he or won't he" coverage of Mats Sundin's contractual status...Toronto FC are on the road to face Western conference leading Real Salt Lake tonight. Coverage is on CBC Bold, kickoff at 9pm...Toronto is indeed on the Indy Racing League's schedule for 2009, joining Edmonton as the only Canadian stops. It'll be interesting to see if the once mammoth event of the summer comes back strong...after hearing Steve Phillips replace Joe Morgan on the Sunday night baseball broadcast, have to say, I prefer Phillips...have a great Monday.

Sunday, July 27th, 2008 - Carver Trashes Cunningham

Played soccer at BMO Field yesterday and got to meet Jim Brennan and Carl Robinson of TFC. Coach John Carver wandered onto the field during warmups and asked if anybody could score as they needed some help in this area because "(Jeff) Cunningham is fucking shit". That, folks, is candor...Rafael Nadal is looking to win his 6th title this year when he faces Nicolas Kiefer in the finals of the Canadian Open in Toronto...the Yankees are gunning for their 9th straight win tonight, and 5th in a row against Boston. It'll be interesting to see if the bean ball wars are done...Jays pitcher Dustin McGowan is done for the year and is lined up the get his shoulder scoped...good of the Packers to stick to their guns on Aaron Rodgers as their starting QB...the Olympics are days away and not sure I've ever cared less...the Boston Red Sox have clearly had enough of Manny Ramirez, as GM Theo Epstein told reporters that if ManRam would waive his no-trade clause, he'd look to deal him. The Mets are not interested, while the Phillies or Angels could be landing spots...Roy Halladay could be on the trade block, if some reports are to be believed. Not sure how Jays management would sell that move to the fan base...nobody will ever call Newcastle United's Michael Owen the most durable player in the world, but mumps?...the Detroit Red Wings sure are making good use of their time with the Stanley Cup. It's been to pubs, it's been a toilet, and now, a baptismal font for a relative of Tomas Holstrom's...have a great Sunday.