I don't know who Cristiano Ronaldo's agent is, but this guy has Scott Boras and Jerry Macguire whipped. He's negotiated a deal with Real Madrid that will see his client collect £26m (about $46 million Canadian, $42 million U.S.) if Real fail to complete his transfer from Manchester United by the end of June - just two weeks away. This is the greatest no lose situation I've ever seen an athlete in: go to Real, probably get a huge raise. Stay at Man U, pocket enough money from the failed deal that the raise you would've had looks like pocket change and as an added bonus, you get to play on a great team. Yes, that was a none-too-subtle dig at Real...continuing a busy month in MMA, WEC has a card on the go tonight, on Versus if you've got it at 9pm. Mike Brown will fight Urijah Faber in the main event, a rematch of their epic 2008 fight. The rest of the card here...Fork? Meet Marco Velez. The Toronto FC player is the single worst defender I've ever seen that collects a pay cheque - anywhere - and was beat on both LA Galaxy goals as TFC lost 2-1...nice play by Toronto Blue Jay Alex Rios, responding with "who gives a fuck?" repeatedly when a fan cracked him on the streets for his five strikeout performance on Thursday night. Rios, you're a loser. Period. End of. Catch his act here. Thanks to GBVH for that one...Miami Dolphin Joey Porter says his team are "the champions until proven otherwise." Seriously. I didn't realize winning the division was such a big deal...if the old maxim that "it isn't a series until somebody loses at home," then the Stanley Cup finals is yet to be a series. That said, in a 5-0 beatdown of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Detroit Red Wings sure made it seem like it is about to become a series with game six in Pittsburgh. The Wings are up 3-2 and eyeing their fifth Cup in 12 years...have a great Sunday.

Angel Kills Kenny

The Kansas City Royals are finally in double digits for runs scored with a deluge - six - yesterday. It was enough to win as they dropped a 6-4 loss on the New York Yankees, closed out by "The Mexicutioner"...CC Sabathia bought his new home for a mere $14.9 million, and paid cash for it. Check out a picture here...the NHL playoffs are set. Have a feeling the Battle of Pennsylvania could be a great one and will be hilited by Mike Richards battling Sidney Crosby, and the San Jose Sharks have to be a little leery drawing the Anaheim Ducks to start. There's a poll question to the right...forgot to tip the hat to Strikeforce's card on Saturday night. If you haven't seen it, at least get your hands on the Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith vs. Benji "Razor" Radach brawl. Fantastic stuff...good of Johan Santana to pin yesterday's New York Met's loss on his teammates. No sense crediting Josh Johnson, the incredibly talented Florida Marlins starter who went the distance and didn't give up a run until there were two down in the 9th...if the ping pong balls fall with their odds, Blake Griffin will likely be a Sacramento King after they clinched the worst record in the NBA. Shame we won't see him much out this way...there is a story making the rounds that the Detroit Lions will not use the #1 overall pick - or trade it. They'll let the clock expire and then slide down to pick Drew Stafford down the board so they can get him cheaper. Somehow you have to believe that idea backfires if it is put into play...it looks like the next NHL Winter Classic will go in Boston at Fenway Park, where the Bruins will host either Washington or Philadelphia...Angel Cabrera is your 2009 Masters winner, going extra holes even...less than two weeks after calling for Greg Sutton in goal, the Toronto Sun's Gareth Wheeler, certainly aided by Saturday's game and a perhaps pointed email from yours truly questioning his eyesite and decarling myself a Frei Guy, he's now saying Stefan Frei is the man to play goal for Toronto FC. Well done, GW...back with your PTP later.

Follow the Leader

Tiger Woods didn't advance in his first tourney in nearly a year. The world will move on...NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell clearly understands the public relations game better than most. With the economic struggles, and a potential labour battle in the offing, he's taken a 20% pay cut. Tough for a union to declare all is well when the man at the top is taking a voluntary chop...hard as it may be to believe, but three CFL teams - Saskatchewan, Winnipeg and Hamilton - are looking to build new stadia along with a potential fourth in Ottawa...Baseball Prospectus has A-Rod playing through the 2019 season and falling short of Barry Bonds home run record of 763 with 730. That said, he's currently on pace to break the record some time in 2013, fitting given his jersey number. ESPN's Peter Keating says he's going to make it...the internet never ceases to amaze me. Take this, for example: a fine place to go when you need another word for "vagina"...AskMen is back with the Top 10 MMA submission moves...former NBA super agent David Falk - Michael Jordan's agent for a time - told Drive This, and was quoted in the New York Times, saying that unless the NBA players union is prepared to give up some serious concessions when the new labour deal goes into place when the current deal expires in 2011, the NBA could be looking at a two or three year period of no games. He says NBA Commissioner David Stern will push for a hard salary cap, shorter contracts, a higher age limit on incoming players, elimination of the mid-level cap exception and an overall reduction in the players' percentage of revenue. Not only that, Falk predicts he'll achieve it. And, Falk said, Stern will probably get what he wants. Of course, if the economy turns around by then - which it should and then some - that could have a way of calming the hardline that Stern will be pushing. Or, this period could just serve to remind them how many holes there are in their current deal...the internet never ceases to amaze me. Somebody took the time to put every swear word in the history of The Sopranos in chronological order in one video. This is mesmerizing...malapropism's are awesome. After A-Rod dropped the "I made my bed, I'm going to have to sit in it," here's a list of others that have come from the sports world...and after getting into a vehicle with the very same cousin he used performance enhancing drugs with, A-Rod has been told by the New York Yankees that said cousin is not welcome around the team. Look, he can hang around anyone he wants, but when he brings a guy whose association with him has brought a cloud over the player and therefore team, that's just not smart...It is amazing he needed to be told that...the Georges St. Pierre/BJ Penn spat over the vaseline allegedly on GSP's back at their fight last month has yet to subside. GSP's camp finally responded publicly and it is a gem, as they said the complaints are "nothing more than Mr. Penn's desperate attempt to protect his reputation and commercial value after being totally dominated by a superior athlete"...12:01am today was the start of NFL free agency. Sounds like run stuff Albert Haynesworth may be going to the place where talent goes to die. Namely, the Washington Redskins. After dumping Derrick Brooks and Warrick Dunn - no country music jokes, please - the Tampa Bay Bucs are over $50 million under the cap...as for the PTP, bet the New York Knicks tonight -2.5 -110 as they host the Philadelphia 76ers...have a great day, back later with your PTP.

Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008

Game 1 of the World Series goes tonight, finally. I'm thinking Tampa Bay Rays in six though recent history says - think Detroit and Colorado - that the team that is off as long as the Philadelphia Phillies has been tends to go out, and go out fast...how is this for a nice contract kicker: Boston Red Sock Dice-K Matsuzaka will see his annual salary for 2009 and 2010 go up by $2 million if he finishes top three in Cy Young voting this year, which he could well given his win total - assuming his ugly ERA is ignored...Manny Ramirez to the Philadelphia Phillies? My keeper fantasy team is begging for that development. He might hit a billion homers playing in that launching pad...Jose Canseco says he regrets writing "Juiced" and naming names. What he should regret is calling it much of a book at all. Pretty sure I've seen better writing from Grade 4's. On a more serious note, his book did a lot to clean up baseball, far more than The Mitchell Report did or will...without looking at the standings, who do you figure has scored more points than anyone else in the NFL this year, and it isn't even close? Believe it or not, the Chicago Bears...word is that EliteXC is done. The MMA company that UFC President Dana White said wouldn't last until Christmas didn't. So, does that mean that Kimbo Slice could participate in a future run of The Ultimate Fighter?..."The Special One" Jose Morinho is at it again, deriding players in the English Premier League for diving. This, while holding up Italy's "Serie A" as a league where that doesn't happen. That in itself is funny, and by funny, I mean incredibly wrong. What's funnier is that Morinho is Portuguese, the land where the art was developed, refined and perfected. At least of the players he named, none were English. If there's one thing you have to respect among English players, it is that that kind of garbage is frowned upon. Reason #1 why Wayne Rooney is my fav player...another NHL team in Toronto would be my hockey dream come true - any team in the area to supplant the Leafs as my team - who I simultaneously love and hate - would be great. Shame the odds of it happening are nil...if the Leafs keep not stealing the extra point in the shootout, people are going to think they're under orders...Buffalo Bills QB and rising star Trent Edwards was on Pardon The Interruption yesterday and was asked to play a little "Toss up" for what city he preferred - Toronto or Buffalo. He chose Buffalo. In response, Edwards degree from the esteemed Stanford has been revoked...going to be another week minus Tony Romo at the helm for the Dallas Cowboys. Wonderful...have a great Wednesday.