Small wonder FC Copenhagen were in way over their heads yesterday, despite Chelsea's struggles. It was the Danish sides first competitive game, thanks to their winter break, since December 7th. Chelsea were 2-0 winners. Real Madrid's struggles against Lyon continued, but they did emerge from France with an important away goal and a 1-1 draw. Up today is one of the best of the eight matchups this round with Bayern Munich visiting Inter Milan. Manchester United are at Marseille, and should win comfortably there where they are a tantalizing +130 with the fine folks at Pinnacle. Want to hedge? Bet United to win and tie.
Guess Dusty Baker wasn't too popular as the Chicago Cubs manager. A couple year's back, towards the end of his run in Chi-Town, he walked to his usual spot in the dugout to find someone had grown a tail in the spot he usually stood. Coincidence? Dog? Nope, Dusty was positive it was the work of a human.
The Boston Red Sox told Carl Crawford before they signed him they had been following him on and off the field and were comfortable with who he was in both areas. Creepy much? Didn't George Steinbrenner once get suspended for doing the same with Dave Winfield?
Maybe Toronto Raptor DeMar DeRozan has it right when he says he doesn't like the fact the NBA Slam Dunk Contest has turned into a prop heavy gimmick, one where he wouldn't be shocked if somebody rolled out a trampoline? And let's be serious, would it shock anybody if someone did at this point? Here's what one of DeRozan's dunk's looks like in super slo-mo or as we call it, "Calderon on defence speed".
The quote machine known as Hank Steinbrenner says that "At some point, if you don't want to worry about teams in minor markets, don't put teams in minor markets, or don't leave teams in minor markets if they're truly minor. Socialism, communism, whatever you want to call it, is never the answer." That last bit on socialism/communism might be the best sports quote of the year, mostly because anybody that hammers those two areas is a friend of mine. Joel Sherman at the NY Post says Hank is at his best when he's not talking.
Speaking of Hank, after the comments on Monday that some players were "too busy building mansions", Derek Jeter went Derek Jeter and said he didn't figure Hank was referring to him because his name didn't come out of Hank's mouth. Oh Derek, be assured, he most definitely was talking about you first and foremost. You can't just take all the glory.
After trading its highest scoring defenceman last week in Tomas Kaberle, what is highest on Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke's wishlist? Why, an offensive defenceman, of course. Extreme Makeover Maple Leaf continues. And speaking of rebuilds, it might be an Ontario thing, with the Ottawa Senators looking to dynamite their club.
Just a small sampling of how New York Knicks fans felt in the hours before the Carmelo Anthony deal was made official with the news that Isiah Thomas was involved behind the scenes in the Anthony dealings. Well worth the read for the anger The Big Lead throws around.
Which MLBer would you figure gets flown in to hang with Charlie Sheen over the weekend? If you guessed the awesome San Francisco Giant Brian Wilson, you are correct.
Speaking of Wilson, here's 10 major leaguers it'd be great to have a beer with. Not sure how Johnny Damon doesn't make the list.
With the MLS season just weeks away, Soccer By Ives looks at which clubs had the best off-seasons. Hint: it isn't Toronto.
Another day, another "Atlanta Thrashers are having trouble and should leave that team without an NHL franchise for a second time" piece. Can't happen soon enough.
The new Foo Fighters single "Rope" can be heard here. It is good.
Why Brian Wilson is awesome, among the many thousands of reasons.
More ladies brawling in the streets, this time over the All-Star weekend in L.A. Vicious!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
The great Melodrama of this NBA season is finally over, with Carmelo Anthony getting dealt to the New York Knicks with a whole mess of players going each way, including Chauncey Billups joining the Knicks. Billups, by the way, is hitting 44% of his 3-pointers and 92% of his free throws this season. Dude ain't done. 'Melo was on Conan last night, taped before the deal was announced, and obviously coy about where he was going. Conan had a solid jersey created for him.
Champions League round of 16 play resumes today with Lyon hosting Real Madrid, and FC Copenhagen hosting the realing Chelsea. Both games go at 2:45, and I'm taking the visitors in both. Speaking of Real, star Cristiano Ronaldo needed all of 51 games in Real to score his 50th goal. Anybody in the NHL come close to that recently?
The loose cannon Steinbrenner brother, Hank, talked of how the New York Yankees seemed a bit too complacent last year coming out of 2009, and were "too busy building mansions". Of course, as far as I can tell, only Derek Jeter is known to have been building a mansion recently. Safe to assume DJ heard the comment.
TMZ reports that Dallas Cowboys running back Marion Barber was detained in Beverly Hills with this headline: "NFL Star Marion Barber Detained At Bev Hills Hotel". Tweets Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com: “Major factual error in TMZ story about Marion Barber. Headline calls him ‘NFL star’.” Awesome.
Another abdominal strain for Philadelphia Philly Cliff Lee? He missed the start of the 2007 and 2010 seasons with similar problems.
There are some things I will never get. Cricket is among them.
Alex Rodriguez, cleared for full workouts the first time since his hip surgery a couple years back, is down 10 lbs and dropped his body fat from 12% to 9%, is looking comfortable at Yankees camp, on the field...and off.
In the Greek soccer league, fans of hated blood rivals Olympiakos and Panathanaikos got loose post-game, with predictable results.
Champions League round of 16 play resumes today with Lyon hosting Real Madrid, and FC Copenhagen hosting the realing Chelsea. Both games go at 2:45, and I'm taking the visitors in both. Speaking of Real, star Cristiano Ronaldo needed all of 51 games in Real to score his 50th goal. Anybody in the NHL come close to that recently?
The loose cannon Steinbrenner brother, Hank, talked of how the New York Yankees seemed a bit too complacent last year coming out of 2009, and were "too busy building mansions". Of course, as far as I can tell, only Derek Jeter is known to have been building a mansion recently. Safe to assume DJ heard the comment.
TMZ reports that Dallas Cowboys running back Marion Barber was detained in Beverly Hills with this headline: "NFL Star Marion Barber Detained At Bev Hills Hotel". Tweets Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com: “Major factual error in TMZ story about Marion Barber. Headline calls him ‘NFL star’.” Awesome.
Another abdominal strain for Philadelphia Philly Cliff Lee? He missed the start of the 2007 and 2010 seasons with similar problems.
There are some things I will never get. Cricket is among them.
Alex Rodriguez, cleared for full workouts the first time since his hip surgery a couple years back, is down 10 lbs and dropped his body fat from 12% to 9%, is looking comfortable at Yankees camp, on the field...and off.
In the Greek soccer league, fans of hated blood rivals Olympiakos and Panathanaikos got loose post-game, with predictable results.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Spreading a little venom on Family Day
Over the past three years, New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera has a 1.64 ERA. It is not only the best in the majors for that period (with a minimum 150 appearances), but it is the best three-year run at any time in Rivera’s Hall of Fame career. Think about that, his age 38-40 seasons have been better – at least ERA wise – than any other three-year run in his career. Crazy how great he is. For me, the most important Yankee of the last 15 years, hands down.
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho saw his team win on Saturday, marking 9 calendar years that teams coached by him have gone without losing a league home match. No matter what you think of the man, that is incredible.
Very classy of Don Cherry to crack on Mario Lemieux on Saturday night's "Coaches Corner"segment as being a hypocrite for hammering the NHL's handling of the post-Isles/Pens brawl last weekend. Grapes called Lemieux a hypocrite because he's got Matt Cooke on the roster. Now, I'm not fan of Cooke, but Cherry calling anybody a hypocrite is sheer hilarity, nevermind a guy with the class and resume of Lemieux. Question: what says "hypocrite" more than the clown in the checkered suit above flipping the bird to the nation who markets videos largely of fights to the same kids he pretends to care about? Word is Grapes hard-on for Cooke is the result of Cooke confronting him last season in Toronto over comments Cherry made previously, and the old clown has been on the war path since.
Canadian Milos Raonic is lighting up the ATP tennis tour, losing a dramatic final yesterday to Andy Roddick in Memphis yesterday that will see him rocket up to #37 in the world, when he started 2011 deep past 100. Says Roddick of Raonic: "Coming from an old guy who's seen a lot of players, you have a very, very bright future." Roddick won the match with a ridiculous shot that you can see here, and Raonic said "Even here, as a finalist, I think I might be on one of YouTube's most-viewed points." Roddick called it the best shot he's ever hit. Yeah, I imagine it was.
Why I'm still optimistic, regardless of what the Boston Red Sox have done, heading into the next Yankee baseball season: last year, CC Sabathia was wonderful, but Andy Pettitte (hurt) and Phil Hughes (fatigue) faded in the second half, AJ Burnett and Javier Vazquez had two of the worst seasons for regular starters in Yankees history, and the three plug-in starters — Sergio Mitre, Dustin Moseley and Ivan Nova — combined for a 5.24 ERA. The Yankees had 25 games in which a starter gave up six or more runs — six more than any other playoff team, and they still made the playoffs and won 95 games and got off the gas late to do it.
Somehow, Isiah Thomas retains huge influence in the player movements of the New York Knicks. What the hell does he have on the Dolan ownership that let's him usurp - love that word - the power of current (alleged?) GM Donnie Walsh?
NBA in Vancouver? Don't believe the hype.
If you're on Twitter, or wondering why you should be, just follow The Iron Sheik. Sheer hilarity.
From what I saw on Saturday, and it wasn't much, not sure how Blake Griffin won the sLAME Dunk Contest. And how do you score a 50 when you repeatedly miss attempts at a dunk? Shouldn't you be penalized for that? At any rate, a compilation of actual relevant dunks, in competition stuff from Griffin.
Here’s A (Nearly) Exhaustive Video Compilation Of Blake Griffin Dunks from Deadspin on Vimeo.
Friday, February 18, 2011
The early editions of RM this week resulted in just being ahead of the announcement that Detroit Tiger Miguel Cabrera put on a legendary show on Wednesday night in Lakeland, Florida. After some car troubles left his car smoking at the side of the road, an approaching police officer found Miggy, slurred speach and all, taking swigs from a bottle of Scotch. So he's more than a little off the wagon, one might assume. Cabrera capped off the cycle with the always hilarious "don't you know who I am?"
As predicted here a few weeks back, Jim Rome will indeed be a big part of the offering from TSN Radio, which will launch on AM1050 in Toronto on April 13th. Dan Shulman's role has just become more clear too with the announcement.
Yours truly worked a question into ESPN's Baseball Today a couple days back. Tune in here, my email is at the 15:18 mark.
The Toronto Blue Jays officially announced their extension of Jose Bautista yesterday at 5pm. At the same time, Rogers email network went down. Coincidence? Methinks not. 4 hours and change later, it was back.
The NHL gets all the big league run this weekend with the NBA running its All-Star game. I'm sure they'll goon it up just to get the kind of run they're after from ESPN. Speaking of gooning it up, Michael Farber at SI.com looks at the recent thuggery.
The English Premier League is on an FA Cup weekend. Boo.
No RM til Monday folks, just a head's up for all you regulars.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Gunners pull one out
If you are a Setanta subscriber, yesterday's Champion's League tilt between Barcelona and home Arsenal was worth a couple months of the $14.95 monthly charge. Arsenal started on fire only to see Barca take a 1-0 lead half way through the first half on a David Villa goal. From there, it seemed a matter of time before they extended the lead, but the second half was another story. Arsenal had repeated chances, while Barca looked to counter punch, and in short order, Robin Van Persie and Andrei Arshavin gave the hosts a pair of goals and a fantastic 2-1 win in the opening leg. Be sure not to miss the return leg on March 8th, it is gonna be something special. As for Barcelona's Lionel Messi, that's eight games played in England now without a goal. The other game yesterday saw Shaktar Donetsk pull out a 3-2 road victory at AS Roma, who have given up 10 goals in their last three across all competitions. The other half of the round of 16 games go next Tuesday and Wednesday.
Maybe I've got far too great a memory of a terrible Derek Jeter season last year in play, so not too thrilled to see New York Yankees skipper Joe Girardi handing him the leadoff slot without a swing in anger yet.
Don't look now, but the New Jersey Devils have lost only once in regulation in the last 5+ weeks. Also heating up? The Toronto Maple Leafs, who are now within a small hot streak from a playoff spot with the teams in front of them reeling.
Not so fast, Boston and Philadelphia, there are more World Series contenders than just you, says Ken Rosenthal at Fox Sports. Rosenthal also says that Albert Pujols is done in St. Louis.
Seems not all are so high on the Jose Bautista extension with the Toronto Blue Jays, said to be five years and $65 million dollars, and potentially six and $78 million with a team option.
My how things have changed for Chelsea. The early leaders of the English Premier League season, who once talked of an undefeated year, now are aiming for a top four finish, says manager Carlo Ancelloti. That kind of talk can get you fired running that club.
If I know Axl Rose at all, there's no chance that the story of a Guns N' Roses half-time Super Bowl show is true. Now Slash, on the other hand, he'd be down for a Snakepit or Velvet Revolver appearance if it would get him paid.
First we got word that Dan Shulman would be taking a larger role in TSN's baseball coverage, and then yesterday came word that SportsNet has dumped Rance Mulliniks and Sam Cosentino from Toronto Blue Jays broadcasts. These are good baseball days in Canada.
The LA Lakers pounded Cleveland by 55 points the last time they met. So what happened last night in the rematch? The Cavs won. No, seriously.
After Joba Chamberlain showed up to Yankees camp heavier, and the Yanks are not happy about it, has anbody glossed him Joba The Hutt? Or is it just me so far?
It'll cost a good time investment, but there are some seriously awesome blunders among the Top 100 Biggest Blunders in Sports History.
15 craziest accidental goals of all-time.
The LA Clippers electric rookie Blake Griffin goes for an alley-oop pass, and cracks his head on the backboard.
Chocolate and Hearts...Epic Meal Time.
Maybe I've got far too great a memory of a terrible Derek Jeter season last year in play, so not too thrilled to see New York Yankees skipper Joe Girardi handing him the leadoff slot without a swing in anger yet.
Don't look now, but the New Jersey Devils have lost only once in regulation in the last 5+ weeks. Also heating up? The Toronto Maple Leafs, who are now within a small hot streak from a playoff spot with the teams in front of them reeling.
Not so fast, Boston and Philadelphia, there are more World Series contenders than just you, says Ken Rosenthal at Fox Sports. Rosenthal also says that Albert Pujols is done in St. Louis.
Seems not all are so high on the Jose Bautista extension with the Toronto Blue Jays, said to be five years and $65 million dollars, and potentially six and $78 million with a team option.
My how things have changed for Chelsea. The early leaders of the English Premier League season, who once talked of an undefeated year, now are aiming for a top four finish, says manager Carlo Ancelloti. That kind of talk can get you fired running that club.
If I know Axl Rose at all, there's no chance that the story of a Guns N' Roses half-time Super Bowl show is true. Now Slash, on the other hand, he'd be down for a Snakepit or Velvet Revolver appearance if it would get him paid.
First we got word that Dan Shulman would be taking a larger role in TSN's baseball coverage, and then yesterday came word that SportsNet has dumped Rance Mulliniks and Sam Cosentino from Toronto Blue Jays broadcasts. These are good baseball days in Canada.
The LA Lakers pounded Cleveland by 55 points the last time they met. So what happened last night in the rematch? The Cavs won. No, seriously.
After Joba Chamberlain showed up to Yankees camp heavier, and the Yanks are not happy about it, has anbody glossed him Joba The Hutt? Or is it just me so far?
It'll cost a good time investment, but there are some seriously awesome blunders among the Top 100 Biggest Blunders in Sports History.
15 craziest accidental goals of all-time.
The LA Clippers electric rookie Blake Griffin goes for an alley-oop pass, and cracks his head on the backboard.
Chocolate and Hearts...Epic Meal Time.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
The Bosh is Back
Champions League play yesterday saw a couple good results for the road teams. As predicted here, Tottenham downed AC Milan, 1-0, in a game where Milan's Gennaro Gattuso went insane post-game and grabbed Spurs assistant coach Joe Jordan and head-butted him. Nice knowing you, GG. Valencia were held to a draw at home with German side Schalke. Up today are a nice pair of matches in Shaktar Donetsk visiting AS Roma, and a gem in London with Arsenal hosting Barcelona, a game that Gunners midfielder Jack Wilshere says Arsenal will need to get "nasty". I'm betting Barca win on the road here.
Any thoughts on the news that OJ Simpson was severely beaten - into unconciousness - by a skinhead while in prison, and suffered injuries that kept him in the infrimary for three weeks? Seems to confirm karma exists. Except his lawyer says it didn't happen.
Baseball trivia: Only one team has two starting pitchers with 100 starts combined over the past three years. Name team and the 2 pitchers. Answer at bottom.
Says one Twitterite for Chris Bosh' visit to Toronto tonight: "Don't boo Chris Bosh tomorrow, take the piss. Example: 'You're not even Robin. Not eveeen Robiiin.'" because he's not even second fiddle. Love it. For those wondering if Bosh gets booed tonight, let me assure you, he most certainly does. Steve Simmons at the Toronto Sun looks at Bosh years as a Raptor and concludes few had a better run in Toronto.
Very classy of Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson to ask Peyton Manning if he needed help reading the financial reports during a CBA bargaining session. I'm no fan of Manning, but he's put a lot more money in owners pockets than Richardson has. That was just one of the insults thrown at the players, Drew Brees included, by Richardson. Looks terrible if you're wanting a full, non-scab NFL season, but I maintain they get a deal done. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says "the time has come" to get a deal done.
Bruce Arthur at the National Post says it would be a mistake for the Toronto Blue Jays and Jose Bautista to work a long term deal right now.
Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke is not done dealing, with talk of Tomas Kaberle being next to bolt the 416, with Boston said to be the destination. I'd love to see the Leafs get the #1 this year they traded for Phil Kessel back and go into the biggest tank job of all time down the stretch only to lose the lottery and get the, like, 4th pick.
Suspended UFC middleweight Chael Sonnen - and hands down the best trash talker anywhere in any sport - says he's 5-1 against UFC Champion Anderson Silva.
The best Toronto acquisition, any sport: Dan Shulman is back at TSN.
If you don't listen to Bill Simmons (The Sports Guy) and his podcasts, here's a wrap-up of his annual chat with NBA Commissioner David Stern, in which Stern mentions that Vancouver is among the cities looking to move the New Orleans Hornets. As luck would have it, the owner of the Vancouver Canucks is interested. Here's a thought for Stern: if he is interested in fixing the mistakes made in leaving Seattle and Vancouver, send the Hornets to one, and the other can have the disaster area known as the Toronto Raptors.
Trivia answer: New York Yankees CC Sabathia and - believe it or not - AJ Burnett, are the two to start 100+ games over the last three years. CC credits a 30 pound weight loss to not eating Cap'n Crunch every day. Guess Joba Chamberlain was getting down with the Cap'n at least every other day?
Speaking of Sabathia. Let there be no doubt he will opt out of his Yankee deal at the end of this season, knowing the Bronx Bombers have money to spend and there's nobody remotely on his level due on the market. He'll stay in New York, extending the remaining three years on his deal by another three or so. Smart business.
Final bit of Yankee for the day: Ken Rosenthal at Fox Sports suggests the St. Louis Cardinals way out of the Albert Pujols mess, and possibility of him going to the hated Chicago Cubs, would be to work a deal for say, Mark Texeira. Wow. That would be big. Or perhaps Philadelphia Phillie Ryan Howard, who also happens to be a local boy to St. Louis. Word is the Cards offered an eight-year deal worth over $200 million to Pujols, one he's expected to turn down. Cards manager Tony LaRussa says the MLB Players Union is behind Pujols desire for a mega contract. Maybe partly, but he's in the driver's seat.
I really, really can't get enough of the Foo Fighters "White Limo", song and vid.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Champions League is back on
The Champions League round of 16 action gets under way today with a pair of games, highlited by Tottenham visiting AC Milan. Spurs midfield stud Rafael Van der Vaart has been declared healthy for this one, with Luka Modric a question mark and Gareth Bale out. Still think the quick attacking Spurs, who have looked good in Europe this season, are too much for the aging Milan. The other game today sees Spain's Valencia host German side Schalke.
Might the Buffalo Bills look at Cam Newton or a QB in general at the #3 pick in the NFL draft? Sure seems that way, and with all due respect to Ryan Fitzpatrick, why wouldn't they? Save for a Doug Flutie run, they've not had a top class QB since Jim Kelly.
I knew things weren't great for the Toronto Raptors, but had no idea that in a league where many teams struggle to half fill an arena, they are 20th in attendance this season, says GBVH. But GM Bryan Colangelo isn't overly concerned with that, as he notes in this Q&A with the Toronto Sun's Steve Simmons.
Ken Rosenthal at Fox Sports looks at the Philadelphia Phillies $200 million rotation and has a pick for the NL Cy Young this year. Hint: it is a Philly who isn't named Roy or Cliff.
If it seems odd that the Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Rays are installing new fields this year, here's a good reason: they were free.
Peter Forsberg has had some comebacks cut short due to injury before, but retiring after the latest comeback that lasted all of two games is something else.
How this newscaster is named "Serene" is beyond me, as her delivery is anything but.
David "Boomer" Wells is in the New York Yankees camp as an instructor. Maybe a fifth starter candidate too? Or a fourth.
Finally looked deeper into Toronto FC's home schedule for this season. A lot of night games are gonna mean even more drunken madness than usual at BMO Field. No more split coverage among three channels either, it is TSN all the time.
"Prince" Naseem Hamed was a boxer known for his flashy entrances to the ring. Usman Ahmed does him one better with a flashy entrance...and exit.
Might the Buffalo Bills look at Cam Newton or a QB in general at the #3 pick in the NFL draft? Sure seems that way, and with all due respect to Ryan Fitzpatrick, why wouldn't they? Save for a Doug Flutie run, they've not had a top class QB since Jim Kelly.
I knew things weren't great for the Toronto Raptors, but had no idea that in a league where many teams struggle to half fill an arena, they are 20th in attendance this season, says GBVH. But GM Bryan Colangelo isn't overly concerned with that, as he notes in this Q&A with the Toronto Sun's Steve Simmons.
Ken Rosenthal at Fox Sports looks at the Philadelphia Phillies $200 million rotation and has a pick for the NL Cy Young this year. Hint: it is a Philly who isn't named Roy or Cliff.
If it seems odd that the Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Rays are installing new fields this year, here's a good reason: they were free.
Peter Forsberg has had some comebacks cut short due to injury before, but retiring after the latest comeback that lasted all of two games is something else.
How this newscaster is named "Serene" is beyond me, as her delivery is anything but.
David "Boomer" Wells is in the New York Yankees camp as an instructor. Maybe a fifth starter candidate too? Or a fourth.
Finally looked deeper into Toronto FC's home schedule for this season. A lot of night games are gonna mean even more drunken madness than usual at BMO Field. No more split coverage among three channels either, it is TSN all the time.
"Prince" Naseem Hamed was a boxer known for his flashy entrances to the ring. Usman Ahmed does him one better with a flashy entrance...and exit.
Monday, February 14, 2011
National Bush Hockey League
An off day here on Saturday saved me from commenting on the joke that is the New York Islanders. It isn't enough that they gave the league its worst contract in history when they signed Rick DiPietro through 2,052, or that owner Charles Wang thinks that every team should make the playoffs, now they went and dressed seven meatheads for a game in which they hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins and they went meathead with dirty hits and looking for fights and led the way in producing 346 penalty minutes, 10 ejections, 15 fighting majors and 20 misconducts. Classy. Pens owner Mario Lemieux said the resulting suspensions, mostly the Isles along with a hefty fine to the franchise, were not enough. Bill Daly, Gary Bettman's #2 in command, waved off Lemieux's comments. Nice work, blowing off an all-timer, hot on the heels of alienating Wayne Gretzky from the game with the way the Phoenix Coyotes sale has been handled. With the recent SlapShotting of the league, the Toronto Star's Damien Cox has dubbed the league the NBHL: National Bush Hockey League. Bruce Arthur at the National Post looks at the brawling NHL of late. Videos of all the non-sense at the bottom.
It took two sales days and roughly 15 minutes combined for the UFC to sell 55,000 tickets to the Rogers Centre in Toronto for UFC 129 on April 30th. The event is not only UFC's largest crowd and gate in history, but will also be the largest crowd at the Rogers Centre this year, including Blue Jays opening day, and will beat some Jays series. Sorry, I had to. Tickets are going for as much as $6,000 on StubHub, with reports that some front row seats went for $39,000. That's insane.
The last eight baseball seasons have seen 24 of 30 teams make the playoffs with seven different World Series winners. Good luck getting a salary cap with that stat, smaller marketers, nevermind the realities of the baseball environment and local TV deals. That said, an AL GM tells Joel Sherman of the New York Post a second wild-card team is a "near certainty".
In 56 games, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been shut out through two periods 20 times. That is pathetic.
Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista is pulling a page out of Albert Pujols book, saying once arbitration is done, he won't be negotiating a deal during the season. Speaking of Pujols, word is he's turned down an offer and the clock is moving fast towards his deadline, with an announcement expected tomorrow from him that the dealing's done and he'll go into free agency at the conclusion of the season.
New York Jets coach Rex Ryan is already talking big for next year, guaranteeing a Jets Super Bowl win. And I quote: "there's no way we don't get it done next year."
Interesting travel stat this year to show how massive North America is. In the English Premier League, Arsenal will travel 2,400 miles for 19 away league games. Toronto FC will travel 43,200 for their 17 MLS road games.
Dozens of people suffered some kind of respiratory problem after a party at the Playboy Mansion. Maybe they were showing a Hef sex tape?
I have a hard time thinking we'll see a better bit of skill in a big moment this year than this Wayne Rooney goal on Saturday that gave Manchester United a big 2-1 win over Manchester City in English Premier League action.
Penguins/Islanders brawl videos from Friday night...
It took two sales days and roughly 15 minutes combined for the UFC to sell 55,000 tickets to the Rogers Centre in Toronto for UFC 129 on April 30th. The event is not only UFC's largest crowd and gate in history, but will also be the largest crowd at the Rogers Centre this year, including Blue Jays opening day, and will beat some Jays series. Sorry, I had to. Tickets are going for as much as $6,000 on StubHub, with reports that some front row seats went for $39,000. That's insane.
The last eight baseball seasons have seen 24 of 30 teams make the playoffs with seven different World Series winners. Good luck getting a salary cap with that stat, smaller marketers, nevermind the realities of the baseball environment and local TV deals. That said, an AL GM tells Joel Sherman of the New York Post a second wild-card team is a "near certainty".
In 56 games, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been shut out through two periods 20 times. That is pathetic.
Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista is pulling a page out of Albert Pujols book, saying once arbitration is done, he won't be negotiating a deal during the season. Speaking of Pujols, word is he's turned down an offer and the clock is moving fast towards his deadline, with an announcement expected tomorrow from him that the dealing's done and he'll go into free agency at the conclusion of the season.
New York Jets coach Rex Ryan is already talking big for next year, guaranteeing a Jets Super Bowl win. And I quote: "there's no way we don't get it done next year."
Interesting travel stat this year to show how massive North America is. In the English Premier League, Arsenal will travel 2,400 miles for 19 away league games. Toronto FC will travel 43,200 for their 17 MLS road games.
Dozens of people suffered some kind of respiratory problem after a party at the Playboy Mansion. Maybe they were showing a Hef sex tape?
I have a hard time thinking we'll see a better bit of skill in a big moment this year than this Wayne Rooney goal on Saturday that gave Manchester United a big 2-1 win over Manchester City in English Premier League action.
Penguins/Islanders brawl videos from Friday night...
Friday, February 11, 2011
Matt Cooke = P.O.S.
After a couple blow-ups with point guard Deron Williams, Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan has resigned after 23 years as coach, almost all regarded as one of the best in the NBA. If there was any doubt the NBA is a players league, let there be no more.
Iron Mike Tyson, who I can remember fighting most of the time at 218, such a fan of his I was, has dropped 140 lbs in six months from a high of - get this - 350. Champ has slimmed down!
Frank Piliere at Fanhouse offers up his list of the Top 100 baseball prospects. Yankees fans rejoice, you've got 4 players rated in the top 44. Not bad for the allegedly bankrupt system some would have you believe. Maybe one of the prospects nets the quite possibly available Francisco Liriano?
The NFL walked away from the negotiating table when players looked to get 50% of all revenues. Yep, it is getting ugly, and fast.
If you don't think Pittsburgh Penguin Matt Cooke is an absolute disgrace to sports in general, and hockey in particular, then you must not have seen more than two of the horrible hits he delivers in this montage of dirty hits. Maybe Sidney Crosby's lingering concussion symptoms that he won't rule out may end his season is the hockey gods exacting revenge for a league that has suspended this piece of garbage for all of ten games over his entire career?
Full disclosure: I wouldn't exactly call myself a dog lover. Never owned one. Don't hate them, just not emotionally attached to them. But it strikes me as a bit much that Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle would say there are times he hoped Michael Vick would get hurt while watching Philadelphia Eagles games because for "everything [Vick's] done to these dogs, something bad needs to happen." Suppose millions upon millions lost and a couple years in the Crowbar Motel don't qualify as "bad" in Buehrle's world.
The Nashville Predators traded for Mike Fisher, who of course is married to Carrie Underwood. Headline in the Tennessean? "Predators acquire Mike Fisher, Carrie Underwood's husband." Guess being a solid, solid player wasn't enough.
Anti-joke? I beg to differ.
DidTheCavsWinLastNight.com is updated almost daily. If you click one link today, make it this one.
Brian Wilson talks to MLB 2K11 version thereof. Love that guy.
Iron Mike Tyson, who I can remember fighting most of the time at 218, such a fan of his I was, has dropped 140 lbs in six months from a high of - get this - 350. Champ has slimmed down!
Frank Piliere at Fanhouse offers up his list of the Top 100 baseball prospects. Yankees fans rejoice, you've got 4 players rated in the top 44. Not bad for the allegedly bankrupt system some would have you believe. Maybe one of the prospects nets the quite possibly available Francisco Liriano?
The NFL walked away from the negotiating table when players looked to get 50% of all revenues. Yep, it is getting ugly, and fast.
If you don't think Pittsburgh Penguin Matt Cooke is an absolute disgrace to sports in general, and hockey in particular, then you must not have seen more than two of the horrible hits he delivers in this montage of dirty hits. Maybe Sidney Crosby's lingering concussion symptoms that he won't rule out may end his season is the hockey gods exacting revenge for a league that has suspended this piece of garbage for all of ten games over his entire career?
Full disclosure: I wouldn't exactly call myself a dog lover. Never owned one. Don't hate them, just not emotionally attached to them. But it strikes me as a bit much that Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle would say there are times he hoped Michael Vick would get hurt while watching Philadelphia Eagles games because for "everything [Vick's] done to these dogs, something bad needs to happen." Suppose millions upon millions lost and a couple years in the Crowbar Motel don't qualify as "bad" in Buehrle's world.
The Nashville Predators traded for Mike Fisher, who of course is married to Carrie Underwood. Headline in the Tennessean? "Predators acquire Mike Fisher, Carrie Underwood's husband." Guess being a solid, solid player wasn't enough.
Anti-joke? I beg to differ.
DidTheCavsWinLastNight.com is updated almost daily. If you click one link today, make it this one.
Brian Wilson talks to MLB 2K11 version thereof. Love that guy.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Cockfighting fail
Word is that Albert Pujols has set a February 16th date to have an extension done with the St. Louis Cards or he'll enter free agency, which could end up being the most ridiculous baseball free agency circus ever, even with some prominent players not looking for first basemen. Jon Heyman at SI.com says there is virtually no chance a deal gets done.
Sounds like the talk of Carmelo Anthony being dealt to the LA Lakers for Andrew Bynum, among others going both ways, is in fact a real discussion. Would love to see that happen and then see the Lakers smoke Miami in the NBA Finals, assuming of course both can even make it there.
Count Pittsburgh Penguin Mike Rupp among the good guys in sports. After his slamming into the boards in warmups knocked someone's beer off the ledge on the boards in the stands, he came back with a $10 bill taped to a signed puck and lobbed it to the fan. Nice.
When Rashad Evans went down with a bad knee, don't think few would have looked to Jon "Bones" Jones, moments after defeating Ryan Bader on Saturday, as the next in line for a title shot against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua a mere six weeks out, but Jones it is.
The MLS will finally release its 2011 schedule today. Whenever you get around to it, MLS. I mean, all your stadiums are sold out already anyways, right? Oh...wait...
How do you know if you're a loser? When you're killed. By a cockfighting bird.
The Buffalo Bills are changing their uniforms for next season. They had zero (0) playoff seasons with the current set over the course of 8 years. Quick studies they are not. They'll reveal the new threads at a later date.
One of the better websites in recent memory is the quick hitting, but slightly ambiguously titled, "Why I Don't Get Laid."
Nice to see Boston Bruin Gregory Campbell carve up the face of Montreal Canadien Tom Pyatt using his elbow pad (video here). Am sure league disciplinarian Colin Campbell (relation: father) will come down real hard on him. Not a good night for the Habs on the fight front, getting the short end on most of the two line scraps of the night, and on the scoreboard, where they were 8-6 losers.
Somehow, the New York Knicks, who are a pretty decent team this year and playoff bound more than likely, have managed to lose home games to Golden State, LA Clippers and Sacramento, who are a combined 12-51 on road elsewhere in NBA.
Glasgow Ranger El Hadji Diouf was wiped out badly in a game recently, but that didn't stop somebody from creating a GIF of him getting wiped out by nobody, which has turned into a contest to see who can come up with the funniest cause of the fall. Not sure why this is so funny, but know that it is. The rope that yanks him is my fav.
Who but the Pittsburgh Pirates would lose an arbitration case against a pitcher that went 1-11 last year? Ross Ohlendorf sees his pay jump from $439k to just over $2 million. Guess that makes him 1-0 for 2011?
The Green Bay Packers off-season of fun is off to a running start. After a run on Letterman for Aaron Rodgers, where he barely kept in his feelings for Brett Favre, now you've got a mess of Packers hitting WWE's SmackDown! program on Friday night. "But you already knew that."
Epic Meal Time does tacos.
Sounds like the talk of Carmelo Anthony being dealt to the LA Lakers for Andrew Bynum, among others going both ways, is in fact a real discussion. Would love to see that happen and then see the Lakers smoke Miami in the NBA Finals, assuming of course both can even make it there.
Count Pittsburgh Penguin Mike Rupp among the good guys in sports. After his slamming into the boards in warmups knocked someone's beer off the ledge on the boards in the stands, he came back with a $10 bill taped to a signed puck and lobbed it to the fan. Nice.
When Rashad Evans went down with a bad knee, don't think few would have looked to Jon "Bones" Jones, moments after defeating Ryan Bader on Saturday, as the next in line for a title shot against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua a mere six weeks out, but Jones it is.
The MLS will finally release its 2011 schedule today. Whenever you get around to it, MLS. I mean, all your stadiums are sold out already anyways, right? Oh...wait...
How do you know if you're a loser? When you're killed. By a cockfighting bird.
The Buffalo Bills are changing their uniforms for next season. They had zero (0) playoff seasons with the current set over the course of 8 years. Quick studies they are not. They'll reveal the new threads at a later date.
One of the better websites in recent memory is the quick hitting, but slightly ambiguously titled, "Why I Don't Get Laid."
Somehow, the New York Knicks, who are a pretty decent team this year and playoff bound more than likely, have managed to lose home games to Golden State, LA Clippers and Sacramento, who are a combined 12-51 on road elsewhere in NBA.
Glasgow Ranger El Hadji Diouf was wiped out badly in a game recently, but that didn't stop somebody from creating a GIF of him getting wiped out by nobody, which has turned into a contest to see who can come up with the funniest cause of the fall. Not sure why this is so funny, but know that it is. The rope that yanks him is my fav.
Who but the Pittsburgh Pirates would lose an arbitration case against a pitcher that went 1-11 last year? Ross Ohlendorf sees his pay jump from $439k to just over $2 million. Guess that makes him 1-0 for 2011?
The Green Bay Packers off-season of fun is off to a running start. After a run on Letterman for Aaron Rodgers, where he barely kept in his feelings for Brett Favre, now you've got a mess of Packers hitting WWE's SmackDown! program on Friday night. "But you already knew that."
Epic Meal Time does tacos.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
UFC in Toronto? Prepare to pay.
Love the "Green Bay Packers dynasty" talk in all corners of the sports world now. Wasn't the same said of the New York Giants and New Orleans, just to name recent squads so anointed?"
After last night's 2-0 loss to visiting San Jose Sharks, the Washington Capitals have now posted a goose egg eight times this year. The Caps are on pace to score 223 goals this year (2.73 per game), 95 fewer than last year's 318 they scored (3.87 per game).
Now that Aaron Rodgers has his Super Bowl win, who is the best QB to not win one?
Since November 28, 2010, the Cleveland Browns have won more games than the Cleveland Cavaliers.
After shockingly losing to last place Wolves on the weekend, Manchester United host cross-town rival Manchester City this weekend with much at stake. The local police are so concerned with what could happen in and around the stadium they've asked City to tell captain Carlos Tevez, a former United player, to keep the incendiary comments to himself, and nearby pubs are being told to restrict flow of booze leading up to the game.
Glee is touring? And hitting Toronto? That's far more offensive than a biker brawl breaking out in the middle of a porno convention on the front steps of a mosque with Don Cherry running commentary and a reunited 2-Live Crew providing background music while 12-year old prostitutes service heroin addled illegal immigrants over the carcasses of executed dogs.
Montreal Canadiens assistant captain Hal Gill to fellow defenceman PK Subban: "You're an asshole." Gill to media: "and you can write that."
It really and truly is hard to miss a goal from this close.
Check out Orlando Magic(ian?) Gilbert Arenas walking to the locker room at half-time and being served child support papers. Lovely. Says Stan Van Jeremy: "Agent Zero, what have you got there?" "You know, Coach, just some child support papers"
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Back in business
Like plenty of other people out there, I was laying low after an epic Super Bowl Sunday. Never a dull moment. Mix in a Headstones and Danko Jones show the night prior - at separate venues, no less - and the Angel of Death seemed to be looming a good chunk of yesterday.
The Super Bowl itself started the way the last couple Grey Cups have largely gone - dullsville. But when it picked up, it really picked up and wasn't decided 'til late in the 4th quarter. No need to get into the game too much as it has been dissected plenty, but the better team on the day won, and also the one we told you would take care of the spread to finish the year at 67.4%. Pretty freaking impressive if you know a thing about gambling in general, and the tough business of picking Prime Time games and playoff games. That tops last year's 65.2%. A third year like that and it might be time for a 1-900 tout line.
Have to have a laugh that the Super Bowl draws 111 million viewers - a record - and the talk is it is the "most viewed program in history". Except for the fact that represents about 15% of the audience of the World Cup Final last year. Love American hyperbole, but sometimes fact gets in the way of a good story.
That's seven of eight correct for EA Sports Madden series now.
Green Bay Packers GM Mike McCarthy had the team fitted for Super Bowl rings in the weeks leading up to the game. Something tells me that that info might not have been made so widely available had Rashard Mendenhall not developed a case of the dropsies.
Tweets @TuckerMax: "Tough road to the Lombardi Trophy for GB--beat a dog murderer, a diabetic quitter and a rapist. Congrats Packers, you earned it."
I'm typically against things that are a departure from the regular game, which explains my disdain of All-Star games. And while I love the Super Bowl, and can't recall the last bad one, do we really need 28 minutes of half-time, much less with the Black Eyed Peas. Seems BEP's Wikipedia page was hacked on Sunday. Oh, and nice bedazzling on the hat, Slash.
Buster Olney says the negotiations between the St. Louis Cardinals and Albert Pujols are "not moving at all" with 11 days left before Pujols deadline to be signed or enter free agency.
Wonder how many among the NFL Players Union know their health benefits expire along with the collective bargaining agreement on March 4th?
The LA Dodgers are going to be wearing Brooklyn Dodgers throwbacks for six games this season. Check out the possibilities here.
The average length of a baseball game in 1960 was 2:38. In 1997, the average was 2:58. MLB wants it at 2:45. All via Wikipedia, of course.
Seems Rolling Stone didn't figure Katy Perry was buxom enough, judging by these before and after cover shots.
Cristiano Ronaldo is freaking ridiculous for not only thinking of this on the fly, but executing it perfectly. CR7 scored a pair on the weekend, while Lionel Messi had three. Both sit at 24 on the season. Yeah, there's no scoring in soccer.
The Super Bowl itself started the way the last couple Grey Cups have largely gone - dullsville. But when it picked up, it really picked up and wasn't decided 'til late in the 4th quarter. No need to get into the game too much as it has been dissected plenty, but the better team on the day won, and also the one we told you would take care of the spread to finish the year at 67.4%. Pretty freaking impressive if you know a thing about gambling in general, and the tough business of picking Prime Time games and playoff games. That tops last year's 65.2%. A third year like that and it might be time for a 1-900 tout line.
Have to have a laugh that the Super Bowl draws 111 million viewers - a record - and the talk is it is the "most viewed program in history". Except for the fact that represents about 15% of the audience of the World Cup Final last year. Love American hyperbole, but sometimes fact gets in the way of a good story.
That's seven of eight correct for EA Sports Madden series now.
Green Bay Packers GM Mike McCarthy had the team fitted for Super Bowl rings in the weeks leading up to the game. Something tells me that that info might not have been made so widely available had Rashard Mendenhall not developed a case of the dropsies.
Tweets @TuckerMax: "Tough road to the Lombardi Trophy for GB--beat a dog murderer, a diabetic quitter and a rapist. Congrats Packers, you earned it."
I'm typically against things that are a departure from the regular game, which explains my disdain of All-Star games. And while I love the Super Bowl, and can't recall the last bad one, do we really need 28 minutes of half-time, much less with the Black Eyed Peas. Seems BEP's Wikipedia page was hacked on Sunday. Oh, and nice bedazzling on the hat, Slash.
Buster Olney says the negotiations between the St. Louis Cardinals and Albert Pujols are "not moving at all" with 11 days left before Pujols deadline to be signed or enter free agency.
Wonder how many among the NFL Players Union know their health benefits expire along with the collective bargaining agreement on March 4th?
The LA Dodgers are going to be wearing Brooklyn Dodgers throwbacks for six games this season. Check out the possibilities here.
The average length of a baseball game in 1960 was 2:38. In 1997, the average was 2:58. MLB wants it at 2:45. All via Wikipedia, of course.
Seems Rolling Stone didn't figure Katy Perry was buxom enough, judging by these before and after cover shots.
Cristiano Ronaldo is freaking ridiculous for not only thinking of this on the fly, but executing it perfectly. CR7 scored a pair on the weekend, while Lionel Messi had three. Both sit at 24 on the season. Yeah, there's no scoring in soccer.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Super Bowl, anyone?
Final Prime Time Pick in what has been another stellar year of picks in that corner is - surprise - the Super Bowl. Green Bay, if you haven't heard, is a 2.5 point fav over Pittsburgh, largely because they're the sexier pick in what for me is a pick 'em. That said, I'm picking Green Bay on the strength of some explosive offensive numbers playing indoors and on turf, which they are tomorrow. Pittsburgh has an awesome knack for pulling out close games with a strong defense and an offence that doesn't make mistakes, but Green Bay can get out early and ahead enough that they can't be caught. That, and they've got more than some talent on defense as well. Green Bay wins. Thinking 27-20.
Have a great day, and don't drink and drive.
Five great Super Bowl moments recreated...with food.
Have a great day, and don't drink and drive.
Five great Super Bowl moments recreated...with food.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Bridge Burning
UFC 126 goes tonight, with a juicy Middleweight title bout between Champion Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort headlining things. Those two got into an awesome stare down at the weigh ins when Silva donned a mask after accusations by Belfort that he's a fake and wears a mask in public. Rich Franklin and Forrest Griffin is guaranteed to be a slugfest, with somebody - or both - busted open and up before a winner emerges, and there's a real interesting Light Heavyweight bout between the electric and eclectic Jon Jones and undefeated Ryan Bader. The entire card here.
The focal point of the EPL schedule this weekend has to be Liverpool's visit to Chelsea tomorrow morning, especially with former Liverpool star Fernando Torres to make his debut for the Blues. Leaders Manchester United face lowly Wolves today on the road. United boss Sir Alex FergusonUnited to wrap up the season figures it will take 84 points for , or 30 more in the 14 games remaining. Former United striker and now Man City star Carlos Tevez says his team is out of the running this year.
There are at least 12 annoying and obnoxious people at every Super Bowl party, and as usual, if you can't identify one, that means you're likely it. Your final Prime Time Pick of the NFL season comes tomorrow morning. Wager accordingly.
Pretty sad that a win over the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves is enough to get the Toronto Raptors a trending topic on Twitter. Of course, the Raptors are "competing" with Minnesota for a higher draft pick so not all wins are created equal.
Because mullets never get old.
The first song off the new Foo Fighters record, due out April 12th, live last night in Hollyweird, because I freaking love the Foos. Bridge Burning:
White Limo. Holy hell!
Dear Rosemary, with Bob Mould of Husker Du fame:
The focal point of the EPL schedule this weekend has to be Liverpool's visit to Chelsea tomorrow morning, especially with former Liverpool star Fernando Torres to make his debut for the Blues. Leaders Manchester United face lowly Wolves today on the road. United boss Sir Alex FergusonUnited to wrap up the season figures it will take 84 points for , or 30 more in the 14 games remaining. Former United striker and now Man City star Carlos Tevez says his team is out of the running this year.
There are at least 12 annoying and obnoxious people at every Super Bowl party, and as usual, if you can't identify one, that means you're likely it. Your final Prime Time Pick of the NFL season comes tomorrow morning. Wager accordingly.
Pretty sad that a win over the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves is enough to get the Toronto Raptors a trending topic on Twitter. Of course, the Raptors are "competing" with Minnesota for a higher draft pick so not all wins are created equal.
Because mullets never get old.
The first song off the new Foo Fighters record, due out April 12th, live last night in Hollyweird, because I freaking love the Foos. Bridge Burning:
White Limo. Holy hell!
Dear Rosemary, with Bob Mould of Husker Du fame:
Friday, February 4, 2011
That Mickey Mantle, New York Yankee legend, sure was a funny dude. In 1973, the Yankees were looking to celebrate 50-years of the previous Yankee Stadium so they asked many players for their personal highlites. Check out the letter requesting his input, and his epic, epic reply, confirmed by Snopes as legitimately his.
Madden's video game series has run its annual simulation for the Super Bowl, and is on a six of seven run. This year's simulation has Pittsburgh as a 24-20 winner, for what it is worth, on a TD in the final two minutes.
Have to say, I'm utterly stunned that an Associated Press poll in the U.S. found that only 27% of those asked were in favor of expanding the NFL season to 18 games from the current menu of 16. I'd have guessed it was closer to 100% in favor, quite honestly, than as low as 27. Then again, maybe they took the poll only to Buffalo and Cleveland?
Deadspin delivers the ten worst men in sports. Clearly, Ontario Teachers Pension Fund or MLSE don't count as "men" in the traditional sense.
Tom Verducci at SI.com tags San Francisco Giant Madison Bumgarner and San Diego Padre Mat Latos among the starting pitchers most at risk of injury due to the Year After Effect - too many innings pitched in 2010 over the year before, 2009 in this case, while under the age of 25. He's had stunning success working this formula to predict injuries in the following year, 2011 in this case.
Saw the NHL Trade Centre ad on TSN for the first time last night. Barely slept last night thinking about the horror being inflicted on an unsuspecting public who get suckered into enduring that.
Clyde Drexler sees a day when London, England will have an NBA franchise of its own. Clearly, concussion issues extend beyond the NFL and NHL. The chances of that happening ought to drop considerably (sub-zero) when two games are played there shortly between the New Jersey Nets and Toronto Raptors. Both will be home games for the Nets however, because the NBA figures nobody in Jersey would notice.
One of my all-time fav Yankees is calling it a career today. Andy Pettitte never threw the hardest or was anybody's first pick to start a playoff series. But he was as money as it came in the playoffs for so many years, not to mention 240 regular season wins, and I've got so many memories of Pettitte nailing down key playoff wins year after year. I couldn't care less that he used HGH, whether for a couple times or for years, he was always a class act in my eyes, and I was glad to be at Yankee Stadium to see his 200th win a few years back. See you at Old Timer's Day, someday, #46.
Ever wondered how much a Super Bowl flyover costs? A mere $450,000. They should charge double when doing it over a domed stadium.
"This is the most illegal thing I've seen in the history of wrestling". Incredible vid.
Madden's video game series has run its annual simulation for the Super Bowl, and is on a six of seven run. This year's simulation has Pittsburgh as a 24-20 winner, for what it is worth, on a TD in the final two minutes.
Have to say, I'm utterly stunned that an Associated Press poll in the U.S. found that only 27% of those asked were in favor of expanding the NFL season to 18 games from the current menu of 16. I'd have guessed it was closer to 100% in favor, quite honestly, than as low as 27. Then again, maybe they took the poll only to Buffalo and Cleveland?
Deadspin delivers the ten worst men in sports. Clearly, Ontario Teachers Pension Fund or MLSE don't count as "men" in the traditional sense.
Tom Verducci at SI.com tags San Francisco Giant Madison Bumgarner and San Diego Padre Mat Latos among the starting pitchers most at risk of injury due to the Year After Effect - too many innings pitched in 2010 over the year before, 2009 in this case, while under the age of 25. He's had stunning success working this formula to predict injuries in the following year, 2011 in this case.
Saw the NHL Trade Centre ad on TSN for the first time last night. Barely slept last night thinking about the horror being inflicted on an unsuspecting public who get suckered into enduring that.
Clyde Drexler sees a day when London, England will have an NBA franchise of its own. Clearly, concussion issues extend beyond the NFL and NHL. The chances of that happening ought to drop considerably (sub-zero) when two games are played there shortly between the New Jersey Nets and Toronto Raptors. Both will be home games for the Nets however, because the NBA figures nobody in Jersey would notice.
One of my all-time fav Yankees is calling it a career today. Andy Pettitte never threw the hardest or was anybody's first pick to start a playoff series. But he was as money as it came in the playoffs for so many years, not to mention 240 regular season wins, and I've got so many memories of Pettitte nailing down key playoff wins year after year. I couldn't care less that he used HGH, whether for a couple times or for years, he was always a class act in my eyes, and I was glad to be at Yankee Stadium to see his 200th win a few years back. See you at Old Timer's Day, someday, #46.
Ever wondered how much a Super Bowl flyover costs? A mere $450,000. They should charge double when doing it over a domed stadium.
"This is the most illegal thing I've seen in the history of wrestling". Incredible vid.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
James Harrison delivers the sarcasm
Count the Wynn Las Vegas, a ridiculously filthy rich hotel that cost $2.5 billion to put up, with another $2.7 billion (yes, BILLION) going to its sister hotel Encore next door, and a place that hosted yours truly in November on a work trip, among the casinos worried about the damage an NFL work stoppage would do to their sports books in the second half of 2011.
Ben Roethlesberger isn't exactly staying down while in Dallas for the Super Bowl. Here's vid of him at a Dallas piano bar, lighting it up on stage. Word is he bought rounds for the entire bar. No word on if there was any rape.
The Atlanta Trashers have 20% of all the NHLers black players.
Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte says it takes about half a game to figure out what the Green Bay Packers defence is doing. And his Bears had the benefit of three games against them this year. More and more, I'm liking the Packers this weekend.
The funniest part of Toronto Maple Leaf Kris Versteeg whining about vandals writing in the dirt on his Audi R8 was that he had to mention they wrote "stuff all over my $150,000 car." Now, I think messing with a guy's sled is usually a dick move - save for spitting on someone's windshield that parks too close, which I know a few people are partial to - but I'm sure the world is not overly sympathetic to something you can fix with a $10 car wash. Guess Versteeg didn't notice what happened when the waffle tossing at the Air Canada Centre started to get covered - more people did it. He can expect more writing on his sled now.
AskMen.com presents its annual list of the Top 99 Women.
Make that 22 straight losses for the Cleveland Cavaliers who are getting historic with their ineptitude. The Toronto Raptors have dropped 13 straight themselves and now own the third worst record in the NBA. Bruce Arthur at the National Post says the Raptors are losing right.
Nick Webster at Fox Sports Soccer says the money Chelsea dropped to grab Fernando Torres signals their intent to splash the cash around after a quiet year and a bit prior, and want badly to take a run at the Champions League this year. Worth mentioning: Chelsea had a huge operating loss of £68.6m ($110 million Canadian) for their last full financial year.
Pittsburgh Steeler James Harrison, he of the $100k worth of fines for some questionable hits this year, got off this gem: "I don't want to hurt nobody, I don't want to step on nobody's foot and hurt their toe, I don't want to have no dirt or none of this rubber on the field fly into their eye and make their eye hurt, I just want to tackle them softly on the ground and, if y'all can, lay a pillow down where I'm going to tackle them so they don't hit the ground too hard, Mr. Goodell." Harrison also thumbed his nose at the concussion debate, saying it isn't an issue if you don't tell your teams' medical staff. Guessing that comment will draw Commissioner Goodell's attention more than the previous.
Perhaps the worst rap or parody (both?) ever, on the subject of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
The Sloppy Ben Roethlisberger
True story: the NHL came back to play last night and I had no idea til I saw a Twitter blast about the Toronto Maple Leafs winning.
Albert Pujols batting average has gone down the last three year's while his strikeouts have gone up, so not sure where he figures a mid-market club - at best - in St. Louis should drop a 10-year deal on him. I don't think a 10-year deal is a wise play for anybody. If his agent is looking to the big boys in New York, the Yankees have first tied up with Mark Texeira and the Mets have some money problems thanks to Bernie Madoff, and both Boston (Adrian Gonzalez) and Philadelphia (Ryan Howard) have first locked down too. Doesn't leave much, does it? Oh, relax Blue Jays fan, it ain't happening.
Wayne Rooney scored a pair of first half goals for Manchester United in a 3-1 win over Aston Villa and that has to be an ominous sign to the rest of the EPL if he's finding his form, which would effectively make him the best transfer deadline pickup. In other action yesterday, Chelsea had to rally for a 4-2 win over Sunderland, while Arsenal had to come from behind to down Everton 2-1. Six more games on the schedule today.
Former Liverpool striker Fernando Torres, a Chelsea man for less than 48 hours, is already talking about how he'd like to score against his former team. Bad form, FT. Besides, you're more likely to be hurt anyways.
Crazy NFL stat of the day: it costs $25,000 per game for Fox Sports to have the yellow first down line visible to TV viewers. Here's how they do it.
In ten days time - February 13th - the Washington Wizards, 0-25 on the road, will visit Cleveland, losers of 21 straight and 31 of 32. Appointment viewing it is not.
Can't avoid hearing that new Rihanna song where she keeps asking "What's my name?" repeatedly. Chris Brown must have one wicked right hook.
Check out this coach who not only (1) drove drunk, but (2) did it with a student in the vehicle and (3), well, read on.
Don't believe me when I say there are no new dunks left in the NBA Dunk Contest? Check out this incredible work to plot each dunk in dunk contest history by score, with a simple click taking you to the YouTube vid of said dunk. Somebody had some serious, serious commitment to this project!
Remember that gas station brawl we had vid of last week? Seven people were arrested in the aftermath.
Still trying to figure out what happened in the last episode of The Sopranos? This compelling piece says Tony was killed, with fantastic evidence to illustrate why.
There's been talk recently that CBC would be hard pressed to keep its sports properties. Word is they've lost the rights to hosting MLS to TSN. Wonder if TSN or SportsNet pony up for Hockey Night in Canada? Do they keep Don Cherry? Here's hoping not.
Those crazy kids at EpicMealTime are back with The Sloppy Roethlesberger, just in time for Super Bowl.
The greatest sports pep talk ever. How did Emelio Estevez "win, win, win!" from The Breakfast Club not make the grade?
Albert Pujols batting average has gone down the last three year's while his strikeouts have gone up, so not sure where he figures a mid-market club - at best - in St. Louis should drop a 10-year deal on him. I don't think a 10-year deal is a wise play for anybody. If his agent is looking to the big boys in New York, the Yankees have first tied up with Mark Texeira and the Mets have some money problems thanks to Bernie Madoff, and both Boston (Adrian Gonzalez) and Philadelphia (Ryan Howard) have first locked down too. Doesn't leave much, does it? Oh, relax Blue Jays fan, it ain't happening.
Wayne Rooney scored a pair of first half goals for Manchester United in a 3-1 win over Aston Villa and that has to be an ominous sign to the rest of the EPL if he's finding his form, which would effectively make him the best transfer deadline pickup. In other action yesterday, Chelsea had to rally for a 4-2 win over Sunderland, while Arsenal had to come from behind to down Everton 2-1. Six more games on the schedule today.
Former Liverpool striker Fernando Torres, a Chelsea man for less than 48 hours, is already talking about how he'd like to score against his former team. Bad form, FT. Besides, you're more likely to be hurt anyways.
Crazy NFL stat of the day: it costs $25,000 per game for Fox Sports to have the yellow first down line visible to TV viewers. Here's how they do it.
In ten days time - February 13th - the Washington Wizards, 0-25 on the road, will visit Cleveland, losers of 21 straight and 31 of 32. Appointment viewing it is not.
Can't avoid hearing that new Rihanna song where she keeps asking "What's my name?" repeatedly. Chris Brown must have one wicked right hook.
Check out this coach who not only (1) drove drunk, but (2) did it with a student in the vehicle and (3), well, read on.
Don't believe me when I say there are no new dunks left in the NBA Dunk Contest? Check out this incredible work to plot each dunk in dunk contest history by score, with a simple click taking you to the YouTube vid of said dunk. Somebody had some serious, serious commitment to this project!
Remember that gas station brawl we had vid of last week? Seven people were arrested in the aftermath.
Still trying to figure out what happened in the last episode of The Sopranos? This compelling piece says Tony was killed, with fantastic evidence to illustrate why.
There's been talk recently that CBC would be hard pressed to keep its sports properties. Word is they've lost the rights to hosting MLS to TSN. Wonder if TSN or SportsNet pony up for Hockey Night in Canada? Do they keep Don Cherry? Here's hoping not.
Those crazy kids at EpicMealTime are back with The Sloppy Roethlesberger, just in time for Super Bowl.
The greatest sports pep talk ever. How did Emelio Estevez "win, win, win!" from The Breakfast Club not make the grade?
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Ron Wilson finishes where his team's do
A survey of 318 NHLers ranked Toronto Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson as dead last among coaches players would like to play for. Leafs GM Brian Burke was said to be furious at the results, but he might want to pay attention to them if he's got intentions of signing free agents with a coach so unappealing on a mass level.
Think the Green Bay Packers are thrilled the Super Bowl will be indoors this year? Since 2008, their offense has averaged 31.8 points-per-game indoors and they have over 40 in their two playoff games indoors. Rodgers has 26 touchdowns, five interceptions for those 12 games.
Joel Sherman at the NY Post ranks all MLB team's off-seasons, and ranks the Toronto Blue Jays off-season as tops in the game, though he also says their contention window is 2013 and onward, not 2012 as many seem to think.
Things are going well in Dallas so far. The Dallas Fort-Worth airport is closed this morning thanks to some horrible weather that we'll be seeing in these parts of Ontario today and tomorrow. Do the world a favor, don't be the loser whining on Facebook about the weather. Ever. People already know. Mock those tools.
How popular was Ben Roethlesberger six months back with this Pittsburgh Steeler teammates? So popular that when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell interviewed two dozen Steelers while deciding on Big Ben's suspension last fall, not a single one said anything supportive of their QB. That, or he interviewed two dozen NFLers, some of whom were Steelers. Important distinction you blew there, Peter King. As always, the original story grabs more spotlight than the retraction.
The Minnesota Twins announced last week that they'd retire Bert Blylevin's #28 jersey. I thought it only appropriate to wait before mentioning it.
There's something very refreshing about watching soccer games from around the world and not having to hear the constant nonsense about a "Hall of Fame" that you hear as it relates to sports on this side of the pond, as if that is the be all and end all.
NFL jersey's in soccer jersey style.
It'll take a few minutes, but here are the 100 Best Nicknames in Sports History.
After signing Freddy Garcia yesterday, and earlier no-risk deals with Mark Prior and Bartolo Colon, the New York Yankees are looking like good bets to win the 2005 World Series. Had to give my squad the business after lighting up the Tampa Bay Rays for their ManRam and Johnny Damon signings.
As mentioned here yesterday, Fernando Torres did indeed make the jump to Chelsea from Liverpool, with the latter buying Andy Carroll from Newcastle to go with Luis Suarez, who we assume will play striker and not in goal. Fox Sports Soccer looks at the winners and losers at the transfer window deadline for most of Europe.
Hands down, THE most racist ad you'll ever see in your life.
Think the Green Bay Packers are thrilled the Super Bowl will be indoors this year? Since 2008, their offense has averaged 31.8 points-per-game indoors and they have over 40 in their two playoff games indoors. Rodgers has 26 touchdowns, five interceptions for those 12 games.
Joel Sherman at the NY Post ranks all MLB team's off-seasons, and ranks the Toronto Blue Jays off-season as tops in the game, though he also says their contention window is 2013 and onward, not 2012 as many seem to think.
Things are going well in Dallas so far. The Dallas Fort-Worth airport is closed this morning thanks to some horrible weather that we'll be seeing in these parts of Ontario today and tomorrow. Do the world a favor, don't be the loser whining on Facebook about the weather. Ever. People already know. Mock those tools.
How popular was Ben Roethlesberger six months back with this Pittsburgh Steeler teammates? So popular that when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell interviewed two dozen Steelers while deciding on Big Ben's suspension last fall, not a single one said anything supportive of their QB. That, or he interviewed two dozen NFLers, some of whom were Steelers. Important distinction you blew there, Peter King. As always, the original story grabs more spotlight than the retraction.
The Minnesota Twins announced last week that they'd retire Bert Blylevin's #28 jersey. I thought it only appropriate to wait before mentioning it.
There's something very refreshing about watching soccer games from around the world and not having to hear the constant nonsense about a "Hall of Fame" that you hear as it relates to sports on this side of the pond, as if that is the be all and end all.
NFL jersey's in soccer jersey style.
It'll take a few minutes, but here are the 100 Best Nicknames in Sports History.
After signing Freddy Garcia yesterday, and earlier no-risk deals with Mark Prior and Bartolo Colon, the New York Yankees are looking like good bets to win the 2005 World Series. Had to give my squad the business after lighting up the Tampa Bay Rays for their ManRam and Johnny Damon signings.
As mentioned here yesterday, Fernando Torres did indeed make the jump to Chelsea from Liverpool, with the latter buying Andy Carroll from Newcastle to go with Luis Suarez, who we assume will play striker and not in goal. Fox Sports Soccer looks at the winners and losers at the transfer window deadline for most of Europe.
Hands down, THE most racist ad you'll ever see in your life.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Yes, the NHL All-Star Game and NFL's Pro Bowl Still Suck
Yours truly is rarely shy about giving an opinion, and the All-Star concepts of the NFL and NHL were no strangers to that in the last week. But, in the spirit of keeping an open mind, I forced myself to tune in at least for a few minutes yesterday and was reminded of why both are an utter waste of time. You've got a 21 goal NHL game, in a league and era where you're lucky to see 21 goals over five regular season, and yet the All-Star game was actually more boring as far as I could tell. What's more exciting than a goal and literally nobody gets out of their seats and almost as many applaud? That said, seeing the small net accuracy in the Skills Relay on Saturday was damn impressive. Still, if you spent your weekend absorbing all that, and the draft...well, you know where I sit on that. As for the Pro Bore, caught the dying minutes to see a series of snaps where not a single lineman touched the guy lined up across from him as the AFC worked a meaningless TD in a very representative-of-the-real-thing 55-41 win for the NFC.
The best stat you'll hear during Super Bowl week: the 60 - SIXTY - strip clubs in Big D are looking to bring in a few extra strippers to meet the demand of the fans descending on Dallas for the game. And by "few extra strippers", we mean 10,000.
During yesterday's Boston Celtic visit to the LA Lakers, when asked by a Lakers ballboy to sign a ball, the always classy Kevin Garnett was heard replying: "You got a better chance of catching Bin Laden"
Spring Training isn't far off, so why not take a peak at baseball's best 50 prospects, or, if you have ESPN Insider, Keith Law's Top 100.
One final thing on the NHL All-Star game. Sure, Phil Kessel may have been picked last, but isn't the bigger joke that Cam Ward went first? At least Kessel can say he's got as many goals as Alexander Ovechkin and Dany Heatley.
If the rumor is accurate, Liverpool's Fernando Torres is on his way to Chelsea today, with the move about to be completed.
Forbes Magazine says 17 of 30 NBA teams lost money last year. If you're the players unions, shouldn't you be asking what kind of impact the financial sinkhole that is the WNBA had on that, and ifthey it goes to the glue factory in the next labor war?
Kevin Durant - who by all accounts is a fantastic guy in addition to player - lit into Chris Bosh, calling him a "fake tough guy". I think the "fake" tag extends a lot further than the "tough guy" bit with Bosh, but he's definitely right on that one. After all, it was Bosh who asked for extra games off last year with the Toronto Raptors in the playoff hunt, the very same guy that whined this year of a player diving near his toesies for a loose ball.
The clock for the St. Louis Cardinals to extend the great Albert Pujols is ticking quickly, and word is he will decline any trade proposals with his veto on that. The Cards best get the chequebook out, or call in McGruber.
Steve Simmons at the Toronto Sun, for the second Monday in a row here, sheds the light of reality on the Toronto Blue Jays: "I seem to be in the minority on this, but I worry about the Blue Jays. I wonder how they’re going to replace the 60-plus home runs they’re bound to lose with Vernon Wells and John Buck gone and Jose Bautista certain not to hit 54 again. I wonder who is going to step in for the 195 innings Shaun Marcum pitched, the 15 starts that he took them into the seventh inning or deeper? I wonder how many infield errors there will be with Adam Lind playing first base instead of Lyle Overbay? I wonder if it’s possible for Brett Cecil to go 8-2 against the Red Sox, Yankees and Rays, again. I wonder if the Baltimore Orioles, 34-23 after Buck Showalter took over as manager, push the Jays closer to the bottom of the American League East, rather than closer to the top. The Jays were 15-3 against Baltimore last summer, most of those wins coming before Showalter took over. That won’t happen again. There is little doubt that GM Alex Anthopoulos is building for the future and his intense and private work has been indeed impressive. The Jays won 85 games last season, but the only on-field area in which they’ve improved is in the bullpen. An 80-win season might not be possible." But fear not, Jays fan, the Jays will have a lot of money to spend in 2012, and Paul Beeston thinks Toronto is a market that should be able to sustain a payroll of $140-$150 million. Shame free agents don't look to Toronto as a destination. Can't wait for higher Rogers bills!
I'm sure Peyton Manning will be thrilled to hear the terms "not immortal" and "hit a wall" associated with him, especially when they were dropped by teammate Reggie Wayne. We all know how kindly Peyton takes to being criticized by teammates.
Okay, really the last word on the wastes of time that were the Pro Bowl. Here are nine sporting events less relevant than the Pro Bowl.
For those that don't have ESPN Insider, Buster Olney got off a series of great would-be tweets if George Steinbrenner used Twitter. Enjoy.@TheBoss_Yankees
Finally today, beforea video, some of the better Super Bowl prop bets from Bodog.com, with my picks in brackets:
The best stat you'll hear during Super Bowl week: the 60 - SIXTY - strip clubs in Big D are looking to bring in a few extra strippers to meet the demand of the fans descending on Dallas for the game. And by "few extra strippers", we mean 10,000.
During yesterday's Boston Celtic visit to the LA Lakers, when asked by a Lakers ballboy to sign a ball, the always classy Kevin Garnett was heard replying: "You got a better chance of catching Bin Laden"
Spring Training isn't far off, so why not take a peak at baseball's best 50 prospects, or, if you have ESPN Insider, Keith Law's Top 100.
One final thing on the NHL All-Star game. Sure, Phil Kessel may have been picked last, but isn't the bigger joke that Cam Ward went first? At least Kessel can say he's got as many goals as Alexander Ovechkin and Dany Heatley.
If the rumor is accurate, Liverpool's Fernando Torres is on his way to Chelsea today, with the move about to be completed.
Forbes Magazine says 17 of 30 NBA teams lost money last year. If you're the players unions, shouldn't you be asking what kind of impact the financial sinkhole that is the WNBA had on that, and if
Kevin Durant - who by all accounts is a fantastic guy in addition to player - lit into Chris Bosh, calling him a "fake tough guy". I think the "fake" tag extends a lot further than the "tough guy" bit with Bosh, but he's definitely right on that one. After all, it was Bosh who asked for extra games off last year with the Toronto Raptors in the playoff hunt, the very same guy that whined this year of a player diving near his toesies for a loose ball.
The clock for the St. Louis Cardinals to extend the great Albert Pujols is ticking quickly, and word is he will decline any trade proposals with his veto on that. The Cards best get the chequebook out, or call in McGruber.
Steve Simmons at the Toronto Sun, for the second Monday in a row here, sheds the light of reality on the Toronto Blue Jays: "I seem to be in the minority on this, but I worry about the Blue Jays. I wonder how they’re going to replace the 60-plus home runs they’re bound to lose with Vernon Wells and John Buck gone and Jose Bautista certain not to hit 54 again. I wonder who is going to step in for the 195 innings Shaun Marcum pitched, the 15 starts that he took them into the seventh inning or deeper? I wonder how many infield errors there will be with Adam Lind playing first base instead of Lyle Overbay? I wonder if it’s possible for Brett Cecil to go 8-2 against the Red Sox, Yankees and Rays, again. I wonder if the Baltimore Orioles, 34-23 after Buck Showalter took over as manager, push the Jays closer to the bottom of the American League East, rather than closer to the top. The Jays were 15-3 against Baltimore last summer, most of those wins coming before Showalter took over. That won’t happen again. There is little doubt that GM Alex Anthopoulos is building for the future and his intense and private work has been indeed impressive. The Jays won 85 games last season, but the only on-field area in which they’ve improved is in the bullpen. An 80-win season might not be possible." But fear not, Jays fan, the Jays will have a lot of money to spend in 2012, and Paul Beeston thinks Toronto is a market that should be able to sustain a payroll of $140-$150 million. Shame free agents don't look to Toronto as a destination. Can't wait for higher Rogers bills!
I'm sure Peyton Manning will be thrilled to hear the terms "not immortal" and "hit a wall" associated with him, especially when they were dropped by teammate Reggie Wayne. We all know how kindly Peyton takes to being criticized by teammates.
Okay, really the last word on the wastes of time that were the Pro Bowl. Here are nine sporting events less relevant than the Pro Bowl.
For those that don't have ESPN Insider, Buster Olney got off a series of great would-be tweets if George Steinbrenner used Twitter. Enjoy.@TheBoss_Yankees
- Just bought the Yankees. This is the last you'll hear from me. Best owners are absent owners.
- For the record, I'm against free agency. It will ruin the game. Also, we just signed Catfish Hunter. Good man.
- BILLY IS BACK!! Nobody knows more about baseball than Billy. Born leader.
- Just talked to Billy about that one's-a-born-liar, the-other's-convicted quote. I assured him he never said it.
- You heard it from me -- Billy just resigned. Anybody who says I had anything to do with it is a complete liar.
- Forget what you've read. I never called a manager in the dugout to dictate who should play or to say that he'd made a mistake.
- Bowie Kuhn has rejected Vida Blue acquisition. What a bozo.
- REGGIE!!! REGGIE!!! REGGIE!!! WHAT AN AMERICAN!!!!
- How about that joke of a performance. Ken Clay spat the bit. He's a morning glory.
- Billy is hired. He'll be taking over the club in two years. Not sure what Lemon's next role will be, but he'll love it.
- BUCKY DENT!!!!!!! To the Red Sox fan who threw that slice of pizza at me in the second inning: Have a nice cold winter!!!!!
- Dumb decision by MacPhail re: Brett's pine tar bat. I would not want to be him living in NYC. He better start house-hunting close to KC.
- Don't mean to brag, but it has been a really, really, really, really bad night for marshmallow salesmen. More later.
- To all Yankees: Sorry for that embarrassing performance against the Dodgers. There will be changes.
- Misquoted again re: Yogi. I am often misquoted. I am supportive of my managers, even though they all may not think so.
- I'm really 95 percent Mr. Rogers, and only 5 percent Oscar the Grouch.
- Mr. October, my A##! How about a clean single with a runner at third in April??????????
- Dave Winfield is Mr. May, as far as I'm concerned. I long for the days of Mr. October.
- Doyle Alexander stinks. I'm afraid some of my players will get hurt playing behind him.
- The team just hasn't looked ready to play in this first week. Change necessary. Sorry, Yogi.
- I wouldn't sell the Yankees for anything. Owning the Yankees is like owning the Mona Lisa. You don't sell it.
- Mattingly's hair has gotten so long that he looks like one of the Beatles -- one of their girlfriends, I mean.
- Sometimes I am unreasonable. I have to catch myself. But at least I can catch, right @DonSlaughtMachine??
- @FayVincent. I accept the suspension. Doesn't mean I like you. Please go take flying leap off Thompson Memorial Chapel.
- During my suspension, considering following @BanShman -- big Yanks fan.
- Saw that Jeter kid at exhibition game. He looks like a winner. Except that he's from Michigan, and not Ohio. :)
- Our guys just didn't look ready to play against Braves in Game 1. Shaping up to be a national embarrassment.
- Just left Torre's office. Told him he has all the resources he needs, he has all support he needs. Time to win. Or else.
- Congratulations to the Braves for being the second best team in baseball!!!!!
- I see Paul O'Neill and I think: Warrior. But he needs to pick up his batting average.
- @BrianCashmanGM just told me @RandyBigUnitJohnson was traded to Astros. If we lose World Series to Houston, it will be @BrianCashmanGM's fault.
- AL President Gene Budig has fined the Yankees for alleged misdoings. I bet that guy has never worn a jock in his life.
- @HidekiIrabu_Yanks is a fat pus-y toad.
- Show me a good loser, and I'll show you a loser.
- Every time I go out on the streets, the cab drivers here love me. They are real New Yorkers.
- The first Subway Series in more than 40 years. I'm pretty sure the Mets have bugged our clubhouse.
- @BrianCashmanGM. Get on a flight to Tampa now, go to complex and wait for my call. No XMAS vacation for you.
- Looked like Joe's players weren't ready for Game 1 vs. Arizona.
- Larry Lucchino called us The Evil Empire. All I can say is, how's the Babe Ruth trade working for you guys?
- AARON BOONE!!!!!! He is A WINNER!!!!!! The third baseman of the future for the Yankees!!!!!!!
- Re: loss to the Red Sox in playoffs: Nice fat fastball that @JavyVazquez threw to Damon. You will never see him wear pinstripes again.
Finally today, beforea video, some of the better Super Bowl prop bets from Bodog.com, with my picks in brackets:
- How long will it take Christina Aguilera to sing the Star Spangled Banner? -- Over/Under: 1 minute 50 seconds (over, most at YouTube are in the 2 minute range)
- How long will Christina Aguilera hold the note "Brave" at the end of the National Anthem? -- Over/Under: 6 seconds (gotta go over)
- How many times will FOX show Jerry Jones on TV during the Game? -- Over/Under: 3 (over, lock of the day)
- Will a punt hit the scoreboard during the game? -- Yes: 10/1 (has only happened once, not happening)
- Will a Steelers player do the Aaron Rodgers Championship Belt Celebration during the game?
Yes: Even; No: -140 (no) - How many current NFL players will be arrested during Super Bowl week? Over 0.5: +150; Under 0.5: -200 (over, value play)
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