Well lookie here, the NHL finally got around to figuring out that maybe - just maybe - Matt Cooke's act in Pittsburgh had finally gone over their very, very thick line. His latest goon attack landed him a ten game suspension - the rest of the season - and the first round of the playoffs. Better still is it appears the Pens have had enough too. Coach Dan Bylsma talked of how the suspension was deserved and he needed to change, and word is Mario Lemieux told him to get his game cleaned up or he'll be gone. Good for the Pens.
Joel Sherman at the New York Post looks at some similarities between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox: "In fact, the top of the Yankees and Red Sox rotations have some synchronicity: The lefty aces (CC Sabathia vs. Jon Lester), the promising young righties (Phil Hughes vs. Clay Buchholz) and the Florida Marlins refugees trying to recover from a dreadful season (A.J. Burnett vs. Josh Beckett). Win these matchups, and you probably win the AL East.
Love the bomb dropped by Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery, with his team on the outside looking in right now for a Champions League spot next year: "The Champions League is incredibly important for the team, the club and the fans, the Europa League is rubbish and we have got to avoid that. The best way is not to even think about that. Playing in the Europa League is no fun at all."
English Premier League club Fulham have announced they're unveiling a statue outside of Craven Cottage, their stadium. A former star player? Nope. Owner Mohamed Al Fayed? Nope. Michael Jackson.
If you missed EpicMealTime on Jay Leno last week, here it is. Love Harley referring to Leno as "Leno". What a character.
Add Tampa Bay Bolt Vinny Lecavalier to the list of NHLers who have a hate on for Montreal Canadiens rookie PK Subban
Survey says: 25% of Canadians will be watching less hockey because of the mayhem that they've seen the last while. Way to go, Gary Bettman!
Just what everybody wants to hear: the NFL hasn't ruled out using replacement players. Yeah, that'll get people paying hundreds for tickets, and in some places, loads more, excited for some football.
Good news for Toronto FC and soccer in Canada: this past Saturday's game in Vancouver drew a TV audience of 280,000, the largest for an MLS game in Canada. Not bad considering it was prime time, and head to head with Hockey Night in Canada. Bad news for Toronto FC: the always great MLSE, who could screw up all the best things in the world simultaneously, has played the team's home opener into a non-sellout to date, thanks to four year's of bungling, price gouging and bad blood. Admittedly, some of these are my own conclusions. I'm betting they don't sell out more than three games all year.
A member of the Houston sports media looks at a year and change in Chris Bosh quotes from Houston's perspective. Bosh, of course, is a guy Houston had much interest in. Some funny stuff.
At Fox Sports, Ken Rosenthal and Kevin Kennedy present their picks for AL and NL MVP's in the coming baseball season (next week!). My fantasy squad has three of the four selections, with Albert Pujols missing. Me=happy. One of the MVP nods goes to this guy, who is killing the ball this spring, and is well on his way to being an all-timer with an all-time team.
Want to see one way to mock a trap in hockey? And in this case, learn how to count to 16 in French? Sadly, when Rimouski finally tries to break the trap, they fail and turn the puck over.
There are barely 100 views on this one at this point, so be among the first of the millions - and millions - to check out the latest from Epic Meal Time in "Meat Cars", which will look familiar if you caught the Tonight Show with Jay Loser last week, or checked the clips on RM yesterday. Does Harley look like Ben Roethlesberger, or is it just me?
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Now THAT was a sports weekend!
I literally was thinking to myself yesterday afternoon, in the midst of a fantastic day of EPL and NCAA action, "man, it has been a couple days since something stupid happened in the NHL." Mere moments later, I stumble across a mention by the good man behind Empties Crushed - and noted Pittsburgh honk - about Matt Cooke doing something stupid and costing the Penguins a game. It didn't take long for the Twitterverse to provide video evidence of this gem:
Now, we already know the immortal answer to the immortal question of "does a fool ever learn", but some of these knuckleheads continue to remind us, while the NHL fiddles as Rome burns. If this isn't the epitome of a head shot, blind sided, and the kind of dirty play that any other sporting organization with any sense would look to avoid, I don't know what is. But really, does anybody know with the NHL? He might get 5-8 games. Or, he might have already served his penalty with five minutes and the game misconduct. And isn't that the problem? How does that clown look Sidney Crosby in the eye knowing what Sid is going through and has endured the last couple months on far less dirty plays? If it weren't Cooke, I'm sure Don Cherry would be prepping a speech saying you have to know who's on the ice, but since it is, he'll come down hard. And that kind of inconsistency is the cancer here.
Insurance giant AON - who sponsor Manchester United - had their CEO Phil Clement declare that the club sells more jersey's annually than all NFL teams combined. I'd wager so do Barcelona and Real Madrid, for starters.
Not sure if it is being repeated again, but glance at The Comedy Network's schedule this week and if you can catch the Donald Trump Roast, do so. My ribs still hurt I was laughing so hard. Except for when The Situation of Jersey Shore fame got up, that was really, really bad.
Trouble in the land of the New York Knicks? Not only are the Knicks struggling along around .500 in the 'Melo Era, the Denver Nuggets are winning games, and plenty of them, well north of .500 since the deal.
The Champions League quarter-final draw went Friday morning and we've got some juicy match-ups for sure. I'll list the match-ups with my winner listed first. Barcelona vs. Shaktar Donetsk, with the winner getting the winner of Real Madrid vs. Tottenham (though Ronaldo is nursing a sore hammy and may be out three weeks), and the winner of Manchester United vs. Chelsea and Inter Milan vs. Shalke meeting in the semi-finals. The first legs go April 5/6. Can't wait. Prediction overall? Barcelona vs. Man U/Chelsea in the finals (I think that one is that close, especially with Man U's problems with player health on defence). Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp says his club wanted a date with Real. They must've been really looking forward to it on Saturday when they drew 0-0 against lowly West Ham. Maybe Redknapp figures it being Real's first trip to the quarters in seven years so there isn't much to be afraid of?
The less said of Toronto FC's opening 4-2 loss in Vancouver on Saturday, the better. They were outclassed in every way, and their defending has never, ever looked worse. A gutless performance mostly, though they did control the ball for stretches better than anytime in recent memory.
Jon "Bones" Jones is the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion after a ridiculously dominant win over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua on Saturday night. Bad ass. Jones is also the youngest champion at 23 years. In other fights, Cro Cop lost to Brandon Schaub. How about you just Cro Stop? Embarrassing seeing an alleged legend get his head handed to him like that.
Chad Ochocinco is on a try-out with the MLS squad Sporting Kansas City. He calls it his childhood dream. Of course, the MLS came into being when he was 18.
This is hard to do. I have two entries in an NCAA pool, 43 entries deep. I currently sit in first (and 99th percentile overall among Yahoo! entries), and last. Some fantastic action this past weekend for what, to me, is always the best run of the tourney in the opening two rounds. Wild finishes, bonehead plays (Pitt especially), and more than a few questionable calls, and way, way too much of the "Wiserhood". Phil Jackson thinks I'm mostly just lucky lobbing a dart around the board.
Now, we already know the immortal answer to the immortal question of "does a fool ever learn", but some of these knuckleheads continue to remind us, while the NHL fiddles as Rome burns. If this isn't the epitome of a head shot, blind sided, and the kind of dirty play that any other sporting organization with any sense would look to avoid, I don't know what is. But really, does anybody know with the NHL? He might get 5-8 games. Or, he might have already served his penalty with five minutes and the game misconduct. And isn't that the problem? How does that clown look Sidney Crosby in the eye knowing what Sid is going through and has endured the last couple months on far less dirty plays? If it weren't Cooke, I'm sure Don Cherry would be prepping a speech saying you have to know who's on the ice, but since it is, he'll come down hard. And that kind of inconsistency is the cancer here.
Not sure if it is being repeated again, but glance at The Comedy Network's schedule this week and if you can catch the Donald Trump Roast, do so. My ribs still hurt I was laughing so hard. Except for when The Situation of Jersey Shore fame got up, that was really, really bad.
Trouble in the land of the New York Knicks? Not only are the Knicks struggling along around .500 in the 'Melo Era, the Denver Nuggets are winning games, and plenty of them, well north of .500 since the deal.
The Champions League quarter-final draw went Friday morning and we've got some juicy match-ups for sure. I'll list the match-ups with my winner listed first. Barcelona vs. Shaktar Donetsk, with the winner getting the winner of Real Madrid vs. Tottenham (though Ronaldo is nursing a sore hammy and may be out three weeks), and the winner of Manchester United vs. Chelsea and Inter Milan vs. Shalke meeting in the semi-finals. The first legs go April 5/6. Can't wait. Prediction overall? Barcelona vs. Man U/Chelsea in the finals (I think that one is that close, especially with Man U's problems with player health on defence). Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp says his club wanted a date with Real. They must've been really looking forward to it on Saturday when they drew 0-0 against lowly West Ham. Maybe Redknapp figures it being Real's first trip to the quarters in seven years so there isn't much to be afraid of?
The less said of Toronto FC's opening 4-2 loss in Vancouver on Saturday, the better. They were outclassed in every way, and their defending has never, ever looked worse. A gutless performance mostly, though they did control the ball for stretches better than anytime in recent memory.
Jon "Bones" Jones is the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion after a ridiculously dominant win over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua on Saturday night. Bad ass. Jones is also the youngest champion at 23 years. In other fights, Cro Cop lost to Brandon Schaub. How about you just Cro Stop? Embarrassing seeing an alleged legend get his head handed to him like that.
Chad Ochocinco is on a try-out with the MLS squad Sporting Kansas City. He calls it his childhood dream. Of course, the MLS came into being when he was 18.
This is hard to do. I have two entries in an NCAA pool, 43 entries deep. I currently sit in first (and 99th percentile overall among Yahoo! entries), and last. Some fantastic action this past weekend for what, to me, is always the best run of the tourney in the opening two rounds. Wild finishes, bonehead plays (Pitt especially), and more than a few questionable calls, and way, way too much of the "Wiserhood". Phil Jackson thinks I'm mostly just lucky lobbing a dart around the board.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Oh yeah, the madness!
NCAA's March Madness starts today so keeping the entry for today brief, because I figure most of you will be too busy filling in brackets. But some stats: #12 seeds have bounced #5 seeds 38.6% of the time since 2000, and are 51.4% in the second round. A the other end, #15's are 1-43 since 2000, so don't waste your time. Boring, but I've got a lot of chalk heading to the Final Four - as in, all chalk. I've got Pitt beating Kansas, and Ohio State punching Duke in the vagina before the Buckeyes do what their football brethren struggles so hard to do - aside from not violating NCAA rules - finishing on top.
The Journal of Sports Economics conducted a complex study of fighting in the NHL to see if fights actually can turn the game, the way some think they can. Come to find out - not surprisingly - that fighting success has no measurable impact on winning in the NHL. But it sells loads of DVDs, right Grapes?
Cincinnati Bengal Chad Ochocinco was the target of this diatribe: "I think it's played out. I think most people in Cincinnati feel that way. You have players who seemingly care more about their Twitter accounts and generating publicity about themselves than they do about winning. And again, you have to defend Chad on a certain level because it must be tough to come in here year in and year out, and get ready to play for a team that's not gonna go anywhere. But I also think Chad dropped a lot of balls. There were a lot frustrating moments over the past few years where you're thinking, 'If you spent half as much energy working on running around the cornerback as you did self promoting, it would be a different situation." Didn't think Nick Lachey, who pimps Cinci at every turn, had that in him.
Doping allegations for Barcelona, Real Madrid and Valencia in Spain's La Liga? Oh-oh!
AskMen.com rates sports for what is the most physically demanding across four categories - muscular/strength use, speed/quickness, cardiovascular endurance and durability. The winner might surprise you, but it shouldn't when you really think about it.
Interesting piece in the National Post on how the Tampa Bay Rays learned to compete in the AL East via the boot The Extra 2%, with a side of Toronto Blue Jays applicability.
Via GBVH comes word that the fine folks at Epic Meal Time will be featured on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno tonight. The downside? They're not on Letterman, Conan, etc.
Finally today, if you drink green beer, you're a loser.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Thriller in Munich
If the theory that the best defense is a good offence holds true, Bayern Munich must not have received the memo. They were up 2-1 at the half on Inter Milan yesterday, and it easily could've been four or five, before they got all conservative with it, letting Inter draw even and then take a last minute goal from Goran Pandev of all people for the 3-2 win, leaving Inter to save the Italian Serie A some embarrassment from having no entries in the final eight. Awesome, awesome game. In yesterday's other tilt, Wayne Rooney was fantastic, Chicharito scored a pair, but it wasn't easy work in the end for Manchester United in their 2-1 win over Marseille thanks to Wes Brown going Wes Brown and scoring on his own net with eight to play, giving yours truly a push instead of a win.
Up today, the final eight get rounded out with Chelsea hosting Copenhagan (I've got Chelsea winning easy here) and host Real Madrid finally topping Lyon after a going out to them repeatedly recently. Both kick off at 3:45.
Interesting that the Toronto FC ads promoting single game ticket sales for this season feature Maicon Santos and not Toronto natives Dwayne DeRosario or Julian DeGuzman, or even Adrian Cann. DeRo's delusions of grandeur are ongoing, with word he's now not talking to the media. Nice work, captain. That'll really grow the game.
You may not be down for March Madness, hoops edition, but how about the Playboy version, where 64 lovely ladies are pitted head to head? I've got Sara Jean Underwood topping Kimberly Holland in the final. Vote here.
True story: "Jeter" is the French word for "discard". No joke. Yankees? You've been warned.
Seattle Sounders of the MLS outdrew 19 of 30 MLB teams last year for average attendance, including the across-the-street Mariners. The Sounders may have outplayed the LA Galaxy last night, but the Galaxy were 1-0 winners.
Several hundred Montreal Canadiens fans congregated outside the Bell Centre last night before the Habs game against the Washington Capitals to protest the lack of action on head shots by the NHL. In typical Habs Fan fashion, they followed that up by rioting and smashing up a bunch of police vehicles. Admittedly, not all that happened. Caps coach Bruce Boudreau says if fans don't like the game, they should stay home. Guess he hasn't been paying attention to all the empty seats in most of the league's arenas?
Drew Brees, as good a guy as you can say an athlete appears to be, says each proposal by the NFLPA to improve health care was swiftly declined by the owners. That isn't overly surprising when you hear Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones practically taunting the players in negotiations, saying the owners clearly don't have their attention yet.
What is crazier, that this goalie went kung fu on an oncoming player, or that he cannot seem to figure out why he was red carded? The NHL would simply rule this a "hockey play" if it happened there.
Up today, the final eight get rounded out with Chelsea hosting Copenhagan (I've got Chelsea winning easy here) and host Real Madrid finally topping Lyon after a going out to them repeatedly recently. Both kick off at 3:45.
Interesting that the Toronto FC ads promoting single game ticket sales for this season feature Maicon Santos and not Toronto natives Dwayne DeRosario or Julian DeGuzman, or even Adrian Cann. DeRo's delusions of grandeur are ongoing, with word he's now not talking to the media. Nice work, captain. That'll really grow the game.
You may not be down for March Madness, hoops edition, but how about the Playboy version, where 64 lovely ladies are pitted head to head? I've got Sara Jean Underwood topping Kimberly Holland in the final. Vote here.
True story: "Jeter" is the French word for "discard". No joke. Yankees? You've been warned.
Seattle Sounders of the MLS outdrew 19 of 30 MLB teams last year for average attendance, including the across-the-street Mariners. The Sounders may have outplayed the LA Galaxy last night, but the Galaxy were 1-0 winners.
Several hundred Montreal Canadiens fans congregated outside the Bell Centre last night before the Habs game against the Washington Capitals to protest the lack of action on head shots by the NHL. In typical Habs Fan fashion, they followed that up by rioting and smashing up a bunch of police vehicles. Admittedly, not all that happened. Caps coach Bruce Boudreau says if fans don't like the game, they should stay home. Guess he hasn't been paying attention to all the empty seats in most of the league's arenas?
Drew Brees, as good a guy as you can say an athlete appears to be, says each proposal by the NFLPA to improve health care was swiftly declined by the owners. That isn't overly surprising when you hear Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones practically taunting the players in negotiations, saying the owners clearly don't have their attention yet.
What is crazier, that this goalie went kung fu on an oncoming player, or that he cannot seem to figure out why he was red carded? The NHL would simply rule this a "hockey play" if it happened there.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
These are the champiooooooooooooooons
Champions League play resumes again today with another pair of games, two more going tomorrow, to round out the quarter-finalists. Manchester United host Olympique Marseille after they played a stale 0-0 draw at home, while Bayern Munich host defending champion Inter Milan with Inter on the ropes after a 1-0 home loss meaning they've got to win to advance. Both games are 3:45 kickoffs with the North American time change, Setanta's got Man U/Marseille and TSN is carrying the Bayern/Inter tilt. I'm hammering Man U at -1 +109.
Ken Rosenthal at Fox Sports says that the Seattle Mariners would be wise to deal Felix Hernandez to the New York Yankees, especially if they can pull a package of Jesus Montero, one of Manny Banuelos or Dellin Betances, Ivan Nova and another prospect. It'd be a tonne to give up, but makes a lot of sense for both teams.
The MLS season is about to kick off tonight, with the Seattle Sounders hosting LA Galaxy at what will be a rocking Q-West Field. GolTV Canada has coverage here. Nigel Reed looks at the Easter Conference here, while Jason DeVos previews the West. SI.com busts out 10 potential break-out players for 2011.
Not sure what it means for his status the rest of this season, but good to hear that Sidney Crosby was at least back on skates for the first time since his concussion(s) in early January.
Check out the funniest sports headline fails, in pictures.
Fascinating interview with former WWE star Chris Nowinski with The Sports Guy on concussions. Nowinski - Harvard educated - has become a champion for concussion research after getting his bell rung in the ring one time too many. Interesting to hear that soccer players have as high a concussion rate as pro-football players (gridiron varietal). Never would have thought, and while I've played for decades, only a couple times do I remember (okay, that sounds funny) ever feeling foggy, and one was after landing on my head when a guy cut under me while in the air. Bill Simmons mentioned that Malcolm Gladwell - author and big thinker - said pro football will be dead in 30 years because sideline technology will be able to instantly diagnose head injuries among kids, and parents will pull their kids out of the game. Interesting.
The next round of Colin Cowherd's Rock Band tourney is on and has some juicy matchups. The Doors vs. The Eagles is not one of them. Hate both, the Doors slightly less so. Torn on Van Halen vs. Guns N Roses, it must be said. Thinking VH for sheer longevity and depth of work, and they're leading 51%-49% at the moment. If the vote were for bigger circus, which band wins?
What is more shocking: a WNBAer gets off Tweets about the earthquake in Japan being essentially karma at work for Pearl Harbor, or that anyone noticed what a WNBAer tweeted at all?
Barcelona star Lionel Messi took a shot to the knee on the weekend and his status is up in the air. Talk about a potential game changer in the Spanish and European soccer landscape down the stretch run.
Pittsburgh Penguins owner Mario Lemieux is suggesting in a letter that team fines might be a deterrent to players crimes on the ice. To his credit, Lemieux notes that his own team would have been heavily fined for a couple suspensions of its players, and says "we all have to take responsibility if we are going to improve the game.'"
Might Peyton Manning end up a free agent, and a New York Jet? Think we might all get a little tired of the "Mannings Take Manhatten" stories? I really should trademark that name right now.
Foo Fighters have a movie debuting today at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas. Here's a preview.
Not sure if I've ever seen a faster goal in soccer history than this one. Or, Goalie Fail.
Epic Meal Time, Deleted Scenes - Part 2.
Ken Rosenthal at Fox Sports says that the Seattle Mariners would be wise to deal Felix Hernandez to the New York Yankees, especially if they can pull a package of Jesus Montero, one of Manny Banuelos or Dellin Betances, Ivan Nova and another prospect. It'd be a tonne to give up, but makes a lot of sense for both teams.
The MLS season is about to kick off tonight, with the Seattle Sounders hosting LA Galaxy at what will be a rocking Q-West Field. GolTV Canada has coverage here. Nigel Reed looks at the Easter Conference here, while Jason DeVos previews the West. SI.com busts out 10 potential break-out players for 2011.
Not sure what it means for his status the rest of this season, but good to hear that Sidney Crosby was at least back on skates for the first time since his concussion(s) in early January.
Check out the funniest sports headline fails, in pictures.
Fascinating interview with former WWE star Chris Nowinski with The Sports Guy on concussions. Nowinski - Harvard educated - has become a champion for concussion research after getting his bell rung in the ring one time too many. Interesting to hear that soccer players have as high a concussion rate as pro-football players (gridiron varietal). Never would have thought, and while I've played for decades, only a couple times do I remember (okay, that sounds funny) ever feeling foggy, and one was after landing on my head when a guy cut under me while in the air. Bill Simmons mentioned that Malcolm Gladwell - author and big thinker - said pro football will be dead in 30 years because sideline technology will be able to instantly diagnose head injuries among kids, and parents will pull their kids out of the game. Interesting.
The next round of Colin Cowherd's Rock Band tourney is on and has some juicy matchups. The Doors vs. The Eagles is not one of them. Hate both, the Doors slightly less so. Torn on Van Halen vs. Guns N Roses, it must be said. Thinking VH for sheer longevity and depth of work, and they're leading 51%-49% at the moment. If the vote were for bigger circus, which band wins?
What is more shocking: a WNBAer gets off Tweets about the earthquake in Japan being essentially karma at work for Pearl Harbor, or that anyone noticed what a WNBAer tweeted at all?
Barcelona star Lionel Messi took a shot to the knee on the weekend and his status is up in the air. Talk about a potential game changer in the Spanish and European soccer landscape down the stretch run.
Pittsburgh Penguins owner Mario Lemieux is suggesting in a letter that team fines might be a deterrent to players crimes on the ice. To his credit, Lemieux notes that his own team would have been heavily fined for a couple suspensions of its players, and says "we all have to take responsibility if we are going to improve the game.'"
Might Peyton Manning end up a free agent, and a New York Jet? Think we might all get a little tired of the "Mannings Take Manhatten" stories? I really should trademark that name right now.
Foo Fighters have a movie debuting today at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas. Here's a preview.
Not sure if I've ever seen a faster goal in soccer history than this one. Or, Goalie Fail.
Epic Meal Time, Deleted Scenes - Part 2.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Gary Bettman gets extended? Incredible.
If there is a person alive that can rationalize how NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman just received a five year contract extension worth $36 million, I'd love to meet them for a talk. Sure, the league has grown from $2 billion in revenues to $3 billion since the lockout, but I'd love to see what that figure looked like if not for the Canadian dollar jumping to par more or less for the last three and a half years with the U.S. greenback. Last I looked, the game is more in the news for violence than anything else, it continues to be a non-factor south of the border, and there are at least a dozen teams said to be for sale and even more losing money. How that's not on him at least in part is beyond me.
Roy MacGregor says it is time for the NHL to move from judging intent to focusing on the result of an action. To quote Charlie Sheen, "duh". Here's a look at the NHL's season of mayhem in pictures, as only SI can take them. And love that the NHL Wheel of Justice has finally gone public. No need to wait for a lame press-release detailing how a maiming act will be handled anymore, you can figure it out all by your lonesome with a quick spin of the wheel.
Phil Jackson just won his 600th regular season game with the Lakers. The Raptors have won 520 games, total.
The Ontario Teacher's Pension Fund has put its stake in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment up for sale for $1.3 or $1.6 billion, depending which story you believe. Surely there's somebody out there that would float me a loan for that? If you're a fan of the Maple Leafs, Raptors or Toronto FC, you're probably thrilled that the profit-at-all-costs pension fund is out of there. Rogers is expected to be heavily involved in the bidding, and could greatly change the sporting landscape in Toronto. Steve Simmons quotes a source saying that Brian Burke and Bryan Colangelo won't have the freedom they do now under a new regime.
The New York Knicks are finally relevant again, after years of being terrible, and how are they going to repay their ridiculously loyal fans? Why, by raising ticket prices 49% of course.
The AS Roma vs. Lazio Rome derby went yesterday, though for all the empty seats - I'm talking thousands upon thousands - you wonder how much Rome really cared. The last 20 minutes of the game were about as dirty as I've seen in any sport. Embarrassing seeing guys get their faces stomped on, shoving each other. Hell, it looked like they were channeling the NHL. Roma were 2-0 winners with a pair from the ageless Francesco Totti.
I've heard of some ridiculous reasons to be out of a game, but Manchester City's nutjob Mario Balotelli had to be removed from a game because of - wait for it! - an allergy. To grass.
9 first quarter points, 22 at the half and 56 for the game. A high-school hoops team? WNBA? Toronto Raptors? Nope, the Milwaukee Bucks yesterday in their 87-56 loss to the Boston Celtics.
New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera made his first appearance of the spring yesterday, aiming to throw 12 pitches off the bump. He did just that, with nine going for strikes to retire the side. The guy is a machine.
Here's Francesco Totti's first goal yesterday. More impressive was the call by the Italian broadcaster.
Roy MacGregor says it is time for the NHL to move from judging intent to focusing on the result of an action. To quote Charlie Sheen, "duh". Here's a look at the NHL's season of mayhem in pictures, as only SI can take them. And love that the NHL Wheel of Justice has finally gone public. No need to wait for a lame press-release detailing how a maiming act will be handled anymore, you can figure it out all by your lonesome with a quick spin of the wheel.
Phil Jackson just won his 600th regular season game with the Lakers. The Raptors have won 520 games, total.
The Ontario Teacher's Pension Fund has put its stake in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment up for sale for $1.3 or $1.6 billion, depending which story you believe. Surely there's somebody out there that would float me a loan for that? If you're a fan of the Maple Leafs, Raptors or Toronto FC, you're probably thrilled that the profit-at-all-costs pension fund is out of there. Rogers is expected to be heavily involved in the bidding, and could greatly change the sporting landscape in Toronto. Steve Simmons quotes a source saying that Brian Burke and Bryan Colangelo won't have the freedom they do now under a new regime.
The New York Knicks are finally relevant again, after years of being terrible, and how are they going to repay their ridiculously loyal fans? Why, by raising ticket prices 49% of course.
The AS Roma vs. Lazio Rome derby went yesterday, though for all the empty seats - I'm talking thousands upon thousands - you wonder how much Rome really cared. The last 20 minutes of the game were about as dirty as I've seen in any sport. Embarrassing seeing guys get their faces stomped on, shoving each other. Hell, it looked like they were channeling the NHL. Roma were 2-0 winners with a pair from the ageless Francesco Totti.
I've heard of some ridiculous reasons to be out of a game, but Manchester City's nutjob Mario Balotelli had to be removed from a game because of - wait for it! - an allergy. To grass.
9 first quarter points, 22 at the half and 56 for the game. A high-school hoops team? WNBA? Toronto Raptors? Nope, the Milwaukee Bucks yesterday in their 87-56 loss to the Boston Celtics.
New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera made his first appearance of the spring yesterday, aiming to throw 12 pitches off the bump. He did just that, with nine going for strikes to retire the side. The guy is a machine.
Here's Francesco Totti's first goal yesterday. More impressive was the call by the Italian broadcaster.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Bettman: Sabateur?
Looks like the Miami Heat's fans had better things to do mid-way through the second quarter against the LA Lakers last night. The Heat managed a win, however.
I couldn't agree more that the NHL has its collective head in the sand here (and in general). Since January, they've now had their biggest star, Sidney Crosby, (out, by the way) question the way things are going, and you can now add Joe Thornton and Henrik Sedin to the sceptics , sponsors (Air Canada), owners (Mario Lemieux earlier this year and now Habs owner Geoff Molson) and politicians express concerns. And these are CANADIAN'S (Sedin aside) who are generally apologists for the game. If that doesn't suggest things have crossed a line, I don't know what has. They're EXTREMELY lucky right now that Max Pacioretty will be able to walk again, and they're playing with fire if they don't address safety more than they have.
The UFC is contemplating a move to 9pm starts for its pay-per-views to attract more east coast viewers and let them make the Sunday morning papers in the east. Say what you will about Dana White and his company, but nobody thinks more about growth of their sport and business and doing what's better for fans. UFC 129 in Toronto will be the first to go at 9pm by all indications. No UFC fighter has ever been stretchered from the octagon, or suffered fractured vertabra, by the way.
I would love for the Toronto Sun and other publications explain to me why printing the first, second and third tables for Scottish soccer makes sense. Their Premier League barely warrants a run.
Tom Verducci, who has made quite the name for himself over the year's in analyzing pitchers at risk of injury for excessive work below age 25, is now dipping into looking at mechanics, with a look here at Stephen Strasburg and how his motion likely blew out his elbow. On his "watch" list? Toronto Blue Jay Kyle Drabek.
Which of these seems more likely: reading yesterday that Philadelphia Phillies starter Roy Halladay threw six superb innings, or that Minnesota Twins starter Carl Pavano has been the most impressive pitcher of all this spring? While the first is true, the latter is what some scouts also said yesterday.
Bad scenes in Japan today. Say a prayer.
Somebody took the time to do an amazing animation of Tottenham Spurs Gareth Bale shredding Inter Milan in group play of the Champions League a few months back. And here are the actual highlites, starting 3:11 in.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Air Canada strafes NHL
Air Canada fired a serious shot across the bow of the NHL with a strongly worded letter saying they would be reviewing their sponsorship of the NHL and its teams if a serious and immediate action on headshots wasn't taken, because they fear a fatality. So there you go Gary Bettman, you've got yourself a full blown, hammer-you-in-the-wallet crisis on your hands from all the foot dragging you've done on that issue. Congratulations. Shame that Sidney Crosby's words weren't enough to get them thinking months ago. Bruce Arthur says the NHL's "it was a hockey play" excuse is played.
Montreal Canadien Max Pacioretty, he of the severe concussion and fractured vertabra - lucky he's not paralyzed - told TSN that he thinks Zdeno Chara's hit on him Tuesday night was intentional, so not surprisingly, he's disgusted that no suspension was given. Vancouver Canucks forward Tanner Glass told The Province’s Jason Botchford that “if you polled 700 NHL players, 680 would say he knows exactly what he’s doing and knows the turnbuckle is there.” Presumably the other 20 are Boston Bruins and wouldn't say. I refuse to believe a pro wouldn't know where he was on the ice.
Tottenham and Schalke advanced to the quarter finals in Champions League play yesterday. The other four to advance will be sorted out this coming Tuesday and Wednesday with four more games. Already a few new entries among the final eight, which makes things even more interesting.
Apparently, if there is a streaker in a sixth division soccer game in England dressed up as Borat, do not tackle him to the ground even if stewards are in not-so-hot pursuit. You get red carded for that, though I don't recall ever hearing about such a rule. Question: what was someone doing with a camera at a sixth division soccer game?
Duane Rollins checks in with a sobering look at the upcoming Toronto FC season, which will start next Saturday with a game in Vancouver. Whitecaps part owner Steve Nash is hell-bent on making it to the game, traveling back to Vancouver despite his Phoenix Suns playing the Friday night as well as the next day.
Ohio State football made $63.7 million last year. Wonder why there might be pressure on coaches to stretch the rules now and again?
Tiki Barber...oh why even bother cracking on him? Desperate times, right Tiki?
Awesome story, and pics, of a hardcore New York Yankees fan that broke into (old) Yankee Stadium as it was being torn down with a lady friend and slammed some beers while taking some pics.
Love, LOVE Chris Webber mocking the Miami Heat. Memo to the Toronto Raptors: next time the Heat roll into town, rock the old "Tears Are Not Enough". I'm begging.
Montreal Canadien Max Pacioretty, he of the severe concussion and fractured vertabra - lucky he's not paralyzed - told TSN that he thinks Zdeno Chara's hit on him Tuesday night was intentional, so not surprisingly, he's disgusted that no suspension was given. Vancouver Canucks forward Tanner Glass told The Province’s Jason Botchford that “if you polled 700 NHL players, 680 would say he knows exactly what he’s doing and knows the turnbuckle is there.” Presumably the other 20 are Boston Bruins and wouldn't say. I refuse to believe a pro wouldn't know where he was on the ice.
Tottenham and Schalke advanced to the quarter finals in Champions League play yesterday. The other four to advance will be sorted out this coming Tuesday and Wednesday with four more games. Already a few new entries among the final eight, which makes things even more interesting.
Apparently, if there is a streaker in a sixth division soccer game in England dressed up as Borat, do not tackle him to the ground even if stewards are in not-so-hot pursuit. You get red carded for that, though I don't recall ever hearing about such a rule. Question: what was someone doing with a camera at a sixth division soccer game?
Duane Rollins checks in with a sobering look at the upcoming Toronto FC season, which will start next Saturday with a game in Vancouver. Whitecaps part owner Steve Nash is hell-bent on making it to the game, traveling back to Vancouver despite his Phoenix Suns playing the Friday night as well as the next day.
Ohio State football made $63.7 million last year. Wonder why there might be pressure on coaches to stretch the rules now and again?
Tiki Barber...oh why even bother cracking on him? Desperate times, right Tiki?
Awesome story, and pics, of a hardcore New York Yankees fan that broke into (old) Yankee Stadium as it was being torn down with a lady friend and slammed some beers while taking some pics.
Love, LOVE Chris Webber mocking the Miami Heat. Memo to the Toronto Raptors: next time the Heat roll into town, rock the old "Tears Are Not Enough". I'm begging.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Messi: not made like you or I
Bruce Arthur at The National Post looks at the winds of change that have hit Mike Milbury with regard to fighting in the NHL. Tie Domi isn't willing to talk about his thoughts on fighting. This came after he was spoon fed apple sauce and had his drool wiped up. Only some of that is true.
The San Antonio Spurs have won 60+ games in the NBA season again, their - wait for it - 12th straight year knocking out 60+.
The Miami Heat lost again last night, which can only mean that quoting one LeBron James from Twitter back in December is more and more prophetic as it turns out and maybe not the dig at the Cleveland Cavaliers it was first thought to be, from @KingJames: "Crazy. Karma is a bitch. Gets you every time. Not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything!" Perhaps somewhat inspired by "DidTheCavsLoseLastNight.com" that gained traction in December comes "DidTheHeatCryLastNight.com".
The NHL's best second half win percentage in history was registered by the 1979-1980 Montreal Canadiens who were on a .813 clip that year. That makes this year's New Jersey Devils .875 rip this year all the more impressive.
ESPN Radio host Colin Cowherd has his annual "March Madness" of his own up, and this year's subject is for Best Rock Band. Get your votes in here for the first round. How the hell did Creed and Nickelback get in as a 16 seeds and the Foo Figthters aren't even in the tournament? Criminal. Looks like Bob Marley & The Wailers vs. Beastie Boys is the tightest race so far.
I'm not saying for a fact the two are linked, but back in January, Montreal Canadien Max Pacioretty scored an OT goal to beat Boston, and Zdeno Chara was none too happy.
So last night, in the rematch, here's what happens to Max Pacioretty when he comes near Zdeno Chara. He was stretchered off and taken to hospital. Said Chara post-game: "Unfortunate when I pushed him that he leaned and jumped a little into the glass extension," which brought this fantastic response from the National Post's Bruce Artur, fast becoming a fav of mine: "That's an effing joke. Zdeno, that's like effing saying that [the late Georgian luger] Nodar Kumnaritashvili leaned into the goddamn stanchion at Whistler. Jesus Christ." Seems hard to believe Chara would be completely oblivious to where he was heading, no?
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
KFC Yum!
The second leg's of Champion's League get under way today. Barcelona host Arsenal needing to overcome a 2-1 road loss and really, I get the feeling they could drop a four or five goal curb stomping on the Gunners, who looked to be down Robin van Persie and coming off an uninspired Sunderland performance, until ti was revealed RVP will indeed start. I recall previous year's where Arsenal would have Champions League/FA Cup and their EPL runs all end in consecutive games. The latter might not happen this time, but the previous two just may. The other game today sees AS Roma at Shaktar Donetsk, with Shaktar winning the first leg last month and largely in cruise control for this one.
Amar'e Stoudamire and Carmelo Anthony were laughing it up over the reports of the Miami Heat having some players in tears after their latest loss. I'm loving the Knicks more and more all the time, especially for how they openly disrespect the Heat.
The arena in Louisville, Kentucky is named the "KFC Yum! Arena". Only in Necktucky.
Why is it everytime the Toronto Maple Leafs lose of late - and it hasn't been often, it must be said - the papers start speculating that goalie James Reimer is tired? Plenty of goalies lose games without being tired. Crazy, I know.
Saw a list for NHL Rookie of the Year that included Jeff Skinner, Logan Couture, Taylor Hall, James Reimer and...PK Subban? For me, Reimer hasn't played enough and Subban is only on if he's wearing Skinner's jersey again. The former Kitchener Ranger - Skinner - is a lock. That's no knock on Subban, who I think will be a star and is a nice break from the cliche spewing NHL machine, I just don't think he's had a great year.
Poor LeBron James, he will only need his Miami Heat to go 19-0 to close out the season to win more games than he did last year in Cleveland. There's a hole in my soul. Great bit here on the idea that Miami never considered the possibility of what Dwayne Wade would think of watching LeBron fail repeatedly when games mattered most.
While it will barely register insofar as important MLB announcements are, it will register presumably insofar as your enjoyment of Toronto Blue Jays broadcasts on Rogers SportsNet go: Gregg Zaun is retiring. Here's hoping he doesn't make it back up north to ruin broadcasts.
Sidney Crosby's sister has a concussion as well, and it makes front page news. Only in Canada.
Steve Simmons at the Toronto Sun checks in on the latest with the Steve Moore lawsuit of Todd Bertuzzi and the former Vancouver Canucks owners expected to make its way to trial next year and the . It was seven year's ago yesterday that Moore was driven into the ice and had his neck broken. My how far the NHL has come since then! Simmons says this one has the potential to bring the NHL to its knees.
When you're Carlo Ancelotti, manager at Chelsea, and declare that the team isn't really your team because it is the owner making personnel decisions, isn't that essentially saying "if it doesn't go right, it isn't on me"? Going to guess that's exactly how owner Roman Abramovich interprets it and Ancelotti, accurate or not, walks the plank for saying so.
Here are the 25 Most Overrated Wrestlers. Lost on me: who rates Finlay, never mind overrates him?
Since their February 18th blockbuster deal, the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues have gone a combined 3-12-1. Wonder if TSN and SportsNet will devote a day of coverage to analyzing that?
Could the stories of Alex Rodriguez being on the downward slope be premature? If early indications are accurate, A-Rod could have a monster year.
Epic Meal Time...road trip! The crew rolled to Kingston this weekend, where everything is legal, as long as you don't get caught.
The NFL needs to come to a labour agreement, quick. Or, we'll be treated to more horrific videos like Tom Brady getting his groove on at Carnival in Rio, with a disaster of a pony tail.
Check out this past weekend's Duke loss (yeah!) at North Carolina at three frames a second, with no Dick Vitale (even more "yeah!")
Amar'e Stoudamire and Carmelo Anthony were laughing it up over the reports of the Miami Heat having some players in tears after their latest loss. I'm loving the Knicks more and more all the time, especially for how they openly disrespect the Heat.
The arena in Louisville, Kentucky is named the "KFC Yum! Arena". Only in Necktucky.
Why is it everytime the Toronto Maple Leafs lose of late - and it hasn't been often, it must be said - the papers start speculating that goalie James Reimer is tired? Plenty of goalies lose games without being tired. Crazy, I know.
Saw a list for NHL Rookie of the Year that included Jeff Skinner, Logan Couture, Taylor Hall, James Reimer and...PK Subban? For me, Reimer hasn't played enough and Subban is only on if he's wearing Skinner's jersey again. The former Kitchener Ranger - Skinner - is a lock. That's no knock on Subban, who I think will be a star and is a nice break from the cliche spewing NHL machine, I just don't think he's had a great year.
Poor LeBron James, he will only need his Miami Heat to go 19-0 to close out the season to win more games than he did last year in Cleveland. There's a hole in my soul. Great bit here on the idea that Miami never considered the possibility of what Dwayne Wade would think of watching LeBron fail repeatedly when games mattered most.
While it will barely register insofar as important MLB announcements are, it will register presumably insofar as your enjoyment of Toronto Blue Jays broadcasts on Rogers SportsNet go: Gregg Zaun is retiring. Here's hoping he doesn't make it back up north to ruin broadcasts.
Sidney Crosby's sister has a concussion as well, and it makes front page news. Only in Canada.
Steve Simmons at the Toronto Sun checks in on the latest with the Steve Moore lawsuit of Todd Bertuzzi and the former Vancouver Canucks owners expected to make its way to trial next year and the . It was seven year's ago yesterday that Moore was driven into the ice and had his neck broken. My how far the NHL has come since then! Simmons says this one has the potential to bring the NHL to its knees.
When you're Carlo Ancelotti, manager at Chelsea, and declare that the team isn't really your team because it is the owner making personnel decisions, isn't that essentially saying "if it doesn't go right, it isn't on me"? Going to guess that's exactly how owner Roman Abramovich interprets it and Ancelotti, accurate or not, walks the plank for saying so.
Here are the 25 Most Overrated Wrestlers. Lost on me: who rates Finlay, never mind overrates him?
Since their February 18th blockbuster deal, the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues have gone a combined 3-12-1. Wonder if TSN and SportsNet will devote a day of coverage to analyzing that?
Could the stories of Alex Rodriguez being on the downward slope be premature? If early indications are accurate, A-Rod could have a monster year.
Epic Meal Time...road trip! The crew rolled to Kingston this weekend, where everything is legal, as long as you don't get caught.
The NFL needs to come to a labour agreement, quick. Or, we'll be treated to more horrific videos like Tom Brady getting his groove on at Carnival in Rio, with a disaster of a pony tail.
Check out this past weekend's Duke loss (yeah!) at North Carolina at three frames a second, with no Dick Vitale (even more "yeah!")
Open
Beer prices in Canada could rise by 33%. Hello, vodka!
Here are nine very incriminating names. So awesome.
Pretty incredible game of rock, paper and scissors against a computer. The computer eventually learns your tendencies and uses them to hammer you.
Beer prices in Canada could rise by 33%. Hello, vodka!
Here are nine very incriminating names. So awesome.
Pretty incredible game of rock, paper and scissors against a computer. The computer eventually learns your tendencies and uses them to hammer you.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Woe is LeBron et al
They showed - physically - up to Anfield a half hour late, and barely showed up on the field at all, and the result saw Liverpool move into sixth place with a 3-1 win over a very flat Manchester United yesterday morning. Liverpool's Dirk Kuyt netted a hat trick from a combined six or so feet in front of the goal. If you're wondering what United midfielder Nani was so upset about after a nasty tackle from Jamie Carragher yesterday, wonder no more. Nasty, nasty pictures here of his leg cut to the bone, and he's said to be done for the year. United striker Chicharito scored the lone goal for the leaders, his 10th on 14 shots this year. Memo to the Heatles: The Fab Four used to make girls cry, not the other way around. Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said several of his players were crying in the locker room after yesterday's 87-86 loss to the Chicago Bulls. And isn't it awesome how the Heat have gone from this last summer to this yesterday? That's no photoshop work, either. Said Dwayne Wade: "the Miami Heat are exactly what everyone wanted, losing games. The world is better now because the Heat is losing." Yep, couldn't agree more. And might D-Wade wish he jumped to Chicago in the off-season, as was heavily speculated? The Heat are now 1-15 in game tying/winning shots in final 10 seconds. Imagine what they'd be if they had no timeouts and not 17 a half!?
After yesterday's 3-2 win over the New York Islanders, the New Jersey Devils are now 20-2-2 in their last 24 games, and find themselves 7 points out of last playoff spot in East. They likely won't have enough games to make it, but impressive given the huge hole they dug for themselves in the first few months of the season.
The NHL regular season ends five weeks from today and only six teams are more than seven points out of a playoff spot. They are Colorado, Edmonton, Florida, New Jersey, Ottawa and St. Louis.
A hilarious graphic to help determine which baseball team you should cheer for. Sadly, the Toronto Blue Jays don't even make the grade, which is about right. Kidding. They did make it. Just had to get that in. I have no soul, after all.
Perhaps I was a bit harsh Thursday in hammering Trevor Gillies of the New York Islanders. I mean, a guy with 16 goals and 47 assists for 63 points in 775 hockey games in various leagues, including the Ontario Hockey League, East Coast Hockey League, American Hockey League, and of course, the NHL, deserves far more respect. Gillies has also collected 3,302 penalty minutes...a mere 55 hours in the penalty box. Gillies was suspended 10 games for his latest nasty hit. On the Hotstove on Hockey Night in Canada Saturday, Mike Milbury had an epiphany, and seemed to suggest fighting has no place in hockey: "The only reason we have fighting in the game is because we like it." He laughed off the suggestion it polices anything, and this is a guy that used to be as hawkish as they come.
The Sports Guy (Bill Simmons) best summed up the NBA foisting a pair of Toronto Raptors and New Jersey Nets games on London, England this past weekend, both won by the Nets: Love that we're trying to pique England's interest in NBA basketball with 2 Nets-Raptors games. Plan B: WNBApalooza.
Good to see Brett Favre being made fun of even in his home state, as you can see in this Mardi Gras video with 2:44 remaining.
FIFA banned the "snood" finally. I've played piles of games of 90+ minutes, with the odd 120, and never once thought a glorified scarf would be a good idea. In protest, Italian players worldwide are contemplating a strike this weekend.
I probably follow boxing more than 99% of the people I know, but have no idea who this David Haye is that will be fighting Wladimir Klitschko to unify the heavyweight title.
How bad has attendance been in Atlanta at Trashers games? The 50/50 jackpot winner has owed the team money each time out. We jest.
This is how concussions happen. Guaranteed.
Friday, March 4, 2011
The Miami Heat: an awesome choke job. Again.
I have to say, I'm starting to love what the Miami Heat are capable of. For the second time this week, they absolutely choked away a huge lead - 24 points in the third quarter - and ended up losing a 99-96 decision, at home, to the Orlando Magic. So much for LeBron's Twitter proclamations yesterday that he's "ready for war the last 20 games". The Heat are now 14-16 against teams that are currently .500 or better. That sure don't play well for the playoffs, does it? Chris Bosh was a lovely 5 of 15 from the field, continuing his recent run of excremental play. For the Magic, Gilbert Arenas is looking a lot more Agent Zero in shooting 15 of 26 from three point range now (3 of 5 last night), and channeling John Cena.
Bruce Arthur at The National Post says the revelations that Bob Probert had degenerative brain issues when he died is just the start for the NHL, and they're about to get more of that as ten other players have agreed to have their brains studied when they go for the dirt nap. Arthur says a total ban on head shots is coming.
There's talk of extending the NFL labour negotiations - 24 hours or as much as 10 days depending who you believe - and Michael McCann at SI gives you 10 things you should know about the potential lockout.
Since 1981, the NBA has had all of eight (8) champions.
TSN's Darren Dreger looks at what a Phoenix Coyotes move out of the desert could mean for alignment.
Bret Hart (@HitmanBretSHart) called @HulkHogan4Real "a dickhead" yesterday. I love Twitter.
25 Worst Jersey Fails. No, not the look of the jersey, the spelling of player or team names.
Anybody who takes over two years and 13,776 cross stitches to come up with something - is it a quilt? - has some time on their hands. But when it is the Motley Crue "Shout At The Devil" cover, I have to be impressed.
Check out the telestrator work in a recent Buffalo and New York Rangers hockey game. My inner teenager loved it.
Referee Damien Rubino handed out a whopping 36 red cards in Tuesday's Argentine fifth division match between Claypole and Victoriano Arenas. No really, 36.
And not to be outdone for nutty South American soccer happenings, check out this Columbian player stalk over to an owl that had been hit by a ball and put the boots to it.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
RM noon edition
Baseball analyst Keith Law from ESPN took the lumber to the Toronto Blue Jays extension of Jose Bautista on the Baseball Today podcast yesterday. The good folks at Drunk Jays Fans (plural?) took the time to transcribe it. In short: Law thinks it is a bad deal, that will get worse, and fast.
After all his recent deadline moves, Florida Panthers GM Dale Tallon will be about $40 million under the projected salary cap when summer hits. Not sure I've heard of an NHL team with even close to that much room since the cap era began.
Says Colin Cowherd of the idea that anybody can win in the NFL with its cap system: "Really? When is the last time that Buffalo, Jacksonville, Houston, Detroit, Washington, Carolina or Cincinnati were good or a threat to win?" Caps may help, but they don't cure bad management.
Former NHLer Bob Probert, who died last year at the age of 45, was revealed yesterday to have degenerative brain disease. What a freaking sad state for humanity when the human skull isn't strong enough to protect your gray matter from damage from repeated pounding to the cranium in "part of the game" fights.
The current NFL labour deal expires at midnight tonight, which is about the time the stories of players needing loans from other players will start. Oh, nevermind, that is already happening.
UFC Live goes tonight on SportsNet One at 9pm with the always entertaining Diego Sanchez fighting Martin Kampmann in what should be a dynamite main event. Rest of the card here.
SI and CBS News worked together on a piece that looked at NCAA football and the number of players charged with crime among teams that were ranked in the Top 25 at a given point in time. Perhaps inspired by the main man NFLer in their town, the Pitt Panthers led the NCAA with 22 players arrested at one time or another. Now, either the law enforcement is something spectacular in Pittsburgh, or there's a problem. Only TCU - Texas Christian University - showed up with no arrested players, so they're living up to their name anyways. Nearly 40% of the charges were for serious crimes including 56 violent crimes such as assault and battery (25 cases), domestic violence (6), aggravated assault (4), robbery (4) and sex offenses (3). And to think the NCAA is only worried about protecting its BCS so players aren't out of school more. How about keeping them out of the Crowbar Motel?
If you're not following The Iron Sheik on Twitter, your life is worse for it.
After three errors in the first inning led to six runs, a couple Chicago Cubs scuffled in the dugout. And here I thought spring training games didn't matter.
Stacey Keibler, Esquire, your underwear are a touch too small, and that's a-ok. And this video of Mila Kunis has me in a trance, and thinking she needs some Chapstick.
If you think that big suspensions act as a deterent to repeating, then you haven't seen Trevor Gillies, fresh off a 9-game ban after the New York Islanders gooned it up against Pittsburgh, trying to maim Cal Clutterbuck of the Minnesota Wild. When did clean hits in the NHL suddenly demand a player automatically retaliates by dropping his gloves or cheap shotting someone?
Keith Jones and Mike Milbury weren't impressed, though I think Jones is way off in saying there's only "one meathead" in the NHL.
Don Cherry, who I openly and proudly despise, must be given credit for essentially predicting a concussion for Sidney Crosby a year ago, though I still say - and most do - that it wasn't an intentional hit that did him in against Washington's David Steckel as Sid circled in to him while Steckel looked to go up ice, it was a collision. This may have rung his bell, but this one the next game from Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman sealed the deal.
After all his recent deadline moves, Florida Panthers GM Dale Tallon will be about $40 million under the projected salary cap when summer hits. Not sure I've heard of an NHL team with even close to that much room since the cap era began.
Says Colin Cowherd of the idea that anybody can win in the NFL with its cap system: "Really? When is the last time that Buffalo, Jacksonville, Houston, Detroit, Washington, Carolina or Cincinnati were good or a threat to win?" Caps may help, but they don't cure bad management.
Former NHLer Bob Probert, who died last year at the age of 45, was revealed yesterday to have degenerative brain disease. What a freaking sad state for humanity when the human skull isn't strong enough to protect your gray matter from damage from repeated pounding to the cranium in "part of the game" fights.
The current NFL labour deal expires at midnight tonight, which is about the time the stories of players needing loans from other players will start. Oh, nevermind, that is already happening.
UFC Live goes tonight on SportsNet One at 9pm with the always entertaining Diego Sanchez fighting Martin Kampmann in what should be a dynamite main event. Rest of the card here.
SI and CBS News worked together on a piece that looked at NCAA football and the number of players charged with crime among teams that were ranked in the Top 25 at a given point in time. Perhaps inspired by the main man NFLer in their town, the Pitt Panthers led the NCAA with 22 players arrested at one time or another. Now, either the law enforcement is something spectacular in Pittsburgh, or there's a problem. Only TCU - Texas Christian University - showed up with no arrested players, so they're living up to their name anyways. Nearly 40% of the charges were for serious crimes including 56 violent crimes such as assault and battery (25 cases), domestic violence (6), aggravated assault (4), robbery (4) and sex offenses (3). And to think the NCAA is only worried about protecting its BCS so players aren't out of school more. How about keeping them out of the Crowbar Motel?
If you're not following The Iron Sheik on Twitter, your life is worse for it.
After three errors in the first inning led to six runs, a couple Chicago Cubs scuffled in the dugout. And here I thought spring training games didn't matter.
Stacey Keibler, Esquire, your underwear are a touch too small, and that's a-ok. And this video of Mila Kunis has me in a trance, and thinking she needs some Chapstick.
If you think that big suspensions act as a deterent to repeating, then you haven't seen Trevor Gillies, fresh off a 9-game ban after the New York Islanders gooned it up against Pittsburgh, trying to maim Cal Clutterbuck of the Minnesota Wild. When did clean hits in the NHL suddenly demand a player automatically retaliates by dropping his gloves or cheap shotting someone?
Keith Jones and Mike Milbury weren't impressed, though I think Jones is way off in saying there's only "one meathead" in the NHL.
Don Cherry, who I openly and proudly despise, must be given credit for essentially predicting a concussion for Sidney Crosby a year ago, though I still say - and most do - that it wasn't an intentional hit that did him in against Washington's David Steckel as Sid circled in to him while Steckel looked to go up ice, it was a collision. This may have rung his bell, but this one the next game from Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman sealed the deal.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Grab yourself a coffee, this one is gonna take a while
It was everything it was billed to be, except a win for the better team on the day. Manchester United opened yesterday's big game at Chelsea dominant and strong front to back, and took the lead on a Wayne Rooney goal a half hour in. A couple near misses let Chelsea stay in the game, and they clawed back with a pair of second half goals for the 2-1 win, the second on a penalty kick. The refereeing, as is often the case, came under some fire but for my money, the penalty kick call was right, the non-red card after David Luiz launched a nasty tackle at Wayne Rooney's knee was not. For United, that was the first time in 34 EPL matches - since April 2008 - that they didn't win when Rooney scored, and sure makes the race a whole lot more interested, especially for second place Arsenal. Awesome game.
Some NFL teams have strong enough credit ratings that they'd be fine paying stadium debt and the like even with a two-year lockout. That's good to know, though I continue to maintain that we'll see a full season in 2011.
Pittsburgh Steeler Hines Ward is among the contestants for the next season of Dancing With The Stars. Is the "Blindside Block" a dance move?
Carson Palmer really, really doesn't want to play for the Cincinnati Bengals anymore. Why else would he let the world know he's got $80 million in the bank and is ready to walk away if he doesn't get moved?
The St. Louis Cardinals just can't get bad things to stop happening to them. First Albert Pujols doesn't sign, with word he'll test free agency. Then one of the best pitchers in the game - Adam Wainwright - blows out his arm and is out for the year. And now, Chris Carpenter, the injury prone Chris Carpenter, yanks a hammy.
Speaking of Arsenal, striker Robin Van Persie is out for three weeks. Kristian Jack at The Score says "healthy prone" is a term that fits. Since joining Arsenal in 2004, Van Persie has missed 42.75% of their PL games (109/255). The most he has played in one season is 28 (08-09).
Trade "throw in" Chauncey Billups has put up some nice numbers in four games for the New York Knicks: he's averaging 23 ppg and is 45-50 from the line.
Real Madrid's manager Jose Mourinho is legendary for his excuses when his team's don't win: the officiating, the weather, the field, the ball...we've heard them all. But after Saturday's draw that all but gives the Spanish league title to Barcelona (yes!), he came up with a new one: his team didn't get enough rest time, having to play Saturday after a Tuesday Champions League game. Presumably he ignores that every other league in the world sees its top teams play on those days, with some - gasp! - even playing Wednesday. There's something I like about Mourinho, but the excuses are not it.
A couple weeks after Hank Steinbrenner cracked on the "socialism, communism" of revenue sharing, Boston Red Sox owner John Henry joined the parade in revealing comments he made in 2009 that blasted "chronically uncompetitive teams" that received over $1 billion cost him a $500,000 fine. He also added "who except these teams, can think this is a good idea?" and finished with a big middle finger to the small market clubs and Bud Selig: "the large markets aren't allowed to give their opinions. I made statements which turned out to be true, or at least there were various documents that were leaked after that. But anyway, the large clubs are not allowed to talk about it."
A Charlie Sheen soundboard? Hell. Freaking. Yes.
Check out Jimmy Kimmel's "Hottie Body Hump Club", with members Jessica Alba, Minka Kelly, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Biel, Sofia Vergara, Eva Longoria, Emily Blunt and Lindsay Loskank.
New York Ranger Sean Avery heckles the heckler, asking him - if you can't make it out - if he's got a dental plan at work.
The Colorado Rockies with a very important Public Service Announcement that all should heed.
Some NFL teams have strong enough credit ratings that they'd be fine paying stadium debt and the like even with a two-year lockout. That's good to know, though I continue to maintain that we'll see a full season in 2011.
Pittsburgh Steeler Hines Ward is among the contestants for the next season of Dancing With The Stars. Is the "Blindside Block" a dance move?
Carson Palmer really, really doesn't want to play for the Cincinnati Bengals anymore. Why else would he let the world know he's got $80 million in the bank and is ready to walk away if he doesn't get moved?
The St. Louis Cardinals just can't get bad things to stop happening to them. First Albert Pujols doesn't sign, with word he'll test free agency. Then one of the best pitchers in the game - Adam Wainwright - blows out his arm and is out for the year. And now, Chris Carpenter, the injury prone Chris Carpenter, yanks a hammy.
Speaking of Arsenal, striker Robin Van Persie is out for three weeks. Kristian Jack at The Score says "healthy prone" is a term that fits. Since joining Arsenal in 2004, Van Persie has missed 42.75% of their PL games (109/255). The most he has played in one season is 28 (08-09).
Trade "throw in" Chauncey Billups has put up some nice numbers in four games for the New York Knicks: he's averaging 23 ppg and is 45-50 from the line.
Real Madrid's manager Jose Mourinho is legendary for his excuses when his team's don't win: the officiating, the weather, the field, the ball...we've heard them all. But after Saturday's draw that all but gives the Spanish league title to Barcelona (yes!), he came up with a new one: his team didn't get enough rest time, having to play Saturday after a Tuesday Champions League game. Presumably he ignores that every other league in the world sees its top teams play on those days, with some - gasp! - even playing Wednesday. There's something I like about Mourinho, but the excuses are not it.
A couple weeks after Hank Steinbrenner cracked on the "socialism, communism" of revenue sharing, Boston Red Sox owner John Henry joined the parade in revealing comments he made in 2009 that blasted "chronically uncompetitive teams" that received over $1 billion cost him a $500,000 fine. He also added "who except these teams, can think this is a good idea?" and finished with a big middle finger to the small market clubs and Bud Selig: "the large markets aren't allowed to give their opinions. I made statements which turned out to be true, or at least there were various documents that were leaked after that. But anyway, the large clubs are not allowed to talk about it."
A Charlie Sheen soundboard? Hell. Freaking. Yes.
Check out Jimmy Kimmel's "Hottie Body Hump Club", with members Jessica Alba, Minka Kelly, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Biel, Sofia Vergara, Eva Longoria, Emily Blunt and Lindsay Loskank.
New York Ranger Sean Avery heckles the heckler, asking him - if you can't make it out - if he's got a dental plan at work.
The Colorado Rockies with a very important Public Service Announcement that all should heed.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Chelsea host Manchester United today in a huge game for both clubs hopes for this season. For Chelsea, they're looking to solidify a Champions League spot for next year, while Manchester United would love a positive result here to move a step closer to the EPL title for this season. Kickoff is 2:45pm on Setanta.
Fear not, Buffalo Bills fans, "Chan [Gailey] has a plan" says new Bills assistant head coach Dave Wannstedt. Well that takes care of that. Love that he says "everywhere he's been he's been successsful" of a career 22-26 coach.
The NBA, in a bid to speed up games, is cracking down on teams that treat the horn to signal the end of a timeout as merely a suggestion to wrap up their conversation, and the early results suggest it is shaving some time off. Also likely to shave off time: eliminating all the bloody timeouts. Just a thought.
In looking at the possibility of an NHL squad returning to Quebec City, Bruce Arthur at the National Post notes that the New York Islanders, Florida Panthers, Atlanta Thrashers, Dallas Stars, Columbus Blue Jackets, St. Louis Blues, Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, and the Nashville Predators are all for sale, in whole or in part. Yeah, the salary cap and its "cost certainty" has done wonders for the NHL.
Wonder if the story that Tim Horton died while racing away from the police while hammered - toxicology showed he had a BAC of .17% - is a popular one at the purveyor's of horrible coffee's million or so locations?
Sorry for the brief one folks, had a few real life things settle in so expect a big update tomorrow, with some slightly dated.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Weekend wrap...
Nevermind all the sporting events of the past weekend, for me the best story has to be that of Chelsea defender Ashley Cole shooting a club intern in the locker room while toting a he-says-he-didn't-know-it-was-loaded pellet gun around. Incredible. I'm sure the legions that hate Cole will really back off now that the word is out he's got himself a pellet gun that he's not afraid to unload in somebody.
The pre-season games have barely started for baseball, and already Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen is stoking the fire in a war of words with former reliever Bobby Jenks. It has gotten so bad that Jenks new manager with the Boston Red Sox, Tito Francona. has intervened and asked both to cool it. Are you like me, and hoping at some point Jenks drills say Adam Dunn, just to see the reaction?
UFC 127 went down on Saturday from Sydney, Australia and the main even saw BJ Penn and Jon Fitch battle to a draw. Lame. Not sure why if two judges see a draw and one favors one of the fighters - Fitch, as it were - he doesn't get the decision. I know it is majority, but what about the tie-breaker? Anyways, strong card overall and you can read up on it all here.
The NBA is said to be contemplating a "franchise" tag in the same way the NFL has one to make it easier for teams to keep star players. I'm sure the Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets will be thrilled to see that come in a year or so after losing their franchise players. Oh, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, too.
Dave Perkins at the Toronto Star wrote a great piece on parity in the NBA and dropped a couple gems of information: More than half of the 64 NBA championships have been won by two teams - the Boston Celtics (17) and LA Lakers (15) - and three teams have won 15 of the last 20 titles. And this: "look no further than major league baseball, which has never been healthier financially. MLB has been riding a good long upward swell and the main reason for it is that the New York Yankees got good again, about 15 years ago. Sponsors, networks and at least the Red Sox responded and fans elsewhere had a common enemy to hate." The Yankees and a half dozen team that have won combined haven't won 15 of 20, much less more than half of 64.
So if a salary cap means more parity as some believe, why is it that the Toronto team in the non-cap league has the best chance to do damage in the foreseeable future?
It was Paul Henderson night at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Saturday. Henderson, most would recall, scored the big goal for Canada in the 1972 Summit Series. So who scores the opening goals? In order, #19 Joffrey Lupul, followed by #72 Alexei Kovalev. Freaky. Also freaky? The Leafs will host the Pittsburgh Penguins in consecutive home games. Am sure scalpers are thrilled that Sidney Crosby is at home in Cole Harbour kicking back.
Absolutely loved the New York Knicks win - as a +9.5 point underdog, no less - over the Miami Heat last night. The Heat scored 34 in the first, and then all of 50 the rest of the way. Chris Bosh put in a strong night again, going 5 of 15 from the floor, and LeBron James wasn't there when they needed it late either.91-86 Knicks was the final.
The 30 Sexiest Canadian Women. Just because.
It may cost what was a very promising year and a shot at another Stanley Cup, but have to credit the Pittsburgh Penguins for being ultra cautious with Sidney Crosby.
With $52 million or so coming off their payroll after this season, might the Boston Red Sox be a bidder for Albert Pujols?
The Cleveland Cavaliers have won four times since November. Twice against the Knicks.
In 14 Serie A games against the bottom half of the standings, Juventus have won 4, drawn 6 and lost 4. That will put the boots to any championship hopes, regardless of league.
Check out Jose Canseco's bio on The Apprentice page dedicated to his entry this coming season. Yeah, those Baseball Hall of Fame vets must be just itching to get him in.
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo got engaged to SI covergirl Irina Shayk on Valentine's Day weekend. Says FARK.com: "After getting down on one knee to propose, he then writhed in 'agony' for 20 minutes, grasping his ankle and howling like a spider monkey." It was a Chris Bosh impression.
How is this hit from New York Ranger Derek Stepan on Washington Capital Mike Green not even a penalty? This should be suspension worthy, easy.
Epic Meal Time, the outtakes...
The pre-season games have barely started for baseball, and already Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen is stoking the fire in a war of words with former reliever Bobby Jenks. It has gotten so bad that Jenks new manager with the Boston Red Sox, Tito Francona. has intervened and asked both to cool it. Are you like me, and hoping at some point Jenks drills say Adam Dunn, just to see the reaction?
UFC 127 went down on Saturday from Sydney, Australia and the main even saw BJ Penn and Jon Fitch battle to a draw. Lame. Not sure why if two judges see a draw and one favors one of the fighters - Fitch, as it were - he doesn't get the decision. I know it is majority, but what about the tie-breaker? Anyways, strong card overall and you can read up on it all here.
The NBA is said to be contemplating a "franchise" tag in the same way the NFL has one to make it easier for teams to keep star players. I'm sure the Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets will be thrilled to see that come in a year or so after losing their franchise players. Oh, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, too.
Dave Perkins at the Toronto Star wrote a great piece on parity in the NBA and dropped a couple gems of information: More than half of the 64 NBA championships have been won by two teams - the Boston Celtics (17) and LA Lakers (15) - and three teams have won 15 of the last 20 titles. And this: "look no further than major league baseball, which has never been healthier financially. MLB has been riding a good long upward swell and the main reason for it is that the New York Yankees got good again, about 15 years ago. Sponsors, networks and at least the Red Sox responded and fans elsewhere had a common enemy to hate." The Yankees and a half dozen team that have won combined haven't won 15 of 20, much less more than half of 64.
So if a salary cap means more parity as some believe, why is it that the Toronto team in the non-cap league has the best chance to do damage in the foreseeable future?
It was Paul Henderson night at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Saturday. Henderson, most would recall, scored the big goal for Canada in the 1972 Summit Series. So who scores the opening goals? In order, #19 Joffrey Lupul, followed by #72 Alexei Kovalev. Freaky. Also freaky? The Leafs will host the Pittsburgh Penguins in consecutive home games. Am sure scalpers are thrilled that Sidney Crosby is at home in Cole Harbour kicking back.
Absolutely loved the New York Knicks win - as a +9.5 point underdog, no less - over the Miami Heat last night. The Heat scored 34 in the first, and then all of 50 the rest of the way. Chris Bosh put in a strong night again, going 5 of 15 from the floor, and LeBron James wasn't there when they needed it late either.91-86 Knicks was the final.
The 30 Sexiest Canadian Women. Just because.
It may cost what was a very promising year and a shot at another Stanley Cup, but have to credit the Pittsburgh Penguins for being ultra cautious with Sidney Crosby.
With $52 million or so coming off their payroll after this season, might the Boston Red Sox be a bidder for Albert Pujols?
The Cleveland Cavaliers have won four times since November. Twice against the Knicks.
In 14 Serie A games against the bottom half of the standings, Juventus have won 4, drawn 6 and lost 4. That will put the boots to any championship hopes, regardless of league.
Check out Jose Canseco's bio on The Apprentice page dedicated to his entry this coming season. Yeah, those Baseball Hall of Fame vets must be just itching to get him in.
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo got engaged to SI covergirl Irina Shayk on Valentine's Day weekend. Says FARK.com: "After getting down on one knee to propose, he then writhed in 'agony' for 20 minutes, grasping his ankle and howling like a spider monkey." It was a Chris Bosh impression.
How is this hit from New York Ranger Derek Stepan on Washington Capital Mike Green not even a penalty? This should be suspension worthy, easy.
Epic Meal Time, the outtakes...
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Colangelo = Ricciardi?
UFC 127 emanates from one of my fav places on earth, Sydney, Australia. BJ Penn has a pivotal fight against Jon Fitch in the main event, and I'm liking Penn to win. Rest of the card here.
Damn you, English Premier League schedule maker, for bumping what would've been a fantastic Arsenal vs. Tottenham match off the fixture list today. Instead, we get a handful of far less interesting fare. Leaders Manchester United are at Wigan, and yours truly has a healthy sprinkle on United at Pinnacle at -1 +105. A full preview, with picks, here.
Good of the Toronto Raptors to follow up a pleasantly surprising win over the Chicago Bulls with a 35-14 deficit in the first quarter at home to Phoenix last night, en route to a 110-92 loss. What says "we're glad we didn't get traded" more than that? GM Bryan Colangelo has been on the job five years now, and save for a grating personality, has he really done anything more than former Toronto Blue Jays GM JP Ricciardi did?
Cathal Kelly at the Toronto Star goes yard with this assessment of UFC 129 in Toronto and what fans can expect to see, which can be summed up with "very little", big screens aside.
Buster Olney says the Toronto Blue Jays have the toughest schedule of all American League teams to start, with 38 of their first 44 against teams that were .500 or better last year, and after opening with six at home, then facing 20 of 25 on the road.
Check out the Top 10 songs played at professional sporting events in 2009-10. Man, are there ever some bad tracks on there and the clowns responsible for that in stadiums and arenas are so stuck in their way. Ever listen to what gets played during a Toronto Maple Leaf game? The same bloody songs every night, virtually at the same time. And to save those that hate the Leafs the joke: "How did Van Halen's "Hot for Teacher" not make the list?" That song, of course, is played whenever the opposition scores.
Very professional of Detroit Pistons Tracy McGrady, Tayshaun Prince, Richard Hamilton and Chris Wilcox to skip the team's pre-game shootaround as a protest against coach John Kuester, who they'd like to see fired. I'm sure the fans in that town will be thrilled to see somebody pushing for someone's unemployment.
ESPN's Jayson Stark looks at how Jose Bautista has become the face of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Cam Newton: Dallas Cowboy? Could be, though one wonders if he can play corner or offensive line as well.
Awesome interview with Charlie Sheen on Alex Jones Show. No wonder he's a fan of San Francisco Giant closer Brian Wilson, they talk the same. Well worth the time listening to this one.
And the best news of the day: baseball spring training starts today. We're that much closer to the real thing, and springs itself.
Chris Bosh proves that hoopsters can dive without being touched too, in Miami's loss to Chicago on Thursday night. Not sure what is more embarrassing, the dive, or Bosh's 1-for-18 from the floor shooting on the night.
Best drunken interview of all the times...1:39 on is absolutely epic.
Damn you, English Premier League schedule maker, for bumping what would've been a fantastic Arsenal vs. Tottenham match off the fixture list today. Instead, we get a handful of far less interesting fare. Leaders Manchester United are at Wigan, and yours truly has a healthy sprinkle on United at Pinnacle at -1 +105. A full preview, with picks, here.
Good of the Toronto Raptors to follow up a pleasantly surprising win over the Chicago Bulls with a 35-14 deficit in the first quarter at home to Phoenix last night, en route to a 110-92 loss. What says "we're glad we didn't get traded" more than that? GM Bryan Colangelo has been on the job five years now, and save for a grating personality, has he really done anything more than former Toronto Blue Jays GM JP Ricciardi did?
Cathal Kelly at the Toronto Star goes yard with this assessment of UFC 129 in Toronto and what fans can expect to see, which can be summed up with "very little", big screens aside.
Buster Olney says the Toronto Blue Jays have the toughest schedule of all American League teams to start, with 38 of their first 44 against teams that were .500 or better last year, and after opening with six at home, then facing 20 of 25 on the road.
Check out the Top 10 songs played at professional sporting events in 2009-10. Man, are there ever some bad tracks on there and the clowns responsible for that in stadiums and arenas are so stuck in their way. Ever listen to what gets played during a Toronto Maple Leaf game? The same bloody songs every night, virtually at the same time. And to save those that hate the Leafs the joke: "How did Van Halen's "Hot for Teacher" not make the list?" That song, of course, is played whenever the opposition scores.
Very professional of Detroit Pistons Tracy McGrady, Tayshaun Prince, Richard Hamilton and Chris Wilcox to skip the team's pre-game shootaround as a protest against coach John Kuester, who they'd like to see fired. I'm sure the fans in that town will be thrilled to see somebody pushing for someone's unemployment.
ESPN's Jayson Stark looks at how Jose Bautista has become the face of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Cam Newton: Dallas Cowboy? Could be, though one wonders if he can play corner or offensive line as well.
Awesome interview with Charlie Sheen on Alex Jones Show. No wonder he's a fan of San Francisco Giant closer Brian Wilson, they talk the same. Well worth the time listening to this one.
And the best news of the day: baseball spring training starts today. We're that much closer to the real thing, and springs itself.
Chris Bosh proves that hoopsters can dive without being touched too, in Miami's loss to Chicago on Thursday night. Not sure what is more embarrassing, the dive, or Bosh's 1-for-18 from the floor shooting on the night.
Best drunken interview of all the times...1:39 on is absolutely epic.
Friday, February 25, 2011
A whole heap of baseball
I'm trying to figure out how the St. Louis Cardinals losing the awesome Adam Wainwright, who needs Tommy John surgery, with an elbow injury means they're now likely to deal Chris Carpenter, with the New York Yankees already a rumored landing spot. Carpenter says he wouldn't object to a trade. Unless they're trying to blow up the team and alienate Albert Pujols, how do you throw in the towel before March has even hit? Very classy of Cincinnati Reds Johnny Gomes and manager Dusty Baker to make light of the injury though. Careful crossing the street, fellas. Hey, wasn't Gomes the guy that had a heart attack? Jayson Stark looks at how awesome Wainwright has been the last few years.
Tough times being a New York Met fan these days.
Yes, the NBA trade deadline passed yesterday, and there were a flurry of moves.
Bruce Arthur at the National Post looks at the NHL without Sidney Crosby, and says they should be terrified.
How will Carmelo Anthony adapt to life in New York? Joel Sherman looks at that in light of some of the successes and failures that moved to the Yankees over the years.
Detroit Tiger first baseman Miguel Cabrera finally showed up to spring training yesterday after his arrest for drinking scotch from a bottle on the side of the road, and being utterly hammered while doing so. He did the usual apology routine, and while I'm no 12-stepper, I'm going to guess that saying you're not a doctor and therefore are incapable of assessing whether you're an alcoholic or not is not exactly in the "admitting you have a problem" bucket.
I'm sure Toronto Blue Jay fans will be thrilled at the news that 38 games this year - almost a quarter - will appear on Rogers SportsNet One.
Eye Magazine in Toronto recently worked with a bunch of celebrity and quasi-celebrity judges to get a new nickname for Toronto. "El Toro" emerged as the winner. Not bad, to be honest. Certainly better than the incredibly lame entries DiverCity, The Big Maple, The Hub, Pronto (based on what? The Gardiner?), and Global City. Two things: what happened to T Dot? Also, did like the T-Bone entry as well. In the end, guess "PreTentiOus" wouldn't have lent itself to too many marketing angles. Here's some of the Twitter react.
The Toronto Raptors host the Phoenix Suns tonight and Doug Smith actually lays out an interesting, non-Calderon-slurping, scenario: "Steve Nash is leading the break and the fans are waiting for something magical to happen. He lofts a brilliant pass just over the out-stretched hand of a Raptor defender and the joint goes crazy with cheers. Vince [Carter] catches it, dunks and the fans stop mid-cheer to boo." It could happen.
This is a whole new way to draw a foul in soccer. Pathetic.
But, all is not wrong in the soccer world when the best in the game (or at least, nobody better than) doesn't dive, as this three minute compilation of Lionel Messi getting butchered will show.
Yes, the NBA trade deadline passed yesterday, and there were a flurry of moves.
Bruce Arthur at the National Post looks at the NHL without Sidney Crosby, and says they should be terrified.
How will Carmelo Anthony adapt to life in New York? Joel Sherman looks at that in light of some of the successes and failures that moved to the Yankees over the years.
Detroit Tiger first baseman Miguel Cabrera finally showed up to spring training yesterday after his arrest for drinking scotch from a bottle on the side of the road, and being utterly hammered while doing so. He did the usual apology routine, and while I'm no 12-stepper, I'm going to guess that saying you're not a doctor and therefore are incapable of assessing whether you're an alcoholic or not is not exactly in the "admitting you have a problem" bucket.
I'm sure Toronto Blue Jay fans will be thrilled at the news that 38 games this year - almost a quarter - will appear on Rogers SportsNet One.
Eye Magazine in Toronto recently worked with a bunch of celebrity and quasi-celebrity judges to get a new nickname for Toronto. "El Toro" emerged as the winner. Not bad, to be honest. Certainly better than the incredibly lame entries DiverCity, The Big Maple, The Hub, Pronto (based on what? The Gardiner?), and Global City. Two things: what happened to T Dot? Also, did like the T-Bone entry as well. In the end, guess "PreTentiOus" wouldn't have lent itself to too many marketing angles. Here's some of the Twitter react.
The Toronto Raptors host the Phoenix Suns tonight and Doug Smith actually lays out an interesting, non-Calderon-slurping, scenario: "Steve Nash is leading the break and the fans are waiting for something magical to happen. He lofts a brilliant pass just over the out-stretched hand of a Raptor defender and the joint goes crazy with cheers. Vince [Carter] catches it, dunks and the fans stop mid-cheer to boo." It could happen.
This is a whole new way to draw a foul in soccer. Pathetic.
But, all is not wrong in the soccer world when the best in the game (or at least, nobody better than) doesn't dive, as this three minute compilation of Lionel Messi getting butchered will show.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Crosby done for the year?
Inter Milan gave up a goal in the dying moments to give Bayern Munich, last year's finalist, a huge 1-0 road win heading to Munich for the second leg. For Inter, that's their first European loss at home since November 2008. Manchester United drew at Marseille in a game they could have put away early. They're back in Manchester in two weeks for the second leg.
Nick Kypreos appeared on Prime Time Sports and relayed that Sidney Crosby, out with a concussion, has done nothing for seven weeks beyond "testing the waters", and typically shutting down quickly. 7 weeks off is more than most guys take in a summer, so he'd be looking at quite the grind to get back in game shape. Kypreos said he'd be "absolutely shocked" if Crosby played again this season. Ouch. Glad the NHL still waffles on head shots when they might see Crosby as the next Lindros, a great player whose career was shortened by head injury. And while I don't believe the shots he took were intentional, the NHL would be wise to get any head contact out - no excuses - before they lose another all-time talent. And yes, that would mean no fighting.
Can't fathom why you would, but people are selling tickets to a Yankees and Red Sox game for $750 per. The game is on March 14th. Yes, a pre-season game is selling for $750. Insanity.
AC Milan midfielder Gennaro Gatusso was suspended for four games for his act last week in Champions League play, and obviously will not be playing against Tottenham next week in the return leg in London. That said, he won't even be in attendance as he's been advised there are 47,000 looking to slap him.
Bill Simmons long rumored project will be a new website that is 70% sports, 30% pop culture which is probably no different than his ESPN work. What is different is that the website will be separate from ESPN and not be branded ESPN. Does that mean he won't have to dance around "Delonte West banged LeBron's mom" talk anymore?
I'm a big fan of Apple, but am no means among the Apple Nazi's who slurp everything that comes out of Apple as the greatest thing ever and think they've never created a poor product, and even less so think that you need fourteen thousand apps of anything - who has the time? - but here's a fantastic baseball app that is mindblowing when you consider the amount of data this sucker packs. You're just looking at video there, not a download about to happen. MUST SEE.
Forget the rumors of a Mark Texeira for Albert Pujols deal. Tex says he's got a no-trade deal and isn't going anywhere.
The 30 Most Annoying Things Fans Do. Definitely love #24.
Nick Kypreos appeared on Prime Time Sports and relayed that Sidney Crosby, out with a concussion, has done nothing for seven weeks beyond "testing the waters", and typically shutting down quickly. 7 weeks off is more than most guys take in a summer, so he'd be looking at quite the grind to get back in game shape. Kypreos said he'd be "absolutely shocked" if Crosby played again this season. Ouch. Glad the NHL still waffles on head shots when they might see Crosby as the next Lindros, a great player whose career was shortened by head injury. And while I don't believe the shots he took were intentional, the NHL would be wise to get any head contact out - no excuses - before they lose another all-time talent. And yes, that would mean no fighting.
Can't fathom why you would, but people are selling tickets to a Yankees and Red Sox game for $750 per. The game is on March 14th. Yes, a pre-season game is selling for $750. Insanity.
AC Milan midfielder Gennaro Gatusso was suspended for four games for his act last week in Champions League play, and obviously will not be playing against Tottenham next week in the return leg in London. That said, he won't even be in attendance as he's been advised there are 47,000 looking to slap him.
Bill Simmons long rumored project will be a new website that is 70% sports, 30% pop culture which is probably no different than his ESPN work. What is different is that the website will be separate from ESPN and not be branded ESPN. Does that mean he won't have to dance around "Delonte West banged LeBron's mom" talk anymore?
I'm a big fan of Apple, but am no means among the Apple Nazi's who slurp everything that comes out of Apple as the greatest thing ever and think they've never created a poor product, and even less so think that you need fourteen thousand apps of anything - who has the time? - but here's a fantastic baseball app that is mindblowing when you consider the amount of data this sucker packs. You're just looking at video there, not a download about to happen. MUST SEE.
Forget the rumors of a Mark Texeira for Albert Pujols deal. Tex says he's got a no-trade deal and isn't going anywhere.
The 30 Most Annoying Things Fans Do. Definitely love #24.
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