My Sports Talk

Here's a sweet ass video to tide you over

2007-08-22T18:33:00.001-05:00

Here's a great video of the Oakland A's mascot being challenged to a dance off by a couple of kids in a parking lot...

Mascot Dance Off - Watch more free videos

I believe those are what the kids call "sweet moves"...

Sorry for the delay

2007-08-16T22:31:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the long ass delay, but I've been extremely busy as of late and frankly I haven't been home that much. But I'll try and swing something to where I can get some posts in, possibly a Virginia Tech Hokies' preview or something.

Dolphins sign Ted Ginn

2007-07-27T15:55:00.000-05:00

It is now being reported by the Sun-Sentinel that the deal that had been reached between Ginn and the Dolphins earlier is a reported five-year deal that is worth $13 million guaranteed.

Barely missing the noon deadline for all players to report on the first official day of training camp, Dolphins first-round draft pick Ted Ginn Jr. agreed to terms on a five-year contract with the Dolphins, according to one source.

The Dolphins also chose not to comment, but another source confirmed that Ginn received approximately $13 million in guaranteed money.

The contract is expected to be signed shortly. All signed players were expected to attend a team meeting at 1 p.m., and the second source said Ginn was there. Practice begins tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. and Ginn is expected to be there.

side note: Photo taken from the NFL Fanhouse

Mark Teixeira to the Braves?...that and other possible trades

2007-07-27T15:54:00.002-05:00

Jon Heyman over at Sports Illustrated has an interesting article on the upcoming trade deadline and the players that he thinks will be traded and where. There is a few people on his lists that I have heard rumored to be going to the Braves, so I thought i'd break it down real quick for everyone.

1. Mark Teixeira, 1B (Texas)

AVG: .299
HR: 13
RBI: 49

The Skinny:

Mark Teixeira is one of the best young, power-hitting first baseman in baseball right now and seeing as how the Rangers aren't going anywhere for awhile and they probably won't be able to afford him after this year, the likelihood that he will be traded is extremely high. Teixeira's name has been linked to blockbuster deals to the Atlanta Braves in which the would have to give up top prospect Jarrod Saltalamacchia and the Los Angeles Angels in which they would have to give up Casey Kotchman, a fellow first baseman. The only question that remains are these teams willing to give up two or three top prospects in exchange for someone who could walk after next season and command $13 million a year?

Best Guess:

My gut instinct is that Teixeira will be a Brave by time the trade deadline on July 31st ends, I mean the Angels or any team for that matter just can't match what the Braves could give the Rangers, Salty is widely regarded as the top catching prospect in baseball and is a switch-hitter just like Teixeira that has a ton of power and then include a pitching prospect and or our seventeen year-old kid at shortstop, Elvis Andrus. I just don't see how other teams can match that.

But i'm not too sure if I want this trade to go down or not, sure Teixeira is a great talent and our first baseman combo of the ~~Mighty~~ Thor and the 789 year-old Julio Franco is currently giving us shit, it makes sense. But I really like Salty and I don't want to see him go, I'd prefer we move him to the first base instead of trading him, I just don't want to see us trade him for Teixeira and then see Teixeira leave a couple of years later like everyone always seems to do. But even if we do trade him **most likely going to happen** I just hope we can re-sign Teixeira and keep him for awhile.

Some other players that we've been linked to are:

Livan Hernandez, SP (Arizona)
Zack Greinke, SP/RP (Kansas City)
Matt Morris, SP (San Francisco)
Steve Kline, RP (San Francisco)
Jon Garland, SP (Chicago [AL] )

Rams give Marc Bulger a lot of money

2007-07-27T15:54:00.001-05:00

ESPN's Chris Mortensen is reporting that the St.Louis Rams and quarterback, Marc Bulger have agreed to a six-year $62.5 million deal.

Bulger's new deal includes $26.5 million in guaranteed money, sources said. He participated in the team's first on-field practice Friday morning after missing Thursday's meeting meeting when the Rams reported to camp.

Bulger had recently stated that he wasn't happy and wanted a new contract, he even went as far as saying he could stage a training camp holdout until they agreed to do so. But now that he has a new deal that will pay him in upwards of $10 million per year, it puts Bulger in company with the other elite quarterbacks that are making at least that. That list includes the Bengals' Carson Palmer(woot woot), the Colts' Peyton Manning, the Packers' Brett Favre, the Patriots' Tom Brady and the Falcons' Mike Vick. Although I hate the Rams, I have to give them props for doing the right thing and re-signing Bulger, he's one of the, if not the most underrated quarterbacks in the NFL and he deserves every penny.

Daily Linkage...

2007-07-27T15:53:00.000-05:00

You can't teach manners like this...Jeremy Shockey you get a gold star young man. (With Leather)

Remembering Skip Prosser's life, which tragically ended yesterday at the age of 56. (Deacon Sports)

J.E. Skeets doing some interviews....brilliant! Oh and NBA Previews. (The Basketball Jones)

The NFL has suspended sale of all Mike Vick related mechandise. (The Fanhouse via Pro Football Talk)

I know where I go to get the latest trade rumor buzz....and which baseball players are "Fort Fucking Knox". (Ladies...)

Brian Billick has a potty mouth...and really really bad hair...auido after the jump. (Awful Announcing)

I'm still pinch hitting

2007-07-27T11:46:00.000-05:00

I'll be running Blown Coverage for Davey again...but i'll bring my posts over here later in the day...

LA is not a fan of Mike Piazza anymore

2007-07-26T16:49:00.000-05:00

During yesterday's afternoon game between the Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angels ~~of Anaheim~~, Oakland's designated hitter, Mike Piazza was hit in the back of the head with a water bottle while standing in the on deck circle.

"I'm pressing charges,'' Piazza told reporters. "He's going to spend the night in jail. He hit me right in the helmet. ... It's just inexcusable at a baseball game to throw a bottle at someone. Just a joke."
The incident happened as the Athletics were staging a three-run rally in the top of the ninth inning. Piazza was standing in the on-deck circle when he was hit from behind.
The game was interrupted as Piazza used his bat to point out the fan he thought was responsible.
"It startled the heck out of me, a thump to the back of my head,'' he told reporters. "I turned around and was like, 'Was it you? Or you or you?' Everyone pointed at the guy and I said, 'You're gutless,' and he started walking out. There he goes, the bravest guy in the world. That's a complete lower level of stupidity."
The suspect, identified as Ronald Flores, 22, of La Puente, was detained and later booked by Anaheim police on assault and battery charges.

And as you can tell by his comments, Piazza was none too pleased with this fan's decision to pretty much donkey punch him with a bottle. And I normally would be upset when fans do this type of thing, but seeing as how Piazza was a New York Met for a long time, and I hate the Met's with a passion, I say touche Ronald(McDonald....hahaha) for doing something I've talked about doing but yet never had the balls to do...that and riverdancing.

What do you expect...he plays for Washington

2007-07-26T16:48:00.000-05:00

Last night Washington National's pitcher, John Lannan made his major league debut against the Philadelphia Phillies. Well in the fifth inning of that said debut, he was ejected after hitting Chase Utley and Ryan Howard in consective at-bats.

Washington manager Manny Acta also was ejected by plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt after Lannan's exit. It was Acta's first ejection.
Lannan allowed three runs and six hits in the first four innings. After getting the first out of the fifth, Lannan hit Utley on the right hand. Howard followed and was hit on the right shoulder. Although there were no warnings given, Wendelstedt immediately ejected Lannan.

And speaking of being hit by a pitch, here's a video of by far the worst place to be hit...DAYUM!!

Big surprise there...

2007-07-26T16:47:00.002-05:00

The Cincinnati Bengal's linebacker and part-time felon, Odell Thurman was denied reinstatement in the NFL today due to his ongoing problems with the police. This will be the second consecutive season that Thurman must sit out after NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell denied his petition for reinstatement.

Thurman was suspended for all of last season after skipping a drug test and later being arrested for drunken driving. He asked Goodell to reinstate him for the 2007 season, but was turned down.

Thurman will be allowed to ask for reinstatement again following the season.

Goodell's decision leaves the Bengals with two suspended players as they open training camp. Receiver Chris Henry also will miss the first eight games for repeatedly violating the league's conduct policy.

The Bengals are the league's prime example of misconduct, with 10 players arrested over a 14-month span.

Ok kids, now a show of hands, who was surprised by this news? Hmm, no one...ok then.

Daily Linkage...

2007-07-26T16:47:00.001-05:00

Nothing like team unity to get the morning off to a good start....

Onto the links....

Barry Bonds is not a big fan of Bob Costas...and he doesn't care if you tell him that. (With Leather)

Tim Donaghy's bookies weren't the mob, wait they were but just the fake mob...i'm confused. (Larry Brown Sports)

The Staal brothers got a little out of hand at a bachelor party... (The Fanhouse)

How's that alternative career going Troy Hudson? Oh excuse me...T-Hud. (100% Injury Rate)

Damnit Ted Washington...have you ever heard of a courtesy flush... (Si.com)

Curt Schilling's family is very pale...like albino pale...complete with turtlenecks, enough said. (Sammy's Sports Sermons)

Would you like to meet Jarrod Saltalamacchia? (The Extrapolater)

The Round table

2007-07-25T12:05:00.000-05:00

Here's another look into what happening around the blogosphere...

Part Mule is holding down the fort over at Blown Coverage while Davey is out teaching sea otters to play tetherball. (Blown Coverage)

Look at Epic Carnival's new Fall clothing line...I'll take one of each please? (Epic Carnival)

Looks like Shaun Rogers might be getting sued...damn him and his sticky fingers. (With Leather)

Oh those silly editors and their innuendos..."Lady Jacks off to hot start in conference"...classic! (Larry Brown Sports via 100% injury rate)

A sad sad day for out of date redneck mullets everywhere...Randy Johnson might retire. (Lion in Oil)

Mr.Irrelevant has a fancy new look...(Mr.Irrelevant)

Apparently Adrian Gonzalez received a death threat...."We are going to kill you"...told ya. (Larry Brown @ the Fanhouse)

Side Note: Look out for me tomorrow over at Blown Coverage...i'll be taking over for Kirk...

Tour of the Blogosphere part three

2007-07-19T15:56:00.000-05:00

Once again I'm going to keep up with the one night stands in which I have no intention in calling again....

What happens when fans get bored during rain delays....they slip and slide of course. (Deadspin)

Oh be still my heart....I think Braylon Edwards wants to hear about my feelings...quick do something manly!!! (With Leather)

Talk about an interesting encounter...Petros Papadakis is a waiter on his off time...and he served Lion in Oil. (Lion in Oil)

John Pyle interviews the sirs over at Nation of Islam Sports Blog. (Pyle of List)

Dodger fans aren't big fans of mascots...let alone the Giant's mascot. (Awful Announcing)

My good friend and partner in crime, Davey offically welcomes Julio Franco. (Blown Coverage)

This is Reggie Bush...when he was 10....and white.

2007-07-19T13:27:00.000-05:00

Here's Cody Paul, a sick Pee-Wee Pop Warner runningback. This kid is seriously the next Reggie Bush...look at him, he's making kids bow to him. Oh and his name is Cody Paul once again...two first names huh...interesting technique mom and dad...oh and look at #20...his last name is Tyler...very original. Anyways here's a video of his amazing moves, I hear he's already committed to USC...you know how they like em young. But that's just a rumor of course.

and just for shitts and giggles, here is the famous Reggie Bush High School tape...enjoy!

UPDATE: I accidentally forgot to give proper respects to Milk was a bad choice for the video...

What's happening around the blogosphere part 2

2007-07-16T13:38:00.000-05:00

I did this last week and it went well so what the hell, i'll do it again.

Braves' Ledezma is stuck in Venezuela due to a "laundry accident". (Lion in Oil)

The Phillies lost their 10,000th game last night...HA! (The Fanhouse)

"Let it all hang out, fellas."--Adam LaRoche's message to the Braves (100% Injury Rate)

Greg Oden writes about his night at the ESPY's and of course the playmates. (Greg Oden @ Yardbarker)

"I was excited to meet everyone there, but the two that I smile about the most are Kendra from "The Girls Next Door" and Sarah Underwood "Playmate of The Year" -- she is from Oregon ;). They were two of the finest women I have ever met, hands down."

Detroit makes Cory Redding the highest paid defensive tackle in the NFL. (ESPN)

Looks like the Net's passed on Jermaine O'Neal at the NBA Draft this year. (Fan Nation)

Rich Hill does a sweet Kip impression from Napoleon Dynamite and lets us know that Mark Derosa is training to be a cage fighter. (Larry Brown Sports)

Davey has a hilarious post about Chip and Joe's wonderful commentary during yesterday's game. (Blown Coverage)

Come on Fernando...keep your head in the game. (Awful Announcing)

Here's a bonus video, of Rerun from "What's Happening", to use a phrase that all the cool kids are using these days, getting "jiggy with it". See, i'm hip.

Derek Fisher is a Laker once again

2007-07-13T02:55:00.000-05:00

ESPN News is reporting that point guard, Derek Fisher has agreed in principle to a three-year $14 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. Fisher, who played an intergal role in the Lakers three championship seasons, has bounced around the league since leaving L.A. three seasons ago.

"That position has been something that we identified as an area where we felt we needed to improve," Kupchak told the Times. "Not a slight to Jordan [Farmar] and our drafted rookie [Javaris Crittenton], who's just 19 years old, but at 19 and 20 years old with limited NBA experience, we're not going to think that they're going to be the ones that can lead the team next year.

"Having said that, without naming players that are out there, when we have additional information and we have an announcement, we'll make that announcement. Right now, we're not in that position, but we're getting close."

Fisher left as a free-agent to go to the Golden State Warriors and signed a six-year $37 million deal but he was then traded to the Utah Jazz two years later. Fisher said his reasons for leaving the Jazz was so his daughter, who is fighting cancer, can be closer to a better cancer facility so she can recieve easier treatment.

Mark Cuban may buy the Cubs afterall

2007-07-13T02:40:00.000-05:00

According to reports, Mark Cuban, the Owner of the Dallas Mavericks, has submitted his name to a lengthy list of possible suitors to buy the Chicago Cubs.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Mark Cuban says that he has submitted his application to Major League Baseball to purchase the Cubs. Cuban, who has owned the NBA's Dallas Mavericks since January of 2000 and is known for his free-spending ways, told the newspaper he sent the paperwork in last week.

Cuban's efforts to enter the already crowded field to purchase the team is being met with some speculation. The Tribune summed up Cuban's efforts to buy the team in its Thursday edition as follows: "And while Internet billionaire Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, has expressed interest, most observers think Major League Baseball would balk at a potential owner as unpredictable and outspoken as Cuban."

Cuban has been one of the most charismatic owner's the NBA has seen and if he were to buy the Cubs' he would bring that same element to the MLB. Cuban is never shy about letting his feelings be known and isn't afraid to tell the commissioner that he thinks he's wrong. As I'm sure David Stern knows all to well. The move would be great for the Cub's as well, he's the type of owner that will stop at nothing to win, and that means he's willing to spend money and he usually spends it well. This should get interesting very soon, to see if he's approved and how he goes about handling the MLB.

It's magic time baby! Fun with google

2007-07-12T15:06:00.000-05:00

It's another slow sports day relatively speaking so Davey and I through the power of messenger, have decided to bring back a fan favorite at our fine establishments, Fun with Google. Basically it just gives us a chance to flex our comedy skills I guess or more so our ability to type in random shit and find awkward pictures that make us giggle like pre-pubescent girls.

So here we go, Fun with Google: Random Shitt Edition

This first picture may bring up some memories that Chicago Bears' quarterback Rex Grossman may not want to. Some of you may remember when I found some rather unusual pictures from the Super Bowl in which Sexy Rexy was violently thrusted against his will on live T.V. by Robert Manthis, who I should mention is a rather large individual. But as this picture clearly shows, this was not the first time a large man has come into contact with Mr. Grossman's hiney(yes I said hiney). It's ok, i'm sure he took it all in stride.

To keep the doggy style penetration going here's a rather odd picture that is sure to bring up plenty of "what's he doing to her mommy" questions from our curious youth at the local Zoo. Just a few ideas of what you could say are:

Mom: I wouldn't know hunny *gives a death stare towards husband*.

Mom: You see darling, the boy panda slipped on some water and was about to fall down but the girl panda caught him using her rear end, you know for better support.

This one is from my own family collection as a youth my parents were really big in keeping me active despite the fact that I had no athletic ability whatsoever. But alas everytime there was a sporting event they would trot me out there and watch me get my ass handed to me, and to be honest I'm beginning to think they were enjoying it just a bit. This picture is of me during basketball tryouts and as you can imagine, I didn't quite make the cut, some bullshit about poor hand eye coordination. Whatever I think it was because they were jealous by my superior body.

As children me and Davey always wanted to be super heroes. But sadly that dream never came true, until that is when Davey surprised me when he came to my house dressed up as Diabetes Guy. It was grand fun, you see Diabetes Guy was equipped with super fast roller blades that allowed extreme mobility, you know for running down bad guys and stuff. He also had an ammo belt filled with our childhood favorites such as snickers. It was all fun and games until the chocolate melted and Davey later skinned his knee chasing down a guy who parked in a handicap spot. Sure the guy was old and had a walker and blind in one eye, but he had no reason to take that spot, come to think of it maybe he did deserve the spot. Oh well.

Well I'm going to cut these shenanigans short seeing as how I have some shit to do, but i'll update with more pictures soon enough.

Pollack not expected to play in 2007

2007-07-12T13:47:00.000-05:00

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said that despite showing great progression while recovering from a broken neck, David Pollack is not expected to play in 2007.

While golfing in Georgia, Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis paused before one of the holes, and provided a health update on LB David Pollack, who played his college ball for the Georgia Bulldogs. "This year, David probably will not be able to play football this season but they haven't ruled out football in David's future," Lewis said. Pollack broke his neck in the second game of the 2006 season, missed the rest of the year, and required surgery to repair the damage. Fortunately, the Bengals 1^st Round pick in 2005 was not paralyzed in the collision, and there's still a chance he might return for the '08 season. "At some point, he'll have a decision to make whether to continue his football future. But right now he's progressing great, working out like a maniac about 20 hours a day, so he's doing great."

I won't go into detail again with this subject, I've made my feelings felt many times before, but all I will say is keep getting healthy David and I hope to see you on the field soon enough.

What's happening around the Blogosphere

2007-07-12T10:51:00.000-05:00

Much like smoking cigarettes, all the cool kids are doing it so I will too. And by that I mean having daily links to the most interesting posts from different blogs at least according to me.

The only thing funnier than the video are the comments. (With Leather)

Is Rashard Lewis worth $110 million? (Blown Coverage)

Miss Gossip gets a interview with Greg Oden and she gets right to the hard hitting questions. (AOL Fanhouse)

Tony Parker is still gangsta....at least in France. (We are the Postmen)

Looks like Dan Patrick already has a new job....and boy is it exciting. (The Big Lead)

Jamaal Magloire stayed at the same hotel as J.E. Skeets and Tas Melas in Montreal. (The Basketball Jones)

Ok about the comments thing, they are fucking hilarious, some of my favorites are:

Atari1977 says: Good thing she was carrying her LifeAlert bracelet!

Weed against Speed says: She hasn't had balls in her face since Grandpa died 10 years ago.

Dr. Thunder says: my grandmother went the same way

Oh and the video was posted by the great J.E. Skeets...one of my favorite bloggers.

Alex Rodriguez is going to be very rich soon, I mean even richer

2007-07-12T10:09:00.000-05:00

BREAKING NEWS:

Early reports are that Alex Rodriguez could be making $30 million a YEAR! That is just plain insane. Just for a little comparison, Rodriguez (according to ESPN) is making $27,708,525 this season and that already exceeds the Tampa Bay Devil Rays which their total salary is $24,124,200. And if he makes the reported $3o million then he will likely surpass the Florida Marlins which are currently at $30,507,000 next season.

UPDATE: Ok, well now I have a link to the reports. According to this, Rodriguez's agent, Scott Boras said his client will get a minimum of $32 million or they will walk. And that they refuse to negotiate till after the season is over.

Even if his client doesn't go the opt-out route, Boras told the Post that there are existing stipulations in the current deal that all but guarantee Rodriguez would earn a minimum of $32 million in both the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

"The way the provision operates, he either gets that or he can become a free agent after any of those seasons again," Boras told the newspaper.

Talk about sibling rivarly at it's best

2007-07-12T00:23:00.000-05:00

During a practice session for the Pan American Games, a Brazilian fencer was accidentally stabbed under his right arm. Oh and to add insult to injury, Ivan Schwantes was stabbed by his brother, Athos.

Ivan Schwantes, who underwent surgery to drain blood and air from his lung after his brother's epee snapped near his right underarm on Monday, will remain hospitalized for at least another 72 hours, the Brazilian Olympic Committee said in a statement.

"We need to think about his health before anything else, so he won't participate in the games," Brazil's delegation chief Marcus Vinicius Freire said in the statement.

Now I'm not going to pretend to know anything about fencing, to be honest the extent to my fencing knowledge is watching Zorro do his thing. But isn't the point of fencing to sword fight and win by poking, for lack of a better word, the other participant in the chest. Oh well forget it.

Say what Eduardo?

2007-07-11T21:33:00.000-05:00

During the eighth inning of the AAA All-Star game, broadcaster and current analyst on ESPN's Baseball Tonight, Eduardo Perez dropped this beauty during the live broadcast.

"I remember back when Orlando Palmeiro got called up to the big leagues he cried his balls...uh I mean eyes out"

Yeah I don't know exactly how you go about crying your "balls" out, but it can't be comfortable or very sanitary.

It's that time once again

2007-07-11T20:00:00.000-05:00

The only sporting event on this evening is the AAA All-Star game so I'm a little bored as usual. A few days ago I mentioned that the photo galleries always seem to have the best and most humerous photos and well today is no different. They have a gallery up entitled "Greatest Sports Villians" and it has some interesting sports figures on there, such as Barry Bonds, Terrell Owens, Scott Boras and many more. Also on the list was the Oakland Raider's owner Al Davis complete with one of the scariest/ugliest/most disturbing photos i've seen.

The photo draws a great resemblence to a picture of the "ugliest dog in the world". But of course that's just my opinion, you be the the judge.

To keep the theme going...Hafner gets a new deal

2007-07-11T19:25:00.000-05:00

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Cleveland Indians and designated hitter, Travis Hafner have agreed on a four-year $57 million contract extension.

"Hafner, 30, was eligible for free agency after the 2008 season. His new deal does not include a signing bonus, but part of the money will be redirected to increase his salaries in 2007 and '08, according to a source with knowledge of the contract.

The Indians are paying Hafner $3.75 million this season and hold a $4.75 million club option on him for 2008 — low salaries for a player who last season ranked first in the American League in on-base/slugging percentage."

Hafner has been having a bit of a down season this year, as he is only hitting .262 with 14 homeruns and 57 RBI's, but that didn't deture the Indians from locking the very talented slugger until 2012. Hopefully now that he doesn't have to worry whether or not he will be re-signed, Hafner will start to play like last season.

Alex Rodriguez getting a new deal?

2007-07-11T17:01:00.000-05:00

According to ESPN's Buster Olney, the New York Yankees are now willing to work with Alex Rodriguez on a new contract extension. They had previously said that they didn't want to right now. I guess the odds that Rodriguez will stay rather then opt out of his deal and become a free-agent at the end of this year are heightened.

"The Yankees have changed their traditional stance and are now willing to negotiate during the season with their star third baseman on a contract extension, MLB sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney.

The key sticking point for the Yankees in the prospective negotiations is that Rodriguez agree not to opt out of his current contract after this season and agree to add any extension to the current contract, which expires after the 2010 season."

The Yankees still have players like Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada that will be looking for a new deal, both players will be free-agents at the end of the season. I know the Yanks will not let Rivera go, but Posada, I don't know.

Buster Olney also said that the Yankees are going to basically give Alex Rodriguez and his agent, Scott Boras a blank check.

Just some recent Braves' rumors

2007-07-11T15:18:00.000-05:00

Well with the trade deadline quickly approaching there have been a few trade rumors floating around out there involving my Atlanta Braves. So I thought I'd take this time to mention a few of them.

1. Mark Buehrle to the Braves

It was widely said that the Braves were one of the biggest suitors for the very talented starter. But all of that was thrown out the window when the Chicago White Sox gave him a new fat contract. That pretty much ended all speculation of Buehrle to the Braves. But what was Kenny Williams asking price? A new report stated that Williams wanted Atlanta to give up Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Yunel Escobar. That's just plain insane seeing as how both of them are proving day in and day out that they can hit professional ball and to add more to that they are two of our top prospects, Salty being our number one. j

2. Mark Teixeira to the Braves

This one may still have legs to it. Teixeira is still on the disabled list but he's having a pretty good year and everyone knows what he can do, he's a .300 hitter that can hit 35 plus homeruns with 100 plus RBI's. That could really help our current problem at first base and our lack of power. But there's always a catch. First of all we would have to give up no less than Jarrod Saltalamacchia and another young prospect to get him and at this point I don't want to get rid of Salty, were going to lose Andruw at the end of the year and his power will come in handy. Another snag is the fact that Teixeira is going to be a free-agent after next year and his agent is Scott Boras so he's looking at getting at least $20 million per year. And yet another problem is Teixeira has made it known that he would love to play for his hometown team which is Baltimore so he seems like he would just be more of a rental than anything else, but if he did then we would get some very valuable draft picks.

I don't know exactly what were going to do when the trade deadline comes up, which is about three weeks away, but I have a strong feeling that we are going to get a starter. Now who that starter will be, well I don't know. Here's a list of starters that are said to be available:

Matt Morris, San Francisco Giants

Kyle Lohse, Cincinnati Reds

Jason Jennings, Houston Astros

John Garland, Chicago White Sox

Jose Contreras, Chicago White Sox

Odalis Perez, Kansas City Royals

Steve Trachsel, Baltimore Orioles

Joe Kennedy, Oakland Athletics

Wade Miller, Chicago Cubs (injured, on the 60-day DL)

Josh Fogg, Colorado Rockies

Brett Tomko, Los Angeles Dodgers

That's a few of the names that are being tossed around, of course there is always Rich Harden, but he's injured right now and could cost a pretty penny seeing as how he's a Cy Young pitcher when healthy. I'd love to have him even with injury risk, that is if he didn't cost us too much. We've been mentioned with Matt Morris as of late, and I do have to admit he's have a nice start to his season, but I just don't think he'll keep it up and plus I believe he makes around $10 million this year. If we're going to get a starter from San Francisco I'd want it to be Kyle Lowry, but that's just me. I also would have multiple seizures if we were to trade for Carl Crawford or Alex Rios.

That's a helluva an award

2007-07-10T23:34:00.000-05:00

According to ESPN, the Seattle Mariners and Ichiro Suzuki (yes I forget he has a last name too) are close to agreeing on a new deal that would pay him around $120 million over five years and he would get a significant yearly pay raise, he's making $10 million and he would be getting around $20 million.

This is a hell of a reward seeing as how Ichiro won the All-Star MVP tonight as he became the first person in history to hit an inside the park homerun during the All-Star game. And from what he said it was the first time he's ever hit one. I won't go into too much detail about the All-Star game, Davey has already handled that quite nicely over at Blown Coverage. But here's a quick run-down of everything you need to know about the game.

1. The game was really boring in my opinion.

2. I take that back, well kind of, the bottom of the ninth inning was very entertaining, I haven't seen someone with such bad facial get beaten up like that since Bruce Vilanch hacked off that muskrat on his face that he called a beard.

3. I don't get what LaRussa was drinking when he made that lineup...um...too soon? Fuck it..that was a weak lineup! Bond's hitting second?!? Carlos Beltran hitting 3rd?!? Prince Fielder, the guy who is leading the national league in homeruns with 29, hitting 6th?!? Been boozing up lately there Tony?

4. This doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the actual game but I want to trade for Alex Rios, really bad. I've been a big fan of him for a while now and I think he would look great in Atlanta and seeing his performance, yes I know it was just a Homerun Derby but I don't care. We've got to find a way to get him.

All I can say about that contract is damn! If Ichiro is going to be pulling down that then there is no way in hell we're going to be able to hold on to Andruw Jones after this year. Looks like the "Jones' Boys" will be no more. A sad sad day for Braves fans everywhere.

UPDATE: Well this story is starting to make it's rounds lately and apparently the total contact is closer to $100 million to the $120 I said earlier.

Thing's i've learned from watching Eddie George sing.

2007-07-06T15:13:00.000-05:00

While browsing Si.com's Extra Mustard, I realized that there was a link to a video of my all-time favorite football player singing. Yes back in the day I was a huge Tennessee Titan fan and an Eddie George fan, but since they decided to have a little fire sale and released/traded most of my favorite players i've sinced moved on. But anyways here's a quick run down of some things i've learned while watching Eddie George sing.

1. I would've never guessed the end result of a 240 pound man consuming alcohol for an extended time would be an all night karaoke concert in which he sung Def Leppard, Gun n Roses and Bon Jovi. Who would've thunk it.

2. Surprisingly Eddie George singing 80's classic's wasn't the most disturbing part of the video...no it was the middle-aged gentlemen doing something similar to dance (I would've classified it more as a squatting seizure, but that's just me.) while trying to impress a young lady with his "skills".

3. The look on those poor, poor kid's face's say it all...Eddie, what the fuck were you thinking?

Yeah see, I wasn't kidding when I said a "quick run down". But there you have it, a very disturbing look into a former Heisman winner and former NFL Star's life and how he spends retirement.

If you can't see the video for some reason, you can watch it here.

UPDATE: Holy shitt!!! That weird middle-aged guy in the orange shirt was non other than my nemisis, Chris Weinke...I hate that guy and now I hate him even more for being old and creepy...just like my grandpa.

UPDATE #2: Ok..well the video is on auto play and it's annoying, so I took it off. Click the links if you want to watch it.

Random Video Time...one word SWEET!!!

2007-07-02T15:57:00.000-05:00

Ok I know i've said this before and i'm sure i'll say it again...but I just saw the greatest thing ever...it's a couple of panda bears teaming up and doing their best prison break impression...

How in the hell did something so big fit through something so small...oh wait..it's not the first time i've heard that...shazam!!!...ok that was unappropriate...anyways this is a great video. It made my day!

Vince, Don't fail me now

2007-07-01T01:22:00.000-05:00

Ok, so after reports that the New Jersey Nets and my favorite player, Vince Carter were close to completing a new deal all of a sudden it was announced that he's decided to opt out of his remaining year on his current contract and become an unrestricted free-agent. Ok so yeah that would really suck...but then I just read on the Fanhouse and Sports Illustrated that although he's opted out he's more than likely going to stay in New Jersey. Rumors are that he's looking at getting a four-year deal worth about $60 million.

I can only hope that this is true...because I really don't want to see Vince go to another team unless say it was to the Orlando Magic or something like that. But I would rather see him stay with the Nets and screw anyone that thinks he disappears during the end of big games...*REALITY CHECK* Even though it seems as though he does sometimes*END OF REALITY CHECK*. But he's still a great player that can go out and get 25 points 5 rebounds and a couple of assists every game and is no stranger with 40+ point games....so is he worth the money....HELL YES! And that's not just the extremely biased Jay talking here. He's actually in rehab, no it's not drugs or alcohol its more for anger, you see some fuck destroyed my...uh I mean his Panda Bear collectibles that included the extremely rare Panda Ninja Kung Fu action figure with the realistic judo chop arm motion...Fuck there I go getting off topic again.

Anyways best case scenario he stays with the Nets or signs with the Magic worst case scenario he signs with someone like the Lakers then I would have to shoot myself...and Vince do you really want that on your conscience? Didn't think so.

NOBODY FUCKS WITH WAYNE NEWTON!! / NBA Mock Draft

2007-06-28T01:39:00.000-05:00

What do you know it appears as thought the NBA Draft is literally right around the corner and to be honest besides a few mock drafts and this long ass breakdown I watched earlier today on ESPN I can't say with certainly what will go down tomorrow.

It's not like I've been doing nothing, I mean I've been chasing a Wayne Newton impersonator for the past two months. Ok this might sound pointless, long and all around a waste of time and you will soon find out that it is. But anyway about two months ago I was walking through a grocery store with my cousins and my aunt and I happen to see a guy who looked exactly like Wayne Newton. So like the fucking loser I am, I lost my shit and started yelling phrases that would make Samuel L. Jackson deem inappropriate. To get the gist of what I mean, I randomly started shouting "IT'S FUCKING WAYNE NEWTON"...I asked for an autograph then after being turn downed I acted bitter and coined the phrase "Nobody Fucks With Wayne Newton". Yes, you've heard it here first, "nobody fucks with Wayne Newton" was thought of by yours truly. Now it's not like anyone else has heard this yelled except the twenty or thirty customers that were unfortunately in the produce isle when my little "scene" started and one very confused 50+ year old man with a perfect jet black afro.

But anyways, I was in Quicktrip getting gas and a drink when I went up to the register to pay and I shit you not, who is standing before me? Non other than Wayne "fucking" Newton(for legal reasons I'll say the impersonator). So once again I lose my shit and yell "Wayne Fucking Newton" right in front of three cops, cause apparently quicktrip doubles as a police sub station or some shit....so yes he takes one look at me and says "oh god not again" and makes a run for the door. I didn't follow, well because that would've been rude and you know me, I'm all about the manners. So I payed for my shit along with awkward stares from the quicktrip guy and a few customers and I walk outside and give one last "Nobody Fucks with Wayne Newton" before I get in the truck and make my triumphant departure. Yes I live an exciting life.

Anyhoo...back to what this post was oringally about, the NBA Draft, I'm going to do what I do when every draft comes up and present to you with the My Sports Talk Mock Draft...so here it is.

1. Portland Trailblazers- Greg Oden C (OSU)

2. Seattle Supersonics- Kevin Durant F (TEX)

3. Atlanta Hawks- Al Horford F/C (FLA)

4. Memphis Gizzlies- Mike Conley Jr PG (OSU)

5. Boston Celtics- Corey Brewer G/F (FLA)

6. Milwaukee Bucks- Jeff Green G/F (G-TOWN)

7. Minnesota Timberwolves- Joakim Noah PF (FLA)

8. Charlotte Bobcats- Brandan Wright PF (UNC)

9. Chicago Bulls- Yi Jianlian PF (CHINA)

10. Sacramento Kings- Al Thornton F (FSU)

11. Atlanta Hawks- Acie Law IV PG (TEX A&M)

12. Philadelphia 76ers- Julian Wright PF (KAN)

13. New Orleans Hornets- Nick Young SG (USC)

14. Los Angeles Clippers- Javaris Crittenton G (GT)

15. Detroit Pistons- Rodney Stuckey PG (EMICH)

16. Washington Wizards- Jason Smith PF (CSU)

17. New Jersey Nets- Spencer Hawes C (WASH)

18. Golden State Warriors- Sean Williams PF (BC)

19. Los Angeles Lakers- Rudy Fernandez SG (DKV Joventut)

20. Miami Heat- Thaddeus Young SG (GT)

21. Philadelphia 76ers- Tiago Splitter F (TAU Vitoria)

22. Charlotte Bobcats- Daequan Cook SG (OSU)

23. New York Knicks- Wilson Chandler F (DePaul)

24. Phoenix Suns- Marco Belinelli SG (Climamio Bologna)

25. Utah Jazz- Morris Almond G/F (Rice)

26. Houston Rockets- Nick Fazekas F/C (NEV)

27. Detroit Pistons- Derrick Byars F (VANDY)

28. San Antonio- Jared Dudley F (BC)

29. Phoenix Suns- Petteri Koponen PG (Honka Playboys) GREATEST FUCKING NAME EVER!

30. Philadelphia 76ers- Josh McRoberts F/C (DUKE) Fuck them!

Random picture time

2007-06-25T15:59:00.001-05:00

I'm going to try something a little new here, well everyone knows I do the whole "random video time" and Davey and I have been known to bust out the "Fun with Google" posts every now and then so i'm going to do something similar right here and have a random picture. Sure it's not very inventive but I figure it's a good way to give proper respects to the guys over at SI.com and their awesome and often hilarious photo galleries. Davey scored big with a hilarious post when I got my "absolute final copy" of Sports Illustarted( I swear to God I canceled my subscription like a year and a half ago yet I still get them) and he posted a rather disturbing image of a Mexican luchador in a pink too-too complete with a pink mohawk.

But anyway here's a picture of Philadelphia Phillie's shortstop, Jimmie Rollins getting his face caved in by a pitch from Cleveland Indian's starter, Cliff Lee. Enjoy, because being a Braves fan, I know I did.

Chipper and Smoltz make up...hopefully we'll start winning

2007-06-25T15:27:00.000-05:00

As many may have noticed, i haven't been posting too much as of late, sure me moving was a very big part, but even more so was the fact that it's been embarrassing to be a Braves fan right now. I mean it's not just the fact that they're losing, we're getting humiliated, shut out like every day. It's very disheartening. And when news broke a few days ago that my two favorite players, and our two leaders were fighting, well let's just say it was the icing on the cake.

Apparently Chipper Jones and John Smoltz were taking their frustrations out on each other, mostly caused by losing im sure, and well Smoltz talked to the media and kind of insinuated that he wished Chipper would play more and maybe his injuries were as bad as it seemed. Well Chipper, obviously didn't take this well and fired back at Smoltz through the media too. Words were exchanged for about two days but I highly doubt fisticuffs ensued.

But after the two days of going at each other through the media, Chipper, Smoltz and Bobby Cox sat down, face-to-face and worked out their problems. So all seems to be fine in Atlanta, well you know except for the whole shitting themselves every night thing.

"Total misunderstanding," said Smoltz, making a brief comment to the media and not taking questions. "It's over with. There won't be a problem the rest of the time we're teammates."

Jones was more verbose. He said he apologized to Smoltz for his reaction to what he thought was Smoltz singling him out for sitting out Friday's game.

"Obviously there was a misunderstanding and I apologized to him for my comments in [Saturday's] interviews," Jones said. "He assured me that he wasn't singling me out. And that was pretty much it."

More comments from the two after the jump to the AJC.

I think it's safe to say who WON'T be winning the man of the year

2007-06-25T15:16:00.000-05:00

After getting pulled over by police in Arizona just three days ago, the Chicago Bears have released defensive tackle, Tank Johnson. Johnson who had been released from jail after spending two months in prison for gun charges that were filed after police raided his home and found a plethora(ha now I feel smart for saying "plethora") of guns. Two days after the raid, Johnson's bodyguard and close friend was shot and killed at a night club that the two men had attended.

"We are upset and embarrassed by Tank's actions last week," general manager Jerry Angelo said in a statement. "He compromised the credibility of our organization. We made it clear to him that he had no room for error. Our goal was to help someone through a difficult period in his life, but the effort needs to come from both sides. It didn't, and we have decided to move on."

Johnson had already been suspended for the first eight games of the season after having a meeting with the NFL's new commissioner, Roger Goodell. Johnson told Goodell that he wouldn't have anymore run ins with the police and he had intentions on winning the NFL's Man of the Year which goes to the player that shows excellent behavior on and off the field. I think it's pretty safe to say good ole Tank won't be taking that award home anytime soon.

Kimbo Slice is still a beast!

2007-06-24T11:15:00.000-05:00

Kimbo Slice, of internet fame for his brutal streetfights, all of which i've seen quite all the critics last night when he defeated a former olympic gold medalist in a mixed martial arts bout. Kimbo defeated Ray Mercer by way of submission when Kimbo chocked out the former heavyweight champion in the first round. It took him just a minute and a half to get his first career victory.

"Kimbo was the heavy crowd favorite, with fans erupting as he was announced in the ring. The fight was over pretty quick, Kimbo going for a takedown in the early going and took Mercer down. Mercer made it back up where Kimbo began to land knees and began to engage Mercer with punches until coming off with a double leg and placing him in a guillotine choke to make him tap for the submission win at 1:12 of the first round.

The exhibition paid both fighters $50,000, Kimbo received an additional $25,000 for winning and $10,000 for making Mercer tap. Mercer looked every bit his age in the ring."

Like I said before, i'm a big fan of Kimbo and his street fights, the guy is a tank, no question about and now that he's proven that he's not just a brawler, that he can actually compete against "real fighters", I think he's going to be a force to be reckoned with for years to come, I just hope he gets into the UFC soon.

Here's the video from last night's fight.

Look out John McGraw....heeeere's Bobby

2007-06-24T10:55:00.000-05:00

During the ninth inning of yet another loss by the Atlanta Braves, Braves manager, Bobby Cox was ejected for the 131st time tying him with John McGraw for the all-time record. Cox was ejected after coming to the aid of Braves catcher, Brian McCann, who had been ejected moments before for arguing a called third strike with home umpire Chad Fairchild. And just like Bobby he wasn't concerned with the record in the least bit.

"He was our only [bleeping] catcher we had left," said Cox, who had used backup catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia as a pinch-hitter.

The Braves went on to lose the game, 2-1 as the Detroit Tiger's flamethrower, Justin Verlander lived up to his name with improving to 9-2 on the season and throwing 100+ MPH late in the game. Chipper Jones, who hit his 13th homerun, which leads the team, on the season was amazed with Verlander's velocity.
"My god, that guy's throwing 100 miles an hour in the sixth inning," Jones said. "You're not going to mount much against him. It's really tough for the best hitters in baseball to put that in play consistently."

And on a side note, Andruw Jones continues to piss me off more than I thought was possible, as his batting average has officially fallen under the "Mendoza line" which is .200. Druw is hitting .198 with 11 homeruns and 42 RBIs. Shit who knows maybe this is a blessing in disguise, seeing as how him sucking is a huge understatement and this being his contract year, maybe we can afford to re-sign him now. But then again maybe we'll still end up trading him, to the whitesox possibly...

Also see this story on the Fanhouse and AJC.com

Finally a trade...too bad it won't have that much impact

2007-06-21T16:33:00.001-05:00

Finally a post

According to many sites, the Braves have acquired left-handed pitcher, Wilfredo Ledezma from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for left-handed pitcher, Macay McBride. I don't really know what this does for the Braves because the pitchers are both having similar seasons...but maybe a change of scenery will do them both some good.

Site News: I once again underachieve

2007-06-19T20:50:00.000-05:00

I really apologize for not posting right now, but i'm still very busy trying to get everything settled in among other things. But I'll try my best to get some posts up as soon as possible.

Site News: Update

2007-06-17T23:55:00.000-05:00

Just a little site news for ya, I'm still trying to get settled in my new house but I'll try and get a post up sometime tomorrow afternoon.

--Rotunda from Down Unda aka: Jay

Update within an Update: I saw Fantastic Four today and Jessica Alba was amazing....holy shitt she looked good...oh and the movie wasn't bad either.

I've been tagged....

2007-06-14T22:33:00.001-05:00

Oh joy, It appears as though I've been tagged by my "good friend" Davey over at Blowncoverage. And no we weren't playing the game tag, his Mom wouldn't let him come outside...it's this new thing that bloggers are doing, where they tag someone and that person has to write a post about books.

I'm off to kind of a bad start seeing as how I have the reading level of a llama. So I'm just going to cheat and change it from books to movies, because well I honestly haven't read to many books as of late the only one being "The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game" by Michael Lewis and it's a great read. So here is my version...

1. One movie That Changed Your Life:

I don't know if I've seen a movie that has changed my life, but "Blood Diamond" really opened up my eyes to something that I really didn't know about. I mean sure, I knew that that type of thing was happening but I couldn't even imagine the magnitude of what those people were and still are going through. "Catch a Fire" falls along that same category.

2. One movie that you’ve seen more than once: (to the left)

"Fight Club", I love that movie and I've seen it at least five times, it's great.

3. One movie you would want on a desert island:

Well, this won't apply here because I would have to have electricity, and a dvd player, so just for shits and giggles I'll just say "Grandma's Boy". The movie is hilarious and it would at least give me a good laugh before my lonely and slow death.

4. One movie that made you laugh:

Damn, only one...ok well I guess I'll go with "The Boondock Saints". It's not really a comedy, it's more of a thriller I guess, but it has a lot of comedic scenes. And it's a great movie in general, except of course the scene where Willem Dafoe is in drag...

5. One movie that made you cry: (to the left)

Fuck it, I'll admit I may have had something in my eye...aka I shed a tear...during"I am Sam"...it's about a mentally retarded man who is fighting to keep custody of his 7-year-old daughter. It stars one of my favorite actors, Sean Penn and he does a great job as always.

6. One movie you wish had been written:

Oh, I don't know something involving Jessica Alba, a rabid lemur and lots of over dramatic slow motion running sequences and a flurry of devastating roundhouse kicks from non other than Chuck Norris. Make it happen Scorsese...i'll be waiting for my check.

7. One movie you wish had never been written:

"Kazaam"...Shaquille O'Neal..playing a genie...enough said.

8. One movie you’ve recently watched: (to the left)

The most recent movie I've seen in theaters was "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End". I personally thought it was way better than the second one, and I really liked it. And plus...it had Keira Knightley in it, need I say more?

9. One movie you’ve been meaning to see:

"The Shawshank Redemption", according to IMDB, it's the second greatest movie of all-time, yet I've only seen parts of it. I really got watch it.

10. Six people to tag:

Yeah, I can't really think of anyone to do, so I'll keep it short...

Mac Thomason of the Braves Journal

Jay Busbee of Sports Gone South

Oprah Winfrey of FUCKING EVERYTHING!

William Shatner of what's he been doing lately?

That's all folks, I won't be posting for a day or two because tomorrow is moving day for me, I'm finally moving out...

This is just another excuse to confess my love to Jessica Alba

2007-06-14T12:44:00.000-05:00

Thanks to SI.com and ESPN, I get another chance to talk about the lovely goddess known as Jessica Alba and my weird and somewhat off putting obsession with her. Last night I was able to catch the last 30 seconds of the Budweiser Hot Seat on ESPN and the guest was Jessica Alba...I missed the first part because I was watching the greatest show of all-time, the Chappelle show, so yeah.

And then today while I was on SI.com, I noticed they had Jessica Alba on the "Extra Mustard" column so I went to check it out and apparently Ms. Alba is a supporter for the UCLA Bruins and according to Bruins Nation, and me that's way better than having Snoop Dogg, although he's a great rapper and was funny on Wild & Out, another show I watched last night, he's got nothing on Jessica.

Case and Point:

Snoop Dogg vs Jessica Alba

Enough said...

Random video time: Top 10 awkward sports interviews

2007-06-13T22:52:00.000-05:00

I think it's about time for another addition of random video, this latest one is a Top Ten list of the most awkward sports interviews of all-time.

And the number one, as i'm sure you all know, helped create a hilarious sports blog called "Kissing Suzy Kolber".

And just for shits and giggles here's my favorite scene from "Accepted"...

UPDATE: To keep up with the men screaming like 4-year old girls, here's a hilarious clip of a man, oh about 45 on a rollercoaster losing all of his dignity in about a minute...good shitt

Houston and Minnesota agree to a trade

2007-06-13T22:24:00.000-05:00

ESPN's Marc Stein is reporting that the Houston Rockets have agreed to trade forward, Juwan Howard to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for point guard, Mike James.

"We expect for the deal to be officially consummated as early as tomorrow," James' agent, Billy Duffy told Houston television station KRIV.

James is hopeful the deal will happen.

"Even Houston thinking about me is a blessing but until I see it on the ticker I won't believe it. I'm so excited. It would give me that chance to retire in Houston," James told the television station.

I suppose this is the NBA's way of getting back into the headlines because the finals have sucked so far, and with the Spurs already up 3-0, a sweep looks like it will happen.

Braves activate Chipper Jones from the DL, but still lose

2007-06-13T21:31:00.000-05:00

The Atlanta Braves activated third baseman, Chipper Jones from the disabled list. Jones was originally put on the DL after a nasty collision on May 11th with Pirates' third baseman, Jose Bautista. Jones landed hard on both wrists and his shoulder and was down for some time, but he was able to stay in the game. He didn't play much after that and the Braves were eventually forced to put him on the DL with bruised wrists.

In his place, rookie Yunel Escobar shined and really upped his trade value, if we are to trade, which many people believe we are. Chipper was activated today and was in the lineup against the Minnesota Twins. Bobby Cox decided to let Chipper DH that way he could rest and still keep his bat in the lineup.

Chipper was great as he went 3-4, but sadly the Braves as a whole were not. We lost to Carlos Silva, who just became a father, and the Twins, 6-0 and it will be awfully difficult to avoid the sweep as the Twins will have Johan Santana on the mound tomorrow, but luckily we have Tim Hudson so hopefully he's the good Huddy and we don't get swept.

A's give Billy Beane a 7-year extension

2007-06-13T17:56:00.000-05:00

After leading the Oakland Athletics to four division titles since 2000, the A's have rewarded their very hard working general manager, Billy Beane with a seven-year contract extenstion announced just moments ago. The team's president, Michael Crowley also received a seven-year extension from A's owner and managing partner Lew Wolff, who lauded both men for their work with the club.

"Mike and Billy were my first free agent signings and both continue to demonstrate their talents as two of the finest executives in the sports industry today," Wolff said in a statement. "I am very pleased their relationship with the A's will continue during one of the most exciting and important times in our team's history."

The financial situation in Oakland, which saw them watch big name players like Barry Zito, Miguel Tejada, Jason Giambi, Tim Hudson(Yes!), Mark Mulder are among others, almost chased Beane out of Oakland back in 2003 when Boston offered him their general manager position. But Beane opted to stay in Oakland and was given a lucrative extension in 2005 when Wolff bought the team.

Beane's innovative approach that focuses on developing talent from the farm system and unique methods of scouting and player evaluation was the subject of the best-selling book "Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game." Which I haven't read yet, but Davey has been raving about it for weeks.

Minor-league team wants you to pull a "Billy D"

2007-06-13T17:21:00.000-05:00

On June 20th, the Fort Myers Miracle, a Single-A minor league baseball team in Florida, will be hosting a "Billy Donovan Night" to poke fun at the fact that he backed out of his deal with the Orland Magic last week.

Just like Donovan escaped his five-year, $27.5 million contract with the Magic, fans can try and negotiate their way out of their ticket purchase.

"It's something to waffle about," said Andrew Seymour, assistant general manager and promotions director for the Miracle. "If you're not seeing entertainment, you can opt out of your contract."

The contract, in this case, is the ticket. Fans will have up to the first three innings to restructure their deal, but even that's negotiable.

The price of the ticket, the seat location and even a buyout can be arranged. Part of the negotiating process will involve making a free throw.

James Toney just can't get enough of the roids'

2007-06-13T17:07:00.000-05:00

Three-time champion, James Toney tested positive for two different types of steroids after his victory over Danny Batchelder, who also tested positive for two different types as well. This is the second time that Toney's test have came back positive and it could mean a one-year suspension from boxing.

"Toney tested positive for boldenone and stanazolol, and Batchelder tested positive for stanazolol and oxandolone, Garcia said. If they don't appeal, the boxers would be suspended one year from the date of their fight."

Despite both fighters testing positive, the California State Athletic Commission's executive officer, Armando Garcia said that the fight will still count. Toney won the fight with a split decision and his impressive yet tainted record improved to 70-6-3 with 43 knockouts while Batchelder's now stands at 25-5-1 with 12 knockouts.

The first time Toney tested for steroids was two years ago when he tested positive for nandrolone, and it cost him a victory over WBC heavyweight champion John Ruiz. That fight was ruled a "no-contest".

Adibi and Hall are named to Nagurski Watch List

2007-06-13T14:29:00.000-05:00

NOTE: This is taken from my other site, shared with Davey, HokiesandCanes.com.

Virginia Tech’s immensely talented and part-time superhero’s, Xavier Adibi and Vince Hall have been named to the 2007 Bronko Nagurski Watch List.

Virginia Tech senior linebackers Xavier Adibi and Vince Hall have been named to the 2007 Bronko Nagurski Watch List, as announced Tuesday by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA).

The award, which is given to the best defensive player in college football, is sponsored by the Charlotte Touchdown Club.

I’ve made my feelings for these two young men known on my other establishment and nothing has changed, I think they are the best linebacking duo in college football and I belive they will both be first round draft picks in 2008. And no that is just me being biased, as usual, you can ask anyone with slight knowledge of ACC football and they will tell you just how good these two linebackers are. Adibi is the speedy, great against the run and pass outside linebacker while Hall is the devastating hitter at middle linebacker that always seems to be around the ball. Take your pick, or they’ll make you regret it.

Oh and if you wanted to see if one, or two in my case, your favorite players made this list, here’s the complete rundown of all the players selected.

Dale Earnhardt Jr to join Hendrick Motorsports next season

2007-06-13T13:51:00.001-05:00

Dale Earnhardt Jr has decided to join Hendrick Motorsports starting next season after he was granted his release a few weeks ago by DEI, the team his late father started.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is joining Hendrick Motorsports, hopefully moving one step closer to a championship that has eluded him while driving for his late father's company.
Rick Hendrick said Earnhardt will replace Kyle Busch on his star-studded roster of drivers. The announcement Wednesday ended five weeks of recruiting for NASCAR's most popular driver, who became a free agent May 10 when he said he would leave DEI at the end of this season.
His criteria for a new team included finding a place he could win championships, and Hendrick is the perfect fit. Hendrick has won six championships, and has 10 wins through 14 points races this season.
"It became apparent to me the man I wanted to drive for,'' Earnhardt said at a news conference. "He competes with integrity and most importantly, he wins races ... So today, it is with great honor to introduce my new boss for 2008, Mr. Rick Hendrick.''

I have to say I know nothing about Nascar, so I'm not going to go indepth on this but I will say from what I saw on ESPN this morning, Hendrick Motorsports is like the New York Yankees(imagine that, ESPN mentioning the Yankees even though it has nothing to do with the subject) by the way they have so many big name stars such as Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Casey Mears and now Earnhardt.

Well shit, looks like Chris Henry is going to be banned for life

2007-06-13T13:07:00.000-05:00

Right after Cincinnati Bengal's widereciever, Chris Henry, received his eight-game ban from the NFL's new commisoner, Roger Goodell, he was told that if he had anymore run ins with the law he would then receive a lifetime ban from the NFL.

Well, it looks like that ban will happen, if the latest allegations that Henry, along with teammate, Reggie McNeal, were involved in assaulting a 16-year old boy late last Friday night.

"Police say the 16-year-old and an 18-year-old friend were walking along Wetherington Boulevard near Mt. Zion Road just after 11 p.m. Friday night when, they say a black Navigator or Escalade pulled up next to them.

According to the police report, a white male jumped out and started punching the 16-year-old in the face.

"From that, the victim tells us another gentleman got out of the vehicle the same vehicle and in their attempt to get away, was shoved to the ground by this African American gentleman," said Cloyd.

The teen identified that man as Bengals receiver Chris Henry, and says receiver Reggie McNeill was also in the vehicle.

The teen also alleges that they were throwing beer bottles at him as he tried to run away."

Yeah, is it sad that i'm not even surprised by this, I mean he has been arrested four times in the past year and a half, and this is just another notch on his already very long rap sheet. I don't know if anything will happen as a result of these allagations so he may still be on our team and I do like him, on the field of course, I mean he's really good but fuck it, release/suspend/trade him, I don't care, we still have Chad and T.J. and we can always go out and get another receiver via free-agency/trade/draft. I'm tired of reading about Bengal players getting into fucking troulbe...it's gotta end somewhere, so why not get rid of the player that really started all of it.

UPDATE: With Leather just updated with conflicting reports from a rival station to WCPO that say that the assault claims against Henry are unfounded, so I guess that's a good thing...

"Commenter Scott points out that a rival station has a source that says the accusations were unfounded. So I guess Bengals players are the new bogeyman in Cincinnati. Kids get beat up by grown men, they just assume it was Bengals. Fair enough."

Duke's reportedly got a 17-year old girl pregnant

2007-06-13T12:39:00.000-05:00

As if it couldn't get worse for the Devil Ray's troubled(understatement) outfielder, Elijah Dukes, he has now reportedly gotten a 17-year old girl pregnant. And that's not the worst part, the 17-year old is a foster child and has been living with a relative of Dukes'.

"A 17-year-old foster girl living with a relative of Elijah Dukes told police the Devil Rays outfielder got her pregnant.Detectives believe the sex was consensual and no crime was committed, but the incident has sparked a state investigation into the foster home.

The girl, expected to give birth Nov. 5, told investigators she and Dukes had consensual sex on the living room sofa. She said Dukes got angry when she and another person confronted him about the pregnancy.

“Yeah, we sat down and told him and he got mad and threw a Gatorade at me,” she told investigators.

Dukes’ mother, Phyllis Dukes, said she didn’t know about the allegations.
“He’s doing well on the field,” she said. “He’s doing so good. It’s just every time he turns around there’s something coming at him.”

This latest story comes just weeks after his now ex-wife, filed for divorce with Dukes after he had reportedly threatened her and her children. NiShea Gilbert also filed for a restraining order after Duke barged into her workplace, a middle school classroom of all places, and threatened to beat her and then kill her. No children were present at the time, but Dukes' sent a picture of his gun to Gilbert's cellphone along with this message:

"Hey, dawg. It's on, dawg. You dead, dawg. I ain't even bulls-------. Your kids too, dawg. It don't even matter to me who is in the car with you. N-----, all I know is, n-----, when I see your m-----f------- a-- riding, dawg, it's on. As a matter of fact, I'm coming to your m-----f------ house."

Dukes' is just a rookie for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and he is very talented with the ability to hit the ball very, very far, but it looks as if his career with the D-Rays might soon come to an end. Dukes' just can't stay out of trouble, whether it be with marijuana or violence towards his now ex-wife, he just can't stay out of trouble off the field. Dukes' has been arrested six times since 1998 and it appears this latest incident will be the final straw with Tampa.

Also see this story on the Fanhouse(new and improved), Can't stop the bleeding, With Leather and Deadspin.

Yahoo makes me laugh

2007-06-12T21:11:00.000-05:00

I'm sure we all know how Yahoo Sports can sometimes exaggerate with live broadcasting. Davey knows all about that when he nearly gave birth to a baby whale when Yahoo's live Draft tracker said Miami had taken Baraka Atkins with their ninth overall pick instead of Brady Quinn, but don't worry they didn't take Atkins, they took Ted Ginn Jr, so it's all good.

But Yahoo has been ever so gracious to post this latest gem, in which they said Kansas City was mutilating the St.Louis Cardinals, 15-0 and Tyler Johnson had given up 20 hits in the first four innings.

There's a couple of things I missed, because I had that stupid auto-refresh thing on, so I missed getting to Thompson's line, which had him giving up 20 hits and 7 walks in 4 2/3 innings and also the part where they had Jim Edmonds batting back-to-back-to-back...well you get the point. But I was able to highlight a few things that piqued my interest.

I love the fact that they had Esteban German going 6-6, also they have Alex Gordon at 4-4 and finally Mark Teahen at 6-7....talk about raising the ole batting average a little.

Another point of interest is their horrible math, now sure I suck at it too, but at least I can add properly, well most of the time...first of all they show St.Louis having 12 hits, but if you add up the hits under the Cardinal's lineup it only adds up to 11 and the same goes with Kansas City, they show them having 19 hits, yet their lineup only adds up to 18. I guess they get points for being close, sure wish I got that treatment.

But alas, the Royals are only beating the Cards, 8-0 and German, Teahen and Gordon aren't quite putting up those numbers, although they are all having good games. Looking at where everyone is now, it seems like they just thought, "what the hell, just double everything, it'll be funner". So that's what they did, cause that's how they roll.

Edit: I forgot to mention that when they had Edmonds batting back-to-back about five times, they were for the Royals, so he somehow managed to hit for the opposing team, while playing defense. Quite impressive Mr. Edmonds...quite impressive indeed.

Verlander one ups Schilling...pitches a no-hitter

2007-06-12T20:20:00.000-05:00

This is definitely BREAKING NEWS! Justin Verlander just threw a no-hitter against the Milwaukee Brewers. Verlander was cool and collected through nine innings, and that was evident when he hit 102 on the radar guns and then came right back at Brew Crew with a nasty curveball. Verlander only needed 112 pitches to complete the no-no and he also added a career high, 12 strikeouts to go along with four walks, three of which was too Bill Hall.

It was just a few days ago, when Boston Red Sox pitcher, Curt Schilling just missed having a no-hitter when Shannon Stewart broke it up in the ninth inning with a two-out single. But I can tell you one thing, he sure as hell wasn't hitting 102 on the gun. That's almost Zumaya territory.

Verlander, 24, became the second pitcher this season to accomplish the feat and the first Tiger since Jack Morris on April 7, 1984. Mark Burlehe threw one for the Chicago White Sox on April 18 against the Texas Rangers.

More tragedy strikes Denver

2007-06-11T23:05:00.000-05:00

Just last Saturday night, Denver Nugget's guard, J.R. Smith along with two of his friends were involved in a serious car accident in which Smith and and his friends were thrown from the vehicle. Smith was able to escape the accident with minor injuries, but sadly Andre Bell didn't.

Bell, 21, was sitting in the backseat of Smith's SUV when Smith ran a stop sign and collided with another car causing them to flip the SUV at about 5:30 pm. Smith and another friend, like I said escaped with numerous bruises and cuts, but Bell was airlifted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center and was listed in "critical condition". Bell went into a coma and tragically passed away earlier tonight because of serious head injuries.

It was also reported by police that neither Smith nor his passengers were wearing seat belts at the time of impact, I guess it goes to show, seat belts do save lives.

A little Q & A with Jarrod Saltalamacchia

2007-06-11T18:38:00.000-05:00

Atlanta Braves future Super Star and current catcher/please move him to first so he can play everyday, Jarrod Saltalamacchia had an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and here it is...

Q. Was your first month in the majors everything you hoped it would be?

A. Yeah, everything and more. Everybody's dreamed about being up here, obviously. And it's been everything I hoped for.

Q. Anything been different than what you expected?

A. It's hard to say. Because you expect so much, and then when you get here, you kind of forget half the stuff you expected. The plane flights are great; it's a lot better than the bus rides you were taking [in the minors]. And just showing up and playing the game — you don't have to be out at 2 o'clock for stretching and stuff like that. They treat you like adults up here, and that's awesome.

Q. The [postgame food] spread isn't bad either, huh?

A. [Saltalamacchia laughs.] Yeah, the spread ain't bad. I've got to stay away from the spread.

Q. Since you first got here, a lot of people noticed how comfortable and confident you look for a rookie in his first call-up. Is that something that you've always had? How do you maintain that, up here playing against guys you've grown up watching?

A. I've always been confident, but I've never felt like, 'Oh, I'm just as good as Chipper Jones.' But a lot of people have told me, you look like you feel that way. I guess sometimes that can get you into trouble because some guys look at you the wrong way and think, 'Oh, this kid's just a cocky little rookie.' But that's not it at all. I listen to everyone and I take everything in. I think that by listening to what other guys have been through, that's what's helped make me look a little more comfortable.

Q. Has that confidence or swagger helped you through the years, helped you get here? Terry Pendleton said that's what it takes to succeed at this level.

A. Yeah, I think so, without a doubt. That's big. I mean, if you don't have any confidence, you can't play the game the right way.

Q. Has your initial success in your first month, some two-hit games, has that helped make you more confident? Or did you come up here knowing you were good enough to play here right now?

A. I think it was very important. Everyone always tells you the big leagues is such a big jump; which it is. To come in and hit the ball like I have, I mean that's a huge confidence level. If you're 0-for-20, you start to doubt yourself. That's what I think happened to me in Double-A [he hit .230 with nine homers and 39 RBIs in an injury-plagued 2006 season at Mississippi]. I started to doubt myself. That's something you can't do. I'm glad I went through that then, instead of going through it now.

Q. If you look at what you did last season, and compare it to what you're doing now, some people are probably asking, how in the world did this guy hit .230 in Double-A? So, how did you?

A. You kind of get yourself in a hole. I mean, whether it was the [injured] wrist that got me in a hole or whatever, I just kind of got into it and it's tough to get out of it. In the second half, I didn't over-pressure myself, just said, 'I'm gonna do what I'm gonna do.' That helped a lot.

Q. Some other young Braves, like Jeff Francoeur and Brian McCann, have actually hit better in their first year in the majors than they did in the minors. Does that have to do with the coaching up here, with Bobby Cox's managerial style, with guys you're surrounded by up here, or what?

A. I think it has to do with everything — the manager, the ballparks, the fans, lights, pitchers are around the plate more ... everything. I mean, they take care of you up here, whereas in the minor leagues you don't get taken care of as well. It's just a fight, a dog-eat-dog world down there. Up here, everyone's a little more relaxed, feeling a little more comfortable. It's a lot easier to play the game that way.

Q. How is the clubhouse atmosphere here, with the veterans sprinkled in with all the young guys closer to your age?

A. It's great. I mean it's tough because you get in situations where I've played with Brian and Francoeur and all those guys, and they are my age, but you still have to look at them as veterans. To us, they're veterans. You've just got to listen to everybody. And that's something I've done. I've listened to Andruw [Jones], Brian, Frenchy, all of them. They've been through it already, so you listen to what they say, and hopefully a couple of years from now somebody will be listening to me.

Q. Chipper being a switch-hitter, has he been able to help you any?

A. He's been huge for me. When you're not playing every day it's tough, you start to doubt your swing and stuff if you have a bad day in [batting practice]. I've talked to Chipper and done some stuff with him to make me get better. He's been there. He's great.

Q. You've taken a lot of ground balls at first base the last couple of years. Was it good to finally get in there to play the position recently in the game at Chicago, to get the yips out of the way early?

A. Yeah, I think that's exactly what it was [Saltalamacchia briefly bobbled the first grounder hit to him as a first baseman and made a throwing error on the second ball hit to him]. I don't know what the plans are; I just know I'm going to keep taking ground balls and do whatever they tell me to do. I feel comfortable over there.

Q. The Braves already have a young catcher [McCann]. You've said before you don't care what position you play, as long as you're in the majors. Is that still the case?

A. Yeah. I don't care what position they put me in. I just want to be here and help the team out as much as I can.

Q. And you'd prefer to stay in this organization?

A. Yeah, I'd love to stay a Brave. I have no control over that, which [stinks]. But whatever's going to help my career and make them happy.

Breaking News: The Spurs are good....like really good

2007-06-11T10:42:00.001-05:00

To be completely honest, I didn't watch any of Game 2 of the NBA Finals last night, and it wasn't because I was watching the Sopranos. No, actually I was at the emergency room for a good three and half hours because my dad decided it was a good time to nearly hack off the tip of his thumb. So yes, I missed Game 2, the Braves eventual win and the Series finale of the Sopranos.

It wasn't a good night for me at all, besides missing what turned out to be a shitty night for sports and television in general, my dad almost cut off his thumb, I got a ticket on the way home and I almost hit an innocent bunny(yes I call them bunnies, don't judge me, the Bible says not too). I was just glad to get home and go to sleep last night, and hope that today turns out better.

Let's get to the game, not surprisingly, the Spurs dominated once again and don't let the final score of 103-92 fool you, because if it wasn't for a late fourth quarter effort, it would've been a blowout. For the first three quarters of the game, the Spurs could do no wrong and at the half, they compiled the third highest lead in NBA Finals history. But in the fourth the Cav's were able to put together a 22-4 run and maybe gave them some momentum heading into game three which is in Cleveland.

Once again, Tony Parker led all scorers with 30 points and possibly furthered himself as the possible MVP. Parker also put up four rebounds, two assists and went 13-20 from the field. The only person who could challenge Parker for MVP honors, vying a Spurs win, which is going to happen, is Tim Duncan who, like he always does, put up a great stat line, but it was just a shade under memorable. Duncan just missed having a triple-double with 23 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. On the Cav's side of the ball, LeBron scored 25 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists but he turned the ball over six times and Daniel "BOOBIE" Gibson had another good game, coming off the bench of course, with 15 points and oh yeah, he shot 50% from the field. If the Cavaliers have any chance at winning even one game, they have to put Gibson in the starting lineup, come on Mike Brown....start BOOBIE!

Rumors can be so much fun

2007-06-10T14:37:00.000-05:00

According to the Boston Globe, the Boston Celtics could be looking to trade their fifth overall draft pick before the NBA Draft, which is June 28th. The Globe lists the Phoneix Suns and the Indiana Pacers as a potential trading partners.

"One of the scenarios raised by the executive had Shawn Marion and the $33.6 million and two years remaining on his contract headed to Boston for the No. 5 pick and Theo Ratliff, who has one year remaining worth $11.7 million. The Celtics would throw in another player or two with one year left to make the money work -- say, Delonte West ($1.9 million), Tony Allen ($1.9 million), or even Sebastian Telfair ($2.6 million)....Look for an organization like Indiana, without any picks, to try to deal its way into the mix."

Now this would certainly be huge news if Marion was traded to the Celtics after not coming through in the playoffs with the Suns. Marion would be a great fit in Boston, if the trade were to happen, he's great on defense and can provide some contributions offensively, and that would go a long way to helping Paul Pierce.

I'm just not sure if they would be giving too much up for him, I mean the fifth pick in a very deep draft plus the HUGE expiring contract of Theo Ratliff and one of their point guards. It would be a great trade for the Suns, who are looking to dump some salary cap while moving up in the draft. This could be the first of many trades on draft day, seeing as how there are a lot of teams without draft picks and this draft is so deep teams will be looking to take advantage of that.

Come on little man, just rub some dirt on it

2007-06-10T13:33:00.000-05:00

The Ultimate Brushback - Watch more free videos

During this little league game, at least that's what it look like, this kid decides to square away for a bunt but ends up taking a fastball in the chest. Aww, that's gotta hurt, he'll be ok, just walk it off young man, it'll toughen you up.

Here's the video from the race

2007-06-09T22:13:00.000-05:00

I've been searching for this video for the past five minutes and I finally found it. Here's the video of Chad Johnson destroying Restore the Roar in the race, he also has a great interview talking about the possibility of doing more crazy stuff to help his favorite charity, "Feed the Children", he says he would love to spar with Floyd Mayweather Jr for a few rounds, going one-on-one with either Kobe Bryant or LeBron James and even race the top racer in Nascar for a few laps. Man, I love this guy.

Update: No, I haven't found another video, but I did find some pictures from today's event.

UPDATE #2: Ok, so here's the best video I can find....

What did I tell you....Chad Johnson beat a horse in a race

2007-06-09T18:48:00.000-05:00

I believe it was just ten days when I posted that Chad Johnson of my Cincinnati Bengal's, was set to race a thoroughbred horse, you may also remember I said that he was going to kick that horse's ass and there would be no photo finish.

"We're about to see a man kick a horse's ass everyone, photo finish my ass, Chad is gonna make this horse cry."

Well the race was held today, at River Downs and the competition was set in hopes that the crowd would get to see a photo finish, so Chad was going to run 110 yards while the horse was set to run 220 yards. And to add more drama, I guess, the jockey, P.J. Cookey, was the same jockey on the horse that beat Chris Collinsworth in a photo finish back in 1993. Well unlike Collinsworth, my man Chad kicked the shit out of the horse, it wasn't even close as Chad won the race by twelve "horse" lengths.

Draped in black-and-orange silks emblazoned with No. 85 and “Ocho Cinco,” Chad Johnson eighty-sixed a four-year-old thoroughbred in Saturday’s showdown at River Downs.
Before a raucous Belmont day crowd of about 8,000 that Johnson fired up along the rail of the interior turf track as he warmed up, the Bengals Pro Bowl wide receiver beat Restore The Roar by 12 horse lengths and then called for a rematch this summer that would be more fair for the beast.
The horse, ridden by P.J. Cooksey, once the winningest female jockey of all time, ran about 220 yards, or a furlong, while Johnson had a 110-yard head start and ran one--16th of a mile.
It was Restore The Roar’s fourth race in a career known mainly for distance, and his first run on grass. Still, the result surprised many veteran horse observers.
“That is a very fast man,” said Cooksey, who beat Bengals receiver Cris Collinsworth in a photo finish in 1993. “Kudos to Chad. If we had the same start I’m not sure we still could have beat him.”
Johnson, of course, said he had it all the way. With all proceeds going to his favorite charity, “Feed The Children,” Johnson had a message for the NFL.
“Ray (Lewis), Ed (Reed), DeAngelo (Hall), you all saw that,” said Johnson after a quick appearance on ESPN. “We’re going to Arizona (site of the Super Bowl).”

So there you have it, straight from the horse's mouth, ok, I apologize for that it was pretty lame. I've heard rumors that Chad is going to be racing 100 midgets, but that's just rumors, I can't confirm or deny that one.

Jon Gruden is ready to hand the job to Garcia

2007-06-09T13:47:00.000-05:00

It looks like the starting quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on opening day might just be Jeff Garcia. According to ESPN's Len Pasquarelli, Jon Gruden has said that Garcia is in the lead and his other qb's have a lot of work to do if they have hopes in overtaking Garcia as the starter.

"There's not a lot of controversy in my eyes right now," Gruden said. "If you want to catch up to Jeff Garcia, our young quarterbacks have a lot of work to do."

Jeff Garcia, 37, is entering his eighth season and will be playing with his fifth different franchise in five years(Cleveland, Detroit, San Francisco, Philadelphia and now Tampa Bay). He generated a lot of heat for him self after leading the Eagles to a 5-1 record in six starts and led them to a division title and a playoff birth after Donovan McNabb tore his ACL. In his six starts, Garcia threw for ten touchdowns and just two interceptions.

"He understands the position," Gruden said of Garcia. "He's moved offenses wherever he has been. And right now, Jeff Garcia has a big lead, to me, on the quarterback position. He brings a lot of juice and enthusiasm to our offensive team."

"I'm not discounting that it will be competitive in camp. . . . But Garcia is clearly the leader in the clubhouse right now, and we are excited about that." Gruden said of the quarterback battle.

Still looking to win over the starting job is last year's opening day starter, Chris Simms and Bruce Gradkowski, who started majority of the season after Simms' appendix bursted against the Carolina Panthers. And then there's always Jake Plummer, or is he really retired.

Side Note: Jeff Garcia played great last year and his new wife, Carmella DeCesare, is smoking...but at the end of the day he still looks like an albino.

Apparently Duke doesn't like Elton Brand or Josh McRoberts

2007-06-09T12:53:00.000-05:00

I'm a little late on this story, seeing as how it started making rounds yesterday, but since I was posting useless shit that I missed it. Apparently a rather busty Duke student felt that she needed to send an email to former Duke standout and current NBA All-Star, Elton Brand and tell him that he isn't respected by the fans of Duke because of his decision to leave school early for the NBA. And, well this wouldn't be near as entertaining had he not replied to her. Which he did, with the utmost dignity and grace.

From: Taylor, Jennifer
Sent: Friday, April 16, 1999 2:55 PM
To: Brand, Elton
Subject: Leaving Duke

I graduated from Duke last May and just wanted to express my disgust for your decision to leave the Duke program after only two years. As an alum, not only do I hold the school in high regard, but the basketball program as well, especially since both have deservedly garnered such a great deal of respect for their accomplishments.

As part of our basketball program, you represent Duke as a whole. We are first and foremost an academic school, you clearly did not belong at Duke in the first place if this was the extent of your commitment to Duke and a college education in general. You have not only insulted the current students who are putting in four years at a school they love, but also the thousands of alumni who have realized the value of a Duke education and what an honor and privilege it was to be there for four years.

If you do not realize the opportunity you has infront of you to play for Coach K and at the same time attain a Duke diploma, then that is certainly your loss. I just wish that you has spared us the notion that you were continuing in the tradition of being a Duke student-athlete, in emphasizing excellence in both academics and athletics. You will not be considered part of the Duke family, in my mind as well as many others. You have by no means proved yourself worthy of that title.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Taylor

From: Elton Tyron Brand
Sent: Sunday, April 25, 1999 8:05 PM
To: Taylor, Jennifer
Subject: Re: Leaving Duke

Thank you very much, for reminding me of the reason why I left Duke. People like you can not and will not ever understand my situation. I'm sure daddy worked very hard to send your rich self to college. While real people struggle. I would also like to extend an invitation for you not to waste your or my time ever again. Never being considered a part of your posh group of yuppies really hurts me to the heart. Yeah, right. Because I don't care about you or your alumni.

Sincerely, Elton Brand #42 NBA

First of all, this girl is obviously a stuck up bitch and it serves her right for getting put in her place by Brand and I absolutely love the fact that he signed his letter as "#42 NBA"...awesome! And if you needed more proof to how much of a bitch this Jennifer Taylor is, Sports by Brooks has a post about her with her slamming the "Cameron Crazies" and Josh McRoberts. Here's what she said:

Boobs McShelden (pictured): "I'd say we're the three most attractive girls at Duke, there's not a big selection. ... The Cameron Crazies sit in the student section, the VIPs (like them) sit in the behind-the-family section. ... They (Cameron Crazies) camp out like refugees, it's ridiculous."

Juggs McShelden Shoe Leather Friend #1: "We don't tent for tickets, I go to will call (laughs)."

When Chesty McShelden is asked about her ticket "hook-up" she responds with faux protestation, "I don't like the word 'hook-up' ... I would say 'friends', we have various 'friends' on the team."

Saggy McShelden then delivers a parting shot on Josh McRoberts (who obviously doesn't leave tickets for passed-around ... felines): "I think he's the only person ever leaving Duke early where people weren't sad."

"(Following jumpcut where Melons McShelden obviously begged camera crew to add on a conciliatory comment from her) Nothing personal Josh, I have class with you, I have to see you!

Also see this story on Awful Announcing, Sports by Brooks and Sea of Blue.

I was just slightly off my prediction

2007-06-08T22:51:00.000-05:00

Earlier I mentioned that the Braves were getting abused without remorse to the Chicago Cubs, well it didn't get any better, we ended up losing 9-1. Thanks in large part to Alfonso Soriano, he hit three homeruns in the game, all before the fifth inning. But for some reason, after the fourth, we figured out how to pitch to him as he was unable to crush another to tie the all-time single game record which is four, held by multiple players but the only ones I can think of are Shawn Green, Mike Cameron and....yeah that's all, holy shit this sentence just keeps on going doesn't it? Finally it ended.

Long story short, the Braves are playing about as well as California's Justice system, Ba-Zing! And pitchers like Lance Cormier aren't helping, he's currently sporting a 15.26 to go along with an 0-2 record, and yes, it's very hard to continue to defend my team against assholes, er I mean good friends of mine that happen to be fans of other teams....that get facials from amphibians, and I don't mean with apricot scrub. But I do love how Bobby Cox can still be optimistic during our recent plummet, ok, to say we're plummeting is harsh, we're still in second place, but we're playing like shit with out Chipper Jones and it's beginning to get real old, at this point I'd rather sit through a "Golden Girls" marathon.

"Cormier was just a little bit here, a little bit there," Cox said.

"The stuff's there. It's there. It's just, he's rusty."

Sure Bobby, let's go with that, I personally would've phrased it differently but that's just me. All I can do right now is get in the fetal position and weather the storm, hopefully this slump passes through and we get back on track. And Chipper comes back at 100%.

I think it's time to meet the future Mrs. Francoeur

2007-06-08T19:15:00.000-05:00

Well the Atlanta Braves are currently getting their asses handed to them by the Cubs, yes the Cubs, well mostly just Alfonso Soriano, who continues to destroy the Braves and kill me a little more inside. He just hit his second homerun of the game, but at least they were both solo shots. Then again Cormier is still pitching, so he's surely to give up at least 14 more. Yeah, he's that bad.

Atlanta Braves right fielder, Jeff Francoeur got engaged earlier this year, to a girl by the name of Catie McCoy. Well, she's a college sophomore at Georgia University and she has her own web page. Here is a little about Catie McCoy, the soon to be Catie Francoeur.

My name is Catie McCoy. I am a sohomore at the University of Georgia. I am majoring in English Education and minoring in Mass Communications. I am a member of Alpha Omicron Pi sorority and participate in other various activities here at UGA. This is a website for my online@UGA class. I am hoping to give you a little glimpse into my life, as well as show you the project I've been working on for class. I am just learning how to do this website stuff, so excuse the mistakes!

Have a GREAT day :)

GO DAWGS!!!

There's a few pictures of her, her friends and her family, it looks like Frenchy got him a nice church girl, niice.

Here is the link to Katies Web Page, again.

Random video time

2007-06-08T18:04:00.000-05:00

No basketball today...and the Braves game hasn't started yet, so what the hell, here's another random video from my amazing collection....Gotta keep your head up there buddy...that's lesson one of hurling large projectiles at one another's faces...I thought everyone knew that.

Little Kids Face vs Large Exercise Ball - Watch more free videos

I have a feeling all of the games are going to be like this

2007-06-08T16:52:00.000-05:00

Last night was game one of the NBA Finals and despite a late rally, the Cavaliers couldn't handle the Spurs. The James-less Cav's went on to lose game one, 85-76, and yes, you can blame that on LeBron, he looked over matched and by "over matched", I mean he sucked. LeBron James only shot 4-16 from the field last night and ended up with 14 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. He also turned the ball over six times, I guess Bruce Bowen can still play some good defense...but he's still dirty. And the Cav's really need to start Daniel "BOOBIE" Gibson, he once again had a great game, scoring 16 points in just 28 minutes of play, coming off the bench of course. He also added four assists and four steals.

To be completely fair, the Spurs didn't get a whole lot of support besides Duncan, Parker and Ginobili but that was all they needed. Tim Duncan scored 24 points and also grabbed 13 rebounds, blocked five shots and had two steals. Tony Parker led the game in scoring with his 27 points, he also added seven assists, two steals and four rebounds. And finally Manu Ginobili helped with 16 points and 8 rebounds off the bench.

On a completely different side note, this game did supply one of the greatest pictures I have ever seen.

There are many different factors that add greatness to this picture, for instance take a look at Robert "Big Shot" Horry and his best impression of a mentally handicapped squirrel. I am also quite fond of Ginobili's air boxing...it kind of looks like he hit James...which would've added some excitement in the game.

Amanda Beard's Playboy pics are out...

2007-06-08T14:20:00.000-05:00

While reading one of my personal favorite sites, With Leather, I noticed that Ufford had posted the much anticipated pictures of Amanda Beard's Playboy spread. I have to say, they're not too bad looking, not bad at all, of course their are a few that are questionable, but hey I can't really talk, I posted my pic early in the week, and I received many emails from frightened people requesting me to pay for their eye surgery, which I was a total bad ass and I digitally hung up on them....score one for me...yes, yes, I know, onto the naked gold medalist.

Warning: Not Safe For Work!

You can see the pics here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

Enjoy.

Also see this story on With Leather.

Atlanta Braves 2007 MLB Draft (rounds 1-5)

2007-06-07T20:46:00.000-05:00

The fifth round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft has just wrapped up, and I have to say, at first I wasn't very thrilled with how the Braves had done thus far, at least not right away, But after looking at some of their profiles and their scouting reports I started to come around. I'm still not sold on some prospects, like our third round picks, I just don't see why we would take them. We definitely passed up on a lot of great prospects and in return drafted some mediocre prospects according to scouting reports, scouting videos and hearsay that i've been able to find.

After doing some more research and talking with people who have first hand knowledge, our first three picks are actually pretty good, granted our third round pick I might've done differently but hey, that's just me. But alas, here are our first seven prospects that we drafted.

Side Note: These great player profiles come courtesy of MLB.com

1st round (14th overall):

Jason Heyward

Height: 6'4"
Weight: 220
Birth Date: 8/09/89
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
School: Henry County HS (McDonough, GA)
Position: Outfield and First Base

Hitting Ability: Heyward is a strong, left-handed hitter with the chance to hit for average and power.

Power: His best tool. He's got tremendous power and power potential from the left side.

Running Speed: Close to average. He's not a speedster, but he won't clog up the bases, either.

Arm Strength: Near average, but should develop average arm strength with a good long-tossing program.

Fielding: Heyward plays center for his high school team, but will likely be a left fielder or first baseman at the next level. He's average defensively overall.

Range: He's got average range. He's not a stiff, but won't win any gold gloves.

Baseball Instinct: He's got very good baseball instincts.

Physical Description: Heyward is a big strong, power-hitting lefty at age 17.

Medical Update: Healthy

Strengths: Power potential from the left side, approach at the plate.

Weaknesses: Some think he can be too patient at times, but that could be the result of not seeing any good pitches. He also may be limited to left field or first base.

Summary: Heyward is one of the most intriguing high school bats in the draft class. He's got legitimate power potential from the left side, always a hot commodity, but isn't an all-or-nothing hitter. He's got a good approach at the plate and has the chance to hit for average and power. If the cards fall right, he could be a future cleanup hitter.

My Grade: A+

Supplemental Round (33rd overall):

Jon Gilmore

Height: 6'3"
Weight: 190
Birthdate: 8/23/88
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
School: Iowa City HS (Iowa City, IA)
Position: Third Base

Hitting Ability: Gilmore showed a better approach at the plate during this showcase than he had in the past. He adjusted well to offspeed stuff and showed good extension through the zone.

Power: Gilmore has projectable raw power.

Running Speed: He's a below-average runner.

Arm Strength: Gilmore's arm seemed tired or labored during the showcase.

Fielding: Gilmore was a little slow defensively with an almost casual approach.

Range: The lack of quickness showed and his range was limited.

Physical Description: Gilmore has an Aaron Boone-body type and has changed physically in the past year, looking stronger now.

Medical Update: Healthy.

Strengths: Offensive potential, with power and overall hitting ability projection.

Weaknesses: His defensive game is behind his bat and was lackluster with the glove at this showcase.

Summary: Gilmore improved at the plate tremendously in his senior season. The infielder has good raw power and showed a better overall approach in his offensive game. His defense isn't as sharp, but he will be drafted because of his bat potential.

My Grade: B-

Second Round (69th Overall)

Josh Fields

Height: 6'0"
Weight: 180
Birthdate: 8/19/85
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
School: Georgia University
Position: Relief Pitcher

Fastball: Fields throws a plus fastball that sat consistently in the 93-96 mph range.

Fastball Movement: Coming from a direct overhand slot, Fields' fastball is very straight.

Slider: Usually, Fields has a good hard slider in the 78-79 mph range. He didn't throw it much in his Friday outing.

Control: Usually Fields has decent control, but he was overthrowing up and out of the strike zone on Friday. He came out of his delivery and was constantly behind in the count, which kept him from getting to his above-average slider.

Poise: It was below average on Friday. He was given a lead and was perhaps too amped up to close out a win against Oregon State on opening night.

Aggressiveness: Being aggressive for a closer is a good thing, but he was overly-aggressive in a save situation on Friday. He can be too aggressive, wanting to come in and throw hard. He needs to learn to channel that.

Physical Description: He's a six-foot righty with a power arm who'll likely always have to answer questions about his size.

Medical Update: Healthy.

Strengths: Fields has a legitimate power arm with the classic fastball-slider mix.

Weaknesses: Normally, command is not a problem for Fields, but it was on Friday. He has shown the ability to keep his fastball down in the zone and will need to get back to that in the future.

Summary: Fields will be one of the most-watched college closers this season. His outing on Friday may be just one hiccup chalked up to Opening Night jitters. His size will always be an issue because of his plane to the plate and leverage, though others (Billy Wagner from the left side) have shown size doesn't always matter.

My Grade: C+

Third Round (78th Overall)

Frederick Freeman

Height: 6'5"
Weight: N/A
Birthdate: 9/12/89
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
School: El Modena HS (California)
Position: Third Base

I apologize for this, but I can't find any information on Frederick Freeman, I'll will be trying my damnedest to find out some stuff about him...I will update when I do.

The only thing I can find is his scouting video...here's the link, just scroll down and click the "400k" next to his name.

Third Round (108th Overall):

Brandon Hicks

Height: 6'2"
Weight: 205
Birthdate: 9/14/85
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
School: Texas A&M University
Position: Shortstop

Hitting Ability: Hicks grades out as a below-average hitter.

Power: He has below-average power.

Running Speed: Hicks has above-average speed.

Base Running: He uses his speed well and knows how to steal a base.

Arm Strength: Hicks has above-average arm strength at short.

Fielding: He is average across the board defensively.

Range: The speed helps, and Hicks has Major League average range.

Physical Description: Hicks is an athletic middle infielder with a Jay Bell body type.

Medical Update: Healthy.

Strengths: He's solid defensively, he can run well and his makeup is off the charts.

Weaknessess: There are questions about whether he'll hit enough at the next level.

Summary: Hicks is a speedy shortstop with excellent defensive skills and tremendous makeup. All of that won't make him an everyday shortstop at the next level unless he can hit enough, something that scouts question. Worst-case, he could make for a very good defensive-minded utility guy who can run.

My Grade: D+

Fourth Round (138th Overall):

Cory Gearrin

Height: 6'2"
Weight: 185
Birthdate: 4/14/86
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
School: Mercer University
Position: Relief Pitcher

Fastball: Gearrin throws an average fastball.

Fastball Movement: His fastball has below-average life.

Slider: Gearrin's slider projects as an average pitch. Right now, it's not as there is too much sweeping action when he throws it.

Control: He should have average command in the future.

Poise: Gearrin is a very aggressive pitcher as Mercer's closer.

Physical Description: Gearrin is a sidearming right-hander with a Scot Shields body type.

Medical Update: Healty.

Strengths: Gearrin's sidearm action is difficult to pick up for hitters.

Weaknesses: The arm angle does cause the sweep on the slider.

Summary: Gearrin jumped on the map early this year when his Mercer team took two games from the University of Miami. Gearrin saved both of those games, going three innings and striking out six without allowing a hit. The sidearmer is a very aggressive pitcher who'll need to work on tightening his slider. He profiles as a decent middle or setup guy out of someone's bullpen.

My Grade: C+

5th Round (168th Overall):

Dennis Dixon

Height: 6'4"
Weight: 205
Birthdate: 1/11/85
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
School: Oregon University
Position: Outfield

Much like Freeman, there is no information available at this time on Dennis Dixon. But when I heard his name, it rang a bell for some reason, after thinking about it for a second I realized that Dennis Dixon was the Oregon Ducks starting quarterback last season. That shows how athletic he is if he can start at quarterback at a major college and be successful. After doing some further research, I found that he was once ranked as a tremendous baseball prospect as an outfielder and was chosen in the 20th round of the 2003 Amateur Baseball Draft by Cincinnati. Obviously he decided to go ahead and pursue a career in football, but now he's back and looking to help out my beloved Braves.

My Grade: C

My thoughts:

I'm sorry but one of the biggest disappointments for me so far have been us not drafting a starting pitcher, despite the fact that we are currently having starting pitching problems, now I know that majority of the guys we draft won't make it to the majors for at least two or more years, but still, we need starting pitching. Besides the lack of addressing starting pitching, another move that left me in awe was both of our third round picks. First off, we had just drafted a third baseman two rounds before, why would we need to draft another, less talented player at the same position? You got me. And secondly, what the fuck is this team's obsession with middle infielders that can't hit for shit? We, in essence, drafted Pete Orr version two when we picked Brandon Hicks with the 108th pick. Besides those two picks, I was overall pleased.

I just really wished we could've got Matt Harvey, a right-handed pitcher out of Fitch HS in Groton, Conn. The kid has so much talent and should've been a top 15 pick this season if it wasn't for his choice in a representative(aka an agent). He decided that it would be a good move to have Scott Boras as his agent, and it cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars and he dropped, oh about 100 picks, give or take. Boras had teams afraid to draft Harvey because he mentioned that he wanted his clients to be signed to huge contracts and teams weren't willing to invest as much as he wanted to an 18 year-old high school kid. But he was finally taken by the Los Angeles Angels with the 118th overall selection and trust me, if they can get this kid signed, he's an bonafide STEAL.

The other 45 rounds(!) will begin tomorrow, I won't be live blogging that, for obvious reasons, but I'll recap with my Braves' picks.

UPDATE:

Thanks to Stephen of the BravesJournal, he found information about Frederick Freeman and he graciously shared with me. Also the link that he supplied also had infomation on Dennis Dixon, so I'll go ahead and update him as well. So without further adieu, here's Freeman's and Dixon's profile.

Third Round (78th Overall)

Frederick "Freddie" Freeman

Height: 6'5"
Weight: N/A
Birthdate: 9/12/89
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
School: El Modena HS (California)
Position: Third Base

The Braves love this power-hitting infielder who spent most of his high school career at third base but will play first base as a pro. Freeman can also pitch, but the Braves feel he has great power potential as a corner infielder. Like Heyward, Freeman is only 17 and doesn’t turn 18 until September 12th. The six-foot-five, 215-pounder has a solid swing from the left side of the plate. He hit .453 this season with 5 home runs and 20 RBI in 75 at bats. Freeman will join Heyward in the Gulf Coast League this summer in Florida.

5th Round (168th Overall):

Dennis Dixon

Height: 6'4"
Weight: 205
Birthdate: 1/11/85
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
School: Oregon University
Position: Outfield

Dennis Dixon was drafted by the Reds in the 20th round out of high school a few years ago, but instead he decided to attend Oregon to play football. He’s been one of the Ducks’ starting quarterbacks the last few seasons, but he believes baseball is his future. Even though he has not played baseball in a few years, the Braves were one of a few teams interested in Dixon on the diamond. He worked out twice for the Braves, and the scouts were convinced he would be a project worth the gamble. Dixon is six-foot-four, 205-pounder and he will turn 23 next January. The Braves will send him down to the Gulf Coast League this summer, and then he’ll return to Oregon for his senior season as the Ducks’ starting signal-caller in August. Dixon can run, throw, and catch the ball, so he just has to work on his hitting. The Braves will not rush him, and the scouts feel like he could be a special athlete that could really excel on the baseball field.

Breaking news: Curt Schilling flirts with no-hitter

2007-06-07T16:50:00.000-05:00

The Boston Red Sox, Curt Schilling, flirted with history but came up short in the ninth with two outs before giving up a hard hit single to the Oakland A's leftfielder, Shannon Stewart. Schilling lost a perfect game back in the fifth inning, when Julio Lugo botched a lazy ground ball from Dan Johnson. So Schilling failed to get what would've been his first career no-hitter, but in hindsight the Red Sox did win the game, 1-0.

Another side note on Schilling's day to show how dominating he was, he pitched a complete game, one hitter and only had to throw 100 pitches, very impressive.

Live Blog: The MLB Draft (1st round)

2007-06-07T12:44:00.000-05:00

END OF THE 1ST ROUND

#30- Current Selection, New York(AL) selects Andrew Brackman, RHP, North Carolina State

The New York Yankees are now on the clock

#29- Current Selection, San Francsico selects Wendell Fairley, CF, George County HS (MS)

The San Francisco Giants are back on the clock.

#28- Current Selection, Minnesota selects Ben Revere, CF, Lexington Catholic HS (KY)

The Minnesota Twins are now on the clock.

#27- Current Selection, Detroit selects Rick Porcello, RHP, Seton Hall Prep

The Detroit Tigers are now on the clock.

#26- Current Selection, Oakland selects James Simmons, RHP, UC-Riverside

The Oakland Athletics are now on the clock.

#25- Current Selection, Chicago(AL) selects Aaron Poreda, LHP, University of San Francisco

The Chicago White Sox are on the clcok now.

#24- Current Selection, Texas(for the second time) selects Michael Main, RHP, Deland HS (Fla.)

The Texas Rangers are back on the clock.

#23- Current Selection, San Diego selects Nick Schmidt, LHP, Arkansas

The San Diego Padres are on the clock now.

#22- Current Selection, San Francisco(for the second time) selects Tim Alderson, RHP, Horizon HS, Scottsdale (Ariz.)

The San Francisco Giants are on the clock again.

#21- Current Selection, Toronto(for the second time) selects J.P. Arencibia, C/1B, Tennessee

The Toronto Blue Jays are back on the clock.

#20- Current Selection, Los Angeles selects Chris Withrow, RHP, Midland Christian HS (Texas)

The Los Angeles Dodgers are now on the clock.

#19- Current Selection, Philadelphia selects Joe Savery, LHP, Rice

The Philadelphia Phillies are on the clock.

#18- Current Selection, St.Louis selects Peter Kozma, SS, Owasso HS (Okla.)

The St.Louis Cardinals are now on the clock.

#17- Current Selection, Texas selects Blake Beavan, RHP, Irving HS (Texas)

The Texas Rangers are on the clock.

#16- Current Selection, Toronto selects Kevin Ahrens, 3B, Memorial HS (Texas)

The Toronto Blue Jays are now on the clock.

#15- Current Selection, Cincinnati selects Devin Mesoraco, C, Punxsatawney HS (Pa.)

The Cincinnati Reds are now on the clock.

#14- Current Selection, Atlanta selects Jason Heyward, Henry County HS (Ga.) YES!

THE ATLANTA BRAVES ARE NOW ON THE CLOCK!!!

#13- Current Selection, Cleveland selects Beau Mills, 3B, Lewis-Clark State

The Cleveland Indians are now on the clock.

#12-Current Selection, Florida selects Matt Dominguez, 3B, Chatsworth HS (Calif.)

The Florida Marlins are now on the clock.

#11-Current Selection, Seattle selects Phillipe Aumont, RHP, Ecole Du Versant Gatineau, Quebec

The Seattle Mariners are now on the clock.

#10-Current Selection, San Francisco selects Madison Bumgarner, LHP, South Caldwell HS (N.C.)

The San Francisco Giants are now on the clock.

#9-Current Selections, Arizona selects Jarrod Parker, RHP, Norwell HS (Ind.)

The Arizona Diamondbacks are on the clock. Also a side note, can someone please get Bud some Red Bull or something...WAKE UP!

#8- Current Selection, Colorado selects Casey Weathers, RHP, Vanderbilt

The Colorado Rockies are now on the clock.

#7- Current Selection, Milwaukee selects Matthew LaPorta, 1B, Florida

The Milwaukee Brewers are now on the clock.

#6- Current Selection, Washington selects Ross Detwiler, LHP, Missouri State

The Washington Nationals are now on the clock(BOO).

#5- Current Selection, Baltimore selects Matt Wieters, C, Georgia Tech

The Baltimore Orioles are now on the clock.

#4- Current Selection, Pittsburgh selects Daniel Moskos, LHP, Clemson

The Pittsburgh Pirates are now on the clock.

#3- Current Selection, Chicago(NL) selects Josh Vitters, 3B, Cypress HS (Calif.)

The Chicago Cubs are now on the clock.

#2- Current Selection, Kansas City selects Michael Moustakas, 3B, Chatsworth HS (Calif.)

The Kansas City Royals are now on the clock.

#1- Current Selection, Tampa Bay selects David Price, LHP (Vanderbilt)

1st ROUND

Bud Selig is kicking this Draft off, I dislike this guy with a passion...he angers me, but that story is for another time...let's get to the first pick.

Today I'm going to be live blogging the first ever MLB draft that is being shown nationally, I'm still trying to think of a reason why i'm live blogging it other than for shits and giggles. But anyways, I'll be your stop for all the drafting shenanigans today.

Fear not Orlando, the Hedgehog is to the rescue

2007-06-07T00:21:00.000-05:00

It was earlier reported that former Miami Heat coach, Stan Van Gundy was close to accepting the coaching vacancy with the Sacramento Kings, but now new reports are saying the Van Gundy has decided to accept the head coaching position with the Orland Magic instead.

After all the fiasco with Billy Donovan pulling a Kobe and abruptly changing his mind, the Magic must be relieved to finally have a coach, for the second time, but I'm pretty sure this one won't bail on the team in order to go back to college.

Not only is Van Gundy a good coach, he looks exactly like pornstar, Ron Jeremy, and that just has to have the ladies swooning.

Ladies..."Hot Blogger Bracket" ends in more embarrassment for me

2007-06-06T14:04:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, Davey came across a web-site holding a "Hot Blogger Tournament" in which bloggers of the male persuasion would send in a picture and a post that best signified their writing abilities in hopes of cracking the Ladies... top 88 and receive blogger immortality, or at least a mini-pony trophy and a complimentary coffee mug. Well after hours of strenuous debate(about ten minutes) I decided, "what the hell, what's the worst thing that can happen, they tell me I'm ugly and mock me?", so I sent in a horrendous picture of myself and a post that did the exact opposite of showing off my "writing ability". And about three seconds after pressing the send button, I started thinking, the whole "tell me I'm ugly(which has been documented by numerous woman before) and use my picture as fodder for their entertainment" was the worst possible thing that could happen.

But alas the email had already been sent, so I would have to endure whatever insults that were thrown at me and my really bad facial hair, you see for some reason unbenounced to me, my "facial hair" grows in patches, it looks horrible, and it leads many people to think that I am a homeless person and it usually ends up in discriminating stares but they give me change every once and a while, so I take the good with the bad. Back to what I was saying, I actually pretty much forgot about the whole thing, before today, when I got an e-mail from Davey, saying that we had both made the cut and I was a #22 seed(the last seed, bleh) and was getting destroyed by the #1 seed, some guy also by the name of Jay and a Braves fan, coincidence, I think NOT. Anyway his blog is Sports Gone South, you should check it out.

Anyways to make a long story short, I lost, well it's not over yet, but I've pretty much put aside all hope, it's hard to make up 54% but it's not that big of deal, I mean it's not like I was expecting to make the cut let alone win the first round so I could just say the customary "I'm just honored to be mentioned along with these guys" and although it's very cliche, it's true. Oh and a side note, Davey is winning his first round matchup against a guy by the name of Ryan over at Let's Go Buff-a-lo! right now, 61% to 39%. And for your viewing pleasure, here is the place for you can vote for me and Davey.

Note to Self: When trying to impress girls, don't send in a pic of you with your cat, it won't end well. Here's a pic of me and Davey, be gentle.

Breaking News: Trent Green traded to the Dolphins

2007-06-05T18:58:00.000-05:00

After almost three months of trade negotiations the Kansas City Chiefs finally broke down and agreed to trade disgruntled quarterback, Trent Green to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a 2008 fifth-round draft pick that could become a fourth-rounder if he hits playtime incentives.

Green, who turns 37 in July, will be allowed to participate in this weekend's Dolphins minicamp that begins on Friday, where he will battle it out with Dolphin's quarterback, Daunte Culpepper for the rights as the teams starting QB. It seems as though Culpepper isn't completely healthy from his knee injury and if that is true then Green would be the starter with Cleo Lemon as his backup and Dolphin's second round draft pick, John Beck serving as the third string option.

Culpepper is not going to be happy about this news, as just a few days ago he told reporters that if the Dolphins did indeed add Green to their roster he would ask to be traded or released. He also came out publically saying that he is the quarterback of this team until someone tells him otherwise.

"I hear things but it doesn't really matter who says what," Culpepper said in response to the umpteenth question about Green possibly becoming a Dolphin. "For anybody to come in here and think this is going to be peaches and cream, it's not. "They've told me the same thing they've always told me: Do your job. I'm the quarterback of this team until somebody tells me different."

Ahh, the plot thickens...

It's official, David Clowney is a Packer

2007-06-05T18:33:00.000-05:00

Former Virginia Tech Hokie wide reciever, David Clowney, became the first draft pick by the Green Bay Packers to sign his rookie contract. The contract was annouced on the team's official page, but the details of the deal have yet to be released.

Clowney, who was drafted in the fifth-round, has been impressive so far this offseason and it was clear the Packers wanted to lock him up. His agent, Brian Mackler, claimed the deal was for four-years. That is the longest contract a third-round pick or later can receive and will keep him from becoming an unrestricted free agent until after his third season.

Clowney, a former track star, is a burner with huge play making ability and he should make a great duo with Brett Favre in the "Frozen Tundra". Expect him to get a lot of play also, because it's not like the Packers have a lot of receivers in front of him, Donald Driver and Greg Jennings are the only two that come to mind. I think he's going to turn out to be a steal, watch out for him, he's a good one.

Saltalamacchia and Escobar continue to impress

2007-06-05T15:35:00.000-05:00

The first game of the Braves double-header against the Florida Marlins just went into a rain delay with Atlanta leading 3-1, thanks to a Jarrod Saltalamacchia two-run homerun in the bottom of the seventh inning. Yet another reason why I want the Braves to keep Salty instead of trading him for pitching help. Sure we need the help, but guys like Salty don't come along everyday and with the saddening and almost definite departure of Andruw Jones after this season we are going to need someone to help fill the hole left by him, power wise. And no one is better suited to do that than Salty.

But then that brings up the next question, where does he play? He is a catcher by trade, that's where all his "value" is, but he has experience playing first base and seeing as how Scott Thorman is doing everything in his power to suck, and he's doing a might fine job at it, I must admit, it wouldn't be that big of a deal to put Thor on the bench. There was talk about switching Brian McCann to first base and play Salty at catcher, but there is no way in hell that is going to happen, McCann is our catcher and nothing is going to change that, he's the best offensive catcher in the National league, maybe in all of baseball and he just signed a fat new contract a month or so ago.

Here is Salty's numbers as of right now, note these don't include his performance today in which he went 2-3 with a game-winning two run homer.

Another player that was recently brought up is Yunel Escobar and he, much like Salty, has been playing extremely well and opened a lot of eyes. Escobar has only played in four games but he's hitting .438 and just hit his first career homerun last night against the Marlins and just to cap off that night, he went 4-4. Escobar has been playing third base while Chipper is on the shelf and it isn't known what his role will be when Chipper does come back, i'd anticipate he'll return in two to three weeks. Escobar could stay on the roster as a super-utility guy much like Wilson Betemit was before he was traded another possibility is let him keep raising his trade value and then try and find a bidder, such as the Cubs or the Giants who could really use a middle infielder. But it's hard to say what we should do, Chipper is still injured, and he has a history of getting injured and no one wants to see Prado, Woodward(eww) and Orr playing on a regular basis. But that's why i'm not paid to make those decisions, that's John Schuerholz's job.

Here's Escobar's stats as of right now, once again they don't include today's stats where he got one hit.

Side Note wife, Ashley, is a total : Both Saltalamacchia and Escobar have very hot wives, i've posted before that Salty'smilf and last night I learned Escobar's is too, both men are doing quite well for themselves and uh...they play baseball really well too. I'm still trying to find pics of both women.

Phillip Wellman suspended but not fired

2007-06-04T17:12:00.000-05:00

The Atlanta Braves have decided that Phillip Wellman's tirade was enough to earn a three-game suspension. Over the weekend, Mississippi Braves manager, Wellman, was a little eccentric after being ejected for arguing balls and strikes.

Throw hat to the ground...check
Insult umpire's mother...check
Get on one knee and cover home plate in dirt and outline a new plate...check
Rip third and second base out of the ground and throw them...check
Crawl to the the pitcher's mound and throw the rosin bag like it's a grenade at the umpire...CLASSIC and check

Wellman has yet to hear from the Southern League President, but you can expect he will in due time and expect another suspension. I would've thought his antics would've earned him a longer suspension, but let's see what the prez has to say. Wellman and the Braves have declined to comment on the situation, I can't wait to see that interview.

Odell Thurman > Pac Man Jones and Chris Henry

2007-06-04T15:42:00.000-05:00

The insanity just will not stop, With Leather is reporting that he got an email from a tipster that attended a house party with Bengal's troubled linebacker, Odell Thurman and he said Thurman kicked the shit out of some guy and later returned with an "entourage" equiped with guns. Matt Ufford put it so much better, here's what he said.

According to the tipster, Thurman attended a house party in his hometown of Monticello, Georgia Saturday night. At around 3 a.m. on Sunday morning, he was grinding on another partygoer's girlfriend, which upset the partygoer in question. Said partygoer asked Thurman to stop, then returned his attention to a game of pool. The rest of the story, according to the email I received:

Big mistake. Thurman ran up to the guy, pushed him down, and kicked the shit out of his face knocking the guy out. He then left, and moments later came back with his entourage carrying guns. Some of the people there were able to calm him down, and get him to leave for good.

The Monticelloo Police Department couldn't provide me with any details, and I got voicemail when I called the county courthouse. But you can expect to see charges filed against Thurman by the end of the day, and Len Pasquarelli will probably have the full story sometime later this afternoon. You know, if this is all true.

UPDATE: I just got off the phone with the host of the party. Although he was upstairs when the fight began, he corroborated the story above. And to be fair to Thurman, it appears that he returned with guns and friends with guns only after people at the party pulled guns on him.

SECOND UPDATE: A tipster sent along the picture below, which is supposedly of the victim's cut lip, courtesy Odell's foot. I've also received word that Thurman tried to buy his victim's silence. And just for fun: it was on Friday that Thurman got sentenced to six days in rehab with two years probation for his DUI conviction.

He also included a picture of the guy who was supposedly kicked in the face by Thurman and well, he looks pretty bad. I fully expect, if it's true, this guy to press charges on Thurman, who would then go to jail and subsequently be released from the Bengals. Which sucks because he had a hell of a rookie season back in 2005 when he made 106 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 5 interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. But has since then been suspended multiple times including a one-year ban from the league last season. But even with all that the Bengal's were willing to give him another chance at resuming his career in Cincinnati but with this latest news, i'd be surprised if he remains on the roster.

A couple of draft possibilities for Atlanta.

2007-06-04T13:09:00.000-05:00

With the MLB draft just a few days away, it's got me thinking of just who the Braves are going to take with the 14th overall pick. There is a lot of players that I think they should take, most of which are pitchers, but here is a list of 1st round possibilities for the Atlanta Braves.

1. Blake Beavan, RHP

Height: 6'7"
Weight: 210
Age: 18
B/T: R/R
School: Irving High School (Irving, TX)

Blake Beavan is a right-handed flamethrower from Irving Texas and is drawing many comparisons to the Big Unit, Randy Johnson for his size, intimidation factor and his ability to strike out batters. Beavan is one of the top pitching prospects in this years upcoming draft and teams would be foolish to pass up on this kid.

With his ability to funnel his fiery attitude into a positive attribute, he impressed everyone going 8-1 with a 0.36 ERA, while striking out 99 batters in just 58 innings of work this past season. He has had a lot of success going back to his time on USA's Youth National Team he went 3-0 with a 1.10 ERA and helped the United States to a silver medal. Not only is he a great pitcher, he can also hit very well, he put up a .379 batting average and had 26 hits and 16 RBI's.

2. Jason Heyward, OF/1B

Height: 6'2"
Weight: 198
Age: 17
B/T: L/L
School: Henry County High School (McDonough, GA)

Jason Heyward is a versatile player that can play multiple positions and posses "intriguing raw power" that has many scouts comparing him to former All-Star, Fred McGriff. He has a big, muscular frame that allows him to generate a lot of power into his swing.

Heyward is not only a great power hitter, he is very good defensively as well and much like a current Brave, Jeff Francoeur, he's equipped with an absolute cannon for an arm that has some thinking he could do some pitching beyond high school. This past season he led his high school, McDonough High, to the school's first state championship in baseball, hitting .456 with five home runs, 41 runs and 23 stolen bases. The only problem with Heyward is that he in all likelihood will be off the board by time the Braves make their selection.

3. Josh Smoker, LHP

Height: 6'2"
Weight: 195
Age: 18
B/T: L/L
School: Calhoun High School (Sugar Valley, GA)

Josh Smoker is one of the top lefthanded pitchers in this year's draft and with his fluid pitching motion it reminds me of Braves' current starter, Chuck James. He has exceptional upside and with that loose and easy delivery it enables him to generate low-90s fastballs and an above-average changeup.

Even though he doesn't over power hitters, he is able to record a lot of strikeouts. This past season, Smoker went 8-2 1.52 ERA with 88 strikeouts in just 50 innings of work. And if you think that is impressive, then look at his numbers he put up as a sophomore. As a sophomore he went 12-0 with an astonishing 0.09 ERA and broke his own school strikeout record with 137 in 75 innings in leading Calhoun to the Georgia Class 2-A State Championship.

According to a mock draft done by John Sickles over at Minor League Ball, Smoker is the Braves' first round selection.

4. Matt Harvey, RHP

Height: 6'4"
Weight: 190
Age: 18
B/T: R/R
School: Fitch Senior High School (Mystic, CT)

Matt Harvey is also one of the top ten pitchers in this years draft and he has all the makings to be a great #2 pitcher for a long time. He has a loose fluid delivery and is able to pound the strike zone with in upwards of five pitches all of which he throws very well. His fastball can reach up to 95 at any given time, he also has one of the best, if not the best change up in this years draft, a two-seam fastball, a curve ball that has good spin and movement and a hard slider that breaks quickly. Matt also has experience at the closer role, which could increase his value. Something that is seeing him drop down draft boards has nothing to do with talent, it's because of his adviser, which is Scott Boras, and that leads teams to believe that he may be difficult to sign because of Boras' history.

Harvey led Fitch High to Connecticut's Class 2-A State Championship as a junior, posting a 5-0 record with two saves and a 0.82 ERA. In 43 innings he racked up 80 strikeouts against 14 walks with 13 hits allowed. He is a great pitcher and a team, say the 14-20 range could find themselves a steal, should he drop that low because of Boras of course, which it seems he may.

5. Tim Alderson, RHP

Height: 6'7"
Weight: 208
Age: 18
B/T: R/R
School: Horizon High School (Phoenix, AZ)

It's pretty easy to see why so many teams and scouts are enamored with Arizona prep star, he has great command on all of his pitches and is just as good as anyone in the high school ranks. He hardly walks anyone and he can reach 95+ on the radar guns. To compliment Alderson's 95+ fastball he has a nasty curveball that breaks hard.

Alderson led his Horizon High team this past season as the team's ace as he compiled an 8-3 record with a 0.95 ERA. He also recorded 122 strikeouts and eight walks on his way to being selected the Class 5-A Player of the Year by the Scottsdale Tribune. As a sophomore at Horizon, Tim went 8-1 with an astonishing 0.13 ERA. But with an unorthodox delivery it has some scouts concerned and it could end up meaning him dropping to the later picks in the first round.

The MLB Draft starts this coming Thursday and ends Friday(7th-8th) and for the first time it will be on national television. Expect me to be live blogging this much like I live blogged the NFL Draft and will be live blogging the NBA Draft when it happens.

This whole Donovan thing is confusing

2007-06-04T10:18:00.000-05:00

Well last night when I went to bed, there were early reports that Donovan wanted to get out of his contract that he signed just three days ago with the Orlando Magic, and it appears that he still does. But there are conflicting reports on whether or not the Magic will allow him to break his contract.

The Orlando Sentinel reported early this morning that Orland will indeed allow Donovan to leave and may have already found his replacement.

On Monday morning, the Magic issued a statement, saying, " While Central Florida, the Orlando Magic and Billy were energized with the announcement of his contract signing on Friday, we know there was a different feeling in Gainesville and people have been tugging at him since that time.

"Billy is conflicted with those emotions and the opportunity he has ahead in Orlando and in the NBA. We've had numerous conversations and a personal visit in Gainesville with Billy over the last 48 hours, and we have a commitment from him that the dialogue between us will continue.''

They later went on to say that in all likelihood Donovan's predecessor will be Stan Van Gundy formally with the Miami Heat. Van Gundy is also involved in the head coaching job for the Sacramento Kings.

But then ESPN says something different, Andy Katz is reporting that the Magic may not let him out of his contract and they are trying to convince him to stay in Orlando.

"We've had numerous conversations and a personal visit in Gainesville with Billy over the last 48 hours and we have a commitment from him that the dialogue between us will continue."

Does this mean they will make him stay? Well, no, but it also mentions that there is a penalty if he does decide to back out. If I were the Magic I would try my damnedest to get Donovan to want to stay, obviously if he has no desire to coach then you have to let him go, because then he would lose all respect of his players and the fans. Whatever his final decision is, he's going to piss off one part of Florida, either Gainesville or Orlando.

See this story on the Fanhouse, Deadspin, Larry Brown Sports too name a few.

Breaking News: Orlando may still be looking for a head coach

2007-06-03T22:54:00.001-05:00

Ryan Ferguson over at the Fanhouse just broke HUGE news, according to Fox Sports and ESPN, after being announced as the new head coach of the Orlando Magic just two days ago, Billy Donovan already wants out of his contract.

According to two sources close to the situation, the former Florida coach, who accepted the Orlando Magic job on Friday, is attempting to return to Gainesville.

Donovan agreed to a five-year, $27.5 million contract with the Magic late last week, but has approached both sides about getting out of the deal.

According to one source, Donovan was forced to make a rash decision by the Magic management — and he regretted it shortly after agreeing to the contract.

I'm shocked by this news, it really seemed like Donovan was prepared to move on to the next step, but I guess not. I don't really know what is left for him to do at Florida, his legacy is already etched in stone after becoming the first coach to lead his team to back-to-back National Championships since Duke did it in the early nineties. And then take into consideration that he has no returning starters from those great teams, it's going to be awfully difficult to keep the Gators in the top echelon of college basketball.

Is he backing out because of the pressure to be successful? Maybe. There is always immense pressure put on coaches that leave college for the pros, it doesn't matter what the sport is, football or basketball. But it's not like the Magic expect Donovan to turn this one and done team into a championship caliber team, at least not right now. He has a lot of great young players that are still developing, guys like Dwight Howard(who is already a bonafide star), Jameer Nelson, J.J. Reddick, Trevor Ariza, Darko Milicic and Carlos Arroyo so it's not like he's taking over the Spurs as Davey put it. I don't know, I guess we're going to have to wait see how this one plays out.

I think it's safe to say, they might want to take this down.

EDIT: Earlier I said that all five starters from last year's championship team have entered the draft, well they haven't, only four of the five are currently listed at ESPN.com(Horford, Green, Brewer and Noah). Lee Humphrey isn't mentioned although he was a senior.

They just don't understand, it's impossible to cover 85

2007-06-03T16:08:00.000-05:00

According to ESPN's Len Pasquarelli, Cincinnati Bengal's cornerback, Johnathan Joseph will be out until the start of training camp due to a foot injury that he sustained Saturday at the Bengal's minicamp.

Joseph, who was the team's first-round choice in the 2006 draft, will undergo surgery on Monday for what is believed to be a minor fracture to his left foot. His foot will be either in a cast or a walking boot for at least a few weeks following the surgery.

Joseph injured his foot while trying to cover Bengal's wide receiver, Chad Johnson, which everyone knows is impossible, in a one-on-one drill Saturday. He was able to get up and move gingerly on the foot, but a subsequent examination indicated the need for surgery.

Joseph is fully expected to make a full recovery by time the season starts and will be the teams starting cornerback. Joseph will be taking over the duties that were once held by Tory James, but James now plays for the New England Patriots. Delta O'Neal and our 2007 1st-round selection, Leon Hall are expected to fight it out for the second starting position.

Johnnie Morton might want to consider a career change...again

2007-06-03T15:23:00.000-05:00

Johnnie Morton's debut in mixed martial arts didn't quite go as expected, as he was knocked the hell out in just 38 seconds of the first round. He was put to sleep by a comedian of all people, named Bernard Ackah, Ackah connected with a devastating right hand to Morton's temple knocking him unconcisence. Morton stayed on the mat for a few moments before getting fitted with a neck brace and taken off on a stretcher.

Morton was awake and talking with paramedics after he was strapped onto the stretcher, he was also moving his head and arms, he was later taken to California Hospital as a precautionary measure. But he was suspended indefinitely by the California State Athletic Commission for refusing to take a post-fight banned substance test.

The former USC Trojan star displayed skill that suggested he'd have trouble defeating a Bozo the Clown bop bag. He ran at Ackah throwing wild punches, all of which missed or did little to no damage, and he showed the defensive skill of Jeff Kent. He looked to be in great shape, but he had no right in being in the ring.

Also see this story on Larry Brown Sports, With Leather and Deadspin.

Cavs win and it wasn't because of LeBron

2007-06-02T22:41:00.000-05:00

The C leveland Cavaliers have defeated the Detroit Pistons , 98-82 to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in the team's history. Like I said in the title, LeBron James wasn't that big of a factor, at least offensively, he had just 20 points but he had a great defensive game getting 14 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. It was none other than rookie point guard, Daniel "Boobie" Gibson who carried the Cav's offensively, he scored a very impressive 31 points and he added 6 rebounds and 2 assists, oh and he did all this coming off the bench.

The Cavaliers are going to have their hands full in the Finals because they are matched up against the defensive powerhouse that is the San Antonio Spurs this coming Thursday night for Game one.

To quote Cav's coach, Mike Brown, "you leave him open and it'll be Boobie for three....shoot it Boobie...Shoot it!"

I'll get more in dept tomorrow, but for now I bid you farewell.

Update: Wellman's shenanigans(I love that word)

2007-06-02T13:03:00.000-05:00

Well another video of Phillip Wellman's ejection, although the video is much much better, the person who uploaded the video disabled embeding, so the best I can do is give you the URL...So here it is, Wellman's shenanigans.

Side Note: Wellman's grenade toss kind of reminds me of dinner at my Grandfathers, back when he used to have flashbacks of World War II and he started to reenact the battle scenes, I can't even begin to remember how many dinner rolls I've been pelted with in my day.

UPDATE #2: Finally a video is available that I can embed.

Greg Oden has a great sense of humor

2007-06-02T11:14:00.001-05:00

I actually just found Greg Oden's blog via the Blog Show via We are the Postman so bare with me while I catch up.

His three posts(as of right now) are good, they could use some punctioation every now and again, but it's great to be able to read what it's really like going through the draft process with the notion that you're going to be the number one overall pick.

Oden also has a great sense of humor, he deals with all the jokes about him being 40 years old very well, and actually plays along with it, here's a few of his quotes from his comment section.

	6. jackson, 3 days ago \| Reply	-15 pts \| \| \|
	Portland sounds nice. Do they have dinosaurs? Are they even real? Did you see them in your childhood in 1962.

	6.1. gregoden, 17 hours ago \| Reply	+1 pts \| \| \|
	Well since I was born in 1922 I wouldnt know.

I do however agree with the statement that he could use a proofreader, but then again so could I, but him not having one kind of makes it seem more real(does that make sense?). Anyways I love the fact that he's blogging, he can join the likes of Gilbert Arenas, Ben Gordon etc as NBA stars that have blogs, I just hope he keeps it going through the draft process and his rookie season. Anyways, touche Mr.Oden, here's to more athletes taking up blogging, well Schilling can go ahead and stop.

Phillip Wellman: You ain't seen nothing yet

2007-06-02T02:32:00.001-05:00

During Friday night's loss to the Chattanooga Lookouts, Mississippi Braves manager, Phillip Wellman decided to put on a show before leaving after being ejected in the third inning.

Wellman's show started after one ball in the bottom of the third. He burst out of the third-base dugout, flinging his hat behind home plate and getting in the face of plate umpire Brent Rice.

After having his say in a nose-to-nose conversation, Wellman strolled over to the plate and started kicking dirt on it. Then he dropped to a knee, scooped dirt on the plate and outlined a new one in the dirt.

Then Wellman walked down to third base and gave Rusty Barrett, the ump there, a piece of his mind before pulling the base out of the ground as a batboy scampered out of the dugout to reclaim the tossed hat. Wellman headed toward second base and tossed third into center field.

The antics continued.

Wellman crawled up the mound on his elbows and knees and flung the rosin bag toward the plate as if it were a grenade. He went back to second base, pulled it from the ground, grabbed third base and headed toward the clubhouse.

He ended the show by turning to the cheering crowd and waving goodbye.

"That was a pretty good show," Botelho said. "I'd probably rank it No. 1."

Let me be the first, or one of the first to present, one of the greatest freak outs in baseball history...

Is it really that hard to spell Dwayne Wade?

2007-06-01T21:28:00.000-05:00

In order to show support for the yesterday's spelling bee, SI.com has a photo gallery titled "Hardest Names to Spell in Sports". Ok, sure, I mean there's a lot of names in the sport's world that can be difficult to say, let alone spell. Just for shits and giggles lets look at a quick rundown of their list.

1. Tshimanga (Tim) Biakabatuka (pronounced: Bee-ak-ah-bah-TOO-kah)- Former NFL running back for the Carolina Panthers.

2. Boubacar Aw (pronounced: boo-bah-KAHR)- Former basketball player for the Georgetown Hoyas, he played for John Thompson Sr.

3. Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje (pronounced: Boom-shay Boom-shay)- Another former Georgetown alum, he had a very disappointingly career with the Portland Trail Blazers and the Orlando Magic(apparently, I really have no idea who the hell he is.)

4. Mark Buehrle (pronounced: BUR-LEE)- Current All-Star pitcher for the Chicago White Sox.

5. Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (pronounced: kah-BEER BAH-jah BEE-ah-MIL-lah) - Current NFL defensive end for the Green Bay Packers.

6. Mark Grudzielanek (pronounced: grud-zuh-LAN-nick)- Current starting second baseman for the Kansas City Royals.

7. Guillaume Latendresse (pronounced: Guy - Yo - hm La - Ten - Dress)- I guess he's still playing(?) for the Montreal Canadians, I wouldn't know, last time I watched hockey, Patrick Roy was still playing.

8. T.J. Houshmandzadeh (pronounced: hoosh-mand-zaa-deh)- Yessir, T.J. Whosyomamma himself...best number two wide receiver in the NFL and he plays for my Cincinnati Bengals.

9. Jarrod Saltalamacchia (pronounced: Sal-ta-la-macch-i-a)- Back-to-back players from my teams, Salty is a rookie catcher for my Atlanta Braves. He is also highly regarded as the top catching prospect in baseball.

10. Mike Krzyzewski (pronounced: Shuh-SHEV-ski)- Current head basketball coach for the Duke Blue Devils. I heard he's a pretty good coach....I suppose.

11. Doug Mientkiewicz (pronounced: mint-KAY-vich)- Current backup first baseman of the New York Yankees, he can't hit for shit, but he's pretty good defensively.

12. Nikolai Khabibulin (pronounced: hah-bee-BOO-lihn)- I don't know shit about hockey, but according to SI.com, this guy is pretty good and his nickname is the "Bulin Wall".

13. Okeme Oziwo (pronounced: oz-iwo)- He is a former Arizona State Sun Devil and a Harlem Globetrotter, but left the Globetrotters to pursue his doctorate in social work.

14. Jeff Samardzija (pronounced: sa-MAR-zhuh) - Nicknamed "the Shark" while setting records at Notre Dame but he has elected to stop playing football--even though he would've been a first round pick this year-- and instead signed a nice contract with the Chicago Cubs as a pitcher.

15. Wally Szczerbiak (pronounced: SIR-bee-ack)- Current basketball player for the Boston Celtics, but more known for his tenure with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

So far so good right, all those names are pretty hard to spell and pronounce, but here is where I begin to get confused...

16. Dwayne Wade (pronounced: Dwayne)- Wait, what? Dwayne Wade...are they serious? What is hard about that, Dwayne and Wade are both pretty common names. Oh he's a current superstar for the Miami Heat. But come on!

and finally...

17. Nikoloz Tskitishvili (pronounced: SKEE-tish-VEE-lee)- He was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 2002 as the fifth overall selection but he is no longer in the NBA.

Breaking News: Carlos Zambrano and Michael Barrett throw fisticuffs

2007-06-01T15:22:00.000-05:00

During the fifth inning of the Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs game, Carlos Zambrano imploded and allowed five runs on five hits and he walked two batters. And the inning may have come to a close if it wasn't for Michael Barrett, the Cub's catcher, who first let a ball get passed him then allowed Scott Thorman to score on his throwing error. Obviously Zambrano wasn't very happy with his peformance and it seemed as though the events of Barrett set him off because after the inning Barrett and Zambrano started jawing in the dugout and then fisticuffs insued. A couple of shots by Zambrano, who is 6'5" 255, must've landed because Koyie Hill had to replace Barrett at catcher.

Expect an update when a video is available.

Side Note: I take every advantage to mention "fisticuffs".

UPDATE: Ok, so it looks like no solid punches landed, just shoves....oh well.

UPDATE #2: According MLB.com, Cubs manager Lou Piniella and hitting coach Gerald Perry had to separate the two a second time, this time in the team's clubhouse.

Piniella's interview isn't up yet, but Ububba from the Braves Journal posted this...

Piniella said the fight continued into the clubhouse after the dugout scrap. He says he sent both players home & “both will be disciplined, believe me.”

“This just shouldn’t happen,” he said, “Go fight the other team, if you have to.”

“When I was with the Yankees, this seemed like it happened a lot, but it still shouldn’t.”

He said he sent Zambrano to the showers & Barrett followed him. “Barrett’s lip is cut up pretty good.”

Then, he really got rolling. “I’ve only got so many players I can send out there and it’s about time they started playing like Major Leaguers!”

UPDATE #3: Here's the video of the Zambrano and Barrett fight...at last.

Chipper Jones placed on the DL; Smoltz's start pushed back

2007-06-01T14:08:00.000-05:00

Well today was the deadline for the Atlanta Braves and Chipper Jones on whether or not to put him on the disabled list. And they have decided to go ahead an place him on the 15-day DL and call up Yunel Escobar to replace him. Jones has been diagnosed with a bone bruise near the base of his thumbs, but Jones is more concerned there might be some ligament or other damage, especially since the pain had begun raidiating down into his wrists. X-rays were taken last week and they showed no breaks or other structural damage. This will be Jones' fifth trip to the DL in the past three seasons and it's obviously frustrating him.

"I have absolutely no idea," he said of the next course in treatment. "I don't know what to do. We?re doing everything. I'll try to strengthen the wrist, and hopefully the bone bruises will heal in this down time."

His replacement will be Yunel Escobar, who is more of a shortstop, but has experience at thirdbase. Escobar was hitting .333/.379/.456 with 2 HR, 29 RBI's and 7 stolen bases in 46 games. For his complete statistics, here's his profile page. He is expected to arrive in Chicago in time for tomorrow's game and possibly start at third, this in all likelihood will be his major league debut.

More injury news, John Smoltz scheduled start this Sunday is probably going to be pushed back until Tuesday in which the Braves' have a double-header scheduled against the Florida Marlins. Smoltz's shoulder is still a little sore when he threw this morning after tweaking it on a warmup pitch before the fourth inning last Saturday at Milwaukee. He had previously dislocated his pinky again in that game but he said it didn't bother him when he threw Friday in a bullpen session at Wrigley Field. It looks like Buddy Carlyle will be starting the series finale against the Chicago Cubs this Sunday.

I'm torn with the "Chipper to the DL" thing, I mean Chipper is my favorite player and I never want to see him get hurt, but if he is hurt--and he is--I want him to take as much time as he needs so his season isn't full of injuries, and on another plus side we get to see Escobar play who is most likely one our top "trading pieces". As bad as it sounds, there is just no where for him to play and if he continues his hot hitting, he could fetch us another pitcher.

[Photo of Chipper(1st pic) is from May 11th when he collided with Pirate's third baseman, Jose Bautista, that was when he first injured his wrists.]

LeBron drops 48 in the Cav's game 5 double overtime win

2007-05-31T23:47:00.000-05:00

I really don't know what to say right now, LeBron James just single handedly beat the Detroit Pistons in double overtime. James scored a career playoff high 48 points in the Cav's 109-107 victory Thursday night and now has the Cav's within one game of reaching the NBA Finals for the first time in team history.

James hit what proved to be the game-winning shot with 2.2 seconds remaining and Detroit's Chauncey Billups missed a shot in the paint that would've tied the game on the ensuing possession.

A huge portion of James' points came in the fourth quarter and the overtimes in which he scored 30 of his 48 points and just for a little reference on how shitty his teammates are...James scored 29 of the Cav's last 30 points and only two of his teammates scored in double figures, Zydrunas Ilgauskas with 16 points and Daniel "BOOBIES!!" Gibson with 11 points...only one problem, they both fouled out.

But even with this career defining game, you wouldn't know it by LeBron's post-game interview, man...he's so modest.

"Why should I be surprised? I was making a lot of great moves," James said. "They are definitely a great defensive team, but I was determined to attack."

The Cav's can lock up the series this Saturday night in Cleveland and if necessary, game seven is in Detroit and it would be on Monday night.

Side Note: The "Boobies" is a quote from one of my favorite sites, the Basketball Jones.

S-E-R-R-E-F-I-N-E wins the Spelling Bee

2007-05-31T21:25:00.000-05:00

The winner of the 2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee is thirteen-year-old Evan O'Dorney of Danville, California.

The home-schooled eighth-grader easily aced "serrefine" -- a noun describing small forceps -- to become the last youngster standing at the 80th annual bee. He triumphed after a tense duel with Nate Gartke of Spruce Grove, Alberta, who was trying to become the first Canadian to win.

"My favorite things to do were math and music, and with the math I really like the way the numbers fit together," he said. "And with the music I like to let out ideas by composing notes -- and the spelling is just a bunch of memorization."

Evan, who tied for 14th last year, won $35,000 cash, plus a $5,000 scholarship, a $2,500 savings bond and a set of reference works. He said he knew how to spell the winning word as soon as the pronouncer said it.

Oh shit, I just remembered something...I don't care about the spelling bee. I don't mean to be a dick, but why does ESPN show this...but then again why do they show bowling, scrabble, darts, etc....

Random Youtube video

2007-05-31T20:36:00.000-05:00

The Braves aren't playing tonight and the Pistons and Cavaliers game is at the half(FYI, Detroit is up one,52-51)...so i'm bored and when I'm bored usually a liquor store gets robbed or something to that effect, but since I have to have pants on to leave the house, Jay's calm down juice will have to wait another day. So here's a random youtube video of people falling down and getting hurt...

Side Note: my favorite one is the first one...for obvious reasons...aww silly rednecks and their redneck entertainment.

Side Note #2: Oh and the Rocky Marciano wannabe at 1:11 makes a strong case....

Chad Johnson is going to embarrass a horse

2007-05-31T19:35:00.000-05:00

According to Ben Maller, Cincinnati Bengal's wide receiver, Chad Johnson, will race a horse on June 9th at River Downs.

To benefit the charity "Feed the Children," Johnson will try to match strides with a 4-year-old colt named Restore the Roar over RD's turf course.

The event, billed as "Man vs. Beast," will be the feature race and will be simulcast to more than 400 outlets across the country and in South America.

The horse will break from the inside from a starting gate at the eighth pole, and Johnson will break from the outside rail going 11/16 of a mile to the wire. The distances are calculated to create a photo finish.

We're about to see a man kick a horse's ass everyone, photo finish my ass, Chad is gonna make this horse cry. Me and Davey once entered a three-legged race against a couple of drug induced pandas...and we inevitably lost by 14 lenghts, we like to think we put in a good effort.

A picture is worth 1,000 words...or in this case questions

2007-05-31T14:22:00.000-05:00

This was taken from last night's game 2 of the NHL Stanley Cup which the Anaheim ~~Mighty~~ Ducks beat the Ottawa Senators, 1-0 to further extend their lead in the series 2-0. It's of Snoop Dogg wearing what appears to be a fake mustache sitting next to who I would assume to be his son. But this pitcher asks more questions than it answers...here's a small portion of the questions that entered my mind when I first saw this picture.

1. Why is Snoop in a disguise, it's not like their is anyone there that could spot him...just check out Lion in Oil.

2. What the fuck! I thought the high-top fade went out of style when Patrick Ewing retired...looks like lil' Snoop is trying to bring it back.

3. Remember to get milk tonight.

Via Deadspin and Lion in Oil(also via Deadspin)

UPDATE: Sneaky sneaky Mr. Rod...wait that sounds dirty

2007-05-31T12:25:00.000-05:00

I said I would update as soon as a video was available and since I didn't come out of my drunken coma until about 10 minutes ago, it's already made it's way around other sites. But here is the video of Alex Rodriguez screaming at Howie Clark causing him to misplay the ball.

My boii Davey was the first to jump on this video like a raging virgin getting laid for the first time he then passed it to the Fanhouse for some good ole "sloppy seconds" and then I get to it and I don't even want to begin to think what it's called the third time around....

Blowncoverage and the Fanhouse

The Battle of the 5'7" dunkers

2007-05-30T23:21:00.000-05:00

While I was searching for Pauly Shore's greatest hits, I happened to stumble upon these clips of two different guys, both of which say they're 5'7" showing off what kids these days call "mad skills". I'm about six foot and if I attempted to dunk it would end up with humiliation, a broken rib(or two) a busted spleen and noises that only a six year old girl should make.

Anyways, here's the first of our two competitors...oh yeah did I mention this is a competition, well it is, so pick the winner. The first of the competitors is Frank, he's 5'7" and he's doing his best to prove that white man CAN jump, but guys like this aren't really helping his cause.

If you like Frank, here's his YouTube page with more videos.

Here's the second of the two competitors, his name is Marcus Walls aka Oh-No and he's also 5'7 and sportin' a 120cm vertical leap. If you want to see more videos by Marcus visit here. Actually i'm not sure if any of the other two videos are of him or not.

My pick is by far Marcus Walls, this kid must have an extra thigh muscle or something.

EDIT: Bonus pic, here's the only type of dunking you will ever see me attempting and even then I have to cheat.

Sneaky sneaky Mr. Rod...wait that sounds dirty

2007-05-30T22:31:00.000-05:00

During the ninth inning with two-outs, Alex Rodriguez, who had just hit an RBI-single, was running hard into second base after Jorge Posada had hit a high pop-up in between the Toronto Blue Jay's shortstop, John McDonald and the Jay's third baseman, Howie Clark. As they both closed in on the ball, Rodriguez appeared to call them both off making them both get out of the way letting the ball fall harmlessly to the ground allowing Hideki Matsui to score.

Replays showed Rodriguez shouting something, and Clark backed off at the last second. McDonald was only a few steps behind Clark, but couldn't make the catch and ball dropped for an RBI single.

"I just said, 'Hah!' That's it," Rodriguez said. "Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't."

McDonald started jawing with Rodriguez, and third base umpire Chad Fairchild got between them. Toronto manager John Gibbons came out to argue, and exchanged words with Rodriguez and third base coach Larry Bowa before leaving the field as plate umpire Eric Cooper intervened. Rodriguez stayed on the bag with a smirk.

I'll update when a video is available, but to quote Rob Cope from the Braves Journal, "that’s straight out of Major League II. Nice."

Full story on Yahoo Sports and ESPN.

Jerry Porter has better things to spend his money on

2007-05-30T21:49:00.000-05:00

According to Yahoo Sports, the Oakland Raider's troubled receiver, Jerry Porter, wants to have a clean slate with Oakland after feuding with last year's head coach, Art Shell. He has said that he wants a new start and a new attitude and also a new number.

Porter has informed the NFL that he wants to change his number from the current #84 to #81, but there is just one problem with that. He would have to reimburse the team and Reebok for the cost of the unsold jerseys. The total price to do this would come to $210,000 and Porter is non to happy with this.

"Man, there's a couple of nice cars I'd like to get for that money," Porter said. "I could buy a nice vacation home, or at least go half on one with someone else."

But NFL's spokesman Steve Alic said that Porter could just wait till next year to change his number if he didn't want to pay the reimbursement. But Porter reported to practice today still wearing the #81, but he said he would return to his old number when the season started even though he liked this look much better.

"It's slimming," he said. "It's faster. It was working. Oh well."

Is it just me or does $210,000 for Jerry Porter seem a little eccentric? I mean he has done anything productive for what, 2, 2 1/2 years? I don't live in Oakland, but I can't imagine to many people are still walking around in Porter jerseys, I mean the guy has bashed the team on multiple occasions, demanded trades and has been suspended. I would say make him give you $26 and call it even.

[Photo comes courtesy of the Mighty MJD]

Braves rally late to capture series

2007-05-30T20:53:00.000-05:00

It took the Atlanta Braves seven innings to get their offense started, but in the eighth inning they were able to explode with seven runs giving them the 8-2 lead. The inning started out with Matt Diaz, who coincidentally seems to always start off late-inning rallies, grounding out and then back-to-back walks to Kelly Johnson and Willie Harris. Edgar Renteria came up and singled loading the bases for Brian McCann, who had let a ball get passed him that gave the Brewers the lead the inning before. McCann promptly doubled to deep center that scored everyone and put the Braves on top for the first time, 3-2. McCann later scored off of a Andruw Jones RBI-double, who scored a few moments later thanks to Jeff Francoeur and his RBI-single. We scored our other two runs a little later off a Matt Diaz and Kelly Johnson RBI-single. Atlanta went on to win the game, 9-3.

Tim Hudson had another strong outing going seven innings allowing just two runs and striking out three batters. All six of hits were singles and the second of his two runs allowed came from the for mentioned wild pitch that scored Damian Miller. And not to mention he only had to throw 76 pitches to get through seven innings...I know, pretty impressive. He was replaced in the eighth inning by Rafael Soriano, who stretched his hitless streak to 10 innings before allowing a solo homerun to Prince Fielder-I have seen more than I would've liked to from that guy- but no worries, the game was well in hand and it wasn't a bad pitch. Bob Wickman then came onto pitch in the ninth, which didn't make a whole lot of sense, but hey, what do I know? Wickman had a three up-three down inning that included a rare strikeout.

WP: Tim Hudson(6-3)
LP: Derrick Turnbow(1-3)

HR: ATL- Kelly Johnson(7) MIL- Prince Fielder(18)

Side Note: Chipper Jones missed his sixth game today, and the team has said that they will give him till Friday and then decide whether or not to put him disabled list.