Categories
Boston Red Sox

Bonds to Boston? Unlikely


In another spectacular example of sportswriter logic (i.e. make up some bs) Murray Chass in the New York Times is speculating that since both the JD Drew and Barry Bonds contracts, even though agreed to in terms, have not been signed, that Barry Bonds could end up in Boston. (We would like to speculate that since the Raiders have a head coaching vacancy and Rich Kotite used to be a head coach, that the Raiders might hire Kotite.)

OK, the Giants are definitely trying to backpedal on the Bonds deal because of the recent amphetamines news and the Red Sox are worried about Drew’s shoulder but putting Bonds in there doesn’t make any sense. First, do the Red Sox really need Barry Bonds? He just becomes a huge distraction. If the Giants are worried about his affect on the club house even in the only city where he is loved liked tolerated, what is going to happen in Beantown. Second, this is also the guy who called the entire city of Boston racist.


Boston is too racist for me. I couldn’t play there. That’s been going on ever since my dad (Bobby) was playing baseball. I can’t play like that. That’s not for me, brother.

We’d actually like to see Bonds in Boston. That would make those Red Sox trips to NYC even better. Although the east coast biased media coverage would be completely out of control.

Links:
[NY Times]: Unsigned Bonds Awaits Further Review

Categories
New England Patriots

When does Tom Brady’s deal with the devil expire?


First, let’s talk about football. Peyton Manning goes 15 for 30, 170 yards, 0 TDs and 2 INTs and a 39.6 QB rating. Tom Brady goes 27-51, 280 yards, 2 TDs and 3 INTs and a 57.6 QB rating. Both quarterbacks played pretty poorly. Tom Brady’s last interception cost the Patriots the game… oh wait, no it didn’t because Marlon McCree is a goddamn idiot… In any case, Tom Brady is “a winner who delivers in the clutch” and Peyton Manning is “lucky to be in the AFCCG”. Doesn’t seem fair does it?

Well, here’s what else is not fair. Tom Brady had Gisele Bundchen waiting for him outside the Patriots locker room while all Peyton Manning has is a bunch of fat sportswriters. Boston Herald’s The Track (Page Six?) reported:


She was standing outside the locker room, just kind of leaning against the wall,” said our spy in the bowels of QualComm Stadium. “No one noticed her, she was dressed like a high-school kid, just in jeans and a T-shirt. But she is gorgeous.

It’s good to be Tom Brady.

Links:
[Boston Herald]: Does Tom have Secret he’d like to share

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: Michigan’s New Fab Five


1. Home Sweet Home
It took 14 seasons as Chris Webber spent time with four different teams before he finally made his way home. C-Webb will clear waivers today at 2:00 p.m. ET and could possibly be signed by the Pistons later in the day. The last time Detroit brought in a malcontent player it worked out all right as Rasheed Wallace helped bring a title to the Motor City. And just like Sheed in 2004, Webber could be the missing piece that propels the Pistons through the Eastern Conference and into The Finals. But Webber’s presence didn’t help his future teammates any when he sat in the crowd during yesterday’s overtime loss to the Timberwolves.

2. Undercover Brother
In typical super-spy fashion, Agent 0 easily made his way through all the barriers put in his way en route to calmly taking out the bad guy right before he got away. With 48 points already in his back pocket, Agent 0 waited for the most dramatic moment in the game to take his total over 50 for the third time this season; and with the final buzzer sounding, a 24 foot three-pointer swished through the net. His name is Arenas. Gilbert Arenas. But to the 15,524 in attendance at the MCI Center for the 114-111 win over the Jazz, he was simply referred to as “M.V.P.” While his mission of bringing a championship to Washington might seem impossible, Arenas has been achieving the unbelievable all season long. The only other person to score 51 points in that building was codenamed Air, and yesterday marked the seventh time Arenas has put up over 40 points.

3. Synthetic Ball on the Rebound
It took two months, but the players finally convinced David Stern to replace the old new ball with the new old ball (???). However, like cockroaches, just because you don’t see them doesn’t mean they’re not there. All teams in the league were told to keep at least two dozen of the synthetic balls on hand, leaving the door open to the idea that Stern might be looking to bring the ball back at some point. But it will probably take a different form before hitting arena floors across the Association. Looks like Spalding and the NBA have actually decided to question a number of players before attempting to make the next version of the composite ball. Brilliant!!

Monday’s Player of the Day: Gilbert Arenas vs. Utah 41 min, 51 pts (FG: 14-29, 3FG: 7-12, FT: 16-17), 3 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl

Tuesdays’ Game to Watch: Houston (25-13) @ Dallas (31-8) Dallas is really good, but unfortunately for the Rockets they’re even better at home. The Mavs are 17-3 when playing in Dallas as they hope to make Houston the next victim in a long line of fallen opponents. But Houston is no pushover simply because Yao Ming isn’t in the lineup. Behind Tracy McGrady’s high scoring performances, the Rockets, like the Mavericks, are riding a four game winning streak into the Texas showdown. And 40 year old Dikembe Mutombo is pulling down rebounds like a spry Denver rookie from 1992.

Buzzer Beater: Congratulations are in order for the Atlanta Hawks. This once proud franchise is now reduced to celebrating the rare occurrences of back to back wins. Following a shocking defeat of Detroit on Friday, the Hawks pulled out a close win over an equally pathetic Boston club on M.L.K. Day. This marks the first time since early in November that Atlanta can claim a two game win streak. Now, losing streaks on the other hand are much more common for the Hawks as they have already amassed five such marks. “Welcome to Atlanta where the playas play”? Well, it’s not exactly like Ludacris makes it sound.

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: Rude Ref



Making a move

1. Blow Your Whistle, Then Blow Your Top
What’s the deal? Everyone in Portland has to be a tough guy, and it’s not even limited to Trailblazer players anymore. Last Sunday, nine-year veteran referee Rodney Mott was observed flipping the bird to a fan in the stands and using inappropriate language after a Blazer home loss to the Heat. Sure, it’s a lame offense by Portland’s standards, but it should still earn him a little street cred in “The City of Roses.” And I’m sure Zach Randolph feels that the greatest form of flattery is imitation. But shouldn’t refs be held to higher standards during the leagues attempt at rebuilding their image? A three game suspension without pay seems a bit weak on David Stern’s part.

2. Election Day
Allen Iverson was a shoe in for a starting guard position in the East at this year’s All-Star Game in Las Vegas before he was traded to Denver. In the West, however, Iverson ranks third in votes behind Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady. But the votes for The Answer have been rolling in and the gap between Iverson and McGrady has been shrinking. At last check, A.I. was only 31,263 votes behind T-Mac. So, for all the Iverson fans out there, get out to a game today and stuff those ballot boxes because no paper votes will be accepted after the 15th. However, should you prefer, you can also sit on your couch in your underwear and vote drunk on the web through January 21. The starters for the game will be announced on January 25.

3. Here We Go Again
Dallas is obviously a great team and they deserve plenty of recognition, but is anyone else getting sick of this same old story? The Mavericks are rolling yet again as they have won four in a row after having their 13 game winning streak broken by the Lakers. The Mavs haven’t lost consecutive games since they opened the season by losing their first four games. And don’t adjust your eyes; since the first week of the season ended, they are an incredible 31-4. If you take the first four losses away, Dallas would be on pace to break the 1995-96 Bulls’ record 72 win season by one win. This current streak could easily grow into another double digit run as 30 points and 10 rebounds has become simply average for Dirk Nowitzki of late.

In related news, Phoenix can pick up their second ten game win streak of the season with a win in Memphis tonight.

Sunday’s Player of the Day: Dirk Nowitzki @ Toronto 45 min, 38 pts (FG: 14-30, 3FG: 3-6, FT: 7-9), 11 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl, 3 blk

Monday’s Game to Watch: Utah (24-13) @ Washington (20-16) The Jazz have lost three games in a row and four of their last five. But Utah is not as bad as their recent skid would indicate however, they are also not as good as their 12-1 start had people believing. The Jazz are somewhere in between and they will have their hands full with a Wizards team that has won 11 of their last 16. Washington is 14-3 at home this season and Gilbert Arenas is beginning to get some serious MVP consideration thanks in part to his 29.7 point scoring average. Caron Butler has established himself as an excellent sidekick to Arenas and will exploit any team who decides to put their best perimeter defender on Agent 0.

Buzzer Beater: It was six years ago that the Knicks and Spurs literally gave the league a black eye on MLK day when N.Y. center Marcus Camby attempted to decapitate the Spurs’ Danny Ferry with a blindsided sucker punch. At the last moment, Ferry ducked the punch and Camby clocked his coach, Jeff Van Gundy, opening a cut above his left eye that needed over 12 stitches to close. Interestingly, none of the major players from the fight are involved in action on this Martin Luther King holiday. (Ferry is now Cleveland’s GM, Van Gundy coaches the Rockets and Camby plays in Denver.)

Categories
New Orleans Saints

Classy Saints Fan

Nice of Fox to show this during the Saints-Eagles game and stay on her for 5 seconds. Fuck Da Eagles? A trailer somewhere is missing its trash.

Categories
Houston Rockets

Yao Ming does not have jungle fever


(Does anyone still use the term jungle fever anymore? That movie was like what… 1992?)

There’s a rule about lying. If you’re gonna make something up, make it so preposterous that it’s believable. MediaTakeOut.com is rumor-mongering (thank you Al Davis) that Yao Ming is dating 5’2″ Nia Long because he became a huge fan of hers while watching The Fresh Price of Bel Aire in China. First of all, did Fresh Prince of Bel Aire even air in China? Second, wasn’t this the plot of the Borat movie?

Reuters (slightly more credible than MediaTakeOut) has Yao denying the story:


Isn’t it too ridiculous? I saw the news on Internet. The writer is so good at hoaxes. What’s that? She’s only 1.57m. I’m 2.26m. Does it sound reasonable?

Reuters also reports that his long term girlfriend Ye Li is living with him. So if Yao is really dating Nia Long… then kudos to you Yao. Just don’t get caught in Colorado on a rape charge. You’ll never be able to score 81 points.

Links:
[Reuters ]: Basketball star dismisses love interest as tall story
[Media TakeOut.com]: THE WEIRDEST COUPLE EVER!
YAO MING DATING NIA LONG

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: All-Star Saturday Night Fights


1. Forgive and Forget? Uh, No.
J.R. Smith is hoping he can earn back some of the cash he lost during his suspension by participating in either the three-point or slam dunk contest at the All-Star Game in Las Vegas. Apparently Smith hasn’t heard about the vendetta David Stern has against the leagues trouble makers. The aftermath from the brawl in Detroit is still being felt in the league today; it’s safe to bet he hasn’t forgotten about Smith’s bad behavior in New York just yet. Smith returned from his ten game suspension on Wednesday and proceeded to shoot and miss all four of his three point attempts; not a good endorsement for his long range skills. But Smith can certainly dunk in impressive fashion and it’s a shame that the fans won’t be able to enjoy his talents because of a flagrant foul gone wild.

2. New Life in New Jersey
For a guy who’s supposed to be going through one of the more traumatic experiences in life, Jason Kidd sure isn’t showing any ill effects on the court. His team is currently winning the Atlantic Division and Kidd picked up the 82 triple-double of his career with 23 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists in a win over the Bulls last night. Since filing for a divorce from an allegedly violent Joumana on Tuesday, J-Kidd has led his team to a perfect 2-0 record and the Nets have won five of their last six games. So, something about the bachelor life must be treating Kidd right. It could be the cold pizza in the morning. It could be Jason simply finds sanctuary from his problems on the court. But it’s probably the lack of physical abuse.

3. The Antique Road Show
The Kings use to be one of the best home teams in the NBA; now, not so much. But one thing remains the same from the early part of the decade, and that is that the Kings are not good hosts. As of now, visitors have a 50/50 chance to take home a win when traveling to Sac Town but that’s still not enough motivation for some players to want to take the trip to Arco Arena. Even coaches hate the accommodations. Phil Jackson recently compared the locker room to a dungeon. It’s situated in a confined area with a small rack for clothes and there’s no television for players to watch while they are kicking back in folding chairs during their stay. Oddly enough, one of the most hated men in Sacramento loves the amenities offered by the Kings. “I’m a traditionalist,” said Kobe Bryant. “Look at that chalk board, the stains all over it. This is Arco. I love coming here. I don’t want them to change a thing.”

Thursday’ Player of the Day: Jason Kidd @ Chicago 43 min, 23 pts (FG: 8-17, 3FG: 3-5, FT: 4-6), 14 reb, 11 ast, 2 stl

Friday’s Game to Watch: Orlando (22-14) @ Los Angeles Lakers (23-13) Orlando has worked their way back to the top of the Southeast Division after a stretch where they lost ten of 14. Behind the play of Dwight Howard, the Magic are riding a five game winning streak into Los Angeles where the Lakers are 16-4. L.A. has amassed a remarkable list of victims who have all fallen within the walls of the Staples Center, including Phoenix, Utah, San Antonio, Houston, and the recent, streak ending victory over Dallas. But the Lakers have lost their last two games; a defeat to the lowly Grizzlies and a 25 point beat-down by the Rockets.

Buzzer Beater: Could any one play better sum up the season of the Boston Celtics than the attempted dunk during the final moments of the game against Indiana on Wednesday? The answer is no. Late in the fourth quarter, guard Tony Allen went for an unnecessary, uncontested dunk after the whistle had blown and in the process of landing tore two ligaments in his left knee which will cause him to miss the remainder of the season. Poetically, Boston lost the game, 97-84. In addition to Allen, the Celtics are without Paul Pierce, Theo Ratliff and Wally Szczerbiak.

Categories
New York Jets

Jan 12 in Sports History: Broadway Joe’s Guarantee


In 1969: It might have been the most important victory in football history. It was the new, long-haired upstart vs. the old, crew-cut establishment. It was young, brash Joe Namath vs. the veteran, stoic Johnny Unitas (who, according to Abe Simpson, had “a haircut you could set your watch to”). The New York Jets, a 19-point underdog, faced the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III at the Orange Bowl in Miami. At a banquet a few days before the game, Namath grew tired of the press claiming how bad the Colts were going to make the Jets look. During a speech, someone mentioned it again, and Namath stopped and told him that the Jets would win, and he guaranteed it.

The game was very even statistically. The Jets only outgained the Colts by 13 yards. The difference was five Colts turnovers (four interceptions). The Jets jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the third quarter behind Namath and the running of Matt Snell, who had 121 yards and a touchdown. Namath was efficient, going 17 for 28 for 206 yards. Actually, Unitas only played in the second half, subbing for NFL MVP Earl Morrall, who had thrown three interceptions. The Colts did not score until there was 3:19 remaining, but the game was out of hand. In fact, Namath, who was named MVP, did not have to throw a single pass in the fourth quarter.

The Jets 16-7 victory, the first for the AFL in the Super Bowl, was monumental. Of course, it proved that the AFL was a quality football league that could compete with the NFL (the 14-point dog Chiefs proved it against next year by walloping the Vikings), but it also led to the merger of the two leagues in 1970, which is the beginning of the multi-kagillion dollar Empire/World Ruler/Big Brother it is today. Not only that, but if the Jets were to fail like everyone thought they would, it could have ended the AFL. Commissioner Pete Rozelle was considering at the time of scrapping the AFL-NFL format due to the blowouts in the first two Super Bowls and just letting NFL teams play in the Super Bowl. The Jets, thankfully, changed all that.

Categories
Soccer

US Soccer just got a lot prettier



I love me some me

David Beckham made it official today and announced that he was leaving Real Madrid at the end of the season in June to join MLS’ LA Galaxy. His new contract is expected to be worth $250M over 5 years. MLS has a salary cap of $2M per season but league rules allow for a “superstar exemption”.

Beckham issued a statement:


I am proud to have played for two of the biggest clubs in football and I look forward to the new challenge of growing the world’s most popular game in a country that is as passionate about its sport as my own.

This is going to be a pretty tough task for Beckham. Pele played in the US at the end of his career but that didn’t increase the popularity of soccer in the US. Despite a lot of criticism from English fans, Beckham can still play (he did bail them out in the Round of 16 game vs Ecuador this year despite barfing during the game). But the question is whether he’ll be covered more in the tabloids or in the sports pages. We’re betting tabloids.

Here’s a hilarious video of Beckham and his alien wife (although she is kinda cool in this clip) being interviewed by Ali G.

Links:
[BBC]: Beckham agrees to LA Galaxy move
[IHT]: David Beckham Fact Box

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: Greg O-Done?


1. With the First Selection

A lot of the draft talk has been about Greg Oden, and deservedly so. Oden will be an immediate blessing to any team that is coming off a lottery level season. But before anyone starts dropping games in order to pick up ping-pong balls for Oden’s rights, they should be willing to be flexible because there’s a kid at Texas who just might change the way the draft plays out. Longhorn guard/forward Kevin Durant is dropping jaws across the nation with his dominance and versatility as a freshman. In 15 games, Durant has averaged 23.4 points (49% FG, 39% 3FG, 85% FT), 10.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists, while blocking 1.9 shots and snatching 1.5 steals per game. Durant torched Colorado for 37 on Saturday and followed that up by picking up his fourth straight double-double with 34 points and 13 rebounds in a win over Missouri last night. Durant’s performances should have teams like the Sixers, Hawks, Celtics and Bobcats reconsidering exactly what all this losing is for.

2. Kings of Comedy
Mike Bibby is trying to get his teammates to rally together and focus on winning, but pointing fingers might not be the way to approach it. Bibby said, “Try to win a game instead of trying to see how many points you can score or how many shots you can get up.” The hot-headed Ron Artest has never been one to take criticism lightly which could lead to problems down the road if he feels Bibby is placing blame on him. But it’s hard for Bibby to accuse others of taking too many shots when he leads the team in shots per game, yet he has one of the worst field goal percentages on his team. The frustrations for the Kings continue to pile up as Sacramento sits at the bottom of their division after losing three in a row and 12 of the last 18 games.

3. Webber Can Come, Garnett’s Got To Go
Chris Webber is a free man and now he’s searching for a team that will bring him a ring. Most rumors are focusing on joining Webber with Kevin Garnett in Minnesota. K.G. has said that he would love to bring Webber aboard, but the move couldn’t possibly bring the Timberwolves any closer to a championship ring than a move for Allen Iverson would have. It’s going to take a lot more than an old Webber who can’t stay healthy to get Garnett into the Finals. Once A.I. was sent to Denver, it became painfully obvious that Minnesota is going to remain a one man show. Perhaps, the time for a K.G. trade is upon us. If Minnesota won’t bring a superstar to Garnett then there are multiple teams who would love to bring Garnett to their superstar.

Wednesday’ Player of the Day: Dwight Howard @ Golden State 45 min, 30 pts (FG: 11-18, FT: 8-15), 25 reb, 2 stl, 1 blk

Thursday’s Game to Watch: Cleveland (22-12) @ Phoenix (26-8) The Suns have been tough to beat this season, but an opponent’s chances are greatly diminished when they must travel to Phoenix where the home team is 15-3. The Cavs are undefeated in 2007 and own the longest winning streak in the Eastern Conference with five in a row, but despite their recent success, Cleveland is only 7-9 on the road. It’s going to be difficult for the Cavaliers to keep up defensively in the transition as Phoenix will try to beat the Cavs down the court on every possession. Cleveland has proven they can produce on offense but Zydrunas Ilgauskus’ abilities on defense could be negated in the up and down game.

Buzzer Beater: You’ve gotta love a short, stocky basketball coach. At least Memphis seems to like theirs. The Grizzlies are 3-3 under their version of Rick Magerus, interim coach Tony Barone. Now, 3-3 might not sound like much, but when you start a season off by going 6-24, a six game stint of 3-3 becomes a big deal. Can Barone keep it up? It depends on if Pau Gasol can remain healthy. Gasol has strung together four consecutive games of 24 or more points and he continues to improve his efforts on the glass. If only Stan Van Gundy were around, he’d be so proud.