Categories
General Sports

Forget Roger Clemens; you’re telling us Wolf might be juiced!?


If you’ve had an opportunity to watch the souped-up new version of American Gladiators then you already know the show just isn’t what it used to be. Okay, we’ll just say it: it totally blows. But, don’t worry, it probably won’t be around much longer. After all, nothing sinks a crummy, revamped game show faster than a steroid scandal.

NBC has been testing the 12 cast members of “American Gladiators” for performance-enhancing drugs, according to a report today in the authoritative trade magazine Broadcasting & Cable.

The performers – all body builders competing in a new version of the rough-and-tumble show of the early 1990s – were all tested when they underwent their initial physicals, the magazine says.

In addition, cast members’ contracts require them to submit to tests at any time during the competition.

NBC confirmed the steroid tests but declined to give any background on the policy.

It was not immediately clear why NBC thought it necessary to test the competitors for what is clearly an entertainment show – not a sporting event.

Not clear as to why they’d want to test? Are you serious? Haven’t you ever heard of a level playing field? NBC doesn’t want their Gladiators to have an unfair advantage against the regular Joes who compete on the show. Oh, wait, isn’t that the entire point of American Gladiators?

Links:

[NYPost.com]: `Gladiators’ Tested For `Roids

Categories
Toronto Raptors

Around the Rim: Bosh extinguishes the Blaze


1. He’s got our vote
Chris Bosh is determined to make it to New Orleans for this year’s All-Star Game. On Friday against the Knicks, Bosh scored 40 points inside Madison Square Garden to go with 11 rebounds and a road win for his Raps. On Sunday afternoon, Bosh was equally impressive, scoring 38 points and grabbing 14 rebounds as he lead Toronto past Portland in double-overtime, 116-109. The defeat was just the second in 19 games for the Blazers who began a seven-game road trip in Toronto and next head to New Jersey tonight. Brandon Roy was excellent in defeat (33 pts, 10 ast, 5 reb) and like Bosh, should be a coaches’ decision for his respective All-Start roster.

2. Pistons not firing on all cylinders

There is nothing worse than losing to the Knicks; unless it’s losing to the Knicks by 24 and only managing to score 65 points. Believe it or not, but that was the fate of the Detroit Pistons on Sunday. And it wasn’t just bad for the Bad Boys, it was downright horrific, like something from a Rob Zombie flick. The Pistons fell to New York 89-65, just barely avoiding setting the franchise record for futility which currently stands at 64 points, a two-point victory over Utah in 2005. Detroit shot 23-of-75 from the field against the Knicks while managing just 24 points in the second and third quarters combined.

3. Another win away from the Hive
Winning on the road has become New Orleans’ new calling card. Houston received the message loud and clear on Sunday when Chris Paul hit four crucial, late-game free throws to lock-up a Nawlins win in Houston, 87-82. The Hornets are now 15-5 away from home, already matching last year’s record. While Paul (19 pts, 11 ast) made the game-clinching shots, the Hornets were led offensively by David West’s 26 points. Yao Ming had another monstrous effort with 30 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks, but the Rockets still miss the scoring ability of Tracy McGrady who missed his 10th game with a knee injury. Luckily for Houston, T-Mac is expected to return to the lineup on Saturday when San Antonio comes to town.

Sunday’s Player of the Day: Chris Bosh vs. Portland 55 min, 38 pts (FG: 15-27, FT: 8-10), 14 reb, 2 ast, 3 blk

Monday’s Game to Watch: Washington (19-16) @ Boston (30-5)
Beating Boston nowadays is quite an accomplishment. Washington already knows how it feels to knock off the league’s best after winning in Washington 85-78 on Saturday and if the Wiz can do it again, they will become the only team to defeat Boston in consecutive games this year. Tonight the game will be played in the Celtics’ gym where they own a 16-2 record, best in the NBA. The Wizards haven’t won three consecutive games since mid December, but a win tonight could propel them on a nice streak as they next play a home-and-home with New York.

Buzzer Beater: Despite being a man on the court, LeBron James is still just a kid a heart and he proved his immaturity on his 23rd birthday. On Dec. 30, LBJ was ticketed by the Ohio State Highway Patrol for speeding. The King was just a little over the posted limit of 65 as he was clocked doing 101 mph on Interstate 71. His attorney entered a not guilty plea on Tuesday and a hearing is set for Feb. 11. Hey, it might be dumb, but at least he wasn’t carrying a loaded firearm in the car, like some other speeding ballers. You know who you are Sebastian Telfair.

Categories
Denver Broncos

Broncos’ Super Bowl ring found in Sam’s Club restroom


Some people just seem to have all the luck, like David Diaz-Infante. The former Denver Broncos lineman was on both late 90s Super Bowl squads and had the rings to prove. We say “had” because the knucklehead basically gave one of `em away at a party in July of 2006.

It was a big party,” Deputy Police Chief John Ercul said. “Apparently he passed the ring around and let people look at it. It never did get back to him. The ring was reported stolen, and we did an investigation on it. A number of people were questioned.

Talk about a dumb move. “He passed the ring around and let people look at it”?!?! Does he let strangers at parties test drive his car as well? While that might be one of the stupidest things we’ve ever heard, it certainly isn’t the strangest tidbit in this jewelry caper. Luckily for Diaz-Infante, the ring was eventually recovered. Where you ask. How about in a mega market bathroom.

Ercul said a woman, whose name was not released, found it in the ladies’ room at a Sam’s Club and handed the ring, worth $50,000, over to police.

“He was very happy to get it back,” said Ercul.

Ercul said police will now focus their investigation on Sam’s Club to try find the thief. “We will follow up on that and see what we can find out. It’s going to be tough, but we’ll see if we can get to the bottom of it.

Found it in the ladies room at Sam’s Club, huh? You know if that was Larry David’s Super Bowl ring it would be going straight in the trash can.

Links:

[CBS4Denver.com]: Super Bowl Ring Found, Returned To Former Bronco

Categories
Dallas Cowboys

Forget the popcorn, get your tissues ready

The lingering image of last year’s playoff experience for Dallas was Tony Romo sitting on the Seattle turf with his helmet buried in his hands. This year’s postseason snapshot isn’t much better for Cowboys fans. After becoming the NFC’s first No. 1 seed to lose their opening playoff game since the new system was adopted in 1990, a teary-eyed Terrell Owens took the mic and defended his quarterback.

T.O. said you needed to have your popcorn ready on Sunday and he wasn’t lying. Unfortunately, all the crying in the world isn’t going to keep the media and critics from pointing fingers at Romo and his tryst with Jessica Simpson. The questions surrounding his preparation are sure to pop up, but he looked pretty sharp until his line became completely ineffective down the stretch and the obvious frustration set in. Regardless, the Boys are going home early AGAIN and, like the botched hold and shoestring tackle of last season, Owens’ quivering lip will haunt Cowboys fans until they get another shot to snap their current 12-year playoff drought.

Categories
General Sports

Mike Tomlin resurrects Coors Light’s ad campaign

We understand that everyone is getting sick and tired of watching those crappy Coors Light commercials where they interweave footage of press conferences with dopes drinking beer. After all, you can’t go a quarter without seeing Bill Parcells at least eight times. But don’t give up all hope on the campaign just yet. Turns out there’s a new version with Mike Tomlin making the rounds that will make you forget all about the horrible Jimmy Johnson hair pieces.

Links:

[Sportsocracy.org]: Mike Tomlin – Coors Light Parody

Categories
Detroit Pistons

Around the Rim: Rasheed indeed


1. Pistons’ slide ends at two
The Pistons desperately needed a win after dropping their previous two games, so when they traveled to San Antonio on Thursday, they didn’t bother asking; they simply took it. One quarter into the game, Detroit had already doubled-up the Spurs, 30-15, and they hardly gave an inch from there, winning 90-80. Rasheed Wallace was huge for the Bad Boys, scoring 23 to go with 15 boards, three assists, three steals and a pair of blocks. While the Spurs’ All-Star trio was healthy for the contest, they certainly weren’t firing on all cylinders as Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili combined for 21 points and six assists in the defeat.

2. Injuries were music to the Jazz’s ears

The Suns are good, but they’re not that good. With Shawn Marion, Steve Nash and Grant Hill all out of the lineup against Utah on Thursday, Amare Stoudemire was expected to pick up the slack. He did what he could, scoring 21 and grabbing 14 rebounds, but the Jazz finally showed a little pride and took the undermanned Suns behind the woodshed for an old fashioned beat down, 108-86. The knockout punch came in the third quarter when Phoenix could only produce five field goals and 12 points. Five players finished in double-digits for the Jazz, including Carlos Boozer (22 pts, 17 reb) and Deron Williams (17 pts, 11 ast) who both grabbed double-doubles in the contest.

3. Kings of the court, at least against the Grizz
Memphis and Sacramento played a nail-bitter in California and points were plentiful for almost everyone who stepped foot on the floor. Nine players scored ten or more points in the game, led by Rudy Gay’s 31. In the end, the Kings eked out a 116-113 victory with four starters hitting for at least 22 points. The Grizzlies have now lost 18 consecutive games in Sactown, going back to when they called Vancouver home.

Thursday’s Player of the Day: Rasheed Wallace @ San Antonio 40 min, 23 pts (FG: 9-15, 3FG: 1-4, FT: 4-4), 15 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl, 2 blk

Friday’s Game to Watch: Orlando (23-14) @ Denver (21-13)
The Magic already have 22 road games in the book this season and, surprisingly, they are dominating. With a 16-6 record outside of Orlando, Dwight Howard & Co. are far better on the road then they are at home (7-8). Denver is basically the opposite, owning a 14-5 record at home with a subpar 7-8 showing on the road. If O-Town wants to win, they’ll have to pay special attention to Allen Iverson tonight. A.I. scored his career-high 60 points against the Magic when he was still in Philly and in his last three games against Orlando he has topped 30. And if that’s not bad enough for the Magic, Iverson has scored a combined 103 points in his last three contests.

Buzzer Beater: Utah is desperate to get their players into the All-Star game. How desperate? Apparently, they’re desperate enough to bribe fans for votes.

First there was Chris Bosh, with his home-made “vote-for-me” video on YouTube. Now the Utah Jazz are weighing in as the season for NBA all-star voting nears conclusion, offering free hot dogs to fans in exchange for home-team votes.

The Deseret News reports that the Jazz offered fans free hot dogs in exchange for 10 ballots filled out at their home game last night against the Phoenix Suns – stuff your face, stuff the box.

Categories
All Other Sports

Brawl breaks out at Russian hockey game

When Russians play hockey, they play for keeps. And when they fight, they fight to win. Combine the two and you’ve got the recipe for a whole lotta blood on the ice.

Talk about an orgy of violence! If anyone ever decides to produce The Outsiders on ice then this is exactly what we’d expect to see at the end.

Links:

[Jerseys and Hockey Love]: Russian Hockey Fight

Categories
Boxing

Boxers try to land low blows, but fail miserably


Is it possible to be both a “pro” and a “Joe” at the same time? Even though Spike TV thinks otherwise, we’ve found proof that professional athletes can be very mediocre at other things. Take boxers for example. Some boxers know how to build excitement for a fight and then deliver what they promise, like the feud we saw between Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the weeks leading up to their 10 rounder in December. Those fellas are “pros” through and through.

On the other hand, you’ve got guys like Edison Miranda and Jean Pascal. Both are excellent fighters in their own rights, Miranda with a 29-2 record (25 KOs) and Pascal with a 20-0 record (14 KOs), but the duo could use a lesson or two on the mic. The two aren’t facing each other, but both fighters are involved in separate co-main events at tonight’s Friday Night Boxing from the Hard Rock Live Arena. However, there’s been talk about a possible bout between the two in the near future and, thus, the smack talk is a flowing. But these guys could defiantly use some silver-tongue tutoring because they’ll never sell a pay-per-view with insults like these:

I’m going to give you a beating ahead of time,” Miranda told Pascal at a news conference Monday. “The first knockout is going to happen right here.”

Miranda never delivered the punch but tensions continued at another news conference Wednesday.

”Look at him, he’s ugly,” Pascal said of Miranda. “They call him the Pantera [Panther], but when I finish with him, he will be a little black kitten.

See, it’s not exactly on the level of Mike Tyson’s brawl with Lennox Lewis and subsequent verbal gold of “I f*** you `til you love me b****!”

Links:

[MiamiHerald.com]: Boxers trade verbal blows

Categories
MLB General

After all these years, the Famous Chicken is still finger-lickin’ good


Minor league baseball is always trying to pack the stands with some sort of gimmick or promotion. It seems like the ideas just keep getting wackier and wackier with every passing season. Of course, if all the front office knuckleheads would just stick to the basics then attendance wouldn’t be a problem. You don’t need to give away bobble heads of players or put together expensive postgame firework shows. Nope, just sign up the Famous Chicken to make an appearance and watch the dolla, dolla bills come rolling in.

Its appearance at minor league games, on average, increased attendance by 26 percent.

That’s pretty good when you consider, as the firm [Plan B Branding] reveals, that the Chicken’s appearance only cost teams 22 cents per fan. It’s also pretty good when you consider that the Chicken is more than 30 years old.

My favorite business story with the Chicken involves the day long ago that the man inside the costume, Ted Giannoulas, negotiated an attendance deal with the Padres. The rule worked that he’d get a piece of every ticket above a certain number of expected fans for the night.

The Chicken brought some 30,000 more fans to the game and Giannoulas came home with a $40,000 payday. As the story goes, he spent all that money defending himself in a lawsuit against KGB radio, the station that in March 1974, first put him in a chicken suit as part of a promotional gimmick.

And if you can’t get the Famous Chicken to pay your park a visit then we’d like to suggest this lady as option number two.

Links:

[CNBC.com]: The Ex-San Diego Padre Chicken Still Rules!!

Categories
Charlotte Bobcats

Around the Rim: Bobcats bounce Boston


1. J-Rich cashes in
The Boston Celtics are making a run at history and the Charlotte Bobcats with a 1-11 road record were supposed to be another notch on the belt of the Leprechauns. Well, what was supposed to be an easy win for Boston turned into a 12-point loss, 95-83, at the hands of one of the conference’s worst teams. Guess that is why they actually play the game. Jason Richardson blew up for 34 points and nine rebounds, sticking the dagger in the Cs hearts and twisting it several times during Boston’s attempts to make a comeback. “The Boston Three Party” was a man short on Wednesday as Ray Allen rode the pine with a pinched nerve in his neck, leaving Kevin Garnett (24 pts) and Paul Pierce (13 pts) with all the heavy lifting. So far, Charlotte practically has the Celtics number in their back pocket, winning in Boston and coming one last-second shot away from winning at home. Game three comes in late February in Beantown.

2. Portland’s prosperity

Brandon Roy fell to the court in the second quarter with an apparent knee injury, followed by Steve Blake’s calf clutching on the hardwood in the second half. But the good times kept on rolling as both players’ injuries turned out to be minor and the Trail Blazers picked up their 17th win in 18 games, downing Golden State 109-91. However, the biggest reason to celebrate in Portland wasn’t the victory or the victories or even the successful injury scare. Nope, the real reason for the Blazers smiles is because for the first time since 2001, Portland is atop their division. The Blaze currently owns a ½ game lead over Denver in the Northwest Division, but holding the position won’t be easy with a seven-game, East coast road trip on tap.

3. Suns win a track meet against Pacers
Indiana and Phoenix played five extra minutes and scored a whopping 251 combined points. Unfortunately for the Pacers, Phoenix ended with a majority of the points scored – 129 to be exact. Without Grant Hill who will miss some time (2-3 weeks) after undergoing an appendectomy, the Suns received a lift from Raja Bell (27 pts, 9 reb) and Leandro Barbosa. The Brazilian Blur finished with 27 points off the bench to compliment the double-doubles from starters Shawn Marion (23 pts, 12 reb) and Amare Stoudemire (25 pts, 11 reb). Led by Danny Granger and Shawne Williams who each scored 22 points, six players reached double-digits offensively for Indiana, but it just wasn’t enough against the short-handed Suns. In addition to Hill’s absence, Steve Nash departed from the game early due to a stomach flu, playing just 24 minutes.

Wednesday’s Player of the Day: Yao Ming @ New York 42 min, 36 pts (FG: 14-21, FT: 8-9), 11 reb, 3 ast, 2 blk

Thursday’s Game to Watch: Detroit (26-9) @ San Antonio (23-10)
It wasn’t that long ago when these two teams were hooking up to see who would be the NBA champions. Now, both clubs are just playing to get off the schnide. The Pistons own the East’s second best record, but are losers of their previous two games against Boston and Dallas. In order to avoid their first three-game slide of the season, the Bad Boys must win in San Antonio against a Spurs team bitter about another road loss. The Spurs are a league-best 17-2 at home and know they have to take care of business in San Antonio considering their sorry 6-8 road record.

Buzzer Beater: Good news in Clipper land. Looks like Shaun Livingston could be returning to the other L.A. team’s lineup at some point this year.

The medical team feels he’s going to make a full recovery,” team president Andy Roeser said at halftime of Wednesday night’s game against the Orlando Magic. “There’s a pretty good chance he’ll be on the court before the end of the season.

“The most significant thing is whether he makes a full recovery. It’s significant that we think he can make a full recovery.

Pretty amazing stuff considering it looked like Livingston was going to be made into glue after turning stomachs in late February of 2007.