Tag: money

Categories
NBA General

25 NBA players who are laughing all the way to the bank

The NBA is a league of big men and bigger salaries. Last season, everybody in the Association pulled down at least a cool $427,163 with the minimum salary jumping to $442,114 next year. And, yes, even Jelani McCoy and Bracey Wright will make that much. But if you think that is a case of serious overpayment, just wait until you get a load of YardBarker.com‘s list of the 25 Most Overpaid NBA Players (in no particular order). And, yes, Darko Milicic and Dan Gadzuric made the cut.

1. Samuel Dalembert($10,500,000)
2.Kenny Thomas($7,942,187)
3. Lamar Odom($14,600,000)
4.The entire New Knicks roster(current payroll $90,467,471)
5. Ben Wallace ($14,500,000)
6. Steve Francis($19,814,480)
7.Wally Szcerbiak($13,000,000)
8. Nazr Mohammed ($6,049,400
9. Larry Hughes ($12,827,676)
10.Eric Dampier ($9,550,000)
11. Troy Murphy ($10,126,984)
12.Tim Thomas ($6,049,400)
13. Vladimir Radmanovic ($6,049,400)
14. Antoine Walker ($9,320,500)
15. Darko Milicic ($7,000,000)
16. Shawn Marion ($17,000,000)
17. Dan Gadzuric ($6,246,250)
18. Jason Collins ($6,200,000)
19. Bobby Simmons ($9,920,000)
20. Rashard Lewis ($17,238,000)
21. James Posey (apprx. $8.5 million)
22. Reggie Evans ($4.640,000)
23. Etan Thomas ($6,860,000)
24.Nene ($9,680,000)
25. Vince Carter ($15,200,000)

Links:

[YardBarker.com]: 25 Most Overpaid NBA Players

Categories
Atlanta Falcons

Matt Ryan is rich bitch!


Most of the time, the NFL Draft is just a mirage because although franchises get to select their future cornerstones, getting them to sign a deal usually takes the better part of the offseason. You remember last year’s debacle between the Raiders and top pick JaMarcus Russell, right? Well, believe it or not, but the bumbling, stumbling Atlanta Falcons discovered the secret to getting players into camp quick: throw a boatload of money at them.

Matt Ryan signed a $72 million, six-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons on Tuesday, ending concerns that prolonged negotiations could threaten his chance to become the starting quarterback as a rookie.

Ryan, the No. 3 overall pick in last month’s draft out of Boston College, is guaranteed $34.75 million. His guaranteed money is $4.75 million more than that given to Jake Long, the No. 1 overall choice who also is represented by agent Tom Condon.

If you’re eyes are bulging out of your head over the sheer size of the check, don’t worry, you’re not alone. However, we gotta admit that we’re happy to see a team willingly hand over a titanic contract instead of the usual hostage-type negotiations that occur every year between players, agents and owners. Will he be worth it? Only time will tell, but we applaud all parties for taking care of business quickly so Ryan can focus on producing in his rookie year, meaning the chances of seeing more in-game vomiting out of the Boston College product are a distinct possibility. That should make Donovan McNabb feel a little less lonely in the puking department. Now, if we could just get Dorenzo Hudson drafted in the NBA.

Links:

[The Associated Press]: Falcons sign QB Matt Ryan to 6-year, $72M contract

Categories
Chicago Bulls

Drew Gooden’s beard is a bet, but the pubic hair patch last year was all his idea


If you’ve been paying attention to the NBA this season then you’ve noticed the Bulls Drew Gooden’s mangled mess of a beard. And if you’ve really been paying attention then you’ve probably noticed that Gooden isn’t the only one sporting the Billy goat look. In particular, we’re talking about Washington’s DeShawn Stevenson. Turns out the two made a friendly wager over the summer to see who could resist the razor longer.

We both live in Orlando during the offseason, and we were talking,” Gooden said. ”I had the ducktail going last year, and he wanted to do something crazy this year. I said, ‘I’m not going to cut my beard this year, and I bet you can’t do it.’

”That’s how it all started. I dared him, and now we’re to this point. There are some penalties for whoever cuts the beard first.

Obviously, the first penalty would be losing the respect of lumberjacks across the nation, but the penalty Gooden is referring to is the $20,000 that is at stake. That’s a whole lotta money for just growing a beard and proper beard etiquette clearly states any beard bets over $500 are to be announced publicly in advance. Rumor has it that Kimbo Slice, Baron Davis and ZZ Top are pretty pissed they didn’t get invited to participate.

Links:

[SunTimes.com]: Gooden hopes to be hair for the long run

Categories
All Other Sports

Odds and Ends: AAFL – All-Around Failure League


Believe it or not, but yet another football league has gone under. Well, that’s not exactly true because the All American Football League isn’t giving up just yet. The AAFL is being forced to postpone its 2008 opening season until 2009 due to a lack of financial funding.

The league’s chief executive officer, Marcus Katz, said economic conditions forced the decision to scrap plans for this year.

“I invested 29 million dollars in cash to roll out the operations of the league,” Katz told the station, adding he was owed “a lot more money” by a student loan company.

“When I told the board I would subsidize the league, that was before the bond market collapsed,” Katz said.

Say what you will about Vince McMahon’s pathetic XFL, but at least they had an opportunity to prove they sucked on the field.

In other news…

[Can’t Stop the Bleeding]: The NCAA doesn’t like ESPN

[The Big Lead]: Clay Buchholz scores a perfect dame

[ThePittsburghChannel.com]: Billy Crystal, you’re outta here!

[Smarter Sports Blog]: Reporter flips over covering sled race

[CBS4Denver.com]: Barry Bonds alleged use of roids pays off in a big way…just not for him

[The Swim Aids]: Golfers don’t like the idea of random drug tests

[Jibblescribbits]: Is Alexander Ovechkin the lost love child of Andre the Giant? You decide

[Links Link]: It’s been a bad week for John Daly…wait, aren’t all his weeks bad weeks?

Categories
College Basketball

March Madness still costs ton of money for those who hire b-ball junkies


It’s almost NCAA Tournament time which means it’s time to hear about how much money your employer will lose this year as you surf the net looking for scores and secretly watch the games on the mini-television you have hidden under your desk.

This year’s final numbers indicate that $1.7 billion will be lost in productivity. But, hey, who cares as long as you get to see No. 14 seed knock off a No. 3 seed on a last second buzzer-beater.

The figure is based on the 37.3 million workers expected to participate in office pools during the NCAA men’s tournament, and the 1.5 million expected to watch games online from their desks. …

“Those who insist there will be no impact are kidding themselves,” Challenger said in a statement. “The key for companies is finding a way to maximize the positive aspects of March Madness so that they outweigh the negatives.”

For every 10 minutes workers spend on basketball, companies will lose about $109 million, Challenger said. That figure is based on the current average hourly wage for all American workers, which the Bureau of Labor Statistics pegs at $17.50.

Look, you can either lose $1.7 billion or we can all call in sick for a month. Your choice.

Links:

[SignOnSanDiego.com]: March Madness cost companies mad money

Categories
NBA General

When Charles Barkley is your friend, you don’t need enemies


Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan are the BFFL (Best Friends For Life), but that doesn’t mean the Round Mound of Rebound is going to show his Airness any mercy when it comes to his ultra expensive divorce settlement.

We’ve been giving Michael a hard time,” Barkley told a crowd at the SMU Athletic Forum lunch at the Hilton Anatole on Wednesday. “He just got a divorce [and it was like] damn, bro, you wrote a check for $175 million? Are you kidding me? You must have some damn money. If you can write a check for $175 million, you’re damn loaded.”

Barkley went on to say that “sports is definitely not the place to be sensitive, no matter what it is. We’re going to ride you unmercifully and we told him, `It’s probably bad to write a check for $175 million, but it’s going to get worse. When you go visit your kids, there’s going to be a guy sitting in your chair, wearing your robe, smoking a cigar.

The crowd erupted in laughter, but Barkley still had one more zinger for Jordan, saying: “You better hope it ain’t one of us. You better hope it ain’t one of your boys. We’re all looking for a woman with $175 million.

Don’t worry about it Mike. If Chuck gets you down with his wisecracks, you can always chill with Tiger and make fun of his golf swing. That never gets old.

Links:

[Star-Telegram.com]: Not even Jordan escapes Charles Barkley’s verbal darts

Categories
Chicago Cubs

Watch the Cubs choke again for a mere $75,000


Chicago Cubs fans are some of the most loyal, dedicated and passionate fans you can find anywhere in the world of baseball. And when we say “loyal, dedicated and passionate,” what we really mean is obscenely wealthy!

The Chicago Board Options Exchange on Monday opened an auction of 71 new season tickets. The spots are next to the dugout on the third-base line. The highest bid for each set is visible online. By Monday evening, the highest offer was $75,000 for a set of four tickets. (That’s $18,750 per season ticket or just over $264 per seat, per game.)

The auction, which continues at cubs.com through March 13, is part of a deal that gives the CBOE naming rights to the new seats.

Naming rights, huh? “Steve Bartman’s Bleachers” has a nice ring to it if you ask us.

Links:

[SunTimes.com]: $75,000 for Cubs tix?

Categories
New England Patriots

Randy Moss signs new deal for some "straight cash, homey"

In case you haven’t heard by now, there will be no Randy Moss offseason movement. After threatening to bolt from New England in favor of reuniting with Daunte Culpepper of all people, the Pats wrote out a big check for $27 million with a $12 million signing bonus to keep Moss around for another three years. Its good news for Patriots fans, but its GREAT news for fans of Straight Cash Homey!

Links:

[NYTimes.com]: Moss Stays Put After Flirtation in Free Agency

Categories
All Other Sports

Fantasy fishing’s got us hook, line and sinker. Seriously



Hey, for $7.3 million, you should be
hooked too!

We know that those who can’t do, play fantasy sports. After all, is there anything more consuming than a fantasy football league? Forget family. Forget work. Forget the bills, well everything but cable and high speed internet connection of course. But it’s not just football anymore. People are addicted to fantasy basketball, fantasy golf, fantasy basketball; it’s becoming an American epidemic. However, those same fantasy freaks would probably scoff at the idea of fantasy fishing. Well, scoff no more because these guys are pulling in fantasy addicts like we reel in old shoes. And they’re using big, big bucks as bait.

Sports fans, fantasy nuts, people who love winning giant piles of money for sitting at a computer — meet FLW Outdoors Fantasy Fishing. It’s the first-ever fantasy sports league to guarantee that somebody will become an actual, totally legit in the eyes of God and the IRS, millionaire. Or even a multimillionaire. FLW is blowing away all previous fantasy leagues by giving away more than $7 million in cash and prizes. Yes, folks, we’ve officially reached the point in sports history where people can win millions of dollars for watching other people watch out for fish. …

Fantasy fishing works like any fantasy league. After signing up at Fantasy Fishing, you draft 10 real anglers (never call them “fishermen”) and accumulate points based on how much bass weight they reel in. Each of six regular-season tournaments awards $100,000 to the highest-scoring participant. The most points in the seventh tournament, the Forrest L. Wood Cup — the league’s “Super Bowl” — also wins $100,000. And the $1 million grand prize goes to the most cumulative points over all seven events, with an astounding $5 million “Top 7 Exacta Bonus” to any owner who picks the top seven finishers, in exact order, in any one event. Oh, and they’re also giving away trucks and ATVs and more. Hey, fantasy leaguers, when was the last time Peyton Manning or Alex Rodriguez won you a friggin’ boat?

Links:

[Salon.com]: Watch people fish. Win $1 million
[FantasyFishing.com]: Win your share of $7.3 million in cash and prizes

Categories
All Other Sports

Floyd Mayweather is the WWE’s new version of the Million Dollar Man


Last week, we told you about Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s decision to hop into the wrestling ring after breaking the Big Show’s nose in a gimmick. Well, the match is signed and officially official. At Wrestlemania XXIV on March 30, it will be the Big Show and Money Mayweather hooking up at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. But Floyd doesn’t come cheap. Mayweather will earn a cool $20 million for his night’s work with the WWE. They don’t call him “Money” for nothing.

The one-fight deal, which is believed to be the largest single purse for a pro wrestling match, was finalized in January by Mayweather’s advisor, Leonard Ellerbee.

“I had approached the (WWE) about a year ago but it didn’t fit into our schedule,” said Ellerbee after a news conference at Staples Center. “We sat down with them again about a month ago and they made an incredible offer and me and my business partner Al Heyman sat down with them and we cut the deal. It’s an eight-figure deal worth $20 million just for this one fight.”

Mayweather is 39-0 in the ring, but the wrestling match will have a slightly more skewed tale of the tape than the 5-foot-8, 150-pound boxer is used to. Wight comes into match standing 7 feet tall and weighing 430 pounds.

“I weigh three times as much as he does. It’s not fair, but I’m a businessman and I see an opportunity for business,” said Wight, punctuating his statement by flinging the wooden podium to the floor. …

I’m not just any ordinary fighter,” said Mayweather, who earned about $20 million for his 2007 fight against De La Hoya, which was the richest boxing match ever, generating revenue of $120 million.

“I dance with the stars, I play in NBA celebrity games; you just never know what Floyd Mayweather will do next. Next year I could be playing for an NFL team or an NBA team. You just don’t know.

We don’t know what he’ll do next, but we know it’s going to put gobs of money in his account, whatever it is.

Links:

[SI.com]: Mayweather goes from WBC to WWE